Black Like Me

Black Like Me
Virtues: race, distinction, etiology

Black like me, like who? Whether your background is Caribbean, American, or African, if you are black you share traits – people look at you with common expectations. However, amongst black people, we like to distinguish ourselves from each other, even though we essentially come from the same place – Africa. My background is Caribbean, but now I reside in North America (Toronto to be specific), and I once talked to this African woman; I thought that it would be just as usual if I was talking to a Jamaican or Trini, but I soon realized that I felt that our cultures were so different; I almost thought that I was dating a white girl. I was learning about different foods, traditions, heritage, attitudes that I thought that I should know (because we share the same race), but I was grossly mistaken.

Historical Sense
In North America, you generally have two classes of black people: domesticated/westernized blacks & Africans. The former group comes from a diverse background; they have either migrated from the Caribbean islands and/or are the offspring of slavery. From the shores of Halifax Nova Scotia which was Canada’s first black population settlement, to the deep south of Mississippi, there is similarity of a shared struggle throughout history that exists even to this day; their heritage only spans from somewhere in the 1800’s – anytime before that, and the details of their heritage gets sketchy, fuzzy, like channel ‘01’. Similarly, the Caribbean people that have migrated to Canada & the U.S. for better prosperity share a similar heritage-like progression as they too have lost details about their history from around the 1800’s and even early 1900’s. This is significant to the domesticated/westernized blacks because they have a loss of culture; a loss of roots.

I know the enlightened person is like, ‘you shouldn’t group Caribbean’s with domesticated westernized blacks because their culture is different’, such a person would be right; but they share the same etiology - the etiology they share is different from African blacks.



Noticeable Differences
It is the etiology that essentially creates the distinction and divide that exists amongst blacks – so much so that both groups are prejudice to each other. And with all types of prejudice behavior – it is a result of a lack of knowledge and respect for others. Meaning, that the Westernized blacks may know about the history of Africa (i.e. slavery), but currently, the Westernized blacks do not know much about the current state of their brethren across the Atlantic. According to the media, Africa is still full of savages, AIDS, poverty, and tribes.

In my experiences, both groups have an inherent bias towards themselves. The domesticated/westernized blacks believe that they are better than the Africans because they have been in the West longer, understand the western culture & ideals better, and have better language skills. Whereas, the Africans believe that they are better than the domesticated/westernized blacks because they believe that they have more heritage, know their roots, and are more ‘black’ (pure) than their brethren. So basically, this correlates into a subdued (or at times overt) attitude that people develop of ‘frowning’ and/or ‘looking down’ on others. Which really shouldn’t be the case, because in the end, while we battle ‘looking down’ at each other, the ‘man’ is looking down at us – laughing, exploiting as usual.

Think about that!

.:: d.b

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Why they are the way they are

Why they are the way they are
Virtues: Perseverance, Strength, Courage, Black Women

It has been said that black women have an attitude.

Not only do they have attitude, but they are opinionated, calculating, and have a low tolerance for ... just about anything.

They move swiftly throughout; strong & defiant to get what they want.

You dare not argue with black women because you will lose; even if you are right, trust me, you will lose some other way.

We have classified black women as Bitches; because their opinions clash with our alpha-male persona.
We call them hood rats because their Fathers have abandoned them and have forced the single-mother to fend for themselves with a dependent(s) in a decaying environments.
We objectify them in pop culture as video vixens that are only as relevant as their 'assets' or their willingness to please others (RE: Karine 'Superhead' Steffans).
We call them hoes as a way to characterize their promiscuous lifestyle, but for men, that same promiscuity is revered & receives adoration.

So, I get it. Black women will drive you crazy; they will be pesky, vocal, and confrontational. Black women don't put up with shit - they deserve better & will not settle for less.
So yeah, the attitude is there, but is a manifestation of how they have been treated over generations; they have been shitted on forever, but are now doing the dumping.

And that is why they 'are' the way they 'are'.

.:: d.b

The boys in blue, black, brown

Law Enforcement & Race

In the black community, there is a strong disdain for law enforcement. Historically, the law enforcement has enforced the racist and segregation laws of the government. Thus, it is only fitting that the black community did not trust and/or respect law enforcement (since it wasn't being reciprocated). Out of this frustration grew the Black Panther Party, which was an organization of individuals (primarily black) who 'policed' their own community; which is somewhat noble, however we all know what happened to the black panther party (google it if you are unaware). Even the Crips, the notorious gang out of Westside L.A. that now spawns the world in crip blue attire, started off as a child (not literally, but metaphorically) from the Black Panther Party; the Crips had a mandate to initiate social change in their community - however, the allure of drugs trumped that ideology.

So it can be said that from generation to generation, has attitudes and behaviors are passed down from parent to child, it is not hard to understand that even up to this very day, the black community, specifically the young black community have a strong disdain for police. Movements such as 'Stop Snitching' are not just a slogan on a T-shirt, but the Stop snitching campaign represents a concept that is shared by many.

What I find funny, and let me know if this has happened to you, is that some of my friends whom claim that cops are always harassing and 'racially profiling' them are the same individuals that actually engage in illegal activities and/or have been involved in the legal system before. Has this ever happened to you?

Stay Fly Baby

Stay Fly
Virtues: Responsibility, Life, Logic

A quick and interesting story about the current state of life.

To paraphrase, basically, a 22 young black woman decided to have a baby shower. Her first one, the ‘baby daddy’ is out of the picture. Now, from what I know, when you have a baby shower, you ask for necessity items: diapers, clothing, food, wipes, and things of that nature. And you usually create a registry, so that people are not buying duplicate items. However, this young scholar did not have a registry, but requested her friends to buy everything from Rocawear sheets, a pair of Jordan's, Sean John pyjamas, jewelery, and other foolery items – in all, she only received one package of diapers for her newborn. And this already single mother believed that she had a good shower, because her baby will look 'fly' - and I guess, you can't really dispute that. But, the baby has no necessities coming into the world. To me, if I was about to have a baby, I would put items that the baby needs, in abundance, on the registry: diapers, wipes, baby food, clothing (regular). I would make sure that I have like 20 boxes of diapers; I would desire for that more than making sure my baby is iced-out. And the people who came bearing gifts, they did not think that maybe they should by necessities - but instead, they brought name brand clothes and jewellery. I strongly hope that this is an isolated incidence, and this is not the norm amongst our people.

Share your stories if you can relate.

Peace.