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[Kimosabae]

Dialogue in the OP couldn't be any less realistic if early 90's Spike Lee wrote it. Looks hella contrived. Not buying it. I don't doubt you had some sort of incident that made you self-conscious about being black but your portrayal is way to whacky to be sincere.

*edit*

Also, any conformance to the status quo is "acting white". Accept it. White Europeans have set the standards for socio-economic performance in America and across the globe. Whites have to meet these standards to succeed just as much as blacks do (it's just much easier).

 

[Agent_J]

.

 

[Tim-E]

Dialogue in the OP couldn't be any less realistic if early 90's Spike Lee wrote it. Looks hella contrived. Not buying it. I don't doubt you had some sort of incident that made you self-conscious about being black but your portrayal is way to whacky to be sincere.

*edit*

Also, any conformance to the status quo is "acting white". Accept it. White Europeans have set the standards for socio-economic performance in America and across the globe. Whites have to meet these standards to succeed just as much as blacks do (it's just much easier).

Dude is recalling an event. He's not a fucking screenwriter who's trying to make the most natural, exact dialogue. When you tell a story that features a conversation, do you quote all 15 lines verbatim without a single error in the retelling?

 

[TheOddOne]

Forget them. They're obviously uneducated fools.

This.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Happens all the time. Forget about those ignorant shits.

 

[Pein]

They said ''let's blow this joint'', really?

 

[Ducarmel]

I have been called an oreo before, but that was from family and friends in jest. I think I would pick a fight with those dudes after calling them the sellouts for falling into whatever bullshit fake black gangster stereotype they fall in.

 

[Roi]

OP closed his mouth and said nothing back like a true white person.

 

[bengraven]

Chris Rock Talking about "Keeping it real...real dumb." (YouTube - language NSFW)

I was wondering when someone would post this or the Chapelle moment.

 

[Kave_Man]

Always love reading these stories.

I grew up in a predominantly white-jewish area so I was told I was "acting white" all the time. I used to hate it growing up but now I just don't give a damn. If acting white means I am making a decent wage and getting to do what I want with my life then so be it.

It still happens every so often from random black guys telling me this and that, I just agree with them and get on my way. No point in arguing anymore.

 

[Kinitari]

Dude is recalling an event. He's not a fucking screenwriter who's trying to make the most natural, exact dialogue. When you tell a story that features a conversation, do you quote all 15 lines verbatim without a single error in the retelling?

Yeah, to everyone saying "it sounds fake" well... I mean fuck, I can't remember every word of something that happened to me last night, but it was only a few hours ago.

At work the other day an old black women was telling me about how I had a nice ass, and how white people keep trying to imitate our asses and our lips.

It was a pretty significant thing that happened, but she used a lot of slang that I am not readily familiar with, so if I were to recount it, it would sound a lot less 'realistic' than that OP.

 

[SmokyDave]

OP closed his mouth and said nothing back like a true white person.

White people typically go out of their way to avoid pointless race-based conflicts?

Well that's a new one!

 

[Lionheart1337]

White people typically go out of their way to avoid pointless race-based conflicts?

Well that's a new one!

 

[Warrior_Keoni]

I smell jealousy coming from those kids who honestly can't speak the English language sadly. You're educated and will be making a difference in your own life. Don't worry about conforming to "culture." Make your own and live it to the fullest.

 

[bengraven]

I'm white and I get treated this way, too, mostly by my family.

To this day my mother is very sensitive of me calling out anything my family does that might be construed as "simple" or "redneck". She'll see a book by an author she doesn't know, but looks "pretentious" and suddenly will erupt with "oh, so you're still on a 'smart' kick, huh? You came from simple, fun-loving Midwesterners who just like to have a good time, play cards and laugh with family and you're trying to be better than us". I never infer anything at all even and will let her know that, then she says "What the fuck does 'infer' mean and why do you use words you know I don't understand? You're NOT better than us and get that through your fucking head. You can't take the trailer out of trailer trash."

True story.

For a brief period in high school I hung out with an old friend of mine and his group of friends. All car guys, wrench monkeys or whatever they're labeled. As soon as I showed up on Facebook, they all friended me. The debates those first few weeks were sad. I would post something liberal or educational and was called down. For example, I posted the 100 Greatest Books of All Time and mentioned that I hadn't read nearly enough of these and suddenly "fuck ben u changed" I was like, "I've changed? I haven't talked to you in 13 years, since we left high schoool, how do you KNOW me?" "u changed u were into racing an farmin and now ur trying to be all smart and shit above us and shit u grew up in minnesota man not jew york". I tried to explain that I was bored and going from group to group in high school and finally decided to become more cultured after school and into college, but they swore I should still be the same person as I was in high school.

