<p>how many of you get annoyed when hearing this. i mean because i talk proper i must be trying to talk white.then when i say aint my white friend was like "you trying to act black or ghetto" and im like how am i trying to act black if i am black. not all black people are ghetto. and i actually lived in the hood before and i still don't talk like that. i know im not the only one that feels like this.tell me about your personal experiences with things like this. the worse part is black people say this to black people most of the time and its dumb and ignorant. sorry about my ranting but this is something that bothers me.</p>
<p>You might be interested in [I</a>, too, am Harvard](<a href=“http://itooamharvard.■■■■■■■■■■/"]I”>http://itooamharvard.■■■■■■■■■■/) even if you’re not interested in Harvard. A few items directly address what you’ve written about, and the rest of it comes close.</p>
<p>I used to speak “ghetto” but decided not to when I was in college - I took a black history course and realized that Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, MLK, Jr., even. Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton and any other leaders in the Black community lead through the articulate use of the English language. No sticks, no bats, no fists and no guns. They expertly wove a tapestry of words to communicate ideas and inspire people to be better or to take action.</p>
<p>Tell them that is why you speak the language as properly as you do.</p>
<p>I don’t like your condescending tone when it regards AAVE… It’s not “ghetto” it’s a dialect. I do hate when non black, particularly white, people say “I speak white” because there is no way to speak a color and your one-dimensional view of black people is racist… Usually the black people that say I speak white are ones that can only speak AAVE so it doesn’t bother me as much. At the end of the day, I’ll probably get more opportunities than they will because I’m able to assimilate easily so it’s not really an insult; it’s just sad that me speaking a certain way will get me places and hinder them. Do you get what I mean? I’m not sure if I phrased that correctly</p>
<p>@jellybae i get what you mean. but then there’s “acting white” where if you want an education and talk proper your “acting white”</p>
<p>If you are African American in this country and are either Afro-centric or from a predominantly black area you are going to learn how to code-switch if you haven’t already. Your speech patterns and articulation will change based on who you talk with at times. If I’m with my family in the south I tend to say y’all and use other colloquialisms common to the area but if I’m in a finance meeting I’m speeding the Kings English. There are certain phrases I will use in the comfort of my family, church or frat bros that I would not use in the business environment. Especially one that was dominated by whites. To me it’s no different than speaking Spanish to someone who speaks Spanish. I’m trying to relate in a way to make the listener feel comfortable and give him the best chance to grasp onto what I am saying. However if you choose to use just one tone always for example the Kings English there is absolutely nothing wrong with that and may allow you a sense of comfort because it may be who you are. If someone can’t deal with that that is there problem as long as you’re not being condescending in your approach. I have people in my family who would feel that I was putting on airs if I spoke nothing but the Kings English in their company. There not trying to pull me back it just the result of the environment they live in and their everyday jargon. </p>
<p>The most irritating thing I am told is “you’re the whitest black kid I know”, simply because I speak in a sophisticated fashion I’m no longer black? </p>
<p>Quite frankly, I think those people are quite ignorant. </p>
<p>I would be bothered by it as well and I am sure that you are not the only one. Are those people your friends or acquaintances? Because quite frankly people who can’t accept you and make comments like that may not be good friend material. Of course, it could be an innocent and they didn’t mean any harm from that, but I think what is most important is dealing with the issue when it arises.</p>
<p>Ask them “What is your interpretation of what a black person should be like?” And then if they respond, you should tell them how you feel, and how obviously not everyone is the same. Does that make anyone better or worse? No.</p>
<p>An alternate strategy would be “Look, I am not comfortable when you generalize an entire people like that. Do I make generalizations about your race?” That should keep them quiet and you have stated what you wanted to get out. If they persist, they are just idiots and you should ignore them or tell an adult.</p>
<p>Point them to people like MLK, one of the best speakers in history. Like the above poster mentioned, use examples to support your point and erase their ignorance. Did he speak non-dialetic and full english phrases in his speeches? Sure, but he was also raised in a city and was capable of speaking with African American dialects if the situation called for it. Do currently you live in the city or the suburbs? Maybe if in the suburbs, you could point out that the culture is different just because other people act a certain way doesn’t mean some.</p>
