I Am Black, But Here's What I Am Not
Tonight I rung up a customer (white/male/46) at the yogurt shop at which I work. He had a friendly demeanor and seemed nice enough. After he was finished with his yogurt, he approached me at my till and started asking me questions. He asked if I was a student, I told him I was a teacher, he said he just knew I was either a student/teacher/news anchor (that's something I've never gotten before). After the basic 'about me' questions, he started asking if I'd seen all these different movies/shows: Amistad, The Color Purple, and others. As soon as he asked me the first one (which I can't remember), I knew the conversation was gonna go south. He asked me if I'd seen The Color Purple, I told him I had and he said he didn't think they made movies like that anymore. That they were so concerned with being politically correct and not offending blacks. I mentioned the movie The Help and how it's based on a true story. He said he did see that and called Viola Davis a liar for saying she faced discrimination as a child, because he's the same age as she and he never noticed any discrimination against blacks. He talked about how he's watched Roots. He went on to talk about hate crimes, and how they're never called that if a black person does one against a white person and how that's not fair. He talked about the propaganda of the liberal media. He spoke proudly of how he had read Obama's autobiography although he, of course, didn't vote for him. He spoke fondly of Herman Cain and how the liberal media gave him a bad wrap. And he ended the 'conversation' with asking me if I got offended when (white) people called black people "black folks". My response was something of, someone will always be offended, but it's not about the word 'black' or 'folks' it's about what is being said about the folks. He said, the President is always talking about fairness, and that he knows this because he read his book, and it only seems fair that white folks can say 'black folks' because Obama says 'white folks' in his book (which he kept reminding me he had read), and so do a bunch of people some consider to be 'leaders' in the black community (Al Sharpton, Tavis Smiley, and others). Then he thanked me for the conversation and said that he wanted to talk to me because he could tell I'm intelligent. Thanks?
Now, after all that I'm not really that offended about his ignorance, or his belief that he understands black folks because he's watched a few movies/mini-series and read our half-black President's book; he can think whatever he wants, we all can. I'm more offended at the implications he made about me, about my blackness.
I am NOT qualified to speak on the behalf of my race. I am one person who has beliefs and thoughts, but they do not reflect every black person. I don't want my, or any other black person's, thoughts/beliefs/morals/stances/feelings/jokes/values to be just thrown into a bucket labeled "Who Black People Are". I'm not even cool with the people who are 'leaders' in the Black Community, they have a voice, but they don't get to speak for me. For some, their blackness contributes to a lot of who they are; but that's not the case for me. I'm not ashamed to be black, I'm not trying to minimize it, I'm black because I was born this way. For me, blackness doesn't extend past my physical features. Slavery doesn't 'resonate deeply' with me because some of my ancestors were slaves; slavery upsets me because it's still a problem today, in this country, in my city. The Civil Rights Movement doesn't resonate with me because 'my people' had to fight for what was right; civil rights move me because social injustice is still thriving today. I am not walking around with a chip on my shoulder because I'm black and only blacks understand the plight of black folks; no black person should have a chip on their shoulder for any racial reasons. I'm not bitter about the past, no matter how recent. I'm not angry at white folks for slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and segregation. So when a person asks my opinion because I'm black and they want a black perspective, I'm offended because I wish they'd ask my opinion simply because I am a person. I don't have the authority to speak on the behalf of black people, no one does.
I am NOT a credit to my race. I'm just awesome because I am. Why does my race get mentioned for my accomplishments? Every race has the good, the bad, and the ugly, so to say that someone is great 'for their kind/race/people' is implying they have a lot more 'bad credits' than good. Not cool. I believe everyone is born blank, but their circumstances (socio-economic status, location, education, upbringing, etc) fills in the blanks of who they are...and, possibly, who they'll become. I didn't have anything to 'rise above'; I grew up in the suburbs of Charlotte, with my parents never divorcing and me in the top percentile of my class all throughout school. My circumstances, past and present, make me who I am, not my race. My race is simply how I look. That's it.
