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I'm black and I was raised in the 'hood, but my parents instilled in me to speak, act, and carry myself as a civilized person! In school, my grades were above average; in my professional life I had mentors, so to speak, who taught me how to put my best foot (or shoe) forward. My closest friends used to say (in their own words) that I talk "high-class", 'cause I knew a lot of "big" words and their definitions. I've been praised by many, denounced by some. But I wouldn't trade my upbringing for anything in the world!
Just be yourself. If people don't accept that, then it's their problem!
Your way is the American way. I can only applaud and support you. I wish it weren't the cheap Internet support or what is called Hashtag Activism.
Middle class white teens speak Ebonics; they think acting "ghetto" and thug is cool. My kids had schoolmates like this (affluent area). The film "Alpha Dog" portrays this nicely. Awesome satirical film "Whiteboyz" does as well.
Southern white redneck country speech sounds equally as bad as inner city Ebonics, in my opinion.
Both speech patterns make the speaker seem low class and uneducated. Even if they aren't.
Heavy Brooklyn accents do too. I was raised in Bklyn NY and got slapped if I pronounced any words "brooklynese"; consequently I have no accent.
One cannot dispute that speaking clearly and correctly is advantageous in life in general.
Another point I don't think has been mentioned...how do you dress and present yourself? If you're dressed like a thug and don't speak like one, that might continually confuse everyone.
Black people are often times critcized as being 'ghetto', but if you are black and you speak proper, people make fun of you by calling you an oreo and saying that you want to be white. Most blacks really don't like you and most whites will hang out with you but they will constantly make sarcastic comments about how you are trying to be white.You really can't win. I am not comfortable around either race because of stuff like this.
This is one reason why I dislike 90% of people. People always expect you to fit every black stereotype or they try to say you really aren't "black".
I have a friend who always gives me a hard time about a lot of stupid stuff, like going to too many festivals, dating the wrong people, or because I don't do random hookups (he admits that he has trouble controlling himself and he can't help but sleep around even though he is in a relationship. he is jealous of me). But the thing he gives me the hardest time about is how he claims that I act white.
Over the years (we just started talking again in december 2014 after having a fall out a few years prior where we stopped speaking) he will always make some kind of random and somewhat sarcastic comment about me acting white. I have talked about how it bothers me when people say stuff like that. There are a few mutual friends of ours who are black and speak proper and he always comments on how they act white because they speak proper. Then last week when we were on the phone he said, "I usually can tell if I am talking to a black person on the phone by the way they sound, except if I am talking to you." So basically the last part of that statement was him taking a shot at me by saying I sound white. He has said other stuff like "you sound like a country white boy" or "that white dude is blacker than you and Greg combined" (greg is a mutual black friend of ours). Plus my friend makes racist generalizations about blacks in front of me. The last time he came to visit me, he wanted to go to waffle house but he told me "I won't go in the waffle house by where you live because too many black people go in there and black people are loud and I don't wanna get shot" ( i live in a nice, mostly black area).
He also is in a relationship with a black guy and only dates black guys (even though he is attracted to white guys as well). Most of the black guys he dates act ghetto so he expects every black guy to be like that. He grew up and still lives in a really small town in south alabama, so I try to cut him some slack because I know people in small southern towns tend to be closed-minded.
I am only attracted to whites, but I am becoming really leery of dating them. Most white people I have dated have said racist comments to me and put me down because I supposedly act white. I am tired of everybody associating being black with being ghetto. We are not all the same.
I don't know all about that but, if one acts and speaks more like Harris Faulkner, the whitest sounding black person I can think of, I really doubt you would ever have any issue out of any white person.
Is there anyone out there that doesn't find her beautiful, eloquent, and proper in every way? Now, contrast her to any ghetto skeeza. See my point? No one cares for ghetto speak outside of the movies. Everyone likes Harris Faulkner though.....
There are plenty of educated, well-spoken blacks in the south. Two of my doctors are among them, as is the principal of our middle school and dozens of teachers. Positive role models are probably even more prevalent in the south than anywhere else.
It isn't a geographical phenomena, it's a cultural one.
but what does all of them have in common, education. its not a cultural but education
Location: Metro Atlanta (Sandy Springs), by way of Macon, GA
2,014 posts, read 5,112,436 times
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I'm sorry, but I have to clear the nonsense surrounding this up.
"I'm black but I speak properly, so other blacks dont accept me"
"I'm black but I dont act ghetto, so other blacks dont accept me"
"I'm black but I value my education, so other blacks dont accept me"
I made very good grades in school. I participated in things like the BETA Club, Math Bowl, Academic Bowl, Student Council, etc.
I was never teased. Do you know why? Sorry, but most of the people who claim they get teased for those issues are just socially awkward anyway and THAT'S why they get teased.
I didn't dress like a thug, but I still knew how to put myself together to look decent and acceptable around ANY group of people. I played sports. I talked proper and enunciated my words, but I still have my naturally southern black accent. Nobody knocked me because I wasnt as "hood" or made better grades than them.
It's always other factors in there as to why those people get teased, trust me. They get teased for being "weirdos" like any other racial group of people teases each other about.
Way to miss my point. I wasn't talking about well spoken, educated blacks. I was talking about him getting away from his ignorant friends and ignorant, bigoted white people who feel the need to comment on his speech.
And yes, ignorant southerners who wear their bigotry openly is definitely a geographical phenomena.
And my point was he can find plenty of educated well spoken black peers in the south. Ignorance and bigotry can be found country-wide.
but what does all of them have in common, education. its not a cultural but education
I'm not sure I agree. Our town has highly regarded schools, and a black enrollment of about 10% of the student population. The education offered is an excellent one. But you can still hear "ghetto" slang in the hallways. I think it can sometimes be just a misguided effort to maintain a street culture facade with the peer group.
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