Quote:
Originally posted by FuzzieAlum
The bigger problem is the little, pervasive racisms that people who aren't experiencing them don't even notice. Like that study that obviously "black" names were a detriment on a resume. Or using phrases like "JAP." Or saying things like, "I don't think of you as [insert racial group here] - you seem white to me."
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I agree with you 100% on your whole post but you were really right on when you said this. I have seen several blacks on this board say that their white friends don't "see them as black" and I have even had a white person say this to me. My question is , Why don't they see you as black because , guess what YOU ARE my friend. You are different and that is not something that is negative or needs to be ignored. Is it because these so called friends associate being black with negatives such as speaking improper english, wearing a certain type of clothes or behaving in a certain way? And when they make these comments do you stop them and say, hey you are way off or do you help perpetuate these stereotypes by not speaking up? I am an African-American female who makes great grades, speaks proper english, plays the violin, and wears clothes from the Gap and if someone where to say to me that they didn't think of me as black I'd kindly remind them that blacks have accomplished many great things in this country in the areas of academia, public service, government, and the arts just to name a few, and they need to let those sterotypical notions of what is black go. Someone telling you that they don't think of you as black is not a compliment but an indication that they hold some strange notions of what being black means. Don't just sit there passively and smile but use that as an opportunity to educate your "friends".