And don't get me started on the fight over Fox News with a kid I barely knew in high school.

 

[The Technomancer]

Wow, Bengraven, its really striking the differences between urban and rural Midwest I guess. I grew up in the Milwaukee-Chicago belt, and now I live in Minneapolis, and my experience with the Midwest has always been a pretty politically and socially moderate climate.

 

[Shikamaru Ninja]

Anyone who accuses you of acting "white" is either uneducated or extremely ignorant. Either way it is absurdity. I've heard people say dumb things like that. "Oh that asian UPS guy thinks he is white". Just because he spoke proper English of course.

It really boggles my mind. This is something much more prevalent in urban cities where there is a large first-generation immigrant population.

 

[Fernando Rocker]

Are you the black guy from the 40 Year Old Virgin movie?

 

[bengraven]

Wow, Bengraven, its really striking the differences between urban and rural Midwest I guess. I grew up in the Milwaukee-Chicago belt, and now I live in Minneapolis, and my experience with the Midwest has always been a pretty politically and socially moderate climate.

Well since you're in MN, have you ever been to the southwest corner? That's where I'm from. Lots of long, dry stretches of highway and patchwork corn fields. Literally nothing to do. When I see a video on Youtube of people driving a truck through a mud hole with three people skiing on the mud behind them, part of me fears it was from my hometown.

I've called it "a patch of the South in the North" and having lived in the South for 5 years now, I think it's fairly accurate.

 

[SneakyStephan]

Who cares what some dumb teenagers say or think (I'm assuming they were teenagers).

 

[Byakuya769]

I'm certain that their behavior was a response so some subliminal perception of low expectations that he had for them. Having this superhuman ability, they decided to confirm said preconceived notions instead of breaking them.

Because that totally makes sense.

The crazy thing is that most people have this ability. People who spend too much time hunched over a computer looking and black and white text seemed to lose it though. Regain your super power, kid!

 

[bengraven]

Who cares what some dumb teenagers say or think (I'm assuming they were teenagers).

It's pretty troubling when education is looked down upon by the uneducated, who also belive that the educated should stay in their poor areas and live the same lifestyle they grew up with. "I can't believe you went and got a degree and wear suits now...you should never have left the projects where it was a bit more dangerous and we're eating crackers, sure, but you're a better person there."

 

[GotEmRunnin]

if your educated civilized and professional. you are a sellout.

media has made it cool to be ignorant. I'm a black male from columbia south carolina and I have many diverse friends. What I see is this issue transcends just our race. Our race just happens to the most affected. In my opinion as a whole we are a very sheepish race. What ever the media labels as cool. Collectively most African Americans gravitate to it.

 

[Angry Fork]

Dialogue in the OP couldn't be any less realistic if early 90's Spike Lee wrote it. Looks hella contrived. Not buying it. I don't doubt you had some sort of incident that made you self-conscious about being black but your portrayal is way to whacky to be sincere.
.

I feel literally the exact same way but I couldn't describe it in words as well as you have.

 

[NinjaFridge]

Who cares what some dumb teenagers say or think (I'm assuming they were teenagers).

Nope

Both of them were older than I was, I'd say about 26-27 rough estimate. These were NOT teenagers. Period.

 

[captmcblack]

This is the story of my life, OP.

People from the ghetto are natural born haters - they can't stand to see someone like them rise up, because then they have to assess their own shit and figure out why they didn't.

Black people cutting themselves down and accusing each other of "acting white" is doubly deleterious - it implies that "blackness" is a lesser state by proxy to whiteness, and it also implies that "whiteness" is the only state that is comprised of actions that ANY normal person should consider normal (like "going to school and doing well", or "dressing nicely/cleanly", or "speaking proper English").

As a black male, you shouldn't be shocked by this at all.

 

[daycru]

They said ''let's blow this joint'', really?

OP has a career in writing after school specials.

 

[Esch]

surely if you'd gone full DMX and started barking at them they'd show you the respect you deserve

 

[The Incarnation]

I would say a person has bigger problems if they have dumb fucks looking upto them with respect.

 

[bengraven]

This is the story of my life, OP.

People from the ghetto are natural born haters - they can't stand to see someone like them rise up, because then they have to assess their own shit and figure out why they didn't.

