Tuesday, 14 July 2009

  • "Why Do You Talk White?"

    Why do you talk white?

    I know I’m not the only one who has heard this in their lives. Or, maybe you’re Asian or Middle Eastern or Hispanic, and you’ve heard this.

    I’m watching an "America’s Next Top Model" rerun, and it’s cycle three. In the beginning, there is a girl, Kelle, who keeps saying that she’s been told that she’s a white girl with a dark tan. Kelle, whose skin tone is as dark as mine, and grew up in a white cul-de-sac, has heard her whole life that she was white. And she was just saying to the other black girls of the season that it hurts when people say she’s not black. And Eva (the winner of said cycle) erupts with a “You’re black. Get over it. Embrace it.”

    Now, I might not have grown up in a nice cul-de-sac, and I spent the majority of my childhood in a town with an equal amount of black and white kids, but I have heard the “You’re not black” thing myself. Terms like “Oreo,” being told by white people that “I’m more black than you are,” and people just saying, “Ah, Tanezia, you’re white!” were things I heard at least twice a month.

    I pointed to the dark color of my skin and all but yelled, “Oh, I’m not black? Really? Because, the last I checked, what makes me a black person is the fact that my skin is brown. It looks brown to me. If you see where it’s white, please point it out to me, because according to the mirror, I am one hundred percent black!”

    Okay, more like 80% (I have some Native American in me. I’m actually like the last generation in my family that can claim being a Native American enough so that I could get scholarships and stuff. My grandfather is just being difficult about providing the information so we can become affiliated with our Tribe).

    But, I’m still black.

    So, what makes us black? People have been debating this for quite a few years. In the fifties and sixties, people marched and fought for black rights. Because of them, I was able to get the education I needed to get ahead in life. They did it so that we didn’t have to spend our days in ghettos. We could do better, become better, and lead rich and fulfilling lives. And I’m taking advantage of that.

    Does that make me white?

    If people are racists, then why show them that they’re right in their racism? Why give them a reason to be racist? Why let them get the chance to look down at you? PROVE. THEM. WRONG.

    That’s why I focus so hard on education. Because the man (yes, I still believe in the man) wants me to be stupid. That’s why I don’t talk ghetto and I present myself respectfully. Because the man wants me look like a hooligan and not get anywhere. That’s why I’m working hard to succeed in life. Because the man wants me to fail.

    I take pride in my skin color. I am dark, beautiful, and I love that I don’t look like that white girl next door. I like my high cheekbones and slightly large nose, my dark skin, and my heritage. I love black men (I don’t discriminate, though).

    I am proud to be a black American. I am proud of my skin, my culture, and my heritage. I am proud that I was one of the five black kids in my school in all of the Honors and AP courses in high school. I’m proud of every black person who has proved the government wrong: including Barack Obama.

    I’m proud to be black. And no one will take that pride away.

    Can you identify with this?

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Comments (47)

  • turnyalightsdownlow@xanga

    hell yes. i get this all of the time. it's so annoying - sounding intelligent does not equal sounding white. thanks for this post =) it's nice to know that i'm not alone.
  • Erika_Steele@xanga

    I can totally identify with what you are saying.  I don't have to act like a stereotype to be proud that I am black.
  • AznFier@xanga

    There's this thing in China where us ABC aren't labeled as Chinese anymore, we're white. Why? Because we grew up with that culture. We weren't raise with Chinese as our first language. We did experience the same culture and lifestyle as they did. We weren't required to learn 2-3 languages, (Mandarin and English, Cantonese and other sublanguages of Chinese are optional) as they were. However that is only one example of Asians in particular. I am not sure why other people may view other races as white though, maybe it's similar?

