Hijinx
New member
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2013
- Messages
- 33
- Reaction score
- 9
- Location
- NYC
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Moderate
Sometimes I like to stand around in the shower and ask myself questions. It's fun at times to hear out my own thought process, but it gets embarrassing when people pass by and overhear me. One topic I've thought about recently is race. Specifically what does race mean to us? I understand the definition: a classification system used to categorize people based on various traits and in this case ethnicity. For example I'm Caribbean-American and due to my skin, I'm labeled as black.
To me, black isn't just a categorization. It has effected my way of life. Race is seen as a factor in crime, health and even sports (to name a few). Even though I try not to, I always see life through a "black lens". My view on certain subjects is different, some people just won't "get" it. People expect certain things because of my race as well.
While I urge you to think about this subject, I should note that my overall relationship with race is fairly humorous. At one point in high school I was told by a Hispanic girl, no less, that I didn't act black enough. What did it mean for her to be black? I was quiet and well-studied in high school...did she want me to be the opposite!? That's messed up.
Where am I going with all this? What does race mean to you? How much of your life or viewpoints is effected by race? Is it an injection used to hype issues (think Trayvon Martin)? Or are you like the great Stephen Colbert and don't see race/color at all? *salutes*
For reference: bit.ly/16gKxgQ
To me, black isn't just a categorization. It has effected my way of life. Race is seen as a factor in crime, health and even sports (to name a few). Even though I try not to, I always see life through a "black lens". My view on certain subjects is different, some people just won't "get" it. People expect certain things because of my race as well.
While I urge you to think about this subject, I should note that my overall relationship with race is fairly humorous. At one point in high school I was told by a Hispanic girl, no less, that I didn't act black enough. What did it mean for her to be black? I was quiet and well-studied in high school...did she want me to be the opposite!? That's messed up.
Where am I going with all this? What does race mean to you? How much of your life or viewpoints is effected by race? Is it an injection used to hype issues (think Trayvon Martin)? Or are you like the great Stephen Colbert and don't see race/color at all? *salutes*
For reference: bit.ly/16gKxgQ