I'm Black and was born in Seattle. Why was I? (Federal Way: middle-class, section 8)

[Shadb]

I was born in Seattle but I grew up and live in Atlanta where it's 60% black. I'm black too.

But everytime I say I was born in Seattle dudes wanna laugh and clown my ass. Now I don't remember too much about Seattle but I know the areas where I lived.

I lived in Kent, Skyway, Tukwila, Federal Way, and a lil stint in Central District. What are these places like? What are the demographics?

I'm a little confused too because my family is poor. My mother was on Section 8 and we had all the public assitance you can think of in Atlanta yet I don't remember it being that bad in Seattle. We only could afford apartments but I don't remember it being as bad as it was down here.

I would really appreciate responses.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Shadb

I was born in Seattle but I grew up and live in Atlanta where it's 60% black. I'm black too.

But everytime I say I was born in Seattle dudes wanna laugh and clown my ass. Now I don't remember too much about Seattle but I know the areas where I lived.

I lived in Kent, Skyway, Tukwila, Federal Way, and a lil stint in Central District. What are these places like? What are the demographics?

I'm a little confused too because my family is poor. My mother was on Section 8 and we had all the public assitance you can think of in Atlanta yet I don't remember it being that bad in Seattle. We only could afford apartments but I don't remember it being as bad as it was down here.

I would really appreciate responses.

I think it has more to do with the fact that blacks from Seattle are often thought of as "not black enough". Sad but true. Many blacks don't even consider Seattle as a place to live. I'm black and I used to live there myself. I loved it and plan to go back. As for being clowned, I'm not surprised. There is alot of aversion towards Seattle in the eyes of many Atlanta residents, black and white.

[chaz longue]

Just tell them Jimi Hendrix was from Seattle.

[brizacat]

The whole "not black enough" thing makes me want to retch. It's sad that NOT being a "gangsta" earns one ridicule.

Anyways, Seattle is great. You should go back. The South is awful.

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by Shadb

I was born in Seattle but I grew up and live in Atlanta where it's 60% black. I'm black too.

But everytime I say I was born in Seattle dudes wanna laugh and clown my ass. Now I don't remember too much about Seattle but I know the areas where I lived.

I lived in Kent, Skyway, Tukwila, Federal Way, and a lil stint in Central District. What are these places like? What are the demographics?

I'm a little confused too because my family is poor. My mother was on Section 8 and we had all the public assitance you can think of in Atlanta yet I don't remember it being that bad in Seattle. We only could afford apartments but I don't remember it being as bad as it was down here.

I would really appreciate responses.

What kind of accent do you speak with? I grew up in Georgia and I can say most poor or working class blacks in the south speak in a manner that is very different from any whites ( especially northern whites) Hate to say but many of them (mostly the young ones) are very narrow minded and think that any black person that does not speak this way is speaking "white" or "proper" and see them as not cool, fake, or out of touch with their identity.

I knew a kid in middle school from Oklahoma that I really felt sorry for until he learned the style. They treated him like he was a complete nerd because he " talked proper" or "white". I also know a guy originally from Georgia that's been in Seattle for a very long time. He speaks with an accent many around my old neighborhood would call white.

Now this phenomena is mostly seen like I said among poor or rural blacks. Most well educated middle class blacks in the south especially in a city like Atlanta speak very good english. It's mostly just poor blacks that speak a very country ghetto form of eubonics that can be almost incomprhensible to those not raised around southern blacks. If you've ever heard alot of southern rap you've heard just a little of what I'm talking about. I definitely wouldn't want my kid growing up speaking this way.

The ribbing and clowning though definitely goes both ways. Anybody with any with any kind of southern accent has to endure endless teasing and negative attention when in the north or out west.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Galounger

What kind of accent do you speak with? I grew up in Georgia and I can say most poor or working class blacks in the south speak in a manner that is very different from any whites ( especially northern whites) Hate to say but many of them (mostly the young ones) are very narrow minded and think that any black person that does not speak this way is speaking "white" or "proper" and see them as not cool, fake, or out of touch with their identity.

I knew a kid in middle school from Oklahoma that I really felt sorry for until he learned the style. They treated him like he was a complete nerd because he " talked proper" or "white". I also know a guy originally from Georgia that's been in Seattle for a very long time. He speaks with an accent many around my old neighborhood would call white.

Now this phenomena is mostly seen like I said among poor or rural blacks. Most well educated middle class blacks in the south especially in a city like Atlanta speak very good english. It's mostly just poor blacks that speak a very country ghetto form of eubonics that can be almost incomprhensible to those not raised around southern blacks. If you've ever heard alot of southern rap you've heard just a little of what I'm talking about. I definitely wouldn't want my kid growing up speaking this way.

