"He talk like a white boy..."

[Giest4life]

I'm a 24-year-old black male [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/Ruffin316/DSCN1449.jpg] from the "mean" streets of Baltimore, Maryland, USA, and am a proud(-ish) member of the United States Air Force [http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v602/Ruffin316/CeremonialSage-1.jpg].

Funnily, I live in the D.C. area and I've never actually have had the pleasure of visiting Maryland before.

OT: The pressure to conform to an ethnic or racial norm is not unique. As someone who immigrated to the USA from one of those scary countries [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan] in the East, I can tell you that I've just as much--if not publicized as much--pressure to act like my countrymen. But I don't, and I've been labeled a traitor by some longtime [ex]friends of mine. Point is people are stupid--and they want you to act stupid with them.

 

[Hazzaslagga]

As a white person, I've been called posh on occasion and been accused of using big words. We people who talk properly should be proud regardless of race, death to all who do not use correct English and...

Sorry, it appears I got a bit carried away. Unfortunately in a case like yours people will always make assumptions based on stereotypes, which some will have to deal with more than others.

 

[Brandon237]

That is just sad, I am in the nerdy class, no inverted commas needed there. It is. And I fit in well. And this class, in this country that has a huge mix of many races, there are people of all races who excel. The top English student is black and she can write circles around most people. My girlfriend, an Indian girl is the top student in the grade at the moment. Stereotypes are meant to be broken, and if someone criticises you for doing so, you know that they are a bit of an ass already. Score! 1 down and 7 billion more to check is still something.

My best friend, a coloured guy, is very mellow, my other very good friend, who is as big a nerd as I am, has had plenty of girlfriends, and I have a black friend who is doing damn well at both science and IT... stereotypes mean jack-squat, let them die.

And if it means anything: you expressed your opinion, with which I concur, very eloquently and utilising a style I would expect of a respectable, renowned author.

 

[hotsauceman]

I just read an essay about this. I can recount the exact wording but the writer theorised that minorities(excluding Asians i beleive) tend to ostracize because they fear of losing the gifted members of their group.
Basically i don't get it either. I knew a few people who where smart but didnt care because they would loose popularity. Why are people race traitors if they become rish and act a way that is different.

 

[emeraldrafael]

...

snip

You are a handsome man.

um... dont read into that too much.

Well... shit.

Oh, I just didnt want you thinking anythign weird by another guy telling you you were handsome.

OT: anyway, I was always white (ITS NOT MY FAULT ALRIGHT! I WAS BORN THIS WAY, I WISH I COULD CHANGE IT EVERYDAY SO I DIDNT HAVE THIS HORRIFYING DISABILITY! :`( ) so I never had that whole talking like Im different thing in me. Now I hve been a dick from time to time and I'll talk above someone, but usually thats only using much larger words unnecessarily.

I dont know where Im really going with this, so I'll just go with what my grandfather told me.

"theres nothing wrong with sounding educated."

yeah, just... take what you will from that I suppose.

Your grandfather sounds like a wise man. It makes me wish I had someone like that in my life.

Ah well.

...

Hes alright. hes ex military, and he always tells me he got to be a ranger because they liked the ones dumb enough to go first. And that was apparently him (something he tells me he sees in me alot, for better or worse).

Hes just... really old school I guess. Like I am.

 

[kouriichi]

You know, i get the same thing. Im black ,and i live in Detroit, Michigan.
And every black person i walk into asks why i talk so weird.

:/ i dont talk weird. I talk normal. Your the one calling me a "Dawg" and spouting racial slurs every 10 seconds.

Which also makes me laugh, because people think Deus Ex:HR is racist, because black people from Detroit speak like..... black people from Detroit.

 

[Low Key]

I always shake my head at people who say shit like "acting/talking black/white". Does acting black mean a person commits crimes? I guess talking white means you enunciate words properly? Hardly something to look down upon.

I have several black friends, and one in particular will up and down swear he is Chinese. He also grew up in Gary, Indiana during the 80s so I'm guessing he's seen more dumb shit than I could even fathom, which is why he says he is what he is now.

It doesn't matter what color you are as long as you are comfortable with yourself. Fuck what other people think. That's high school clique mentality.

 

[The Diabolical Biz]

See, I get something completely different (and far less aggravating, and probably quite unrelated). Because I'm a middle class white guy from London who loves 90s Hip-Hop, I often get the accusation levelled at me that I think I'm/wish I were black. Which I find rather an odd way of criticising someone's musical taste.

Is it so wrong that I think Lil' Wayne and Drake are two of the most overrated rappers today and will happily explain - coherently to boot - why I think that?

Also this made me laugh out loud.

I think you sound like a charming gentleman, and don't let others dictate who you should be!

 

[EHKOS]

I totally agree, Weezy done fell off a long time ago, right about before C3 dropped. C4 was a fucking joke....but I digress. It doesn't matter how you talk, it matters what you're sayin'.