Black people cutting themselves down and accusing each other of "acting white" is doubly deleterious - it implies that "blackness" is a lesser state by proxy to whiteness, and it also implies that "whiteness" is the only state that is comprised of actions that ANY normal person should consider normal (like "going to school and doing well", or "dressing nicely/cleanly", or "speaking proper English").

As a black male, you shouldn't be shocked by this at all.

This is what's always shocked me. The idea that the things I bolded up there are akin to American white kids. When in reality, people of all races, all over the world actually desire this thing. It could be easily said that the OP was "trying to be like the Japanese" or "India" or "the French" instead of white American.

And I'm not going to make the obvious jokes about how even cultured Americans look uncultured to some.

 

[Dude Abides]

Well since you're in MN, have you ever been to the southwest corner? That's where I'm from. Lots of long, dry stretches of highway and patchwork corn fields. Literally nothing to do. When I see a video on Youtube of people driving a truck through a mud hole with three people skiing on the mud behind them, part of me fears it was from my hometown.

I've called it "a patch of the South in the North" and having lived in the South for 5 years now, I think it's fairly accurate.

Is that Bachmann country?

 

[Binabik15]

OP reminded me of 40 y/o Virgin and the "midget gangsta".

I should watch that movie again.

And WTF at that generation x comments, I only read those on the Tiger Woods under the bus vid, but they´re like youtube, only this time it´s black people hating on blacks, not twelve year old COD kids?

 

[Esch]

BTW everyone outside their ethnic community deals with this shit. I'm an indian american with parents from kenya and fiji, so it's not like I had a set culture growing up and i'm a weird amalgamation of brown, white, and black traditions and sensibilities. I often get the feeling people don't know how to deal with me. I've been accused of being a wanna be white boy, wigger, AND stereotypical brownie from time to time. I just disregard that shit.

 

[quickwhips]

Should of challenged them to a duel of man hood outside after the store closed. Back to back walk 10 steps and turn and fire. This is the only thing young idiots understand.

 

[Vicetrailia]

Ah at least we have Afghanistan, they actually hate everyone. Whites, Arabs, Christians, themselves, whatever.

 

[BlackClouds]

They said ''let's blow this joint'', really?

Something isn't right here...this feels like a troll.

 

[retroBrand]

Who cares if the story isn't 100% legit? If anything it's fostering a discussion that needs to be had.

Screw the story, address the issue.

 

[Zoramon089]

Dumb It Down

Posted these song lyrics a few pages back

 

[samus i am]

Race relations in America: every race is fucked up.

 

[qcf x2]

OP, where do you live? Also, I lol'd uncomfortably at you saying "...excuse me?"

It almost seems as though you've never dealt with this issue, yet your self-description suggests that you've probably encountered it enough times to know how to handle it and not think twice, let alone make a post about it.

Stuff doesn't add up, as others are saying. But if you're being entirely honest, don't worry about it and don't post about it next time. More than likely most of the people responding wouldn't be able to relate. Talk to your mom or something. And try evaluating things from their perspective and seeing what changes you can make in what you say and how you say it in order to minimize backlash. That's part of being a manager, dealing with people, right? ffs, give me your job.

 

[royalan]

I can't help but detect a little self-hate in this thread.

Again, sucks that the OP was antagonized that way, but I see this story being used as a springboard to claim that any group of black people that you look at and judge to be less successful than yourself obviously spends the rest of their lives being jealous of your intellect, and MUST act on it whenever they encounter you...and honestly I don't think that's much better.

Maybe I just have a different perspective. I was a geek in high school, and I got picked on a little bit, but honestly not much. I didn't think of myself as better than anybody, so I certainly didn't act that way. I tried to be on good terms with everyone. Of course it didn't always work that way, but in those cases I just kept to myself. By senior year I was largely left alone. A few guys in some of classes would call me "College Boy" jokingly, but that was really nothing to get ruffled about.

I remember the kids who usually got made fun of for being uncle toms were the ones who got upset and let their contempt show whenever a joke was cracked...which usually incited more joking. Show contempt and you get contempt back, as it were.

 

[Foxy Fox 39]

As I get older, I realize how ignorant our race can be. Especially in things pertaining to success.

 

[Angry Fork]

let's blow this joint!

OP actually lives in the 50s.

 

[computers putin']

edit: double post, whoops

 

[Kinitari]

OP, where do you live? Also, I lol'd uncomfortably at you saying "...excuse me?"

It almost seems as though you've never dealt with this issue, yet your self-description suggests that you've probably encountered it enough times to know how to handle it and not think twice, let alone make a post about it.

