I was raised in a very white, Dutch neighborhood. There were maybe two black kids in my graduating class.
This year I'm taking classes at a community college in Muskegon where the the black population is much more prominent. For a number of social/economic reasons, fellow classmates from my highschool as well as others from surrounding "white" upper class communities have found themselves at this school sharing an education with with a variety of races. At this school is an upper floor congregation area and a quieter, studying area on the lower floor. An article in the campus newspaper pointed out that all of the white kids spent their time in the lower floor hanging out and all of the black kids on the upper floor, describing our campus as "segregated." I read that and thought "yup" because I had noticed the same thing. I recall reasons given by the white kids that they prefered the downstairs because it was quieter, and I agree. I'm ashamed to admit that I've always thought of black people as boisterous and have avoided that upper floor because of that. But I'm also just a quiet guy...
What's funny is that I did not picture this at all before enrolling there. Yet everyday, I see the black groups and the white groups, no mingling. We are friendly with each other of course, but, no mingling whatsoever. We want nothing to do with each other. What's terrible is that many of the stereotypes I've acquired about black people have only been reinforced. All too often do I see the "rapper" dressed as if he's prepared to be discovered any second, and the females with ginormous hoop earings, crazy make-up, and booty pants. I see Escalades and other hoopties on 22's all the time. I thought community college was for poor people?
Anyway, I'm sure many of the kids I went to highschool with are observing the same thing and are having similar thoughts. Likewise, I don't think black people understand "us," nor do they care about what we think. It seems they only care about the insightful opinions of theirr black role-models and their take on American culture, including Kanye, Spike Lee, and pretty much every rap star who's somehow made it big. Black people observe all the wrong role models! Who are the black people they learn about in school? Those who resisted slavery and then those who fought the white government for equality in the 60's. That's like the only history of their race in America's history, not to mention if they were to take European history... They respect only what their race can achieve on its own, saying "fuck you, crackers!" and I think that's where the tension surfaces as it did in Kanye's statement toward Bush's supposed neglect of the black population, but I think it was also toward the government that he, along with many black people, still perceives as predominately white, personified by Bush.
This year I'm taking classes at a community college in Muskegon where the the black population is much more prominent. For a number of social/economic reasons, fellow classmates from my highschool as well as others from surrounding "white" upper class communities have found themselves at this school sharing an education with with a variety of races. At this school is an upper floor congregation area and a quieter, studying area on the lower floor. An article in the campus newspaper pointed out that all of the white kids spent their time in the lower floor hanging out and all of the black kids on the upper floor, describing our campus as "segregated." I read that and thought "yup" because I had noticed the same thing. I recall reasons given by the white kids that they prefered the downstairs because it was quieter, and I agree. I'm ashamed to admit that I've always thought of black people as boisterous and have avoided that upper floor because of that. But I'm also just a quiet guy...
What's funny is that I did not picture this at all before enrolling there. Yet everyday, I see the black groups and the white groups, no mingling. We are friendly with each other of course, but, no mingling whatsoever. We want nothing to do with each other. What's terrible is that many of the stereotypes I've acquired about black people have only been reinforced. All too often do I see the "rapper" dressed as if he's prepared to be discovered any second, and the females with ginormous hoop earings, crazy make-up, and booty pants. I see Escalades and other hoopties on 22's all the time. I thought community college was for poor people?
Anyway, I'm sure many of the kids I went to highschool with are observing the same thing and are having similar thoughts. Likewise, I don't think black people understand "us," nor do they care about what we think. It seems they only care about the insightful opinions of theirr black role-models and their take on American culture, including Kanye, Spike Lee, and pretty much every rap star who's somehow made it big. Black people observe all the wrong role models! Who are the black people they learn about in school? Those who resisted slavery and then those who fought the white government for equality in the 60's. That's like the only history of their race in America's history, not to mention if they were to take European history... They respect only what their race can achieve on its own, saying "fuck you, crackers!" and I think that's where the tension surfaces as it did in Kanye's statement toward Bush's supposed neglect of the black population, but I think it was also toward the government that he, along with many black people, still perceives as predominately white, personified by Bush.
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