# Why are groups of black teenagers so loud? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055 "2011-05-24T19:53:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/81 "2011-05-26T16:13:47Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > So fine. My anecdote completely cancels yours and we get back to wondering why the blacks dance so good now. Counterpoint: Why can’t white guys dance? ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/82 "2011-05-26T16:25:39Z")
Guys, guys, you’re all missing the real reason. They have to be loud because the increased pressure from the sound waves bouncing off the ground is the only thing that keeps their pants from falling down even lower. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/83 "2011-05-26T16:37:48Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I will always treasure this thread for the suggestion that Google autocomplete is a persuasive citation. A citation that lots of people are wondering about a certain thing? Yes, I’d say it’s a goddamn good citation of that. As I said before, this is the most widely used search engine _on the planet._ This is _the_ portal through which millions of people are directly typing their queries. I’m baffled by the idea that the _ **greatest question receptacle in the history of the universe** _ is _not_ a valuable tool for observing _what questions people are asking._ ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/84 "2011-05-27T01:54:48Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Why? It’s just their culture. Its more expressive and less inhibited. You might as well ask why white people are so stoic and act like they have a stick stuck up their butts all the time pretending the world is their public library that should not be disturbed. And, if the tables were turned, you would claim that whites are “obnoxious”, “disrespectful”, and so on, while quiet blacks are “dignified”. Witness the “loud American tourist” trope. Nobody thinks “Oh, they’re just being uninhibited. Americans are so wonderfully expressive, aren’t they?” Double standard, folks. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/85 "2011-05-27T01:59:56Z")
I’ve never seen a black person smoke menthol cigarettes. In fact, most of the people I’ve seen smoke menthol cigarettes are white. Also, I’ve never seen a black person drink malt liquor. In fact, most of the people I’ve seen drink malt liquor are white. Also, I’ve never seen elderly people drive slow. In fact, most of the people I see driving slow are teenagers in riced out Honda Civics. Confirmation bias! Confirmation bias! ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/86 "2011-05-27T02:37:13Z")
Anecdote from today: I attended a high school graduation ceremony. As is common, a speaker informs the audience to withhold from any celebratory noises until all graduates have received their diplomas. I paid careful attention to the 250-300 names that were called out. For about the first third of the names there were a few outbursts, all from Black families. Then, a little past that point, the frequency started picking up. By the time we were halfway down the list, every Black graduate had a cheering section. Well, there might have been a few that didn’t, but for the most part, every single one. Not a single White graduate had an audible cheering section. Not a single one. ETA: Of course, this doesn’t address the OP, which was about Black teens. For the most part, the cheering sections I mentioned were mothers, and various assorted female relatives. ---
**Author:** ![Belowjob2.0](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Belowjob2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Belowjob2.0)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/87 "2011-05-29T01:54:21Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Absolutely the loudest kind of people you can get in a group is a bunch of middle aged white women. Old ones can be pretty loud too, but if I see a large table of female friends at a restaurant I ask to be seated as far away as possible. If they aren’t loud right away, they’ll be screaming within thirty minutes. > > Nobody ever starts threads about that. Quoted for truth. Far and away the loudest people on the Ventura County Line Metrolink train are the covens of middle aged women. Will not shut the fuck up. Ever. As soon as I see a bunch of them settling in, I go to another part of the train. Seriously. One thing I’ve noticed is a big difference in loudness between black kids here in LA and the ones I used to deal with in Madison WI. In Madison, they were the loudest, most disruptive crowd you could ever deal with. In LA, not nearly as much. So I’m guessing, social status and degree of assimilation has a lot to do with it. In Madison, black people were disproportionately poor and uneducated, and their kids routinely acted out to get attention. You will sometimes see it in LA, but not nearly as often, and mainly with kids who live in the projects. Before coming to LA, I’d never seen anyone who wasn’t black do the ignorant ghetto thing where they walk out into the middle of busy traffic and expect the cars to stop for them. In LA, it’s usually Latinos who do this. ---
**Author:** ![markdash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@markdash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markdash)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/88 "2011-05-29T04:40:30Z")
Do I think black teenagers are louder than white teenagers? Yeah, probably. But I also think it has virtually nothing to do with the color of their skin, and everything to do with their socio-economic status, local culture, etc. I’m sure that poor whites in other urban areas act in much the same fashion. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/89 "2011-05-29T15:44:26Z")
