How do you like being an African-American (Black)?

Which are you?

Black	25.7%	[ 9 ]
White	48.6%	[ 17 ]
Hispanic	2.9%	[ 1 ]
Asian	11.4%	[ 4 ]
Native American	2.9%	[ 1 ]
Other	8.6%	[ 3 ]
Total Votes:			[ 35 ]

[toasega]

Disclaimer:
This is probably going to piss a bunch of people off. Honesty tends to have that effect. However, I want you to know that this is not intended in that way. I'm simply expressing my own personal views on being African-American, and my feelings towards how it affects my life (to a certain extent).
This topic was made in earnest and has no hidden agenda. Please refrain from angry comments. Calm logic and reason are your friends.

Let us begin.

I would say I dislike being a black person. Simply because of my appearance, people make judgments on my character just by looking at me. I hate walking out in public and having people glance nervously at me as if I was going to rob or otherwise harm them in some way. I try my best to gain as much knowledge as I can in order to enrich my life and put as much distance between me and the black stereotype as I can.

All these "Thug" rappers and "Ghetto-Black" people (as I call them), make me ashamed of my race. The radio, television and internet is saturated with their loud, crowing voices, completely unaware (for the most part) of how foolish they truly are. People are laughing AT them, not with them. And it's not that they behave ignorantly, it's that a person's level of ignorance directly translates into his/her popularity. I suppose everyone else is just as foolish for buying into it, adopting the ignorance and perceiving it as something to be admired, not avoided like the plague that it is.

A person could argue that "It's just a joke." In my experience, the more you speak something (or hear or watch something), regardless of whether or not you're serious, it starts to cement itself in your mind. Before you know it, you start believing what you're saying (or what is constantly being put in front of you). I realize that there is more out there than the things I've talked about, but these are the things that stand out to me personally, due to my own "ethnic problems."

What about you? What is your experience with being African American, and your thoughts on it?

[Brothern]

This is a good post. I am very glad that you wrote it.

I am not black, and most of the Gaia users are not either. I'm white. I'm glad that I am white, and it'd be INCREDIBLY douchy for me to not admit that. Why? Because I have white privilege - your second and third paragraphs explain why.

As a white person, no one (or very, very few people) make judgements off of my character just by looking at me. There are little bad stereotypes about me as a white person, and so I'm never lumped into them. I don't really have to be conscious of my skin color. Nor do I have to feel ashamed of redneck or trashy white people, because it is not assumed that "all white people are the same." All of that would be very different if I were a young black man. Then, I would have to deal with those negative judgements and assumptions.

As for your experience, toasega. It is what it is. It's racist and it's unfair. I wish our society could move past it, and to some degree my generation (the Millennials) are better than our parents.

[CuAnnan]

toasega

I would say I dislike being a black person. Simply because of my appearance, people make judgments on my character just by looking at me. I hate walking out in public and having people glance nervously at me as if I was going to rob or otherwise harm them in some way. I try my best to gain as much knowledge as I can in order to enrich my life and put as much distance between me and the black stereotype as I can.

That is less to do with your being black and their being douche bags.

toasega

it's that a person's level of ignorance directly translates into his/her popularity.

Yup. All minorities get this treatment.

toasega

A person could argue that "It's just a joke."

I would contend that those that argue "It's just a joke" are not people.

toasega

What about you? What is your experience with being African American, and your thoughts on it?

I have no experience being either, but I have a cognitive (if not experiential) and empathetic understanding of your plight and offer whatsoever camaraderie and solidarity I can.

[Fermionic]

When I think of "Ghetto", the only thing that springs to mind is many incredibly hungry Jews.

[CuAnnan]

Fermionic

When I think of "Ghetto", the only thing that springs to mind is many incredibly hungry Jews.

I get Cartman singing a song by Elvis.

