Acting White/Black/Hispanic/etc. How is that defined?

[FoxDemonSoavi]

What do people when when they say "stop acting white" or "stop acting black"?

Do people ever use "Stop acting hispanic" or "Stop acting asian"?

If so what do those mean?

 

[macchia]

I've never heared that, but it'd be indicitive of the cultures associated with them. As in the culture that formed in black ghettos became 'acting black', the culture that formed in white trailer parks became 'acting white'. "Hispanic" isnt a culture or a race because it reffers to every spanish speaking group however to answer your question, people are reffering to the bottom teir steriotypes when they reffer to such things. There are very real, very stupid cultures that form under certain conditions and from that steriotypes are born.

 

[Minkoff]

Stereotypes, of course! Generally they're negative, so when people act in a way that makes them fit into too many of them, or in a way associated with a major one, "stop acting ____" is basically a way of criticizing a person in a way that probably hurts a little more (when you're talking about their own race) or a way of saying a bunch of things at once (when you're talking about not their own race).

Example, when my friends are talking about gangsta rap (a few listen to it for some reason) in a stereotypical black gangsta voice and I try to add something, it comes across as nerdy and fake and my regular voice comes through. So someone will say "you're so fuckin' white, Alex."

EDIT: took too long to post, beaten

 

[FoxDemonSoavi]

the problem is that "Acting white" is often applied to educated blacks and hispanics by other blacks and hispanics.

 

[Minkoff]

How is that a problem?

 

[TofuMatt]

Because it enforces the stereotype that blacks or hispanics are poor and stupid and don't know how to 'nunciate, yo'.

It's not something I hear often though...

 

[Minkoff]

Yeah, but the poor/uneducated have always to a certain extent resented the rich/educated. It's nothing new and it doesn't really have anything to do with stereotypes.

 

[macchia]

the problem is that "Acting white" is often applied to educated blacks and hispanics by other blacks and hispanics.

And smart people are called nerds. Sour grapes are like that. People arent avoiding becoming educated and assymilating into predominantly high power( currently white dominated, male dominated) positions to avoid being accused of "acting white". If unsuccessful people want to give that label to anyone who makes something of themselves but isnt willing to give handouts to some "brothers" he owes nothing to and never met in his life because they happen to be the same color, well that's their problem. Its a sign of progress, or at least race destinction giving way to class destinction.

 

[Roman Candle]

Its a sign of progress, or at least race destinction giving way to class destinction.

That's progress?

 

[Jstreet]

You guys are mixing up stereotypes with generalizations, or it might be that you aren't applying them properly.

See, "acting white" does NOT mean you show and flaunt you're intellect, because news flash take a look around this forum. There are plenty of "whites" here that can't even create a sentence. That is NOT being educated.

You see this is where generalizations play a role. When a black person (for this example) is "acting white" he's portraying what is general behavior in white culture. This doesn't mean he's an A student from Yale.

Let's take Jocks for example. Generally, they often use their own set of slang such as the overuse of the word "Dude" (again another generalization) not only the usage of the word, but the pronunciation, the occasion, and the accent of the word all play a part in which race is being acted out.

Let's switch the scenario a little. A white person acting black. I can elaborate a bit more on this subject. A white person acting black usually is classified by slang and dress. Turn on BET I bet a majority of the people on the channel have similar styles of dressing. Listen to Rap, I bet you'll hear several slang terms used from one rapper to another. When a white person comes up to you with a 8x tall t-shirt and says "Wat's good my nigga?" guess how they're acting...?

Basic when you try to adopt the general ways of another race or culture you're acting in that culture's/races shadow. Not always a bad, and it might be how you truely are, but that doesn't deny the fact of where the influence came from. People are usually reflections of the enviroment they grew up in, or they adapt to the enviroment they been around.

 

[macchia]

That's progress?

Its a step above what we were, yes. People becoming aware that class divide is the real cause of poverty, not race divide, is progress.

 

[Lene]

Its a step above what we were, yes. People becoming aware that class divide is the real cause of poverty, not race divide, is progress.

Please elaborate on this before I respond, because I don't want to go off on a tangent when you may have meant something different.

J-street, a friend told me we both were acting white because we were taking AP classes. One of my best friends who went to school in what I'd call the ghetto and probably graduated it in the top 10 of her class, told me that people would constantly be saying the same to her. However, she's not the type of person who'd bring herself down to fit in, and she was raised to value education. Her parents would literally have a fit if she'd ever try to do that to herself.

Strangely, in her school that was predominantly black, the majority of people in the Academic top 10 were not black. That really doesn't make sense to me.

Unfortunately, IMO, I think a number of black Americans aren't putting as much emphasis on education as other groups. There's probably a crapload of reasons for this, but I'm not going to get into it unless someone wants me to. But it all ties into this Acting White = being good in school thing. (On the other hand we could easily have another topic regarding being Asian and the stereotypes it has in education. I've read some crazy articles on this.)

In college, the majority of black people I come across are first or second generation Americans whose parents are from either the Carribean or Africa, and nine times out of ten these parents have gotten a college level education themselves. Doesn't that say something?

