Alright...this is an issue that I always hear about. It seems that some blacks are told that they talk white, or that they sound white, and whenever it happens these blacks will usually take offense. They will usually say something like, "Just because I speak correct english doesn't mean I talk white" or "just because I don't sound ignorant doesn't mean I sound like I am white."
To me, I don't think there is a definition of what it means to sound black or white, but I definitely do think there is something that we can generally say is sounding white and black, not even dealing with speaking correct english or not. From how I see it, sounding white and speaking correct can be different...it is more in having a "white" accent than just speaking correct. Jackie Reid doesn't sound that white to me, neither does Kobe Bryant or Kevin Frazier or most people of that level. Talking white to me is more less the white accent, slang, laugh, and voice. Sayin "like" 5 times a sentence, stuff like "awesome!" "like, oh my God!" and phrases like that will classify as sounding white to me. So if someone is told they sound white just because they speak proper, that person is ignorant for saying it...but if they say it for the reasons I just listed, then I could agree with them. Also, there is nothing wrong with sounding white, especially if that is who you grew up around, I have a lot of friends who sound white and I joke about it sometimes but it is nothing serious at all.
I expect to get all types of replies, and I know some people may be offended or come with the whole speech about "there is no such thing as sounding black or white" and all that, so go ahead with it..this is just how I see things.
I dont really believe in the so called "acting and talking black" thing. Yes we has a people tend to have our own ways of doing things. When it comes to talking, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN TO CUT IT ON THEN CUT IT OFF.....My job is with working with the public so I do talk different then the way I talk to my bois...It's really commen sence to know how to flip between the two, when u think about it... :?
As far as the job and all, and flippin it, yeah I agree with you 100%.
As far as the acting and talking black, I don't think there should be anything that is considered as acting black, but we all know that people have stereotypes to what it is to act black. The same way they stereotype acting mexican, or acting like a blonde.
Why do people coincide "acting Black" with jus' being plain ol' ghetto??
i mean, like my mama always says...being "ghetto" doesn't have to always have to be a bad thing...but you know what I mean....loud...obnoxious...ignorant...uneducated-acting...
i know i'm guilty of associating the two with each other, myself...
i just find it....weird...
I dont really believe in the so called "acting and talking black" thing. Yes we has a people tend to have our own ways of doing things. When it comes to talking, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN TO CUT IT ON THEN CUT IT OFF.....My job is with working with the public so I do talk different then the way I talk to my bois...It's really commen sence to know how to flip between the two, when u think about it... :?
As far as the job and all, and flippin it, yeah I agree with you 100%.
As far as the acting and talking black, I don't think there should be anything that is considered as acting black, but we all know that people have stereotypes to what it is to act black. The same way they stereotype acting mexican, or acting like a blonde.
Why do people coincide "acting Black" with jus' being plain ol' ghetto??
i mean, like my mama always says...being "ghetto" doesn't have to always have to be a bad thing...but you know what I mean....loud...obnoxious...ignorant...uneducated-acting...
i know i'm guilty of associating the two with each other, myself...
i just find it....weird...
Well, that's what stands out. I don't know how to explain it...but when black people just talk normal and act normal, it isn't something that stands out. But when black people act an ****, act stupid and wild and all else, then that makes people say "that is the definition of acting black." which isn't right at all.
At the same time, there are some things that aren't good but are stereotyped on how white people act. Especially the things that white girls are notorious for in college, such as those girls gone wild videos. You will try to get a black girl to wile out and she'll be like "I'm not white, I don't do Sh*t like that"
I don't know if you understand what I am saying, do you?
yep yep...i definitely understand what ya sayin'...
guess when it all comes down 2 it, it just all comes down to stereotypes in general....
you cant say "you sound white" or "you sound black" however, you CAN say "you sound like a certain sterotypical valley girl of caucasian descent i used to know back in the day" or "you sound like uncle charlie in front of bob's dirty chicken shack" or something like that, you have to be specific because blanket statements like "you sound white" just dont work
I dont really believe in the so called "acting and talking black" thing. Yes we has a people tend to have our own ways of doing things. When it comes to talking, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN TO CUT IT ON THEN CUT IT OFF.....My job is with working with the public so I do talk different then the way I talk to my bois...It's really commen sence to know how to flip between the two, when u think about it... :?