[Cassidy Peterson]

I've been working in retail for over five years now, and maybe it's just my particular job (candy store), but I've very rarely had problems with black people, even after moving to Louisiana where I now actually see black people several times a day instead of maybe once a week like in New Hampshire.

The people I have always had problems with at my job have always been white, upper middle class, teenagers. The Abercrombie and Aeropostle crowd. Goths? Good kids. Punks? Good kids. Emos, furries, nerds? Good kids. "Cool kids"? Trouble.

Hell, black people are generally my best customers. The kids are less likely to misbehave outside of normal childish excitement at being in a candy store, and the parents are more likely to discipline their children when they do misbehave.

[CuAnnan]

Cassidy Peterson

Hell, black people are generally my best customers.

While I normally eschew grammatical corrections, you meant to have said "My best customers are generally black people".
Mine generalises your customers, which is fine.
Yours generalises black people, which is less so.

[Cassidy Peterson]

CuAnnan

Cassidy Peterson

Hell, black people are generally my best customers.

While I normally eschew grammatical corrections, you meant to have said "My best customers are generally black people".
Mine generalises your customers, which is fine.
Yours generalises black people, which is less so.

My bad. sweatdrop

[Fermionic]

CuAnnan

Fermionic

When I think of "Ghetto", the only thing that springs to mind is many incredibly hungry Jews.

I get Cartman singing a song by Elvis.

And now I have Vegas in my head.

[CuAnnan]

Cassidy Peterson

CuAnnan

Cassidy Peterson

Hell, black people are generally my best customers.

While I normally eschew grammatical corrections, you meant to have said "My best customers are generally black people".
Mine generalises your customers, which is fine.
Yours generalises black people, which is less so.

My bad. sweatdrop

A simple mistake in linguistic construction, assuredly, but one that I felt you might want to address lest there be a miscommunication or misunderstanding.

[CuAnnan]

Fermionic

CuAnnan

Fermionic

When I think of "Ghetto", the only thing that springs to mind is many incredibly hungry Jews.

I get Cartman singing a song by Elvis.

And now I have Vegas in my head.

I think I may go play some New Vegas.
I loved the Grande Madre DLC.

[Fermionic]

CuAnnan

Fermionic

CuAnnan

Fermionic

When I think of "Ghetto", the only thing that springs to mind is many incredibly hungry Jews.

I get Cartman singing a song by Elvis.

And now I have Vegas in my head.

I think I may go play some New Vegas.
I loved the Grande Madre DLC.

I despise that game with every fibre of my being.

[Fake Geek Gamer Girl]

CuAnnan

Fermionic

CuAnnan

Fermionic

When I think of "Ghetto", the only thing that springs to mind is many incredibly hungry Jews.

I get Cartman singing a song by Elvis.

And now I have Vegas in my head.

I think I may go play some New Vegas.
I loved the Grande Madre DLC.

Old World Blues for me. Dr. Dala's my boo.

[Kaltros]

Brothern

This is a good post. I am very glad that you wrote it.

I am not black, and most of the Gaia users are not either. I'm white. I'm glad that I am white, and it'd be INCREDIBLY douchy for me to not admit that. Why? Because I have white privilege - your second and third paragraphs explain why.

1 - You're glad you have white privilege.
2 - White privilege is evil.

Therefore, you're glad you're evil?

Quote:

As a white person, no one (or very, very few people) make judgements off of my character just by looking at me. There are little bad stereotypes about me as a white person, and so I'm never lumped into them. I don't really have to be conscious of my skin color. Nor do I have to feel ashamed of redneck or trashy white people, because it is not assumed that "all white people are the same." All of that would be very different if I were a young black man. Then, I would have to deal with those negative judgements and assumptions.

You're German, right? If you're German, you probably have some evil Nazi blood. Everybody knows the Nazis are evil.

[Suicidesoldier#1]

Quote:

How do you like being an African-American (Black)?

What the ******** does that mean?

*reads op*


******** you! emotion_donotwant