'Tines

OK, I've been sitting in this class for way too long. Too many distracting posters. Too many depictions of the All American White Family. (Whatever that means) And, too many disapproving glares from this baby boomer, probably racist, overly stereotypical old lady. So, once again, I figure what better time than now to write about the current race relations in America. Specifically, black culture and just how much and at the same time how little it contributes to American culture as a whole. What a coincidence! I'm accidentally in the American Mosaic classroom. Brace yourself for another bumpy ride filled with racial slurs, extreme compassion for minorities, and usage of the English language not ordinarily associated with black females in pop culture.

If he/she walks like a nigger, talks like a nigger, and acts like a nigger, he/she is probably not black...

So, here we are in the great United States of America in 2009 and racism and socioeconomic-ism (That's a Winkler word.) haven't ceased to exist. The songs of freedom sung by slaves still ringing in our ears. The dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. still echoing in our brains. Yet, our society has, for the most part, subconsciously decided that it's okay to be divided and that within said divisions it's okay to degrade or mock opposing divisions of people. I bring to the forefront of this issue the age-old topic of the ever-popular black culture versus the supposed mosaic that is American society.

For hundreds of years black people have been degraded, ridiculed, and tortured for purposes of labor, economic advancement and superiority, and unfortunately, increased white supremacy. (There can never be too much of that.) Now, after achieving what is popularly assumed to be freedom, we have yet to emancipate ourselves from social, economic, and mental slavery.

As a high school student, I am overwhelmingly familiar with stereotypes. Asians are smart. Whites are either rich and preppy, poor and redneck-ish, or just plain weird. Blacks are ghetto, loud, and ignorant. Hispanics have bad attitudes and are even louder than the blacks. Naturally, there are a few errors with these generic classifications, but these flaws are detrimental to categorizing people. Again, my purpose is to support black America, so I'll say this. Each and everyday I attend school fully aware of these stereotypes and I'm reminded by the second of them by the members of the cliques who worship these labels faithfully. Somehow, though, in each and everyone of these groups you hear the term "nigga" used freely and openly or someone mocking an overly popular rap "song." Or, someone in the group is mocking the way stereotypical blacks supposedly speak. And of course, I am disappointed in these behaviors because I love my race, and I want more than anything for its people to be respected. Then, I look at the black cliques and I am sullenly reminded that the reason they think black people behave in such ignorant ways is because the majority of them do! I know for a fact that as a whole the black population is not entirely ignorant, but for impressionable teenagers who live in a predominantly white society it's hard to make such an assumption when all they see contradicts that notion. The vicious cycle continues, because this idea of blacks is carried on throughout their entire lives.

WARNING!

The next paragraph is even more sinister than the ones that have preceded it. Proceed with caution...

I've already established that everyone wants to be black when it's convenient or funny or both, but for some reason, I have found that these same people who obsess over black culture also degrade and insult blacks. Just when they think nobody is listening and they are comfortably surrounded by their friends of the same color they begin expressing expletives that are insulting to blacks. Nigger, I think, is their favorite. How is it that black culture has managed to become the driving force in pop culture and at the same time, it is the most hated and disgraceful race? Everyone wants full lips and hips. Everyone wants to know the words to the latest rap songs. Everyone wants to dance like the black girls and boys. Everyone wants to talk like the blacks, but no one wants the history of 200 years of physical slavery and another 200 years of a struggle for racial independence and mental emancipation. Funny? Hardly.

These days I try really hard to represent my race in the most remarkable way. I do relatively well in school. I respect my elders. I’m obviously not ignorant. I try to accept and get along with several types of people. I communicate in an effective way that can be comprehended by people who speak English and even some Spanish speakers. I aspire to be greater than those before me, and I’m doing much of what is in my power to get there. I don’t feel like I’m personally bearing the burden of advancing my race on my shoulders, but I definitely don’t feel a mass movement of people on my side. I know they’re out there somewhere. I know there are more people out there like me. I know that my race can one day be what it is capable of being. I just wish that we could speed up the process. Besides, we’ve been in this country for four hundred years now.

I wish my people would love themselves as much as I do and everyone else pretends to.

Now, I digress.