Tatiana Bull Blog #4

  Today in class there was a brief discussion on how some African Americans are told by others that they're not really black.  But what does it mean to be black?  Unfortunately, media is one of the most damaging forces on African Americans by creating this horrible image of how they are suppose to look/act.  We have all these tv shows enforcing stereotypes (for all races) simply because it will bring in ratings due to the fact that some people will find it to be comical.  So for someone to tell a black person that he/she "acts white" is just absurd.  However, I cannot fully blame television for putting this stereotype in people's heads that all black people are supposed to be ghetto, I also blame the people who keep this stereotype alive by making a fool of themselves. If you want there to be a change in the way people view your race, make that change.
   These stereotypes television shows create are nothing but ethnic and racial designations places people in a box with parameters they are suppose to accommodate.  If speaking well, dressing nicely, and being smart is characterized as not being "black enough", then the opposite is how black people are expected be.  So if someone says that someone is not black enough they are basically saying that they are too proper for their race and that they don't fit the mold.  There is a language in society that needs to be changed.  People need to understand that races are not the determining factors of a person's character.  The color of someone's skin should not determine the type of clothes they choose to wear or the music they listen to.  And they should not be considered an "exception" to their race if they are successful because race does not limit someone's ability to learn.  Distinctions predicated on pigment, race, nationality, religion, and ethnicity are promoted to divide. Our distinctions are few and our similarities are many.


I think everyone should listen to this poem by Kai Davis. It's relevant: