Quote:
Originally Posted by rhoyaltempest
Okay, I appreciate everyone's comments (especially the one above since he clearly gets what I'm asking) but only "deepimpact2" has given an answer to the question: "why is it that we (Black folks) feel the need to give away/share our traditions?" meaning why do we seek others out to teach and involve them in what we do almost exclusively?
For example, as an undergrad I attended 2 VERY predominately white colleges in PA. (5-6 hours a part; PA. is a big state) and in both cases, White greeks thought stepping was cool and some even attended the annual NPHC stepshow, but none of them (as far as I know and the Black campus community was small and tight) ever asked to be part of the stepshow or for anyone to teach them any steps. I am going to confidently assume that this is the case at most predominately white colleges where BGLO's exist. Most are fine admiring what we do from a distance. So why then, do we feel the need to introduce them to something that we are supposed to hold dear, especially when they are not greatly interested?
Deepimpact2 says it's because we (as in some of us) are showing off. What do you say?
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Don't nobody gotta answer your question.
I'll answer it in BGLO and stepping terms because that's all I have patience for right now.
From my experiences, I think it's more along the lines of "some of my bestfriends are AKAs, Deltas, etc."
That creates a level of comfort that makes some people want to get off the sidelines and participate themselves. That level of comfort is reciprocated and is matched with the need to show off by teaching something. "I'm so damn skilled that I can teach NPCers how to do the damn thang."
Rant/
The bottom line isn't that different than when BGLO sororities are taught BGLO frat steps. You express interest in something with the potential to learn so you go to your friends or acquaintances to see if they will teach you. (it has also worked the other way around with a BGLOer going to a non-BGLO and asking if they are interested in learning) And, as with sororities doing frat steps, it often works in theory but not in practice. I can think of many times when frat members have said "whoa...are they doing our (insert step), who taught them that" or "when are they going to stop doing our isht." It was cute, cool, and funny at first (I have also seen BGLO frats teach NPC sororities steps) but it can go too far. You feel like you have to remind people that it isn't THEIRS and they now need to get their own. But, once you release the steps and essentially give permission to do them, you can't control where it goes. You can't control what they do with the steps (they might perfect it and perform it tighter than you do
), whether they teach them to someone else, whether they deny you taught it to them, or whether they walk around bragging like "we're real tight with XYZ and they approve of everything we're doing."
/Rant