    I am proud to just be me, the mix of cultures is just a portion of who I am. I am proud of it all.
  • swtaznxtc90@xanga

    @AznFier@xanga - agreed!
    I went back 2 years ago for the first time after I was 2 years old and they told me the same thing, that I am not considered Asian, but rather a complete foreigner and was looked down upon by some
    which is weird because I can speak their language...
  • nylondare@xanga

    pshhhh , i get that all the time to . (i`m not crazy about michelle obama , but i will quote her) "how can you talk a color ?" . IMO , that`s a REALLY good point . and SORRY if some of us don`t want people to struggle understanding us and speak proper english . dayum . haha . but i completely get what you`re saying . i guess my excuse is that i`m not even all black anyway , so i have white people in my blood (i hope that doesn`t sound racist) , but fact remains , it`s just the environment you grew up in . i know some black people who talk like a white person does (note that i didn`t say they talk white , because like i said , you can`t talk a color) and some white people who talk like a black person does , but at the same time , that`s kind of a sterotype too :\ but i think you get my point . it all depends where you grew up and how your parents talked around you too <3
  • MrsMok@xanga

    I knew a guy who TRIED to call my black friend an Oreo. I don't know if he was just painfully stupid or trying to create something new, but he called him a burnt twinkie.
  • AznFier@xanga

    @MrsMok@xanga - Hostess Cakes?
  • Nirvaname@xanga

    I get this a lot! I am multi-racial puerto rican, black, portuguese, and sicilian and the color of my skin is brown like Kerry Washington the actress brown, and I was raised around all kinds of ethnicities and yet people even white people have said I talk white. I think it sounds very ignorant "talk white" wtf ugh I hate it.
  • htinker@xanga

    This was very interesting, and I can definitely identify with this. I myself, happen to be white. So I suppose it's really not quite the same, but I do see this all the time. Not only do I see situations like yours, but I experience my own as well. I live in lower Alabama. Most of the population has that long southern drawl that makes their words curl at the end. I don't (very much). For this reason, people tease me about being a yankee or sounding like a nerd or whatever else they can think of. It's silly. I, too, am educated. I use that education so that I can be something someday. When it all comes down to it, it's not even about color. It's about being all you can be and dealing with people looking down on you for it. Your "accent" is not one of a white person, it is one of an educated person. You go, girl.
  • black_lie@xanga

    well, i see it differently.. the man wants everyone to adhere to predominant anglo-saxon culture. there's nothing wrong with what is commonly seen as "black" culture. i think the people who tell you to embrace black culture don't want it to seem like people who act that way can't get ahead in life. of course, i think that you should act whatever way you want to, regardless of your racial background.
  • discoxapples@xanga

    Omg, I JUST got finished commenting on a post about this exact thing, except it was about dating. I get the whole "you don't count" or "you're not black" or "you can't be black, you have nice hair" or "you're an oreo". The people are ignorant, and it gets really annoying, and every time...I give them an earful. And then they'll stfu. It's a great situation, lol. Kidding, but still.
  • mynameisblueskye@xanga

    I like how on this you highlighted the word "racist". This is enough for me to assume AND agree that anyone who think they act a certain way is a racist without even knowing it. Surely, that's kind of much to some, but who is one to think that a balck person acts a certain way?
  • kieri126@xanga

    yeah I mean I def. understand where you are coming from. alot of people you know are like yo you're NOT asian you're more white then anything. and in a way I agree...like you have to take what some people say with a grain of salt because even in these times. AMERICAN is associated with skin color and that is..white. So when someone is like oh your so white...its not really referring to the fact that theyre being ignorant to my true skin color but describing the way I act or talk or handle myself in an ignorant matter...its just how we have all been brought up.


    it just gets into this whole larger issue of what is defined as american. for some reason now matter how much we say we have changed and how much we say racism had disappeared...there will always be this notion that is you are NOT white..you must be from somewhere else.


    example. when people see me the first ques they ask is where I am from...assuming I was not born here. why cant people assume that I was just born in America?....its just the way society is.


    you encounter it everyday and sadly I have fell into this kind of thinking as well and consider myself "white." dont get me wrong I am very proud of my heritage. I love my asian culture and I def embrace it. But I am also very proud to be a US citizen and an American. This is my home.


