Daring to be Different in the Black Community

Originally posted by muse7
I was born in Wisconsin, and somehow I ended up in Texas most of my family are ultra conservatives that vote Republican no matter what. I guess I'm the only liberal in my family and I've been called a "bleeding heart liberal" several times by my father.

Also I know that some of my family members were involved in the KKK and all those disgusting racist groups back in the 50's and 60's.

My point is, that there are uneducated racists people in EVERY culture and they are not confined to a certain skin color or culture, and the OP is somehow making all of you believe that being racist and uneducated is a trait of the black culture and that's sad.

This thread just exposes a lot of ATS posters

I have read the entirety of this thread up to now. Personally, I never thought the OP was stating anything other than how she is handling dealing with the fact that because she wanted a better education and better herself and her own family and her black peers are deriding her for it. She is showing that she has an educated mind, an open mind and doesn't automatically jump to race except to try to understand it from her perspective in the locals that she has been which is all she can use to summarize her experience.

At no time have I heard anyone that is saying she is selling out her culture explain what culture they actually meant?

Also, I have a unique perspective of being a white female that went to a predominantly black school for the first 3-4 years of education before moving to the "big" city where I went to mostly predominantly white schools. I have also gone to college at Alabama State University on a minority scholarship. I have never had more doors opened and better courtesy shown to me than by the young black men of that college, nor have I EVER had more disparaging comments made to me by anyone than the women of that same college. I did not understand about color of skin until I moved to the big city and my fellow students (of whom were black) initiated me in the Southenr racism so rampant in the South. In my city, for the most part, the whites, and some blacks, just try to shut up and get out of the way of everyone who is loud and obnoxious. It is the unfortunate pervasive southern culture that is so rampant in attempting to prove the white man is superior (by the blacks) and the whites just attempting to survive and not show they are racist (to the blacks). Problem is, we are ALL racist. It is inherent in our nature to look upon someone/something different than us with distrust. It is survival trait. We have created melded schools of all races, yet they still, mainly congregate with their own race within that school. If any try to deviate from it, they are scolded, shamed, or even beaten into "conforming" to their given roles. Whites have a superiority complex, blacks are downtrodden and deserve everything.

In reality, NO ONE DESERVES anything except courtesy, respect and the right to the PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. Not that you will get the happiness, just the pursuit of.

I say stop paying out for welfare. Cut it off after a time limit of whatever. BUT while on welfare require them to go to classes for training AND give them daycare for the kids while training.

Within a few generations no one would give a damn about who is a welfare baby and it would all be about hating "the man" - as in the government - not the white man or black man.

I don't understand why people are so obsessed with a persons colour, religion, etc.

What does it matter if someone is black, white, Asian, Chinese, or anything else.

Who cares if they're gay or straight, a muslim, christian, buddhist, sikh, or anything else.

Why can't people just get along.

It's depressing.

reply to post by ButterCookie

SEE I'M NOT the only one who doesn't understand why the hell non military people NEVER GET TO THE POINT!
It's always how they feel about it in a LOOOOOG diatribe of pointless issues that orbit the one being addressed and when asked to make said point ,we're the bad guy.

reply to post by Power_Semi


There are a lot of reasons. I think it basically boils down to the nature of this particular universe. Like, some invisible script that runs everything in the world dictates that war is everywhere and in everything. Those specific things you mentioned that cause so much division with us are basically a bunch of arbitrary things we've agreed to squabble over.

One thing I've noticed in my life though is conflict makes people sharper and better, even if it is dangerous and causes suffering.

I've decided to share this one point that I made from another thread:

It is horrible even on my local radio stations here in Memphis:

On one station, they have "Paternity Test Tuesday" where, you guessed it, they do the Maury Povich real life deal on the air for all the world to hear about baby mommas and baby daddies...Tragic.

They also talk in a 'hood, ghetto' way:

"Hey yall, you know wuz up! Come n get yo drink on an yo swerve on down at (such and such club) where its gone be On and Popping, you heard me? Yeah, you know what it is, You ain't no?"

(????????????????????????????)

It's pure bufoonery.

Their 'news' is discussing which rappers have 'beef' with each other, who is out on bond, and what Nicki Minaj just twittered about Lil Kim. I don't even allow my children to hear it. Instead, I have it on the "white folks" station, as Memphians call it, where they can hear political commentary from both side, world news, and simply just people speaking with proper English.