The truth is, being black isn't anything special (to me). I like how I look and I like me. But no one can say they understand what it means or how it feels to be black because they've done research, watched documentaries, interviewed black people, no more than I can say I know what it's like to be a neo-nazi skinhead because I've watched American History X and have met some pretty racist people in my day. I don't understand their thoughts, I don't know what it's like to hate a people so deeply based on something so surface. But it doesn't matter, because I know what it's like to be human.
I'm not offended by this man. I don't care that he felt he had/has the right to simply approach a black woman half his age and discuss race and politics. I'm not offended that he said I was intelligent in a patronizing tone. I'm not offended that he insulted President Obama. I'm not offended that he didn't believe there was racism in Rhode Island (where he thinks Viola Davis is from) in the 60-80's and essentially called her a liar. This man doesn't offend me because those are his (misinformed) opinions; we're entitled to them and we all have them. What does offend me is when people see nothing but my blackness and draw a thousand conclusions (prejudices) about me based on my physical features. We (people) are all so much more than how we look. Give us some credit.
Now, after all that I'm not really that offended about his ignorance, or his belief that he understands black folks because he's watched a few movies/mini-series and read our half-black President's book; he can think whatever he wants, we all can. I'm more offended at the implications he made about me, about my blackness.
I am NOT qualified to speak on the behalf of my race. I am one person who has beliefs and thoughts, but they do not reflect every black person. I don't want my, or any other black person's, thoughts/beliefs/morals/stances/feelings/jokes/values to be just thrown into a bucket labeled "Who Black People Are". I'm not even cool with the people who are 'leaders' in the Black Community, they have a voice, but they don't get to speak for me. For some, their blackness contributes to a lot of who they are; but that's not the case for me. I'm not ashamed to be black, I'm not trying to minimize it, I'm black because I was born this way. For me, blackness doesn't extend past my physical features. Slavery doesn't 'resonate deeply' with me because some of my ancestors were slaves; slavery upsets me because it's still a problem today, in this country, in my city. The Civil Rights Movement doesn't resonate with me because 'my people' had to fight for what was right; civil rights move me because social injustice is still thriving today. I am not walking around with a chip on my shoulder because I'm black and only blacks understand the plight of black folks; no black person should have a chip on their shoulder for any racial reasons. I'm not bitter about the past, no matter how recent. I'm not angry at white folks for slavery, Jim Crow Laws, and segregation. So when a person asks my opinion because I'm black and they want a black perspective, I'm offended because I wish they'd ask my opinion simply because I am a person. I don't have the authority to speak on the behalf of black people, no one does.
I am NOT a credit to my race. I'm just awesome because I am. Why does my race get mentioned for my accomplishments? Every race has the good, the bad, and the ugly, so to say that someone is great 'for their kind/race/people' is implying they have a lot more 'bad credits' than good. Not cool. I believe everyone is born blank, but their circumstances (socio-economic status, location, education, upbringing, etc) fills in the blanks of who they are...and, possibly, who they'll become. I didn't have anything to 'rise above'; I grew up in the suburbs of Charlotte, with my parents never divorcing and me in the top percentile of my class all throughout school. My circumstances, past and present, make me who I am, not my race. My race is simply how I look. That's it.
The truth is, being black isn't anything special (to me). I like how I look and I like me. But no one can say they understand what it means or how it feels to be black because they've done research, watched documentaries, interviewed black people, no more than I can say I know what it's like to be a neo-nazi skinhead because I've watched American History X and have met some pretty racist people in my day. I don't understand their thoughts, I don't know what it's like to hate a people so deeply based on something so surface. But it doesn't matter, because I know what it's like to be human.
I'm not offended by this man. I don't care that he felt he had/has the right to simply approach a black woman half his age and discuss race and politics. I'm not offended that he said I was intelligent in a patronizing tone. I'm not offended that he insulted President Obama. I'm not offended that he didn't believe there was racism in Rhode Island (where he thinks Viola Davis is from) in the 60-80's and essentially called her a liar. This man doesn't offend me because those are his (misinformed) opinions; we're entitled to them and we all have them. What does offend me is when people see nothing but my blackness and draw a thousand conclusions (prejudices) about me based on my physical features. We (people) are all so much more than how we look. Give us some credit.
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