What is "black culture"? (Harlem: house, neighborhoods, school)

[jeffreda30238]

tisk tisk tisk....AcidSnake at it again....lol...tragic

[Merin]

Growing up we spent a week in Marthas Vineyard every summer and stayed in Oak Bluffs. Hows that?

[south-to-west]

This can go on and on. But first of all realize that there's no such thing as "black" culture, rather there is African American or Black American culture. Of course there are some similarities between our culture and other black cultures throughout the world such as Jamaican, Brazilian, or Ashanti (Ghana). It's important to realize that African Americans are an American people in that we've been here since Jamestown and our cultural formation was started and shaped here. We've contributed a lot to this country, so there is no way one can be African American without being American--they go hand in hand. Another aspect is that it's quite easy, and happens quite often, that black immigrants often assimilate into African American culture.

Here are some of the things that set us apart from the rest as a distinct group here in the US and the world.

In regards to what binds us together:

• History: Shared sense of struggle. Appreciation that are ancestors--and parents and grandparents--overcame the hardship and adversity they faced.
• Music: Given that not all of us listen to the same music, but for the most part we listen to at least one of several genres to have emerged out of the African American community.
• Diet: This is changing, but I would argue that in traditional family gatherings--especially around the holidays--you will see certain foods on the table. For example at Thanksgiving, many African American households will have foods such as cornbread, greens, okra, etc on the dinner table.
• Humor: Comedy is a great way to gauge one's culture and there is no doubt that black comedians have greatly influenced American comedy-i.e. Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Dick Gregory, Flip Wilson, etc,
• Vernacular: Yes it's controversial, but if you listen closely to the different regional variations of African American Vernacular, you will notice certain gramatical patterns. For example, the use of the word been to signify an action that has been completed for a long while ago. For example instead of saying "I had done that a while ago," you will hear, "I've been done that."
• Religion: No matter the faith, African Americans tend to be very religious. Also, clergymen often hold roles that serve as community leaders as well as religious leaders.
• Improvisation/Competition: This has been a major element in our style. For example, when you listen to an old jazz record, you will hear Miles Davis and John Coltrane often try to outplay one another. Rappers lyrically battle. Basketball is played with style and swagger to the point that how you score is almost as important as scoring itself. As kids, we say "yo mama" jokes and play the dozens. Overall, you basically gotta bring it.

I can go on and on, but I hope this helps.

[AcidSnake]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Based on the results you've seen on every other thread here that's even remotely related to race, do you really expect to get a quality response? I give it 24 hours (probably less) before someone says something stupid to get the thread closed.....

I pray that you are wrong on this, but in looking at the other low-brow threads that have seen much more activity than they deserve, you may possibly be proven correct. We shall see, won't we?

[mdiggs1]

1. Music - Black people have music at ANY event. Have you ever been to any black event and there wasn't music? People will start asking, "Y'all ain't got no music"? Plus as someone else already mentioned: jazz, hip hop, rock & roll, blues, r&b, pop music, soul. Most of our music is all about percussion, which goes back to Africa.

2. Dance - Black people love to dance and we come up with many dances. That is big in our culture. I don't care if you like the 'stanky leg' or not, LOL. You will see black people in a public place and hear music (especially percussion & bass), and buss out dancin.

3. Language - We are innovators of language. We are always coming up with new words and new ways of expressing ourselves, and it becomes part of the broader American culture. Haters (e.g. the white power structure) call it bad language, slang, or ebonics. There is no such thing as bad language or proper language. The way people talk and the words they use evolve over time. Have you ever read Shakespeare? Back in his time that was called "proper" English. That would mean the words I'm typing now is "bad" language.

4. Coolness - black people do everything cool. The way we dress, wear our hair, drink lemonade, clip our toenails, pay taxes. No other people have as much flavor as black Americans. We have a culture of being cool, or tying to be cool.

5. The dozens - that is something that is unique. Black men like to trash talk and go at each other, and it's all in good nature. The dozens is what rap battling came from: men going at each other seeing which one can outwit the other. It's all about one's mental ability.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by BobKovacs

Based on the results you've seen on every other thread here that's even remotely related to race, do you really expect to get a quality response? I give it 24 hours (probably less) before someone says something stupid to get the thread closed.....

Agreed.

[mdiggs1]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

Ever since the corporate power structure became aware of the rap/hip hop genre(s), it's been steadily going down the tubes. Now it seems that the culture of "gangsta rap" has taken on a life of its own. Maybe it speaks to the issue that there are a significant group of people who needs to belong to something, people who needs some sort of affirmation that they matter, at least to each other. Indians have their Hinduism and assorting practices & the Irish have their St Patrick's day...

So what do us black folks have? What unique cultural practices outside of rap & pigfeet affirms our identity & binds us closely together? Because it seems like we are missing something...

Gangsta rap is NOT black culture, that is American culture. A lot of Americans like to hear violent rap lyrics, along with violent movies, violent books & magazines, Soap Operas, UFC & boxing, Flavor of Luv, the local news, etc. Americans like violence & drama; that is what sells. (Plus, there aren't enough black youth to help 50 Cent sell 12 million copies).

That's what gangsta rap does, it sells records, and these big record companies and their other media counterparts exploit that. That's why they flood the market with it, and that is what people are exposed to the most. If you only watch BET, MTV, and VH1 you begin to think that gangsta rap is what hip hop is all about, because that is all you see. They don't let other subgenres of hip hop in the door.

As real hip hop lovers know, the most respectable artists are underground artist that don't have major deals, and don't have their record being played every hour on the radio.

Record companies don't care about substance in music, they care about money.

And too many people trust their kids to television. You are not witnessing a culture of gangsta rap, but a culture of puppetry. Everything the gangsta rappers on television do, the kids (& some grown folks) emulate. If Lil Wayne, T.I., and Plies started wearing pink dresses, guess what? Pink dresses are now Gangsta.

I know some people may say "that would never happen." If you wore tight pants a few years ago, they'd call you a *** or lame. Thanks to Lil Wayne, look at the young hip hop kids in your community today.

http://cm1.theinsider.com/media/0/95...0.399x600.jpeg

[Akhenaton06]

Originally Posted by AcidSnake

So what do us black folks have? What unique cultural practices outside of rap & pigfeet affirms our identity & binds us closely together?

What the #$%&?????? I rarely ever listen to rap and absolutely do NOT like pigfeet. Does that make me an unauthentic Black guy? Is my membership being revoked based on such stereotypical criteria?

[YBF]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

What the #$%&?????? I rarely ever listen to rap and absolutely do NOT like pigfeet. Does that make me an unauthentic Black guy? Is my membership being revoked based on such stereotypical criteria?

LMAO I know right...everytime I tell some ppl I hate collard green and watermelon I get ppl asking what type of black person am I. And I reply the kind that doesnt like collard greens and watermelon.

[AcidSnake]

Originally Posted by Akhenaton06

What the #$%&?????? I rarely ever listen to rap and absolutely do NOT like pigfeet. Does that make me an unauthentic Black guy? Is my membership being revoked based on such stereotypical criteria?

I'll have to check with the African American culture Gods but you seem to be authentic in my book!

My motivation for asking this question about what passes for African American culture was based off the the real-life events like the murder of Dolla, the election of Barack Obama, black male/black female relations and other things that are too numerous to name. I just wondered what exactly it is that binds us black folks together and why those bindings don't seem to be holding a lot of us together as of late, at least not to my satisfaction.

But nevertheless, I am grateful for the responses I have gotten so far, and if my response is the last one, so be it. I just hope that there are others like myself who are just as concern about where our culture seems to be taking us.