I just thought I should warn you before you read this post that you might be offended. However, I should also warn you that I really do not care if you are.
Reading "Native Son" has brought to light many of the annoyances that I have with certain kinds of white and black people in America. Some of these annoyances were personified through the characters of Jan and Mary. These characters present the very kind of White Americans that irritate my soul. People like Jan and Mary always feel like they need to "relate" to black culture whenever they meet a black person. All of sudden they start trying to act like their "down", so they start talking in slang and feel the need to add "yo" to their vocabulary and start referring to you as their "sister", "brother", or "homie" if you are black. You may be thinking "What's wrong with that Rebekah?" Well, I'll tell you what is wrong with that. What is wrong is that these people want to act "black" because it seems cool and popular. However, they just want the "perks" that come with being black, but they don't actually want to get stuck with the color. They want to use the "N" word because it seems cool to them. They want to sag their pants, throw up gang signs, bump Tupac and Notorious B.I.G, and talk in slang because all of these aspects of "black" culture seem hip and cool, and so different from their boring, suburban lives. These are the kind of people that Jan and Mary are and, sadly, there are people like them all over Los Osos and the US. Quite frankly these people make me sick, because they are the type of people whose fascination with black culture stems from how dangerous and cool black people seem to them, rather than how rich black culture really is. Needless to say, not all white people are like this, but the ones that do behave in this nonsensical manner are the ones that I have a problem with because, frankly, I think that they are pathetic. And that is really all I have to say on that matter.
Now, before I began this blog I told you that what I had to say might offend you and I also said that I did not care. Here is why: If this blog offended you then that means that you are the kind of person that I was referring to, in which case I thought you should know that you irritate me. However, if this blog has nothing to do with the kind of person you are, then you should not be offended because I have already said that some, not all, white people act like Jan and Mary. Secondly, you may have noticed in the beginning that I said: "Reading 'Native Son' has brought to light many of the annoyances that I have with certain kinds of white and black people in America. Yes, I do have annoyances with black people in America that were brought to light while reading "Native Son." However, since this blog is already pretty long, I think I will just wait until next time to post exactly what they are.
-Rebekah Adeyemo
I am really curious to know your other thoughts, Rebekah. That was truly insightful, and honestly, it helped me understand Native Son better than any thoughts I've been able to come up with on my own. No, it did not offend me, but it certainly helped make me more aware. I looked at Mary and Jan at the beginning, and I thought it was great that they were trying to be Bigger's friend - that they wanted to make a difference in the state of society. I could not comprehend why Bigger got so flustered by them, and his actions annoyed me. But hearing your thoughts makes me realize Mary and Jan didn't get it. They didn't want to know what Bigger's life was truly like. They just wanted the small snapshots that fit into their own realities and would help them justify their actions.
ReplyDeleteI wish I understood it all. I know racism is horrible, and also that being "color-blind" doesn't work either. Though the issues have improved considerably since Bigger's time, I know there is still a long way to go. And though this book and the discussions that ensue are difficult, I look forward to what there is to learn.
Tori Greaves
Hi Rebekah,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your willingness to take on sensitive issues. I wonder, though, if you see this same scenario happen between other ethnic groups. Do you have a problem when a white person takes on "Hispanic" qualities or mannerisms? Or if an Asian takes on "Black" traits? Also, how do we determine what traits are "black" and "white" and which ones are generational? Is sagging pants a black thing or a young person thing? When we start defining attitudes, behaviors, dress, speech, etc. as "black" or "white", aren't we participating in oppression, discrimination and prejudice? Or is characterizing in this way simply human? How do we move past these labels?This raises some good questions!
I totally understand but it's ok for asians to do this right? JK. But I have another view on it. My style of talking sometimes gets what some people would call "ghetto" and they think I'm just acting or trying to be something but that is how I have always talked and been. So it is wierd and sometimes annoying when I am put in with the group of wannabe's which I may be but I do not try to, it is just how my mannerisms developed.
ReplyDeleteI agree there are a lot of people out there who try acting like this because they think it's "cool". Although, the amount of people who do it now, seem to not do it because they "wanna be black"; more of just enjoying similar things as blacks tend to. With the exception of those who toss around the "N" word, people listen to hip hop, sag their pants, and/or throw up gang signs doesn't just come from the black culture. Having grown up with a mix of white and black culture, I can attest to this.
ReplyDeleteDominic H
WOW you really voiced your opinion, which is good. I'm not reading Native Son but I think when they would talk in slang, they were trying to feel accepted somewhere and not shut out from society. Now and days people do the same thing; they will change themselves just to fit in. They won't recognize the good of the culture and now the old is forgotten. I really like how you've stated your opinion because it really shows where you stand on this.
ReplyDelete-Pavneet
First off I just wanted to say, great blog! I love how you actually took an opinion and said what you needed to say, even if it offends some people. I really enjoyed reading this and seeing your views on the topic and I agree. I'm also reading Native Son and I also didn't like the characters of Jan and Mary because of how they seemed to want to help but came off very condescending with alomost no sincerity.
ReplyDelete-Sapir L.
