"Don't Let Nobody Turn You 'Round!"
A friend of mine from school always seems to encounter the strangest people on the transit bus. However, unlike the rambling story tellers I get she meets the ones that seem to be ticking time bombs in a human's body.
So the guy was talking loudly and kept saying the word "bitch". A woman became irritated and politely told him to stop because it's a derogatory word. Bomb goes off. Dynamite explodes. The man is cussing left and right, calling her names. CRACK WHORE! He even insinuates that she must like him. The woman fires back, her friend jumps in to defend her. He continues spewing out ugliness as the woman and her friend ignore him and carry their own conversation.
A comment by one of the passengers struck me as my friend was telling me what happened:
Shut up. You're making black people look bad!
What I would've thought years ago: YEAH, SHAME ON YOU, STUPID!
What I think now: Uh, no...
Let me explain further.
I do not like, in fact I hate how ethnic minorities are made to feel that an individual's actions reflect on us. And it's always negative things. Why should I be ashamed when a black person is acting a fool in public? He is not my brother nor my friend. There is no relation whatsoever, so why I should I be embarrassed?
If white people automatically detach themselves from white mass murderers, white child molesters or just a regular foolish Joe/Jane on the bus, why can't I do the same? Who makes these rules? A white thief is simply a thief, a black thief is...you see what I mean? Think about it.
I don't feel the need to put aside my individuality just because SOMEONE ELSE decides to be stupid. I am my own person and so are they. My failures and successes are mine, yours are yours (not saying there's something wrong with being proud of others' accomplishments).
I no longer squeeze my eyes shut and clasp my hands together, hoping and praying that the shooter on the news isn't a black man. I wish we'd all stop doing this. I no longer care that the girl who kissed her teeth at you and gave you cut-eye for stepping on her shoes (by accident) happened to be black. I DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR ANYONE.
I don't care who they are. There are mean-spirited people in every group and it just so happens that the mean ones are the loudest. They are not disgraces to our race. Life is already hard then it is, I don't need to be responsible for a stranger's deeds When you continue to think like this you give yourself a heavy burden to carry. You allow others to think it's okay to place ridiculous expectations upon you. You allow them to continue in their ignorance. You are ultimately doing a disservice to yourself.
How many times have you been in this situation?
Non-black person: DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE FIGHT?!
Black person: Oh yeah! What happened?
NBP: Blahblahrambleramblenomnom
BP: I bet they were black, huh?
NBP: Yup. Two black girls!
BP: Thought so *rolls eyes*
I can say that I have reacted that way before but I smartened up and saw how damaging that kind of way of thinking is. When that black person continues to say stuff like, "I don't like how some black people are so damn ghetto!" "They sound so uneducated when they speak slang." "Why are their pants so low? They look stupid." "I find black women annoying, overbearing and TOO LOUD (Black men, can you please stop saying this crap to your non-black girlfriends? It gives them some sort of superiority complex and it pisses me off. Thanks)." Especially around non-blacks, you're doing a very dangerous thing. You are helping them form (or encourage already existing) racist/prejudiced attitudes. I won't go further, you can ponder that.
However, I do understand why people get anxious and angry when someone of the same ethnic/racial background does something stupid/criminal. It's because society has already taught us from birth that we are hardly individuals and are merely faceless masses of people who act and talk the same way. No uniqueness, no exceptions, no differences. No good you do erases what the world already thinks of your people as a whole. We get angry because we know that the fool on the news worsens our image and makes it harder for us. It sucks but you know what? Those who place another person's mistakes on an entire group of people are the ones with the real problems. If you honestly think it makes sense to assume I'm going to steal your jewelery because I'm black (yeah, looking at you elderly lady from the mall), then there is something wrong with you.
If I made you uncomfortable with this post, then I did my job right :). Time to listen to Michael Jackson's Keep the Faith for the 500th time.
So the guy was talking loudly and kept saying the word "bitch". A woman became irritated and politely told him to stop because it's a derogatory word. Bomb goes off. Dynamite explodes. The man is cussing left and right, calling her names. CRACK WHORE! He even insinuates that she must like him. The woman fires back, her friend jumps in to defend her. He continues spewing out ugliness as the woman and her friend ignore him and carry their own conversation.
A comment by one of the passengers struck me as my friend was telling me what happened:
Shut up. You're making black people look bad!
What I would've thought years ago: YEAH, SHAME ON YOU, STUPID!
What I think now: Uh, no...
Let me explain further.
I do not like, in fact I hate how ethnic minorities are made to feel that an individual's actions reflect on us. And it's always negative things. Why should I be ashamed when a black person is acting a fool in public? He is not my brother nor my friend. There is no relation whatsoever, so why I should I be embarrassed?
If white people automatically detach themselves from white mass murderers, white child molesters or just a regular foolish Joe/Jane on the bus, why can't I do the same? Who makes these rules? A white thief is simply a thief, a black thief is...you see what I mean? Think about it.
I don't feel the need to put aside my individuality just because SOMEONE ELSE decides to be stupid. I am my own person and so are they. My failures and successes are mine, yours are yours (not saying there's something wrong with being proud of others' accomplishments).
I no longer squeeze my eyes shut and clasp my hands together, hoping and praying that the shooter on the news isn't a black man. I wish we'd all stop doing this. I no longer care that the girl who kissed her teeth at you and gave you cut-eye for stepping on her shoes (by accident) happened to be black. I DON'T APOLOGIZE FOR ANYONE.
I don't care who they are. There are mean-spirited people in every group and it just so happens that the mean ones are the loudest. They are not disgraces to our race. Life is already hard then it is, I don't need to be responsible for a stranger's deeds When you continue to think like this you give yourself a heavy burden to carry. You allow others to think it's okay to place ridiculous expectations upon you. You allow them to continue in their ignorance. You are ultimately doing a disservice to yourself.
How many times have you been in this situation?
Non-black person: DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE FIGHT?!
Black person: Oh yeah! What happened?
NBP: Blahblahrambleramblenomnom
BP: I bet they were black, huh?
NBP: Yup. Two black girls!
BP: Thought so *rolls eyes*
I can say that I have reacted that way before but I smartened up and saw how damaging that kind of way of thinking is. When that black person continues to say stuff like, "I don't like how some black people are so damn ghetto!" "They sound so uneducated when they speak slang." "Why are their pants so low? They look stupid." "I find black women annoying, overbearing and TOO LOUD (Black men, can you please stop saying this crap to your non-black girlfriends? It gives them some sort of superiority complex and it pisses me off. Thanks)." Especially around non-blacks, you're doing a very dangerous thing. You are helping them form (or encourage already existing) racist/prejudiced attitudes. I won't go further, you can ponder that.
However, I do understand why people get anxious and angry when someone of the same ethnic/racial background does something stupid/criminal. It's because society has already taught us from birth that we are hardly individuals and are merely faceless masses of people who act and talk the same way. No uniqueness, no exceptions, no differences. No good you do erases what the world already thinks of your people as a whole. We get angry because we know that the fool on the news worsens our image and makes it harder for us. It sucks but you know what? Those who place another person's mistakes on an entire group of people are the ones with the real problems. If you honestly think it makes sense to assume I'm going to steal your jewelery because I'm black (yeah, looking at you elderly lady from the mall), then there is something wrong with you.
If I made you uncomfortable with this post, then I did my job right :). Time to listen to Michael Jackson's Keep the Faith for the 500th time.