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How are they both black? They are both half white/half black...and Alicia Keys can pass for white...but Obama can't. If you are half black, it means you are simply black? How can you dismiss an entire half of yourself?
To you guys Alicia Keys looks White? If you were Black American you would consider her Black from appearance, unless you knew that her mother was White. Since we know her mother is White she is considered Bi-racial.
There are many African Americans in this city that are much lighter than Alicia Keys, and have less curl in their hair than she does, but you would not consider them White.
Also Black Americans understand that A-Rod may not consider himself Black. However a Black American that is A-Rod's complexion, that has to put a relaxer in their hair as he does, and that has cousins that are as dark as some of his are, would definitely consider themselves Black. Because as light as he is he shares one set of grandparents with them.
The same is considered for Obama.
Also both Obama and Alicia Keys racial status is a more recent one in terms of history. Biracial people were just considered Black in America with a White parent until about 30 years ago. Unless they could cross over and then they lived completely as a White person denying the existence of any Black relatives.
That is why Obama just refers to himself as Black.
Now Heather Locklear who is of mixed race, looks White and so does her parents. Her grandparents on both sides are mixed but appear White. So she is considered White in America.
Just so you understand the long term American view point on race.
I experienced so much racism during the 10 years I lived in NYC that I find it hard not to categorize people by what they look like and what their last name is. I've been called so many names, white *****-whitey-******-cracker-token white. I've been told I can't hang out in Bed-Stuy because I'm white. Forget the South Bronx. Why? Because you're white. Bushwick? Maybe during the day, but not after that. Why? Because you're white. So glad you moved to Park Slope. Why? Because you fit in with all the other white people there. RIDICULOUS.
Where I grew up, about an hour south of NYC, I never noticed anyone's skin color or whatever. I just had friends, classmates. Up in NYC, suddenly I can only live in a "white" neighborhood. I have never experienced anything like it. I've never seen such a divide, even in the same race, for being Puerto Rican or Dominican-don't get them mixed up, because that's just an insult, apparently-dark skinned versus light skinned vs anything in between.
The best thing I ever heard though (by best, I'm being really sarcastic) was a friend of mine that came up to me, visibly insulted. He asked me what a white boy was. I didn't know how to answer him-and he did it for me. He said, "I was just called a white boy because I'm educated and I don't use slang or call everyone (the n word)."
Excellence at its best, no doubt. *eye roll*
But let me end with the fact that there are far more ignorant people that I ran into than intelligent people. Ghetto is ghetto, ignorant is ignorant. If those people I used to hang with are so happy in a roach infested project living with 5 people in a two room apartment, dodging bullets and crackheads when they go out-or ordering their chips past 8 pm through a little hole in a bulletproof glass window-or actually graduating high school-or *gasp* getting an education to better yourself (when I suggested that an old friend of mine go and try to get into social work and go to Hunter, because he was so good with people, he laughed and said "oh, white drea, you know I'll never do that, I'm happy where I am.").
Also, don't forget what the actual definition of what gentrification is. Here, it means "White people are coming!"
Since I moved to Florida, I noticed something huge-I saw a Puerto Rican guy rocking an "I LOVE PR" t shirt, and I was like, Hey, awesome, boriqua! Dude rolls his eyes at me and walks off. You know in NYC they'd be like HELL YEAH! BORIQUA FOR LIFE!!!!
Negative, I'm not saying he didn't have reason to respond, but let's cut the crap about him just being pounded on for being white. They used slurs, it angered him, he used them back, he angered them, which led to a beat down.
My theory, had he not used slurs, it may have not even gone that far. Now it doesn't mean that the assailaints were right by any means, they were the leading cause of the problem, no question about it. But the guy is hardly leave it to Beaver. Like someone said, if you mouth off to a "gang" of people picking on you, expect something to happen.
And that's If his story is 100% accurate.
This. I remember going to see a movie a while back, and in the last 15 minutes, these two *******s came in and started calling people on their phones, pulling out all this food, and started talking like they were in the park or something. Anyways, I turned around and asked them to please be quiet, and it escalated into a huge argument. This girl stood there, screaming at me, "You white *****! You ****ing white *****! I will slit your throat!" blah blah blah. I snapped at her, "You are so racist! Did I for one second bring up that you're black?" She stopped and was shocked. The screaming resumed, and she kept on using slurs at me. #stayclassy
Anyways, point is, she was using some nasty names for me looking white, but I didn't grant her the pleasure of being racist back. So I agree with this.
Things like that are the reason why I avoid areas like Bed-Stuy, or Bushwick etc.
I used to live in Park Slope, but this incident took place in Jersey City. In the mall. That mall was really nice, too. I did have the girl and her boyfriend escorted out of the theatre. They told me they were banning them from ever returning. I was with a friend who convinced me that we didn't need an escort to the car-she also said she was going to follow me to our car so she could choke me until I was dead. And you better believe she called me a bunch of slurs in that statement, too, lol. Such a loser.
I remember I was walking in Harlem one day. Everyone was staring at me and my two girlfriends. We were there because this one girl was visiting and she wanted to check out Harlem because the buildings there are GORGEOUS. Nevertheless, we were minding our own business when this group of girls walked up behind us, asking us stuff (ok, they weren't really asking us, they were more like shouting at us)like, why you here? Get out, whitey, nobody wants you here. Maybe they didn't say whitey-it was so long ago, but I know they said something like that. It was kind of scary at the time, because they had a lot of girls with them, but looking back? What losers.
Things like that are the reason why I avoid areas like Bed-Stuy, or Bushwick etc.
You should definitely avoid central Harlem as well. I have witnessed many, many scenes such as those described.
I consider so called "reverse racism," including anti-semitism, one of the best kept secrets in New York, perhaps elsewhere as well although I cannot comment because I have insufficient familiarity with other places.
I used to live in Park Slope, but this incident took place in Jersey City. In the mall. That mall was really nice, too. I did have the girl and her boyfriend escorted out of the theatre. They told me they were banning them from ever returning. I was with a friend who convinced me that we didn't need an escort to the car-she also said she was going to follow me to our car so she could choke me until I was dead. And you better believe she called me a bunch of slurs in that statement, too, lol. Such a loser.
I remember I was walking in Harlem one day. Everyone was staring at me and my two girlfriends. We were there because this one girl was visiting and she wanted to check out Harlem because the buildings there are GORGEOUS. Nevertheless, we were minding our own business when this group of girls walked up behind us, asking us stuff (ok, they weren't really asking us, they were more like shouting at us)like, why you here? Get out, whitey, nobody wants you here. Maybe they didn't say whitey-it was so long ago, but I know they said something like that. It was kind of scary at the time, because they had a lot of girls with them, but looking back? What losers.
They say that humans evolved from Africans, so pretty much our ignorant and xenophobic ways go back to them. It was not a white invention, they made it more obvious due to their intercontinental contacts.
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