    I am a proud vietnamese american!! :)
  • fueledbylaura@xanga

    You're black & native amercian ? cool.
  • fueledbylaura@xanga

    @kieri126@xanga - oh my god, one time this "black" chick in my grade said she was born somewhere in afriad ( i dont remember where ) but then everyone automatically assumed all the blacks were born there. same with any other race. wtf.
  • Special_Brownies_4u@xanga

    I've heard that many times..lol
  • sparkletone1684@xanga

    YES. A whole lot. I still don't identify myself as being black because I heard that so much. What, I'm not black because I can string together a grammatically correct sentence?? That's just sad. Who are they to tell me what black is when they haven't the education to really discuss the matter?

    I like seeing good black men get ahead and will be willing to be supportive. But as far as dating one, I'm simply not interested. Maybe because of how I grew up? I haven't figured out a real answer to that yet.
  • kenna_brutial_xo@xanga

    i feel like i get discriminated on because im white(and also part indian). i have bigger hips and its hard to find jeans that i like and fit me good, so i get applebottoms and black girls that see me in the mall walk right behind me saying this and that "she's white she cant wear those" all that..but since when cant i wear a pair of jeans because of my color?
  • mewithoutu77@xanga

    people have always told me that i talk like a white girl if they only heard my voice.  what can i say, i also grew up in a white neighborhood, went to an all white school all the way until high school.  i don't take offense into it because i think it's quite interesting to trick people sometimes.  also i can speak fluently in my native language so i just don't really care about what people say about me much.
  • d0llh0use@xanga

    i didnt read the post but im going to respond to the title "uhhh probably cause iam white???".  hahahaha. 


    ok, just had to get that out.
  • beauty_is__thin@xanga

    how do white people talk? people probably say you talk "white" because you talk proper and do not come from a ghetto and have a ghetto accent! & whats so wrong with being white anyways? if anything we are the minorities in the world now so why are we not getting scholarships for being white? hmm just something to think about.
  • with_chafafa_on_the_side@xanga

    Yes, I can identify with this. I've been getting the "you're not black enough" crap since I was a kid. It used to hurt, until I realized the people who said it were just ignorant.
  • KiLLxeViLm0nzTeRz@xanga

    i totally identify with this! the problem is that i'm 50% asian and 50% mexican. the mexican relatives and friends of mine don't care how americanized i am because most of them were raised here anyway, but chinese people always think i'm trying to be better than them or something because i speak english fluently. not only that, but speaking chinese is difficult for me.

    i don't know if it's just because of where i live either, but mexicans could care less if i'm part asian, and a lot of times, probably because i speak spanish well enough, they just love me for who i am anyway. however, a lot of the asians in my neighborhood say that i'm not "asian enough." like, what does that mean? i'm only half anyway, and no one can tell me how asian i'm NOT. that's just stupid. in high school, they wondered why i joined the mexican/chicano club, but that's cuz i didn't want to feel like i wasn't "asian enough." that was stupid. :P
  • spidergrass@xanga

    My boyfriend, who is black, calls one of his brothers "the white one" because he's supposedly the "smartest". I admit, I've laughed about it a few times, but it's kind of a silly thing to say.
  • Winter__Raven@xanga

    Really? ....just...really? No one is intending to be racist when calling you an oreo or a burnt whatever. It's a tease, something friends do. It doesn't matter that you're black, because even that Alabama girl was getting teased as being a Yankee when she's Southern. It's not about COLOR, it's about culture. I personally am much more interested in how this "ghetto" speak became. Where did it come from? Why? It wasn't brought with from any native lands. (I'm saying native lands because not all black are from Africa, I've meet quite a few from Puerto Rico and other places).



    The only thing I can think of for the reason of this newfound custom is to set yourself away from the whites...which is one of the most racists things you can do. Because anytime you see a white person speaking like a black person. It's suddenly hilarious. (I would say it's harder for the whites to pretend to be black than a black to speak "white".)
    It's not about colors anymore. It's about culture. White and black are becoming pretty generic in meaning.
    But I mean, go you for standing up for your culture. It doesn't matter what color has been associated with it. It's yours.

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