Over here (Ireland), I’ve never noticed black teenagers being louder than white ones, or heard anyone say they are. Our equivalent is a general perception, based on many years of experience, that groups of Italian teenagers are a LOT louder than Irish ones. I don’t think it can have anything to do with lower socioeconomic status, because the Italian groups who come over here to learn English are from families with enough money to pay for the programme. I think it’s just a cultural difference: different cultures have different default settings for the volume button. They probably wonder why we mutter under our breaths all the time. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/90 "2011-05-29T19:24:41Z")
> [@eclectic\_wench](#): > > Over here (Ireland), I’ve never noticed black teenagers being louder than white ones, or heard anyone say they are. Our equivalent is a general perception, based on many years of experience, that groups of Italian teenagers are a LOT louder than Irish ones. I don’t think it can have anything to do with lower socioeconomic status, because the Italian groups who come over here to learn English are from families with enough money to pay for the programme. I think it’s just a cultural difference: different cultures have different default settings for the volume button. They probably wonder why we mutter under our breaths all the time. Spanish students are worse. But it’s partially caused by the fact they congregate together in bigger numbers than Irish kids (of any hue) would usually. It’s not unusal for a group of 20 Spanish or Italian students to get on the bus and ruin everyone’s day. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![stint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@stint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stint)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/91 "2011-05-29T21:50:46Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > Gosh, it is unbelievable how blind so many of you people are to some of the most basic elements of life. Maybe it is just different experiences, I don’t know. > > Yes, in many regions of the country, ON AVERAGE, “black people” are more loud. This is a result of their culture and community being more expressive and less stuck up and stoic than much of the white culture. > > Have you ever been to a lot of black and white churches in the South? I have, and it’s like night and day. Most white churches (with the exception of certain white pentacostal churches) have the feel of a county library. On the other side of town, black folks are “having CHURCH!” > > Ever been to black and white funerals? White funerals are mainly composed of quiet crying, sniffles, and soulful contemplation. The last black funeral I went to, the family was throwing themselves on the casket and needed help getting off the floor. They were sad, and they felt no shame in dramatically expressing it. > > My company has a yearly ball, we have 300 white guys show up in suits of blue, black and gray. The few black employees show up and it its like skittles, taste the rainbow. The guys are wearing suits of every color from pink to white. They are always the first out on the dance floor while the uptight white folks need to get more drunk before they start dancing. > > For crying out loud, there is a book with the title “Why Black People Tend To Shout.” > > Why? It’s just their culture. Its more expressive and less inhibited. You might as well ask why white people are so stoic and act like they have a stick stuck up their butts all the time pretending the world is their public library that should not be disturbed. I think this post kind of puts the argument to rest. ---
**Author:** ![eclectic\_wench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ac91a4/32.png) [@eclectic\_wench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eclectic_wench)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2011, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/92 "2011-05-29T22:56:44Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Spanish students are worse. But it’s partially caused by the fact they congregate together in bigger numbers than Irish kids (of any hue) would usually. It’s not unusal for a group of 20 Spanish or Italian students to get on the bus and ruin everyone’s day. 🙂 Oh God, the bus. I used to take the 46A. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP I have my Walkman on full blast and I still can’t hear the music. And yeah, Spanish students just as much as Italian ones. I’m not sure it’s just the numbers, though. Even two or three Italian or Spanish kids on the bus are louder than two or three Irish ones. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/93 "2011-05-30T03:54:41Z")
For the same reason that 19/20 times I hear a car blasting expletive littered music at a stop light or at the back of a parking lot it’s black teens. Because it’s their world and the rest of us just live there. If I can’t hear the latest LilWayne tune about niggers and pussy from 3 lanes over I won’t know how tough they are. Love having to roll my windows up on a warm day so my kids don’t have to hear nigger 5-10 times while waiting at a stop light. I don’t want to hear ANYONES yelling or loud music but particularly offensive shit. Even if I listen to it at home. Have a little class douchebags. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/94 "2011-05-30T04:22:43Z")
