How should you act around black people?
You should be the real you. Don’t try to be someone that you really aren’t in real life. As a Black person, I enjoy being around non-Black people that are down to earth, approachable, and friendly.I definitely wouldn’t use the n-word. In college, at the recreation center, many non-Black people just pretended like the Black guys weren’t using the word while playing basketball. But that didn’t prevent them from hanging out and having a good time playing basketball. And many times the non-Black guys would hang out with the Black guys outside of the recreation center.I also played basketball at the YMCA in my hometown with guys from many different ethnic backgrounds. We always played hard on the court and had a very good time. Nobody ever yelled at each other or came close to getting into fights. But the games were always extremely competitive.I have sometime been around non-Black people that aren’t comfortable around Black people. Sometimes, their lack of comfort can express itself in the form of fear. Other times, they will try too hard and act out of character. In my personal experience, that means trying to make you laugh too much or focusing too much on my Blackness by wanting to only talk about Black American culture.I love being around non-Black people that are comfortable in their skin. They don’t view me as exotic or think that I am the sole representative of Blackness. I have a Colombian friend that I love to shoot the shit with and have conversations about serious matters. Every single time we see each other, it’s like two long lost brothers seeing each other for the first time in years.I want interactions with non-Black people that make me feel good and don’t leave me feeling icky. Thankfully, I have enough encounters with people where we can both be at ease without having any racial difficulties.Note: I don’t ever use the n-word in my everyday speech.
Why do black people act so tough?
Not all black people act "tough" as you say it. That is another stereo-type and it's wrong. Seems to me like you're then one acting tough. In your details you mention that you've fought a lot black guys. Do you go around looking for fights to get in? I mean I know that black people just don't come up to you and try to pick a fight with you everywhere you look. Lets be honest with ourselves instead of twisting reality into a story that's not true.
I am a "Black" guy who's trying to understand race. Is race a construct or is it really something which makes people different? And if it is, why do people act "white" or "black"?
The educated, middle-class black people I know don't act "black" in the stereotypical sense. Whereas mostly white mixed-race kids who are raised in a ghetto environment sometimes do. So I'd say that most of the differences are cultural.That isn't to say that race is entirely a social construct. To some extent, it is, but if were nothing more, DNA tests wouldn't be able to tell us where our ancestors came from. To the extent that it isn't, race is the broadest of the classifications that we use to describe groups with characteristic gene frequencies, generally because a physical barrier like the Sahara, the Himalayas, or the Bering Straight slows gene flow.In biology, "race" is synonymous with "subspecies," that is populations of a single species that are isolated from one another for a time so they don't interbreed, but many biologists say that there is too much gene flow between human groups for the biological description to apply.In practice, all of us are mixed -- everyone's ancestors came from Africa, and people have been moving out of and into Africa ever since. If you look at the border regions of the racial divide you find more sub-Saharan genes in the Mediterranean countries and significant European/Caucasian ancestry in countries like Ethiopia. So there's no magic gene that says you're black or white.Still, there are statistical differences between populations, some of them medically significant, e.g., people of African descent are more likely to suffer from sickle-cell anemia and high blood pressure. Some of these may affect behavior:Interestingly, the frequency of the advantageous FAAH mutation differs widely among ethnic groups. According to recent data from the HapMap, an international project that studies genetic similarities and differences in humans, roughly 21 percent of Americans of European descent, 14 percent of Han Chinese living in China and 45 percent of Yoruban Nigerians have been found to carry this gene variant.The Feel-Good GeneHowever, it isn't as if all Europeans, Han Chinese, or Nigerians do or don't have a happiness gene (I certainly don't, LOL). It's just more common in some populations than others.
What do black people think about white people acting black?