Stuff doesn't add up, as others are saying. But if you're being entirely honest, don't worry about it and don't post about it next time. More than likely most of the people responding wouldn't be able to relate. Talk to your mom or something. And try evaluating things from their perspective and seeing what changes you can make in what you say and how you say it in order to minimize backlash. That's part of being a manager, dealing with people, right? ffs, give me your job.

Why do people seem offended that the op posted this? This stuff happens, and it's abhorrent, and it should be discussed and understood.

I live in Toronto, so I don't get a lot of offensive Racism thrown in my face, but when it happens, it's usually people who identify with my ethnicity, because they feel it's safe to do and justified. At work around a year ago, an old black women threw more racism at me than I've ever had directed at me in my life, I was shaken up and made a thread, is that a bad thing?

 

[Bluth]

This story sounds so fake

 

[computers putin']

A little backstory: I'm a black male in my early twenties who by a miracle (read: connections) managed to finish my degree, and land a decent paying (for a recent graduate anyhow) "White collar" job for a clothing chain where I live.

Technically, I was off today, and after settling in to my apartment after a day out I get a call saying they need me to be a temporary manager for the day for a store about 10 miles away from where I lived. Since they were paying me extra since it was my day off, I was like "sure what the hell". I had nothing better to do.

I get there, and find out the manager went home sick. Why they didn't have workers who could handle not being supervised, I have no clue. But I said screw it, I'll have a few extra dollars when I get paid Friday. Anyway, things go smooth for the first couple of hours or with no incidents and people being checked out quickly and efficiently with little to no problems while I made sure everyone stayed on task.

Then....an hour before we were going to close, I run into this shit. Basically, a group of black males came into the store, of course acting ignorant as fuck, and I just shook my head hoping they wouldn't cause any trouble and they'd do their business and GTFO.

No sooner than I think this, they started to act ghetto and loud. This, naturally, annoys the fuck out of me, so I tell them to quiet it down.

Guy 1: Hey, XXX, look at this fool all dressed up and thinking he hot shit
Me:...Excuse me?
Guy 2: Yeah, dis Ni**a do think he all that. Where you get that controlling attitude boy and using all them big words? Think cuz the white folks gave you a job you think you can talk down to us
Me: No, I just think...
Guy 1: Nobody cares what you think white boy! Go on and be wit yo fellow crackers you fucking traitorous sellout ni**a
Guy 2: Let's blow this joint....not enough real N**as in here
*They leave with me speechless*

GAF I'm in shock. Like, I didn't know what to say. I didn't talk to anyone for the rest of the night and any attempt at conversation about the subject was quickly dropped.

I mean...what the fuck? Just because I have a good job I'm a sellout? And I speak proper english? Ugh. I'm just...angry. Angry that there are people who actually HATE people reaching sucess from my own race.

GAF should I have said more to defend myself? Or was I right in letting it go?

BWAHAHAHAH! sorry, but this shit just sounds so awkward I just gotta laugh. Some real gems in there

I can't help but detect a little self-hate in this thread.

Again, sucks that the OP was antagonized that way, but I see this story being used as a springboard to claim that any group of black people that you look at and judge to be less successful than yourself obviously spends the rest of their lives being jealous of your intellect, and MUST act on it whenever they encounter you...and honestly I don't think that's much better.

Maybe I just have a different perspective. I was a geek in high school, and I got picked on a little bit, but honestly not much. I didn't think of myself as better than anybody, so I certainly didn't act that way. I tried to be on good terms with everyone. Of course it didn't always work that way, but in those cases I just kept to myself. By senior year I was largely left alone. A few guys in some of classes would call me "College Boy" jokingly, but that was really nothing to get ruffled about.

I remember the kids who usually got made fun of for being uncle toms were the ones who got upset and let their contempt show whenever a joke was cracked...which usually incited more joking. Show contempt and you get contempt back, as it were.

My sentiments exactly. it's not just your status you're being called out on, it's you're demeanor too. the irony of the bolded is after reading the story, all I wanna do is crack jokes on the op, but this isn't really the kind of forum for that so nevermind.

 

[daycru]

Then he threw up his fist and was all "BLACK PANTHERS FOR LIFE!"

 

[truly101]

You were definitely right to let it go, its not like you're going to change their mind, and with the alpha male aggression running high in today's youth (all races) it could have ended up being a bad situation.

People will define you to best fit their world view and there is little you can do about it. As long as you're happy with yourself, thats all that matters.

 

[Big Baybee]

All the hood dudes I know praise brothers that make it out of the hood.