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You may find this stupid, but not every black person's life revolves around "being black." For these types, we want our best place too. I live in the DC area like the OP and I fully assure you his concerns and experiences are valid b/c I have a few of them myself.
If you're that concerned about "being black" then maybe that's a problem with you, specifically. Distancing one's self from whatever you perceive as "blackness" doesn't make you any less black, and it won't change how you're perceived by those who aren't black.
I realize if moved to cities like Denver, Seattle, San Diego, Houston, and Austin, I would still face an amount of racial prejudice and interracial prejudice. However, since these cities are known to being more open-minded to clean-cut and non-ghetto black dudes, I would have a better chance and less social barriers to establish a social circle. And when that social life comes into fruition, I can focus my concentrations on more important things. And with the assurance of having people in my defense, I would care less of any form of prejudices.
I can't speak for the other cities but it will be hard for a black person to establish a social circle (espescially professionally) in Austin. Even if you're "clean cut" whatever that is supposed to mean. We just don't have a black population base here for large numbers of professional blacks or large numers of black college graduates or grad students. If you're content with being the only black person most places you go or in most of your social circles then you would be fine here. But honestly Austin isn't that great when it comes to the "liber open minded idea". I have multiple posts in the Austin forum but that's beside the point.
And I hope you don't take the tone of my post as sardonic because I really am trying to help you. I just want to give you an insiders view of a place like Austin for you to consider.
I also think you sort of set off a bad tone for the thread with the whole non stereotypical, clean cut type statements. Saying things like that open the floodgates to a lot of speculation about your level of "pride in your race".
If I were you I would choose Houston. But like I said, Austin could be a great place for you. You honestly would never know til you went.
If you're that concerned about "being black" then maybe that's a problem with you, specifically. Distancing one's self from whatever you perceive as "blackness" doesn't make you any less black, and it won't change how you're perceived by those who aren't black.
BINGO! Non blacks are gonna call you black no matter what.
Paris is one of the most mixed interracial places on the planet. Like London, you can't walk down the street without seeing lots of mixed races friends/couples hanging out. Stereotypical black is completely different in France than in the US, there is no what you Americans would describe as "ghetto hood rat" in Europe
Very different and progressive thinking than backwards Americans. NYC is great too!
Be proud of who you are and don't worry about what others say or think. People are going to judge you from all angles. There is no perfect city for you to got too, so you should go somewhere and and enjoy yourself. You are black and be PROUD.
You may call me crazy, but I think cities like Fargo, ND, Minneapolis, and Des Moines might be your best bet. Cities with low black populations are less likely to be populated with people who have preconceived notions about blacks, and that creates a more accepting atmosphere. Also, from what you wrote, it doesn't sound like you'd fit in with ghetto types anyway, which, unfortunately, make up the majority of blacks in most cities. The question is, would you mind being the only black person in social situations?
For some of the other posters, not all "black" people need to be around others with their skin tone. I'm multiracial, but look more black than anything. I fit the "non-stereotypical" theme, and I'm almost always the only person of color in social situations. All of my friends are white, my church is mostly white, etc. It's never bothered me.
First of all I want to know what this "stereotypical" black is. I don't think things like that and "ghetto blacks" are as cut and dry as you think they are. Being a black professional is different from being ghetto, being afrocentric but not ghetto is different from being a whitewash etc. These types of things are a lot harder to classify than you think.
As for living in a place where there are a few blacks like Minneapolis, Des Moines, and Austin, it doesn't bother me. As long as I'm welcomed by the majority of non-blacks, I'm ok being the only black person in social situations. After being in a racially diverse area that has plenty of blacks but has a lot more racial strife (from all sides), I realize that demographic numbers aren't everything.
As for those who tell me to be proud of being black, I say thanks for the encouragement but I'm a person who takes more pride in my internal characteristics. And besides, I find it really counterproductive and pointless when you're told to have loyalty to a group whose majority will find continual fault because he wants to achieve success by educating himself academically, pull himself up by HIS OWN bootstraps, and doesn't want to do things exactly like everyone else of that race.
black people run almost every aspect of Memphis, from the top down. I'm sure any kind of black person would fit in, however a lot of non-ghetto black people are turned off by the huge amount of ghetto people in Memphis. There is a large black population in the suburbs trying to get away from the inner-city black people.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
26,700 posts, read 41,753,896 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by justcause
If you're that concerned about "being black" then maybe that's a problem with you, specifically. Distancing one's self from whatever you perceive as "blackness" doesn't make you any less black, and it won't change how you're perceived by those who aren't black.
I'm cool with distancing myself from the troubled side of being black. It's a lot of the blacks around me who have a problem with it.
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