 

[macchia]

I'd like to know how you interpreted it. My point is back in the day people assumed black poor neighborhoods were poor because the people in them were black. We know better now it has to do with class divide within districts, a vicious cycle where excess from wealthy communities isnt recycled into poor districts but the district it came from. It wouldnt be a problem if districts contained wealthy areas and less wealthy ones but they dont, wealthy end up in one district and poor in another and this keeps the poor people from getting ahead. Foulton County is a good example. The rich area wants to divide itself from the predominantly black poorer area of the district. This would cost people in the poorer district hundreds of jobs possibly. They happen to be black because segregation has only been annulled for a few decades and it takes longer than that to fully integrate especially in a place like Georgia, but the bottom line is all about money. What did you think I meant?

 

[Lene]

I thought you meant what you explained and I think that's completely wrong. You only need to look back on segregation and the substandard treatment of anything black (schools, homes, jobs etc.) to realize that there was something up. Fact is, even if you were rich enough to live in a nice neighborhood, being not being white meant you were shut out of these places (through law or intimidation, take your pick).

Back in the day, race had quite a bit to do with it, and the ramifications of what happened then are still being felt now (ex. why we have Affirmative Action).

If everything was on a equal playing field, I may agree with you. However, that's not the way the America worked.

 

[FlippyD]

I thought you meant what you explained and I think that's completely wrong. You only need to look back on segregation and the substandard treatment of anything black (schools, homes, jobs etc.) to realize that there was something up. Fact is, even if you were rich enough to live in a nice neighborhood, being not being white meant you were shut out of these places (through law or intimidation, take your pick).

Back in the day, race had quite a bit to do with it, and the ramifications of what happened then are still being felt now (ex. why we have Affirmative Action).

If everything was on a equal playing field, I may agree with you. However, that's not the way the America worked.

That's true as far as the past is concerned, but I think macchia is referring to the present a bit more, in which case he/she, I believe, is correct.

 

[macchia]

Basically yeah. Anyhow I think this is relevent to this thread and MSNBC just covered it in such a nausiatingly PC way that I thought we'd discuss it in this thread:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0125071mlk1.html

I dont understand the racism arguement at all(which you can find by googling the story and reading a CBS/NBC/probably Fox comentator's opinion on it). These are cultural racial charicatures they dress and act as, SHOULDNT they be mocked? This isnt like dressing as Malcom X and snorting fake cocaine(as was done in an MTV skit) this is dressing as figures that, honestly, serve in their original form to create negative stereotypes to begin with. The financially retarded rapper investing in gold teeth deserves to be mocked, so does uncle tom slave charicature of Aunt Jemima. Also, college kids are allowed to be stupid. They're college kids. This is what "acting black" is, falling into these chariactures that are open to ridecule by merit of the people out there stupid enough to act that way and create the stereotype to begin with. That's why its an insult. It stops being an insult when the people acting that way cease to do so. Its because these stereotypes are so silly that you'd think people would get the joke and not throw a huge tantrum over it. I know Im not a straw hat wearing redneck chewing tobacco, but I know people like that exist so what would be the problem with making fun of them?

 

[Lene]

It's unproductive to have this ideal of Acting White = doing good in school though .That's the sort of thing I think sovay was getting at.

 

[Minkoff]

That's obviously because white people are smarter than black people. You meant to say "doing well."


Sorry I don't have any actual input.

 

[FlippyD]

Basically yeah. Anyhow I think this is relevent to this thread and MSNBC just covered it in such a nausiatingly PC way that I thought we'd discuss it in this thread:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/0125071mlk1.html

I dont understand the racism arguement at all(which you can find by googling the story and reading a CBS/NBC/probably Fox comentator's opinion on it). These are cultural racial charicatures they dress and act as, SHOULDNT they be mocked? This isnt like dressing as Malcom X and snorting fake cocaine(as was done in an MTV skit) this is dressing as figures that, honestly, serve in their original form to create negative stereotypes to begin with. The financially retarded rapper investing in gold teeth deserves to be mocked, so does uncle tom slave charicature of Aunt Jemima. Also, college kids are allowed to be stupid. They're college kids. This is what "acting black" is, falling into these chariactures that are open to ridecule by merit of the people out there stupid enough to act that way and create the stereotype to begin with. That's why its an insult. It stops being an insult when the people acting that way cease to do so. Its because these stereotypes are so silly that you'd think people would get the joke and not throw a huge tantrum over it. I know Im not a straw hat wearing redneck chewing tobacco, but I know people like that exist so what would be the problem with making fun of them?

Maybe... Because people who act like certain caricatures and stereotypes do so to belong and as a show of pride?

Why do some white people in the south put the confederate flag over everything?
Why do some black people ridicule other blacks for not embracing the character?

BECAUSE THEY IDENTIFY THEMSELVES IN IT!! They may not see themselves as that stereotype specifically, but it's kind of an identifier.

Rather than contributing to the problem, please use the report button. Thanks. - Maestro

EDIT: Looking at that linked news story, I can see where some of the animosity belongs. Personally I wouldn't be offended, I'd laugh my ass off, but I can understand and respect where some people might not understand what these kids are trying to do. And it's hard to tell their intentions, either ill or otherwise. I think they should have stated outright the party wasn't menacing in its approach. Scathing and parody-filled, yes.

EDIT-EDIT: Actually, looks like a bunch of drunk-white-college kids to me... *looks out window* Yep, pretty sharp resemblance there. :/

 

[macchia]

I can too. But do you understand how ridiculous it is to live in a world where THIS makes headline news during a war? I didnt say they were completely in the right or anything, they are stupid college kids as mentioned. What bothers me is that little things like this are suddenly an outrage that shakes the nation and it just seems silly even for a slow news day(which dont exist anymore).