I just hate it when I flip the script, and people say that i'm "fake" or that I'm not "keepin it real"..... :evil:
I dont really believe in the so called "acting and talking black" thing. Yes we has a people tend to have our own ways of doing things. When it comes to talking, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN TO CUT IT ON THEN CUT IT OFF.....My job is with working with the public so I do talk different then the way I talk to my bois...It's really commen sence to know how to flip between the two, when u think about it... :?
I just hate it when I flip the script, and people say that i'm "fake" or that I'm not "keepin it real"..... :evil:
I didnt say anything about being fake. I'm talking about how you should be in a work enviorment and other public things. For example if I'm trying to sale a item to a person, I'm not going to run up on them and say Sup nicca!...Hell Na..I want my job at the end of the day. If having manners is being fake, well yo so be it. I was brought up by using manners (South thing i guess) and its got me far in life thus far.
My real issues is that White people expect us not to be on their level, and sometimes when we act crazy, they feed off that.
So no your not being fake or not being real or selling out, just becaues you talk different at work. There should always be a good mixture of Street Smarts and Book Smarts....(<---really helps when your in buz)
Point is there a way you can talk to your bois and a Why you can talk to the whole public.
^^^Cosigns.. there is a certain eloquence that employers expect when they hire people-- most of the time, they want people who can adequately get their point across and also be personable and polite to the customers... Now.. If there isn't a standard in English, how can we achieve that? I like to believe that the way we talk to our boys is a dialect of proper english... There is a time and a place for it... It's not even a white/black thing anymore.. For Example:
Person1: Sir, your carburator is being galvanized to the appropriate temperature, and we will try to conclude the process expeditiously.
Person2: Huh?
Person1: Your car is being fixed and we'll try to do it as quick as possible...
The things person 1 said were generally the same, but the second time, he broke it down... SOme people can handle the extra worlds and syllables, and others can't... I actually had to learn how to flip cuz there were ig'nant black and white folks that said I talked one way or another...It's the same deal as having an ethnic name (for your resume) or having dreads (at the workplace) ... certain people demand certain things, and it is a test of what you can put up w/ or whether or not you are comfortable enuff in your self image to know that you aren't being fake, but rather securing those dollars....Keepin' it real is only as real as you make it... a boy from the suburbs who tries to be "thuglife" is not keepin it real.. so maybe he shouldn't change how he talks to fit in w/ the rest of the black folks... but is he living up to what it means to be black?
let that simmer..
I don't think we're on the same page as the original poster. If you had your tv on and was not facing it, you would know that Oprah, Maya Angelou, Angela Bassett, Tavis, Danny Glover, and many more , are Black without looking even though they are speaking correct slang free english. But sometimes you turn and look, see a black person and say, " He didn't sound like he was black". Like a non descript, white midwestern newscaster or someone on National Public radio.
^^^^hmmm.. :? I guess its like when you hearing szomebody on the radio and you thought they were black (when singing/rapping) util you found out that they were white... I remember that people still didn't know what MC was for a while until it was clarified, cuz she sounded "black" but looked "white".. I guess we just have to come to the realization that the USA is truly a big melting pot and the old stereotypes don't fit anymore..
I dont really believe in the so called "acting and talking black" thing. Yes we has a people tend to have our own ways of doing things. When it comes to talking, YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN TO CUT IT ON THEN CUT IT OFF.....My job is with working with the public so I do talk different then the way I talk to my bois...It's really commen sence to know how to flip between the two, when u think about it... :?
I say that all the time! say we're doing a project and some white person wants to say let's make it ghetto, let's act black. I say how can you act black or make it ghetto. Ghetto is a noun not an adjetive. i be getting **** off cause all they do is stereotype black people and everybody thinks it's funny :roll:
