I agree that the whole "we can say this, but you can't" mess is getting more and more outdated and irrelevant as Black culture becomes more widespread throughout mainstream America.
It is annoying sometimes to see people "acting Black" (using Ebonics, etc) when they look an entire world away from Black. But I have to check myself sometimes because I find myself picking and choosing which non-Blacks can get away with "acting Black" or "tryna be Black" or "tryna be down".
Oh, she's mad cool and I know her. I know she's down with us lolz Yeah she gets a pass. lmao!But then I see White strangers spittin' their best version of a hot 16 in a car commercial and I'm like
. Who knows - maybe some Black people on the set of that commercial issued them
their pass. It's really quite illogical and unfair. Either our culture is just for us or it isn't. Period.
I've come to accept that it's too late to reverse what's been put out there to the mainstream. These people didn't travel to Black neighborhoods to learn this and didn't pick up books to learn it. They learned it through music that's been on the airwaves, shows that are on TV .. they think it's cute and they pick some of it up.
Again, I'll admit that when I don't know someone like that and I see them tryna "be down" it gets under my skin just a bit. I think that's because Ebonics - "I be like whaaaa "etc. came from a lack of education in the Black community - a lot of it dating all the way back to slavery days. So to see someone who isn't Black using stuff like that it makes me cringe. It doesn't feel the same. It's like you're making fun of me. "Nigger/nigga" has its own history as well.
I'm learning to check myself and realize that it's becoming part of a larger culture here in America - mainly because we voluntarily shared it with others through media, etc. And that's fine. But I'm still thankful that I don't know anyone who makes it their business to be a full time Wigger.
