The realities of being a black male in America.

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Slayven

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ABC news had a great video on tonight(trying to find online) that talked about the conversation every black male in America has had by the time they are 15.

-When in a store don't have your hands in your pockets.

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

-Don't stand too close to women.

-If you are with a group(of black guys) don't look like you are up to something.

-Always have you hands visible and open when talking to police.


I was like damn, this is stuff I still hear from my mom when I 30 years old. And I look at my 5 year old nephew and think I going to have to teach him this stuff too.


http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/trayvon-martin-moms-afraid-black-teens-15991002
 
I was actually never taught any of that, but that's probably because I grew up in a rich white suburb and they must have assumed that I was also rich and thus had no reason to cause trouble.

Or because I never went outside.

I do think I've been stared out in a store before, though.
 
Errm I've heard most of these things and I'm white. I think this has more to do with age, teenagers because teens love to cause trouble, than race.
 
Yeah, I still hear some of that stuff too.

I think it was maybe about two months ago when my mother told me to take off my hoodie before we went into Target because she didn't want anybody to think I was stealing.

I am completely non-threatening.............. except for being black I guess.

and fuck it is so fucking cold in target

edit: and im female btw lol
 
ABC news had a great video on tonight(trying to find online) that talked about the conversation every black male in America has had by the time they are 15.

-When in a store don't have your hands in your pockets.

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

-Don't stand too close to women.

-If you are with a group(of black guys) don't look like you are up to something.

-Always have you hands visible and open when talking to police.


I was like damn, this is stuff I still hear from my mom when I 30 years old. And I look at my 5 year old nephew and think I going to have to teach him this stuff too.

Wow
 
Errm I've heard most of these things and I'm white. I think this has more to do with age, teenagers because teens love to cause trouble, than race.

Probably had nothing like this happen to you...

THis whole thing about hoodies and shit reminded me of an incident that happened during my time at university.I was coming home at night with two of my housemates, black medical students, and we were about 100m from our house. Since it was freezing cold at 4AM, we all had hoods on.... We saw 3 South Asian girls who were in our year, they had turned around the corner saw us turned around the corner and no word of a lie, ran...... We saw this shit and were like, hmmm. So we went around the corner and were like, "yo it's us". So we went to try and tell them, it was us, they then ran back into our uni to escape three hooded black-youths. I had to go to my uni, swipe into it. Go to them and

Me: Hey, did you see three suspicious looking guys outside?"
Them: Yeah
Me: Two of them are outside
Them: Oh really then where's the other.....

The luck on their face when they clocked on was priceless. I took them outside and then they all loooked awkwordly at us and tried to make jokes and excuses about it. We talked about it and we were like, was it cos we were wearing hoods or was it cos we were black? There were like two other instances where i wore a hood and my friends remarked that they started getting shook. Hell i knew the skinniest, nerdiest, looking medical student. Think this:

black_man_in_glasses.jpg


This girl i know, said she was reluctant to get on a bus because he was wearing a hood. This guy was always around school, smartly dressed but when he wears a hood he goes from Carlton Banks to DMX in the blink of an eye. I am seriously reminded of the fact i can't wear hoods when out in public without knowing that being 6 foot 2 and black i will probably intimidate a shit tonne of people. The only time i can think of where i could get away with wearing a hood and not scare a person or two is if it's one with my school logo.

My little brother and i are gonna have to have a talk about this shit.
 
Walk around campus.

"Don't you play for the team?"
"No."
"....."
"....?"
"Soo.... do you work here?"
 
ABC news had a great video on tonight(trying to find online) that talked about the conversation every black male in America has had by the time they are 15.

-When in a store don't have your hands in your pockets.

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

-Don't stand too close to women.

-If you are with a group(of black guys) don't look like you are up to something.

-Always have you hands visible and open when talking to police.


I was like damn, this is stuff I still hear from my mom when I 30 years old. And I look at my 5 year old nephew and think I going to have to teach him this stuff too.
[every The Wire gif known to man.jpg]
 
ABC news had a great video on tonight(trying to find online) that talked about the conversation every black male in America has had by the time they are 15.

-When in a store don't have your hands in your pockets.

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

-Don't stand too close to women.

-If you are with a group(of black guys) don't look like you are up to something.

-Always have you hands visible and open when talking to police.


I was like damn, this is stuff I still hear from my mom when I 30 years old. And I look at my 5 year old nephew and think I going to have to teach him this stuff too.

Not to belittle the black experience in America, but this is stuff I constantly think about/do as a white male. Especially when I was a teenager.
 
I often feel like this is just as much about mannerisms and dress as it is about race. When I'm walking down the street, guess which one of these makes me the most nervous?

cotton-cashmere-cardigan_081009.jpg

l.jpg


I'm not saying that racism is non-existent in this country, but people ought to look at how they dress and act. When five black guys dressed like the dude in my second picture are coming my way, I get a little nervous, but not because they are black. How people dress and act are indicative of the kinds of behavior they'll engage in.

For anyone curious, I'm a white guy living in south Chicago. It's a dangerous place to live. The Subway 2 blocks from me has boarded windows because someone shot through them and the owner can't afford to replace the glass, and every window has bars on it that make you feel like you're living in a prison.
 
Not to belittle the black experience in America, but this is stuff I do as a white male on a daily basis. Especially when I was a teenager.
What about when you're 25 with your kid sister and people at a restaurant want to see your money before you even sit down? And its not 1950?
 