 

[Enslave_All_Elves]

You know, i get the same thing. Im black ,and i live in Detroit, Michigan.
And every black person i walk into asks why i talk so weird.

:/ i dont talk weird. I talk normal. Your the one calling me a "Dawg" and spouting racial slurs every 10 seconds.

Which also makes me laugh, because people think Deus Ex:HR is racist, because black people from Detroit speak like..... black people from Detroit.

"talking black?"

Yeeeeah... no offense but I least I have a clue what you're saying. Sometimes at work I have no idea what some black dudes are saying. Its the same with southerners sometimes I've noticed. I just hear some gibberish and a few English words and it sends me into a WTF?!? panic because of course you get looked at like you're the weird one. Hey, I speak plain old American English of the Ohio River Valley variety. We're the gold standard for how Americans sound, you're all aliens to us!

Hey OP, how do I know you don't have that Bawlmer accent? My brother works in Fells Point.

 

[5mj7R7yf4Dwr3gdZyyu9PeGNwYjlNrjzuh3iTXQG]

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned MaximusBlack and Novawar on LAG-TV. I was surprised which was the white guy, as were many of their listeners. It also made me realize that despite by best efforts, I am not entirely prejudice-free.

I think the short answer to why the hate is because we freak out, even if only a little bit, when someone doesn't match our initial expectations. But this is not a bad thing, as such a freak out happens, it expands our comfort threshold, and makes us less inclined to freak out next time.

We are still, at heart, a small-tribe centric hunter-gatherer species, and much of becoming civilized and cosmopolitan is adapting attitudes and behaviors beyond those instincts.

238U.

 

[astrav1]

Respect good sir, have you seen captain ignant?

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

I invite one and all to attempt to answer these questions, or even just comment on your own experiences of being hit with bizarre and untrue accusations just because you happen to be able to "articulately elaborate your argument".

Not just a black thing, or thang.

I'm quite loquacious in my speech, but also utilise netspk 2 B UNDRSTUD LOL.

People often only have limited time to make an opinion on you, so - unfortunately - image is the first clue they get. Your black skin or my pasty white skin will give people instant images of how we're supposed to speak - and if we break those boundaries, then it's usually for laughs. And often people instantly think you're laughing at them. Possibly why your friends recoil at your more cultured language - because they think you're patronising them.

Equally, if I'm trying to be my own stereotype, I'll talk in wicked gansta talk innit (Which is done terribly on purpose)

The thing to do is to find a middle-ground. Or better yet, emulate great heroes like Martin Luther King, Malcom X etc. Then you can have big words and respect.

And yeah, assholes - like great people - come in all colours and creeds. We've got guys that talk in faux ebonics despite being whiter than chalk.

 

[kouriichi]

You know, i get the same thing. Im black ,and i live in Detroit, Michigan.
And every black person i walk into asks why i talk so weird.

:/ i dont talk weird. I talk normal. Your the one calling me a "Dawg" and spouting racial slurs every 10 seconds.

Which also makes me laugh, because people think Deus Ex:HR is racist, because black people from Detroit speak like..... black people from Detroit.

"talking black?"

Yeeeeah... no offense but I least I have a clue what you're saying. Sometimes at work I have no idea what some black dudes are saying. Its the same with southerners sometimes I've noticed. I just hear some gibberish and a few English words and it sends me into a WTF?!? panic because of course you get looked at like you're the weird one. Hey, I speak plain old American English of the Ohio River Valley variety. We're the gold standard for how Americans sound, you're all aliens to us!

Hey OP, how do I know you don't have that Bawlmer accent? My brother works in Fells Point.

No no no, dont worry. No offence taken. These people are aliens to even me. :/ and im related to some of them. And it makes me kinda wish i wasnt. While id hate to say it, most of the black stereotypes are true. I guarantee you, if you went to my Grandma Diana's house, youd spend the entire day on the couch, drinking beer, smoking menthol's, and eating fried chicken.

And its not racist, because she owns a 300$ deep fryer, and uses it every other day.

While these people arnt bad or anything.... Its just annoying.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

You know, i get the same thing. Im black ,and i live in Detroit, Michigan.
And every black person i walk into asks why i talk so weird.

:/ i dont talk weird. I talk normal. Your the one calling me a "Dawg" and spouting racial slurs every 10 seconds.

Which also makes me laugh, because people think Deus Ex:HR is racist, because black people from Detroit speak like..... black people from Detroit.

"talking black?"

Yeeeeah... no offense but I least I have a clue what you're saying. Sometimes at work I have no idea what some black dudes are saying. Its the same with southerners sometimes I've noticed. I just hear some gibberish and a few English words and it sends me into a WTF?!? panic because of course you get looked at like you're the weird one. Hey, I speak plain old American English of the Ohio River Valley variety. We're the gold standard for how Americans sound, you're all aliens to us!

Hey OP, how do I know you don't have that Bawlmer accent? My brother works in Fells Point.