<p>If getting an education, speaking english well, and not using swear words in every day conversation makes you “not black” then I think they need to seriously redefine their perception of what being African American means. And this ignorance is not limited to just AA people either, some people drop the comments “you don’t act like a gay person” or “you don’t act like other asians I have met” or “you don’t act like a girl” which could have the same effect. See if there is malice behind those words. If not, kindly explain to them how you feel and create another enlightened soul, if there is, ignore them or don’t let it bother you.</p>
<p>You act like a gentleman, and people who “act ghetto” or not, generalizing about people without really getting to know them is rather foolish and it will bite them in the behind in the future.</p>
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because you want to participate fully in the global sphere, like the barrack obama, and not be socioeconomically marginalized </p>
<p>Are poor asian or hispanic kids who speak proper english derided for “talking white”?</p>
<p>It comes from fear. All marginalized groups (not all individuals who belong to marginalized groups) have a mentality that seeks to protect the status quo because the alternative or change is seen as threatening. If your family or friends or just other AA folk perceive that you are, at worst, consorting with the enemy and at best, moving into a world they don’t understand, they feel fear and resistance, and may also feel implicitly judged by you because they are stuck and you are ‘progressing’. Interestingly, alcoholics and drug addicts do this too, even if they see a friend suffering from addiction they would rather see him/her maintain allegiance to the behavior of the group. Change is always uncomfortable even when it’s for the best but our AA situation is even more complex and your ‘talking white’ can be seen as a real betrayal. Try to see those individuals as just scared and stuck and as someone said up there^^^, take any opportunity to enlighten another soul. </p>
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<p>I’m quite certain poor Hispanic kids are. Here’s one article/blog post about it: <a href=“Yes, I Use Proper Grammar and No, I'm Not White: The Ugly Truth of "Acting White" in NYC | HuffPost Voices”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost; You can find many more by googling.</p>
<p>Poor Asian kids of certain national origins (or parental/grandparental/and so on national origins), including Hmong, Cambodian and Laotian, probably are. These communities face challenges very similar to the ones faced in poor black communities.</p>
<p>Perhaps this article may be of interest in this context:
<a href=“http://educationnext.org/actingwhite/”>http://educationnext.org/actingwhite/</a></p>
<p>Oh god I get this all the time from my black peers. It’s sooo annoying, I can hardly stand it. It’s like to them by blackness (I’m mixed but still) is stripped from me. I “act white”, “talk white”, and “dress white”. It’s like I’m a different species. </p>
<p>I’m mixed race but THIS IS SO ANNOYING!!!</p>
<p>Blackness to many is primarily cultural and a lot less racial. I spent time in Africa (not as a tourist on a vacation) and was faced with truth that there is very little that is African about me (or most Black Americans.). Culturally, I am far more American.</p>
<p>There are Blacks here that are not part of the dominant cultural Black experience. The cultural black experience is now called urban.</p>
<p>The definition of Blackness needs to be expanded. You can either take offense or take steps to change that view. The moment you begin to think and feel like you are less black or think and feel like an outsider, you will lose any influence you could’ve had which is the reason you get attacked - to take away your power.</p>
<p>Clarence Thomas is the 2nd most powerful black man in America. Ebony magazine and other black publications will never mention his name or put him on a list of most powerful blacks. Your political view doesn’t matter, he’s the most powerful for good or ill regardless. He is treated like he doesn’t exist, a pariah, excommunicated from the entire black experience. Also, the first black billionaire, Reginald F. Lewis, author of “Why Should White Guys Have All The Fun,” was excommunicated vs celebrated because he was a republican. Again, putting political views aside, he is the first black billionaire but Oprah is more apt to hold that title along with the prestige and accolades to go with it.</p>
<p>These are grand scale examples of what is going on all the time in much smaller cases, imho.</p>
<p>@Marissa, I understand. I read an article about how it’s not talking white or black, it’s the environment. Like if you take a white guy and put him in the projects his dialect may change, but that doesn’t make him less white then a white guy from a suburban area. The same with me. I am no less black then black people speaking AA vernacular. People choose to speak that way and that’s fine.the truth is there is no right or wrong way to speak. Whether it’s proper English or African American vernacular. These myths are holding back black youths by making them think education and talking proper is white, when it’s not.</p>