I often feel like this is just as much about mannerisms and dress as it is about race. When I'm walking down the street, guess which one of these makes me the most nervous?

I'm not saying that racism is non-existent in this country, but people ought to look at how they dress and act. When five black guys dressed like the dude in my second picture are coming my way, I get a little nervous, but not because they are black. How people dress and act are indicative of the kinds of behavior they'll engage in.

For anyone curious, I'm a white guy living in south Chicago. It's a dangerous place to live.

So, if you see black guys in a football jersey they scare you? What the hell?
 
I can attest to this.
We all get that talkin' to.

Hell, I still get nervous leaving a store and walking through anti-theft detectors.
Why?
You never want to be 'that' guy.
More specifically, you never want to be 'that' black guy.
 
What about when you're 25 with your kid sister and people at a restaurant want to see your money before you even sit down? And its not 1950?

Or when you are in a theater and the user only asks to see your ticket. Despite it being half full. Happened to me in "Return of the King".
 
So, if you see black guys in a football jersey they scare you? What the hell?
Like I said, it's the mannerism and the dress. I can't show a picture of mannerism, though (well, not easily). If you lived somewhere where you've seen multiple people arrested right on your block, broken doors are abounds, and people get mugged on a weekly basis, you'd be pretty fucking cautious too. It's not like I run the other way when I see someone that looks capable, but I definitely put my guard up. I always smile because I like to give the benefit of the doubt, but I always hold onto my things because I'm not an idiot. It's not safe to leave anything in your car where I live. If you don't have protection on your gas tank, it's not even safe to leave gas in your car - someone tried to siphon me the first weekend I was here.
 
You can't afford that. Not with child support eating through your paycheck.
 
To expose my personal prejudices, and I try to use these for insight for myself more than anything, whenever I come across a black man who fits into a gangster stereotype, even ambiguously, I feel a bit more intimidated and threatened than I would by a white guy in the same situation. I fight it when it happens, because I know it is prejudiced and racist, but as much as I've tried over the years I can't seem to help it. It seems deeply embedded culturally.

I'm also aware of the effect I have on others when I'm roaming around in a white squad of pecced out dudes, which I try to diminish by altering my posture, talking-, and walking-style. Not to equate anything.
 
Walk around campus.

"Don't you play for the team?"
"No."
"....."
"....?"
"Soo.... do you work here?"

bahahahahaha ..... :(

I can attest to this.
We all get that talkin' to.

Hell, I still get nervous leaving a store and walking through anti-theft detectors.
Why?
You never want to be 'that' guy.
More specifically, you never want to be 'that' black guy.

i thought i was the only one, sniff *hugs*
 
Like I said, it's the mannerism and the dress. I can't show a picture of mannerism, though (well, not easily). If you lived somewhere where you've seen multiple people arrested right on your block, broken doors are abounds, and people get mugged on a weekly basis, you'd be pretty fucking cautious too. It's not like I run the other way when I see someone that looks capable, but I definitely put my guard up. I always smile because I like to give the benefit of the doubt, but I always hold onto my things because I'm not an idiot.

I do live, well lived before I moved for college, in a place like that. I'm a white guy who lived in an area where I'm THE minority. I had police helicopters over my house every night looking for people. Almost every house in my neighborhood, except mine luckily enough, has been broken into once or multiple times.

I think I know what you mean by mannerisms, but I think it's ridiculous that people say black guys shouldn't wear simple things like hoodies, football jerseys, etc because it sets off absurd stereotypes.
 
What about when you're 25 with your kid sister and people at a restaurant want to see your money before you even sit down? And its not 1950?

I've been out with my kid sister and everyone around me was watching my every step, as if I was a pedophile. Is that similar?
 
Everything is so white and black. I guess what I am trying to say is why do they have to act like were all so different as races. Most minorities all get treated like this Black or brown.
 
Yeah, I still hear some of that stuff too.

I think it was maybe about two months ago when my mother told me to take off my hoodie before we went into Target because she didn't want anybody to think I was stealing.

I am completely non-threatening.............. except for being black I guess.

and fuck it is so fucking cold in target

edit: and im female btw lol
Dude I always forget you're not a DUDE.
 
Rapper culture!

Lets start it up on page 1 this time! :D

Sarcasm is hard to detect through the Internet, so let me ask. Are you suggesting that rapper culture isn't something to be kind of scared of? It seems like a big part of rapper culture is to intimidate and establish dominance (not all of it, obviously, but the hardcore gangster rap stuff).
 
That just comes with being a man.

Yes. And so does:

-When in a store don't have your hands in your pockets.

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

-Don't stand too close to women.


-If you are with a group(of black guys) don't look like you are up to something.

And

-Always have you hands visible and open when talking to police.
 
I do live, well lived before I moved for college, in a place like that. I'm a white guy who lived in an area where I'm THE minority. I had police helicopters over my house every night looking for people. Almost every house in my neighborhood, except mine luckily enough, has been broken into once or multiple times.

I think I know what you mean by mannerisms, but I think it's ridiculous that people say black guys shouldn't wear simple things like hoodies, football jerseys, etc because it sets off absurd stereotypes.
I agree with you entirely, and I hope you understand that at no point did I say black guys shouldn't wear certain items of clothing.

i'm guessing that still beats being a black guy in africa
...what?
 
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