Do I speak for you? Do you speak for me?! The answer to both of these questions is not an easy yes or no. The better response would be "sometimes" or "it depends".
If I am the only black person a white man or woman will ever meet, all black people they meet here on in, will be judged by whatever standard I set. Another black person will either meet, exceed or sourly lower those expectations.
No matter what I do, I represent my race. Every day, all day. Not because I have to, nor because I chose to, but because I just do. When I use slang, people, white or otherwise, are going to label me. When I talk properly, they label me then too. Whether we like to believe it or not, this responsibility of carrying the weight of the race on our shoulders was thrust upon us. Since the Booker T's, Carter G's, W.E.B's and so forth (that just happened to rhyme by the way). So when my brother, your cousin, Shaniqua, Aisha, or even you step out on the street, your actions reflect on me!
Here's why I'm mad:
When I see a group of black teenagers step onto the train, the store, the restaurant, or wherever, I worry. I cannot help but think, I wonder what do these white people think of them. What is worse is when they open their mouth and nothing but foul language comes out. They say nigga this and nigga that, they are dressed horrendously, their hair is not combed, and if it is, barely. I am all for self-expression, but not one that depicts you negatively. I am all for finding yourself and defining who you are, but you should not allow yourself to fit into the typical ghetto-girl/boy stereotype. Besides the fact that it is not fair to me, it is not fair to you.
These teenagers might be A-students and should not be judged, but the world is not perfect. You will be judged whether you like it or not. Do not make it easy for people to right you off as another menace. Do not make them feel like Dave Chappelle: "shoulda never gave you niggas money"! Do not give them the chance to make a mockery of you and think you were not trained to act appropriately.
Black people, YOUNG black people, do not sell yourself short. When you do, you sell the race short.
We represent each other, so let us work on killing these stereotypes. The future of our race thrives on it and depends on it!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
SON, this is a MAJOR issue. i get pissed off every time i step out of my apartment and here these little...open their mouths to speak in such ways. ...when i see them dressed in such ways. ...when i see them generally act in such a way!
but what's the solution? it's a systemic virus spreading throughout the community and being reproduced with every new generation (coming faster and fewer years in between). you can't legislate good behavior. you can't preach it. you can't blog it. the problem is in the households. i mean, society, culture, and the general outside world is constantly bringing us down to the lowest marketable level, but we have to be responsible for raising the children right.
but where do we start? it seems like such a big, un-fixable problem.
:-(
I agree with you a little but they will always look down on us no matter what. They young people that you speak of fell they don't really have a choice they just want to be who they are and we can't judge them for that. They are a product of their environment.
Post a Comment