Prepare for the ram, my friend. You just pissed on a hornet’s nest. (I agree with you, generally, but where I am, I see lots of white frat guys doing it too.) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/95 "2011-05-30T04:45:10Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > For the same reason that 19/20 times I hear a car blasting expletive littered music at a stop light or at the back of a parking lot it’s black teens. > > Because it’s their world and the rest of us just live there. If I can’t hear the latest LilWayne tune about niggers and pussy from 3 lanes over I won’t know how tough they are. Love having to roll my windows up on a warm day so my kids don’t have to hear nigger 5-10 times while waiting at a stop light. > > I don’t want to hear ANYONES yelling or loud music but particularly offensive shit. Even if I listen to it at home. Have a little class douchebags. You forgot the “get off my lawn”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/96 "2011-05-30T04:52:55Z")
> [@Cubsfan](#): > > For the same reason that 19/20 times I hear a car blasting expletive littered music at a stop light or at the back of a parking lot it’s black teens. > > Because it’s their world and the rest of us just live there. Most of the time I hear someone blasting their music from down the block, it turns out to be white kids. Tell me why your story wins. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/97 "2011-05-30T11:46:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Most of the time I hear someone blasting their music from down the block, it turns out to be white kids. Tell me why your story wins. I don’t like hearing anyone’s loud music no matter what the color or the drivers. I particularly don’t want to hear the word nigger over and over and over when my kids are in the car with me because I don’t want them to use it. Cuss words are “you’re too young to use that language. When you’re an adult you can say them” while nigger is a “don’t ever say that word no matter how old you are” word. It’s alot harder to enforce that standard when a Crowne Vic with 8 black kids in it thinks it’s a perfectly fine and entertaining word for them to bob their heads to. This goes back to the earlier post where someone said they are loud and have no filter at the mall screaming and yelling all types of stuff without regard for those around them. It’s their world and we just live here. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/98 "2011-05-30T12:48:54Z")
Yesterday I was hanging out on the street. I was getting ready to pack up, and lo and behold, I heard abrupt loudness coming from behind me, in the parking lot. Youthful loudness. “Oh dearie,” I thought to myself. “It must be some black youth about to go wilding.” But oh no! This mob of teenagers was not black. It was not white. It was Asian! A whole bunch of loud Asians, boys _and_ girls! Not thuggish looking Asians either. No, these kids looked like the “good” kids that make straight As and go on to Stanford and MIT. Hooting it up and having a grand ole time! “Ha!”, I thought to myself. “Just goes to show you can’t believe everything you read on the Dope.” None of the black teenagers that passed by my table yesterday were louder than anyone else. And no, not all of the black teenagers struck me as being particularly “well-to-do.” I’m not discounting anyone’s experiences or anecdotes. It’s just that I see white kids doing all kinds of bad behavior that I don’t see black kids doing (like smoking and drinking openly, like the big bad rebels they are), but I also make it a point to notice the other kids of that demographic who are NOT doing those things. Usually the vast majority are not. Why some white Dopers don’t seem to get that there are stereotypes (bad ones) that apply to them just as much as they do to other groups, I will never understand. (Memory: a bunch of us teens were roaming the streets of Paris late at night, hurrying back to the hotel so we could make it back before curfew. We were loud, I know we were. Singing and laughing and pulling all kinds of stunts. But we were quite integrated, probably more white kids than black. So from my experience, it’s not race but numbers. The more teenagers you have grouped together, the louder they will be.) ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/99 "2011-05-30T12:59:46Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > (Memory: a bunch of us teens were roaming the streets of Paris late at night, hurrying back to the hotel so we could make it back before curfew. You were in Paris during WW2 🙂 ? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2011, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055/100 "2011-05-30T13:32:16Z")
I don’t know precisely what curfew he’s referring to, but curfews can be set by parents. They aren’t always imposes by official authorities. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-groups-of-black-teenagers-so-loud/583055.md?page=6)