Are you mad because "It's a WHITE thing or the RIGHT thing?"?

Question

On a news show recently, it was reported that some african-american youths who are successful and articulate --good grades, drug-free, etc are receiving "backlash" from their peers who say they are "acting white" or they are "too white".

As a african-american, I find this attitude that doing positive behaviors is seen as showing disrespect to your ethnicity/race.... very demeaning. What do you think? do other races experience the same type of "backlash"?

in response to tle_mgr: CNN is the network; Paula Zahn is the show.
to view video http://www.cnn.com/EDUCATION/

oh, by the way it was broadcast yesterday (tuesday)

Answer 1

You guys-chill! All of us - no matter what race will be mocked for speaking with more eloquence than those of our own race who don't including white people- This is clearly not a race thing- but an intellect thing! To those who persevere to become better communicators and orators- we will be the ones able to transcend into the next 20 years -leading our communities and nation-

Answer 2

Why would it surprise you that a ignorant person would say ignorant things? I mean, a person who thinks speaking standard English is acting white is ignorant. Would you agree? Now if ignorant people say intelligent things, they would not be ignorant.

I don't see anything wrong with speaking in slang. But you need to be able to speak professionally as well. These same people wonder why they can't get good jobs. It is because they refuse to speak properly in the business world. So what do they do? Rather than change, they say bad things about a successful person. They are jealous or in other words, haters.

TLE- you must not know a lot of poor blacks. A lot of urban Blacks do talk bad about other blacks "acting white." It is a big problem in our indigent neighborhoods. Everything else you've said is pretty much on point though.

Answer 3

That "Oreo" crap has been around for decades. I work in a restaurant. I just happened to be the only one who knows the names of Harriet Tubman's parents: Benjiman Ross & Harriet Green. I take a magazine to work everyday to read in my spare time. I even give my magazines away after I finish. Now, I wonder if some of the blacks are actually jealous. Not only am I the only voracious reader, I am epileptic, have had a lot of seizures, but don't let it stop me from working.
I have being black, handicapped, and middle class going for me. I wonder what type of impact that puts on my coworkers especically the black jealous lazy ones. Some carry the "Why is she working when she could get Disability"? or "Why work when her old man lives off the high end of the hog?" I want to go into computers. I transcend this year.

Answer 4

I agree. I am not sure why acting a certain way makes you white. If people told white kids who were acting dispresctful that they were acting too black, there would be a huge problem!!

I worked with a black guy that some of the other blacks called an "uncle tom". It was supposed to mean that he was being a little slave to the white man, dancing around for his approval. The only thing that the alleged 'Uncle Tom' did was work hard and be polite to the boss.

I think that all people should be abkle to act the way that is respectful...regardless of color.

Answer 5

Me personally I don't think It Is a "white" thing.I think It Is the right thing ,but also I have experienced myself and other African Americans have got good grades and remain drug free etc. That I [we] get called white. I get that all the time though
because I say oh my god ,whatever ,and i don't sound ghetto.It Is not a black,white ,Indian ,or a Hispanic thing that is just what your supposed to in school,that's just what I think .I'm only 14 years old though.

Answer 6

The only reason for 'backlash' at all, is from pure jealousy! I am SO sick and tired of skin color!!!! *WHY* can't we *EVER* just say, ....'this girl', ...or 'that guy'?????? *I* do!!!!! On the other hand, I also am sick and tired of hearing about 'African-Americans'. Why must some of you say that all of the time? What's the point? If you are that, then *I* can say that *I'M* Scottish-American, because MY ancestors were slaves too, and they were white!!

By the way, it is spelled *AN* african-american.

Answer 7

I disagree with the originator of this Question and call him/her a liar. If he/she saw such a program why didn't he/she post the name of the program and approximately when he/she saw it?

The truth is Blacks used to think like this because they were fighting for their Civil Rights and unity was the key. Even after the Civil Rights Act was passed, it was necessary to stay united. Hence, people who strayed too far away often had their loyalties challenged. Hence came the terms "Black Community", Black this and Black that. It reached it's peak during the Reagan Years and under Clinton blacks became more prosperous and such antics declined.

Today's blacks don't criticize other blacks for going to college, making money or moving out of the neighborhood. That is just crazy. It is white people, usually Conservatives, who tend to cause division by saying that blacks who "act white" are ostracized.

This "Acting White" is supposed to be synonymous with being smart, speaking well and staying out of trouble with the law. Again this is just ridiculous, since very few whites are articulate (for example: Cable Guy's "Git R Done!!", Roseanne, George W Bush etc.). Sixty percent of all felons are White. 80% of all crimes against family and children are White. Most people on Welfare or collecting money from "disability" (ala overweight) are white.

The only time any blacks ever criticize another Black as being an Uncle Tom is when they make it pretty obvious that they only want to be around whites (eg JC Watts, Armstrong Williams and Clarence Thomas).

Answer 8

I grew up in a predominately black city in So Cal.
I saw this backlash quite a few times towards respectful, well-spoken black teens.
I'm White...so I was called a "skin head" or a "white B-tch" just for walking down the hall.

That's been happening for at least 20 years in Cali.

Answer 9

If they were so special why did they have common enough smarts to get the hell out and move out into a different envirment than the class they were in. Or is it Blacks stick together no matter what cost. Come on mingle oh intelligent ones.with others . We whites try but we are in with all races. Stop complaining. Blacks or whites and move on if they want to surive .

Answer 10

I think blacks are some of the most self-hating people in the world. We don't want to see anyone else succeed. It's all jealousy that stems from long ago. Remember the Willie Lynch letter? Welll, there you have it. We've been trained to hold contempt for one another. Whether it's light skin vs. dark skinned or educated vs uneducated, we've ben trained to be enemies.

It's not suprising that this is the outcome. This mentality will be our downfall, for sure.