[Finesse]

You're right. Racism is racism, no matter what persuasion the racist is. I think that a lot of blacks look the other way when it comes to things like this because they mistakenly feel that we somehow have the right to be racist considering our history. I sometimes hear things being said about whites by my peers that shock me. In these instances, I always speak up. I think part of the reason this goes on is that no one's making it an issue - probably for fear they'll be labeled a racist if they're white and an Uncle Tom if they're black.

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Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Finesse]

I've noticed this myself! When I see it, I just shake my head. Of course, there are plenty of black men who dress in what society would call a normal way. In my opinion, it may be a socio-economic thing. I can't say I know any middle- or upper-class folks who dress this way, just as I don't know any middle- or upper-class white folks who dress 'Goth' or 'punk'. You also should remember that what looks ridiculous to you might look perfectly fine to someone else. Just because we don't like it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it.

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Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Finesse]

I've been black all my life and have yet to find that this type of behavior is linked to being black. More than likely it's linked to lack of good old-fashioned home training. It's obvious you don't associate with too many African Americans, which is your prerogative, but if you did, I'm sure you'd find that attributing this rude young lady’s behavior to a whole ethnic group is absurd.

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Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Finesse]

Sometimes I consciously flip my hair to get it out of my way. At other times I might do it subconsciously just out of habit. I've never heard of hair-flipping being offensive. I'd be upset if someone (of any race) did it over my food or hit me in the face with their hair. That's just plain gross. Was your boss African American? Maybe you were the one experiencing prejudice.

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Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Finesse]

William, I'd like to direct your attention to your response to Gail L., who responded to the question, 'Why am I always the cool black guy?' You wrote: 'Gail is right on. The less contact we have with blacks, the less chance we have of becoming a victim of some violent crime. We all know what the term 'bad neighborhood' really means. She makes a good argument for segregation.' So why the frustration at those who 'lump all whites together' when you clearly are doing the same thing? I understand that not all whites were slave owners. Not all blacks were slaves. Not all blacks are criminals. Especially violent criminals. Check the statistics. For someone who has had four years of college, you sure are narrow-minded.

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Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

[Finesse]

I can understand your frustration. Just today on the train there were two teenagers behind me with their knees up on the back of my seat, bumping me in the back. I turned around to politely ask them to stop, but felt very uncomfortable and decided not to. They were white, and I didn't feel comfortable saying anything to them. There have been plenty of times when young black kids were making too much noise, and I, in a motherly way, asked them to stop. Each time they stopped, and most of the time apologized. It's all about how you approach them. Maybe the young white boys would have simply stopped if I had asked them to, but I'll never know.

I don't think rudeness is discriminatory. I do, however, feel that the younger generation is a lot more disrespectful than ours (regardless of color). I don't think it makes you evil or even racist to avoid sitting in front of black teenagers, but you are making a judgment about all blacks because of your experience with a few. Even though you're not the first person to do so (myself included), it's not right.

User Detail :  

Name : Finesse, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Pittsburgh, State : PA Country : United States, 

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