[K26968]

One word: History. At the risk of offending my island brothers and sisters, recently arrived blacks have enjoyed the benefits of modern-day civil rights without enduring the decades of abuse and blood sacrifice required to earn those rights (Hey, I’d be smiling, too!). American blacks have maintained a belief that opening up to whites can be downright deadly – a belief supported by countless acts of treachery perpetrated by whites. Moreover, since today’s whites no longer enjoy the power of life and death over blacks, we don’t have to kiss up in order to survive – so most of us elect not to. Despite all its inequities, today’s America is truly a land of opportunity. But you couldn’t give me a million dollars to live here in 1940. Secondly, why do some white people expect all black people to act as a monolith? We are not all the same. I’m sure that some of the differences you’ve observed are simply cultural. I certainly don’t expect you to have everything in common with an Icelander, simply because your skin color is the same. Thirdly, I’ve observed that some whites tend to treat foreign-born blacks with much more respect than they do plain ‘ole American blacks. Don’t think that the new arrivals don’t realize this. They are aware that they are considered ‘one step above’ and react to whites accordingly. Remember the Minnie Minoso quote: ‘Same color, no same kind’?

User Detail :  

Name : K26968, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, City : Chicago, State : IL, Country : United States, Occupation : Marketing, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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