I have heard some crazy statements made about black folks. I've been told by others both black and white, that we:
* don't own pets
* have water droplets bounce off our hair (and it ) doesn't get wet when it rains.
* never get a suntan, if we stay out in the sun too long.
* don't go to 4H or state fairs.
* don't tip at all, if we eat out.
Says whom? That's what I'd like to know. Whomever, the black expert is out there, they need to stop. These are how rumors and lies start.
I'm so annoyed by people who think they know about my culture based on what they have heard or read. Too many people's first contact or impression of black people comes from television. We aren't naturally funny, we all didn't grow up in poverty, and we all can't dance. If singers Macy Gray and Master P didn't confirm that on their short-lived stints on "Dancing With The Stars", I don't know what else will.
We are not a one-voice, one-vision culture. We have Black Democrats and Republicans. We are entrepreneurs and shoppers. We are liberals and conservatives. We are environmentalists and we recycle. People really can't put us in a box. They try. Yet, our experiences are so diverse.
I'm tired of people looking at my beautiful black skin and automatically assuming that I grew up in the South and like watermelon. We, as black people, get mad when others make those assumptions; we need to stop defining our blackness by the same criteria. It is getting old. Are you listening market researchers? Tracking buying habits is one thing. Making assumptions about a group of people is another thing.
Some black people do not know how to use a bus token. Others have never had to struggle a day in their lives. Some of us don't like rap music. A few of us like country music. A few of us have command of the English language. A small majority of us tip very well when we dine out. I think we have to remember that being black isn't just about skin color. It's much more than that.
Posted By: Marsha Jones
Thursday, November 19th 2009 at 7:40AM
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