What does it mean to be black?

[BlackLantern]

It's actually pretty funny because we are both big Colbert fans

 

[SoulManX]

It's actually pretty funny because we are both big Colbert fans

 

[Arkady Rossovich]

Africans were brought to this land before the Constitution and kept being shipped over for decades in spite of it.

Once slavery ended, the descendants of the African slaves had already been in American for over 300 years.

At that point there was no way to send all African Americans to Africa. They would have to just go to war with us and wipe us out.

Plus they would not be sending African-Americans back as the descendants were born in America.

Why do they put so much onto their skin color?Let's say they are just people,yet they point to their past as proof..or excuse that they should have a better life.It is possible to export them all,it would take a very long time though..as for war.This thread shows it might happen.

 

[BlackLantern]

Why do they put so much onto their skin color?Let's say they are just people,yet they point to their past as proof..or excuse that they should have a better life.It is possible to export them all,it would take a very long time though..as for war.This thread shows it might happen.

As far as Africa is concerned, they are not too friendly towards black Americans. I never focused on it and am surprised that so many people still do today

 

[raybia]

Ladies and gentlemen, Matt knows what it is like to be like you. He looooves grape soda. He knows what its like when "the man" at the super market won't take food stamps or to wait all month for a welfare check *waves arms in the air* HEY! HO! HEY! HO!

Joking, of course. Great post Raybia

Thanks Matt!

 

[raybia]

It means we must fight the power.


Hehe, great post Raybia t:

Thank you

 

[raybia]

What about "They assume you were born knowing how to dance"?

Raybia,
That was a very good intro post.

Thanks DBella!

 

[raybia]

What a nightmare situation. I've heard that people have been saying "Obama isn't black enough" and black people saying it about other black people. People that think like that need to wise the **** up.

Again my response to that question is "Black enough for whom?"

I can honestly say that I'm black enough...for me and that is all that matters from that aspect. More important to me is being human enough to live up to my
potential...my intellectual potential.

 

[raybia]

Race threads =

Great post, raybia. I have posted some things like this in my past race threads (before they got closed ).

Thanks Warhammer!

 

[Superhobo]

Grape drink.

 

[raybia]

Watermelon is more of a seasonal food than a racial food.

By the 10th century AD, watermelons were being cultivated in China, which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer.

 

[raybia]

Why do they put so much onto their skin color?

Many slaves who were lighter complexed were treated and given greater privileges than darker slaves. This cause great resentment between blacks and this unequal treatment continued after slavery and has had lasting psychological effects even to this day.

Let's say they are just people,yet they point to their past as proof..or excuse that they should have a better life.

We should and can have a better life. Our humble beginnings should give us the determination to work for and achieve excellence in everything we do. We just have to work for it instead of expecting for the Government to give it to us.

The thing that has the African-American community in the dire situation we are in is a lack of self-esteem and dignity that we seemed to have lost after the civil rights movement. Once we get that back, and its CRITICAL THAT WE DO, we will make much greater progress as a people and we will be able to
develop solutions to many of our social problems.


It is possible to export them all,it would take a very long time though..as for war.This thread shows it might happen.

I disagree. It is not possible to export 38 million blacks without having a complete race war break out.

Nor would African Americans voluntarily leave America. Why would we? This is our home. We don't know anything about living in Africa. In fact I believe a majority of Africans would move to the U.S. if given the opportunity.

We would not leave to go to Africa no more than Whites would leave America to move to Europe.

I am an American and I love America and I support it when its right and when its wrong then I don't leave it, I try to fix it.

 

[BlackLantern]

i just try to be the best person I can be.....

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

I am a well spoken black man....28 yo working for a dot.com....some would say I am not black enough....and I say to them....could you add fries to my order please

*applauds*

i haven't read beyond this post, but there is much i want to say on this subject. i've been hearing much of the race card lately, mainly because of much of the ongoing debate right now over rap music, and the content, etc...

i am a white male. i listen to rap music. as entertainment, i accept the vulgarity. the swearing. the "ho" calls. etc...

what i hear in my cd player... what i see on bet... that is not how i view black people. and i am tired of black people coming out saying "that is how we are viewed by white america" or whatever.

1. i am a part of white america, being a white male. i do not view black people as what is portrayed in rap music. i might portray the rappers who put themselves out there as such like that, but i do not view black people as a whole on that.

2. i hate the "black enough" term. in order to be "black enough", you have to be ghetto, be a thug, be uneducated, and the only success you can have is through music or sports. if you become a lawyer, a doctor, a politician, or an "unaccepted" entertainment profession (see golf - tiger woods), you're not black enough. you're white washed. black people cannot be successful without being dragged down by their own race. how are people supposed to come up and make it, when their own RACE tries to bring them down?

3. maybe the one i feel most importantly about - why do you, as black americans, care what white americans think of you? white americans are no more or less special than black americans. our opinion means nothing. BE WHO YOU WANT TO BE. embrace your culture. if that is rap / hip-hop. if that is jazz. if that is rock & roll. if that is sports. if that is politics, medicine. christianity, WHATEVER you choose to embrace as your culture and heritage. what i think of you matters not, because i am no better than you. quit giving power to white people to put you in a position to hold you back. once you stop giving a **** about what we think, then what we think won't impact you so much. you don't have to impress us. why?