The ribbing and clowning though definitely goes both ways. Anybody with any with any kind of southern accent has to endure endless teasing and negative attention when in the north or out west.

It is not just poor blacks who speak ebonics. I know middle to middle upper class blacks who speak ebonics. It isn't just a poor thing. It developed in poorer black communities, but it spread. And yes, I have been clowned for not being "black enough" and not from poor blacks, but from middle-middle upper class blacks, and some whites too. Ebonics is something in the African-American community as a whole. Not just the poor. I should know. I have seen it. As for being a black man from Seattle, I understand the situation. I know what it feels like because I don't speak Ebonics, I have even had my own accent taken as anything from Midwestern, New Yorker, Calilforrnia, and even Canadian(from a friend who is from Canada, born and raised.). I have been called oreo, "wanna be white boy", overcooked white boy, Carlton,etc. It is very sad, and in many cases, this can contribute to some black students not living up to their best in school, because many aren't encourage to "be smart" by their peers. Bad influences.I am not saying this is the whole reason or that this happens in all cases, but this can be a contributing factor.

[Galounger]

Originally Posted by pirate_lafitte

It is not just poor blacks who speak ebonics. I know middle to middle upper class blacks who speak ebonics. It isn't just a poor thing. It developed in poorer black communities, but it spread. And yes, I have been clowned for not being "black enough" and not from poor blacks, but from middle-middle upper class blacks, and some whites too. It is very sad, and in many cases, this can contribute to some black students not living up to their best in school, because many aren't encourage to "be smart" by their peers. Bad influences.I am not saying this is the whole reason or that this happens in all cases, but this can be a contributing factor.

I agree to a point. In the community I grew up in most middle class blacks also spoke eubonics and adopted the style, attitudes, and mannerisms of those in the poorer class. But in that community blacks were overwhelmingly poor and ghetto. The blacks who were middle class were few and often lived only a few blocks from large areas of poor blacks so this can't be suprising.

I am however surprised at middle class blacks in Atlanta giving you a hard time. This is a place that many blacks move to because there are large middle class black neighborhoods away from all that negative ghetto stuff.

When I went to college in Ohio most of the blacks I met were of middle class background. They were bilingual in the sense that they were able to speak eubonics or the Kings English as required. I guess I could see how some of them would light heartedly tease someone for not knowing how to speak eubonics at all. But completely ostrichizing someone for this is usually more common in the poorer black communities like the one I described growing up in.

[FashionD]

It may be because most of Washington seems to be middle class white people. It's a lot of loggers, people who love nature, people with cars in their backyards; no culture, little diversity, etc. Kind of a narrow-minded place overall - except for Seattle.

[pwright1]

They clown because they simply don't know Seattle and they have this perception that no black people live there. I have 2 friends who are black anchorwoman and who travel a lot who came to Seattle for a convention a few years ago. I took them sightseeing around town and we were in the Central District. They were completely blown away by the number of black Seattleites living and walking the streets. We stopped in the Kingfish Cafe for lunch and they said that was some of the best southern soul food they ever had. I too was shocked when I first moved here. This is why I travel to different cities. To see the real deal.

[pirate_lafitte]

Originally Posted by Galounger

I agree to a point. In the community I grew up in most middle class blacks also spoke eubonics and adopted the style, attitudes, and mannerisms of those in the poorer class. But in that community blacks were overwhelmingly poor and ghetto. The blacks who were middle class were few and often lived only a few blocks from large areas of poor blacks so this can't be suprising.

I am however surprised at middle class blacks in Atlanta giving you a hard time. This is a place that many blacks move to because there are large middle class black neighborhoods away from all that negative ghetto stuff.

When I went to college in Ohio most of the blacks I met were of middle class background. They were bilingual in the sense that they were able to speak eubonics or the Kings English as required. I guess I could see how some of them would light heartedly tease someone for not knowing how to speak eubonics at all. But completely ostrichizing someone for this is usually more common in the poorer black communities like the one I described growing up in.

There are middle class African-American neighborhoods in Atlanta, but I didn't live inside the city of Atlanta or one of the black neighborhoods. I lived in one of the exurban counties. This clowning that exists mainly exists because many of the middle-class blacks living in the exurban counties often associate with working class and poor blacks and take on some of the characteristics, where as if middle class blacks moved into areas where there are other middle-class blacks around, well, there is the difference.