Nothing is ever black and white

A few updates before I tackle a serious subject. There’s a few more links on the shopping page in the dark links section and a new song for download. I also added an article titled ‘What Is FTP?’ which answers that question! I also updated a bunch of links on the joined page.

I have never considered myself a racist. Generally, I don’t care what colour your skin it. I’ll notice, sure, but anyone who says they don’t is a liar. I could even be considered to be in biracial relationship but Ryan is a self proclaimed “whiteback.”

I am appalled by white supremacist groups like the KKK and the beliefs they tout. I’m ashamed they they teach this to their children. There’s no excuse for the hate crimes they commit. I cringe at racial slurs and do not use them except in jest with Ryan.

With that said, I do not think that the “white man” deserves all the “credit” for racism. I think part of the reason racism is so rampant today, especially against black Americans, is that some of them are supporting and even promoting it by their own attitudes and behaviour.

I will focus on black Americans here – they are a lot of racial stereotypes and, like all stereotypes, they are never completely true but they do indicate a grain of truth. Stereotypes would not exist if certain groups of people didn’t tend to do, say or think specific things. For instance, ebonics and the “ghetto lifestyle” are both common in black culture, to the point where this is often inaccurately assumed of all blacks.

Furthermore, both of these behaviours are negative, in my opinion, and generally causes others to look down upon black Americans. I die a little inside every time I hear someone talk in ebonics; this type of speech really makes people look ignorant and uneducated in my opinion and I know I’m not alone in that opinion.

These behaviours are largely among the black community only and they do set them apart from other races. While every race has characteristics that are particular to that race, it seems that black Americans are one of the few who display such prominently negative characteristics which make it hard to pinpoint the positive ones (which there are but it’s human to overlook those and focus on the negative).

Not only that, but black Americans will ostracize their friends and family who choose to rise above those cultural limitations. Often, members of the black community who have chosen to get a higher education or marry outside their race are shunned and consider traitorous for abandoning the black community rather than being happy for them.

Unfortunately, these negative behaviours are so ingrained in the community that it’s become a part of their heritage and roots.

This sheds a generally negative light on blacks and gives those, who would choose to do so, a platform to stand when it comes to stereotypes, hate and racism. I’m not a believer in assimilation by any means, but when you do something that makes you stick out in a negative way, people are going to use it against you.

And they do. There is definitely a backlash to this which does not work in the favor of black Americans. I believe modern racism is partly due to the fact that some blacks will act in a way that separates them from other races, especially whites.

And that’s when you hear groups complaining about the white man holding them down. I won’t say that this isn’t true to an extent but their own behaviours and attitudes also are a great contributing factor. Acting ignorant and uneducated is not going to further your position in life. People will continue to live with these attitudes and in the same conditions while blaming others for their problems like poverty and punishment for crimes rather than rising up, rebelling against negative cultural influences and actually making something of themselves!

Furthermore, there seems to be a mindset that all negative actions towards blacks are done because of skin colour. If you’re committing crime, you’ll be arrested, not because of your skin colour but because you should be. And while I believe that all races have criminals, the ghetto mindset certainly could be linked to an increase in crime among certain people.

I know a black man who once said “Black people have a different sense of humour than whites” to which a group of other blacks agreed. I’m sorry? I thought we were all equal. Why are you separating and degrading yourself so? Here I thought we were all just people, I guess I was wrong. Thanks for proving my point.