I know white people that grew up and lived around Black people. They usually lived in areas that were known as hood. They naturally spoke and dressed like Black people. They understood hood culture.On the other hand, I know white people that watch a few Black movies, listen to hip hop, watch BET and basically pantomime the worst aspects of what it means to be Black. They don't realize that Black culture isn't only hood culture. To me, they usually come off as corny or wack.I grew up in an upper middle-class white environment. We had white kids in high school that watched Boyz in the Hood, New Jack City, or Colors and tried to emulate that lifestyle. They would try to talk like Snoop Dogg and wear Fubu or Cross Colours. They even went as far as driving with a gangsta lean, only playing Death Row Records or gangster rap, and smoking marijuana but calling it chronic. They felt they were Blacker than me, but they didn't know Blackness isn't a being ghetto template.Finally, we had white people in my neighborhood that only knew bits and pieces of Black culture. They knew how to say “what's up?” or that a 40 (also 40 ounce or 40 oz.) refers to 40 ounces of beer. They would try to sneak in those bits and pieces into conversations with me. It always came off as being very inauthentic and cheesy. I didn't understand why they would use hood language to talk to a Black person mostly raised in predominantly white areas.I don't care if white people act or talk Black. I just don't want to be around it. I'm like Robert Strickland when it comes to avoiding certain types of behavior. I'm even the same way with Black people or any other ethnicity of human beings.Update: I used what's up for simplicity sake to make my point, but there are other ways to express it that are clearly Black influenced. For example, “What's good my dude?” “What's popping?” “What's cracking?” “Sup Joe?”. Joe is a Chicago thing.
Why do urban black people view othe urban blacks as "lame" because they so call "act white"
DIVISION, DIVISION, DIVISION. I've posted this several times. But it's as true now as it was each time I've posted it: We live in a fascist state disguised in the costume of freedom and democracy. The master class rules. And they continue to rule because they keep us over-worked, tired, and busy fighting amongst each other so that we won't recognize what's really going on (that they're eff'ing ALL of us with a huge woody). DIVIDE THE COMMON PEOPLE = THE MASTER CLASS MAINTAINS WEALTH AND CONTROL. Division is accomplished by using racism, sexism, ageism, etc... and by "deputizing" politicians, businesses, racist organizations, religions, the media, and others to perpetuate the racism, sexism, ageism, etc... This division goes back to when those other than the "Native Americans" first set foot on this land mass that we call America- back to when both "blacks" AND "whites" were slaves here (and successfully divided)- back to when the "Willie Lynch method" was used on "black" slaves- back to deep dark periods in our history about which very few are willing to tell the truth.
Why is it that I can't get along with ghetto black people.?
I am a black guy, who was raised in a suburban, mixed, middle class neighborhood. I have family who live in the ghetto, half of my family lives in the burbs, the other half the ghetto, so you can imagine the family gatherings. My cousins particularly pick on me because of the way I dress and act, I'm from the suburbs I can't help it. I must admit I don't like their ways, they're rude, aggressive, loud, use too many curse words etc. But they are my family, and I try to get along with them, what can I do to smooth things over with them? I have a short temper, and when people call me names I say the most hurtful thing I can think of. Me and my cousin were arguing once, he got in my face and called me a white boy, and I called him ghetto trash, and he punched me in the face and we started fighting, and this was when family was over how embarrassing. I don't know why they don't like me, there is this divide in my family, (suburbs and ghetto) what can I do?
If a white guy dresses and acts black, and calls a black guy a nigga, is that still considered racism?
Disclaimer: I'm white. I'm sharing tentative conclusions I've reached from my own experiences. I don't mean to speak for others, and I am open to disagreement or differences of opinion.Having grown up in a diverse community, I've seen a significant number of white people whose use of the word was undisputed by black people in his or her friend group. In my experience, it depends more upon the context in which the word is used than who is actually saying it. A white person can't just dress and act "black" and expect to be able to use the word without anyone being offended. Where I'm from, a lot of times it's used to just mean "guy" or "male," not necessarily "black male." I've seen white guys (and Hispanic guys, and one Asian guy) call their friends "my nigga," even if their friend isn't black. It's part of a vernacular that refers to men and women as niggas and bitches ("Niggas be like" and "Bitches be like" memes are meant to be complementary; they comment on the behavior of men and women, not necessarily black men and rude women.) However, I've also seen girls call each other "My nigga," sometimes joking, sometimes in seriousness. I've also seen guys call girls their "nigga" and vice versa. This is all regardless of race. Basically, where I'm from, the term gets thrown around a lot and people almost never take offense unless it's in a blatantly racist context.Obviously this will vary a lot depending upon generation, geographic location, intent, impact, and a plethora of other factors. Questions like this are impossible to answer because individuals are offended by different things. What one person perceives as racist/sexist/homophobic/etc. might be completely different for another person. The 'n-word' is a perfect example of something that some people are offended by while others aren't. If you're white and you don't know if you will offend someone by saying it, don't say it. If you're part of a group that uses the word casually, you will know, and your use of the word will come naturally. Even then, if a black person contests your use of the word, stop saying it. What determines if something is offensive or not is impact rather than intent. You can say something offensive without meaning to offend anyone, but if you offended someone, your comment was (by definition) offensive.