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

I disagree. It is not possible to export 38 million blacks without having a complete race war break out.

Nor would African Americans voluntarily leave America. Why would we? This is our home. We don't know anything about living in Africa. In fact I believe a majority of Africans would move to the U.S. if given the opportunity.

We would not leave to go to Africa no more than Whites would leave America to move to Europe.

I am an American and I love America and I support it when its right and when its wrong then I don't leave it, I try to fix it.

i think i might like you.

in a completely non-romantic, non-sexual kinda way.

i agree with what you say. "black enough for whom?"

don't try to be "black enough" for me. because my opinion on the matter shouldn't count. you need to be happy within yourself.

 

[chamber-music]

As far as rap music goes. Seeing as its probabley the most dominant force in black culture these days and its seems like the thing that all other races identify us by, I think most black peolple see the mainstream gangsta rappers as what they are. Usually guys from low income backgrounds who see a rap career as a way out to become rich. So they rap about money, drugs and cars. Even if they don't do the things in real life they rap about they say they do because its whats popular and sells records.

The music industry knows this. On kanye Wests mix tapes he has songs about how they wouldn't give him a record deal because he grew up in suburbs, didn't sell drugs, hasn't shoot anyone or been shot by anyone. which is crazy because people of seem to forgot that back when hip hop began it was nothing to do with being gangsta. It was party music with slightly boastful lyrics and disco samples.
Gland Master Flash wasn't rapping about coke deals or hoes.

It sucks that to some people blacks are only recognised as these thug ghetto people. There is more to black people culture than gangsta rap, that is not all we are or about.

 

[Nell2ThaIzzay]

As far as rap music goes. Seeing as its probabley the most dominant force in black culture these days and its seems like the thing that all other races identify us by, I think most black peolple see the mainstream gangsta rappers as what they are. Usually guys from low income backgrounds who see a rap career as a way out to become rich. So they rap about money, drugs and cars. Even if they don't do the things in real life they rap about they say they do because its whats popular and sells records.

The music industry knows this. On kanye Wests mix tapes he has songs about how they wouldn't give him a record deal because he grew up in suburbs, didn't sell drugs, hasn't shoot anyone or been shot by anyone. which is crazy because people of seem to forgot that back when hip hop began it was nothing to do with being gangsta. It was party music with slightly boastful lyrics and disco samples.
Gland Master Flash wasn't rapping about coke deals or hoes.

It sucks that to some people blacks are only recognised as these thug ghetto people. There is more to black people culture than gangsta rap, that is not all we are or about.

which is why i made the point.

i've never looked at a black person and assumed they were like a rap video or something.

if they act that way? sure.

but not all black people are like that. not even most.

 

[Wilhelm-Scream]

Gland Master Flash wasn't rapping about coke deals or hoes.

Wow, so you know nothing about Grandmaster Flash.

(Hey man, you wanna cop some blow?)
(Sure, what you got, dust, flakes or rocks?)
(I got China White, Mother of Pearl, Ivory Flake, What you need?)
(Well yeah, well let me check it out man, just let me get a freeze)
(Go ahead man, stuff I got should kill ya!)
(Yeah man th-that’s that’s raw, wuh)

(Freeze! Haha ha ha! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!
Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock! Freeze! Rock!)


Oh, you said GLAND master Flash. I'm not familiar with the Glandmaster.

 

[raybia]

i think i might like you.

in a completely non-romantic, non-sexual kinda way.

LOL! I think you just gave the definition for friend!

i agree with what you say. "black enough for whom?"

don't try to be "black enough" for me. because my opinion on the matter shouldn't count. you need to be happy within yourself.

My sentiments exactly. I hear this question come from the mouth of blacks way too often and as long as it does then we are the ones guilty of perpetuating the stereotypes given to African Americans throughout our history.

Its one thing for non-blacks to believe these misconceptions but once we as Blacks buy into them then what you have is...well what you have is the present day African-American community.

Too many of us have accepted a culture or lifestyle that was deemed "Black" (a culture that in many ways was not created or designed by us personally), that is essentially a "culture of death".

Death in terms of moral death, spiritual death, mental (intellectual) death, socio/economic death, political death all which leads to the premature physical deaths of African-American.

Once we change our mentality and change our culture (by removing the worst aspects of our culture but retaining the best ones; the ones that are conducive to a health life) we will see a change for the better regarding our situation.

 

[terry78]

I think we all have our own interpretation of it, depending on where you grew up, and any exposure you have. But people that say they "don't see race" or are colorblind are basically just full of ****, imo. Everyone sees race. You mean you "try" not to judge anyone on their ethnicity.

 

[Colossal Spoons]

Damn, I never knew Nell2ThaIzzay was a white dude lol

 

[AndThePickles]

Damn, I never knew Nell2ThaIzzay was a white dude lol

Me neither, I'm actually super surprised haha

 

[chamber-music]

Damn, I never knew Nell2ThaIzzay was a white dude lol

I knew it.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I don't know how to dance and I'm pretty sure I don't know how to sing. I hate Watermelon and any melon for that matter and I don't like hotsauce on my fried chicken.

Do I get to keep my black card?

 

[Carcharodon]

I don't know how to dance and I'm pretty sure I don't know how to sing. I hate Watermelon and any melon for that matter and I don't like hotsauce on my fried chicken.

Do I get to keep my black card?

Only if you like Kool-Aid.