No no no, dont worry. No offence taken. These people are aliens to even me. :/ and im related to some of them. And it makes me kinda wish i wasnt. While id hate to say it, most of the black stereotypes are true. I guarantee you, if you went to my Grandma Diana's house, youd spend the entire day on the couch, drinking beer, smoking menthol's, and eating fried chicken.

And its not racist, because she owns a 300$ deep fryer, and uses it every other day.

While these people arnt bad or anything.... Its just annoying.

Can I go to your Grandma's house? I don't smoke, but that sounds like heaven to me XD

(No, I'm not black, but I am Southern, so Fried Chicken is at least as much a part of my personal stereotype as it is for black people. If it weren't so terribly bad for you, I'd probably be making it on a weekly basis too.)

 

[mornal]

That is a badass Mace Windu picture. That's all I really came here to say. I'll be going now.

 

[SillyBear]

I invite one and all to attempt to answer these questions, or even just comment on your own experiences of being hit with bizarre and untrue accusations just because you happen to be able to "articulately elaborate your argument".

Think differently.

The people you were hanging out with were jerks, plain and simple - although they probably see Ebonics as something that is integral to their identity, so when they see you talking eloquently (in the white person's sense of the word) they feel like you are denying your identity. Which is stupid, but I would wager that's how they think.

I'm black too, hurrah! We don't have many black people on the forums. I'm a few years younger than you and I'm in England so the culture difference would be huge.

 

[David Hebda]

I don't understand it. Since when did utilizing proper English qualify as talking in a dialect unnatural to one's skin tone (for us Americans, that is)? And of course this begs the question: what is "talking black"? Is there also a "talking red," or yellow, or brown, or pink? If so, how does one do that?

I invite one and all to attempt to answer these questions, or even just comment on your own experiences of being hit with bizarre and untrue accusations just because you happen to be able to "articulately elaborate your argument".

Think differently.

Here is the skinny my American friend. They (the "ghetto" blacks) love to blame the "white" people for keeping them down, uneducated and un or under employed. When they see a black who has a stable job, dresses in a modest fashion and most importantly speaks proper english their argument falls apart and, they, in your presence are show to be the useless scum bags they are.

I am white and work in a school for students with mental and behavioral issues. We have a lot of inner city students who often accuse me of speaking down to them when I speak as I do to my friends and relatives. I teach them the best I can, but one has to be willing to learn and the simple truth is most are not, because it is part of their identity.
Before the American Civil War there was very little difference between Northern and Southern dialect, the rise of the "southern drawl" was very intentional. Its main purpose was to coalesce the south culturally and create audible distinctions between southerners and northerners. The main difference being that they still used proper English, just enunciated the words differently, also they didn't do many other things that make the innercity culture abominable.

Most black people in the typical "ghetto" normally expect other black people to speak in "ebonics" and use similar slang to them. It isn't that big of a deal.
As a white kid growing up in inner city Chicago, my black friends got a lot of flak at first glance for hanging out with a semi nerdy white kid.

Don't call it ebonics, that is just trying to rationalize and justify their failings, not sure what I would call it here as if I type what I call it I would probably get banned, lol

 

[Catie Caraco]

As a police officer, I've had a lot of partners that are black, I've been taught not to say African american cuz some black people are not of direct African decent, (my last partner was from Barbados) before anyone jumps down my throat about it.

Back to my point, i've sen a TON of officers get called 'sell-outs' or accused of talking white. Etc. It's so hard not to roll my eyes.
To be fair I've seen every major race call someone a sell-out.

Not to mention that some African-Americans are white, especially if they come from South Africa and are of Dutch decent. That got me into a pickle once when I was talking to a South African and said "African Americans" and he said "Like me," and I gave him an odd look.

OP - I guess the problem is that a lot of black youths today celebrate their ethnicity by using their own slang, that which is associated with rap music and "ebonics" and all that, and thus by not using that speech pattern they think you're not identifying with your culture? I for one took Latin in school instead of French or Spanish because I'm of Italian decent and wanted to associate with my culture through language, and since they weren't giving me Italian I went for it's parent language. I regret that what little Italian I know is mostly swear words or insults, because I do associate the language with the culture.

I guess that when that sort of speech pattern is no longer embraced by the majority of blacks, then you won't be looked down upon. So, I guess, good on you for bucking the trend.

I don't want to sound racist, so I hope this doesn't come off that way, but I've never understood why black people talk in a way that sounds so uneducated, in the same way that people from the south, or hell, even rural upstate New York, do. But for blacks in particular, when you've had to fight so much to be treated equally and be respected, why use such stupid sounding speech patterns? That's always confused me. It would be like if all women spoke in some odd speech pattern which sounded uneducated after fighting for our rights.

I hope I didn't offend anyone with that. >_>

 

[catalyst8]

As soon as you hear or read someone decrying the use of 'big words' you know you're dealing with someone who considers language their enemy. There's an obvious benefit to this, which is that they identify themselves as worthless.