Dang homie!!!! ahahah. just kidding. I really like this post and how you poenly said that you didnt care what other people thought because its you opinion and you really should'nt care. I do agree with you though, some people will act that way around black people and then when they are not, they don't and thats really annoying. However, i do also feel that some people just like that kind of music and style, not that they want that part of the black lifestyle, but that they like that kind of stuff. You really should'nt judge everyone. Still it was an amazing post.
ReplyDelete-Christiana Rodriguez
Its like you read my mind. I also feel the same way for the most part when i see people act immature because they think its cool. I do not understand why people have to lower themselves and use degradnming language to make themselves look better in the eyes of other. However there is one thing i disagree with you about. I listen to Tupac and Biggie, and its not because I am trying to be more "black", but because I can relate to their lyrics. They rap about the problems they see in everyday life, unlike "artists" like Lil Wayne who cannot seem to make a song that has any meaning whatsoever. Other than that though i really do agree with your opinion.
ReplyDelete-Jehan T.
Bekah this post made me LOL. Ilove how real you are and dont care what anyone says and will always state your opinion no matter what. Dont change that cause by you voicing your opinion it lets people know how honest of a person you are.
ReplyDelete-Tamera A
Thank you guys for your thoughts and opinions, but I got some negative feedback during class from this post so I thought I might clarify a few issues. Firstly, if you sag your pants and listen to rap music that does not mean that you are trying to be a stereotypical black person. However, the type of people that irritate me are the kinds of people who do that only when they are with black people. All I am trying to say is be yourself. Don't start trying to act and talk like a stereotypical black person just because you're around black people. When people do that it irritates me because, to me, its like they think I won't understand them unless they talk in slang or personify a degrading sterotype. And it's not just certain white people that do this, I've gotten it from all races. It's just that I was trying to relate the issue to Native Son, and Jan and Mary are white people. So if you are not black and you are trying to talk to me, just know that you don't need to call me "sister", "girl", or say "yo" every other word because I can understand you just fine when you talk like a normal person.
ReplyDeleteOh, and just for the record, saying the "N" word is not ok for anyone, regardless of color. And if you're using that word when talking to me it doesn't make me feel like you're "down" with me, and neither does it make you look cool-it's just plain offensive.
-Rebekah Adeyemo
Wow. haha I believe that there are so many Jan and Mary's in today's society. People who want to do the right thing, but only because it is "in style" to do so. Although Jan and Mary may have seemed to have good intentions, wanting to break racial boundaries, they were still very condescending and rude people. Looking at this from a modern perspective, aren't we all a little like Jan and Mary? Every single one of us wants to join AP Literature, give to the homeless with The Giving Spirit, and perform our required CSF community service hours. Although all of these things seem to be good, we all have ulterior motives. We aren't joining AP Lit because we love literature, we don't help the homeless because we genuinely want to help, and we don't perform community service because we care about the community. We are all SELFISH by nature. We join AP classes, volunteer, and join clubs only because we know they will allow us to succeed in our futures, and they will make us look like better people in our college applications. You can sit at your computer and complain about people like Jan and Mary, but in all actuality, you are one yourself. From the racial stand point, I too am annoyed with the use of the "N" word by anyone. But, I also believe that the black community has no one to blame for how other cultures perceive them but their damn selves. As soon as we stop participating in such coon-ish behavior, that's when we will gain respect from other cultures. We as a black community segregate ourselves by continuing to use the N word, degrading our women, and allowing ourselves to look like fools on television, radio, and the Internet. Instead of focusing your disgust towards certain racial groups, instead try aiming it at the ignorance of society. I believe this post and all others like it only draw thicker racial boundaries which further us from uniting as one race. I am not saying that that black culture is ignorant and should not be celebrated, because nothing could be further from the truth. All cultures are beautiful, but when the majority of the black cultures focuses all their effort on the negative, that's all that gets brought to light. It is not lingo, or racial groups you are frustrated with, it is the ignorance which infects and plagues the majority of today's society.
ReplyDelete*BAM*
-Christian Dade
From a biological standpoint, I can understand people like Jan and Mary. An organism's main goal is to survive and to reproduce, and every species has mechanisms to increase survival and to increase chance of reproduce. For example, peacocks will show their bright plumage to attract mates, and whales will bellow their mating call through the ocean. Also, most mammals are social species, and will work to "fit in". Therefore, perhaps people like Jan and Mary are acting that way because it increases their appeal to potential mates, or because it helps them make friends?
ReplyDelete-David Mao
I respect the fact that you commented back on the past and said "be yourself" because that is what the post should have meant in the first place. -Richard H
ReplyDeleteI see this all the time. There are people who try to act like someone or something they truly are not just to be cool. In reality, they are just ridiculed for how silly they may sound or look. And maybe they do do it on purpose to be funny and what not, but its not something that can be thrown about as a joke.
ReplyDelete-Amy L
Mrs. elliott,
ReplyDeleteyou are one of the most intelligent woman that i know. i hope to grow up to be a well rounded person like you are. you look out of the eyes of an honest person, and that is all.
- brittany delaney