Let’s Talk About Race in Two Different Americas

On By dancingpalmtreesIn 1%, Fuck, To the Manor Born, Trust Fund Babies

This is another non-PC post dealing with racial attitudes.  If you’re white this blog post is gonna Fuck with you to the utmost. I pull no punches and make no apologies for my words.  If you don’t like it feel Free to Unsubscribe.  I don’t give a flying Fuck.

Often my colleagues of Color and I will talk about the racist comments and insults we get on a daily basis while performing our jobs as Security Officers at the museum.  One encounter by a Black co-worker who is a retired Marine Officer and who is multi-lingual especially sticks out. A white visitor told him he was an Uppity Nigger. His response, “I come from a long line of Uppity niggers and am proud of it.”  I’m sure that white patron had no answer for that one.

Basically during my tenure at the museum patrons have cursed me in every language know to mankind and called me everything but a child of God.

Now let me back track to my encounter this past week with a dumb-ass old white woman who had the nerve, gall and audacity to come up to me and compare my beautiful cornrows to a Medusa sculpture.  I was raised to respect my elders but there are times when you just want to slap the shit out of old white people whose minds are still stuck in the early 20th or 19th Centuries.  Then there are the trust fund babies and wealthy white folks of privilege who have that “To The Manor Born” attitude to most workers of Color and especially Black workers.

 

Dear Folks of the Caucasian Persuasion.  Do Not Touch my Hair. This is not a petting zoo.  Do not ask me stupid questions like, “Do you comb your hair?” Do Not compare my braids, locs or cornrows to Medusa and I won’t say anything about your wrinkles, age spots or your open audacity and stupidity to think you can come up to any random Black person that you don’t know and just spew the first idiotic thing that issues forth from that pie hole in the middle of your face. And No you Do Not have the right to become offended if I call you out on your arrogance and foolishness.  Keep your ignorant racist sexist dumb words and attitude to yourself! Don’t get it Twisted.  Mammy and StepAndFetchIt are long gone.  In fact do me a favor. Shut the Fuck Up and stop commenting on my appearance!  Don’t Fuck with the African Goddess! I am a Proud Uppity Black Woman with Attitude. Don’t you forget it.

I don’t have too many problems with other working class whites. We are more or less sailing in the same ship but if you’re Black and you commit the smallest infraction of the rules we get thrown overboard. Most of the problem lies with the 1%.  The “Beautiful People.”  The Society Matrons. The Trust Fund Babies. Tea Partiers formerly known as the “Moral Majority.”  You know them. The patrons who attempt to give you half chewed gum and candy or some sort of other garbage thinking you’re a fucking janitor. I tell them them the trash can is located in the nearest restroom.

Caucasian Americans let’s get re-educated. No I don’t look like another Black person you may know or see on TV, in the movies or in magazines.  Black people have the most diversity of skin color, hair textures, and hues than any other race on earth. Unless that particular Black person is an identical twin there goes the notion that we all Look Alike.

If you don’t know me. Don’t touch me. Keep your hands to yourself. Hey you never know. The Black might rub off!

Yes I speak proper English and not Ebonics. Sure I can lapse into slang but only around my friends. Stop saying how you’re incredibly amazed at how “articulate” I am.  That’s a back-handed compliment which is really an insult in disguise. Quit being so condescending.

No I absolutely Do Not take or sell drugs. Black does not equal drug addict.  However it is obvious that you do since you seem to know so much about illicit drugs.  No I’m not here to be your sex slave. Don’t even go there!  For I will put your sorry ass out of my galleries. If we were out in the street my foot would be up your ass! You may have gotten away with raping my Great, Great, Great Grandmother back in slavery days but today I will not only knock you silly but cut off your minuscule package and shove it down your throat.

You insult me to my face and make snide remarks behind my back. You extend your hand in supposed friendship and support, with that phony shit-eating grin while telling me “I Voted for Obama!”  Really.  Oh joy! How white of you! You know what?  I don’t want to be your friend. You would not survive a week No Not even a day in my Black skin. You need to back the Fuck up and get out of my face with your hypocrisy.  My patience is gone and Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.

You May Now Kiss My Royal Black Ass!

Defiant DeBorah
Defiant precocious DeBorah

32 thoughts on “Let’s Talk About Race in Two Different Americas”

  1. I’m sorry that you or anyone else has to go through bullying and abuse for any reason. But it doesn’t just happen to Black people.

    I had an entire class not talk to me in 5th grade, have a club against me because I was smart. I went home in tears everyday and no one stopped the abuse.

    I had black girls want to beat me up in high school just because I was white. Another black girl who knew me talked them out of it.

    I have worked for social justice issues all my adult life, working with Central American refugees, working on the Navajo reservation, with my son growing up as a minority, getting beaten up by black kids and Latino kids because he was white.

    I went to Kwanza one holiday season as I had heard it was a celebration of peace, to support ALL races. I was the only white person there not along with a Black partner. No one would sit at my table as I was white…not uppity white, just white skinned, excited to be at a celebration I thought was about love and ALL races joining together for peace.

    I have done spiritual work all my lifetime, to bring justice, peace, harmony, equality and abundance to all of humanity.

    I believe that when all of us can look at another person and notice the color of their skin, eyes, hair, etc. as just another feature of another human being, a divine being, worthy of love, honor and respect, then we truly will have peace on this planet.

      1. That’s not what the articles I read said about it. So slap my wrist fir caring about people of other races. I wrote to show support for you but you don’t want that ..do delete my comment…i don’t care.

      2. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. We agree to disagree. I make no apologies for how I feel or my American experience. I’m not here to make other people feel good. I knew this post would be controversial and that’s why I wrote it. Nothing you say will change my mind.

      3. Wasn’t trying to change your mine, but support you, but you obviously don’t want that….fine. I started my first comment saying I was sorry you or anyone had to experience bullying and racism. But you missed that. I will leave you now. I’d wish you the best…but it doesn’t sound like you want that. Again, I’m sorry that you’ve experienced such ignorant treatment by others.

  3. Holy crap! Really? Still, in this day and age?! I’m sorry you experienced this. I can feel just how hurtful it was (and is) from your words. Ignorance comes to mind.
    You’re a beautiful individual inside and out. Concentrate on your health and your brother. I’m sure he wouldn’t like to see you upset.
    Much love to you. x

      2. I have to admit that in the seven almost eight years I’ve been on this job I’ve changed and not for the better. My entire personality has reversed from happy and positive to jaded and cynical. I’m angry and have very little faith in my fellow humans. Mostly I keep to myself and rarely socialize. Tonight I will make an exception and celebrate a coworkers retirement. As time goes on I feel worse mentally and emotionally. I just cover it up with happy talk. I have internalized all the degradation.

  4. Okay, I’m white, I’m older and I’m probably not your target audience. I may even be the white person you say you might “fuck with” with this post. I don’t feel “fucked with,” I just feel compelled to respond. I am with you on the part where no one should touch you if they don’t know you. That’s not racist, the not wanting to be felt up by strangers, it’s just common decency. I never understand why people think it’s okay to touch the bellies of pregnant women they don’t know. If they did that to me, I’d likely smack their hands. (Okay, I’d also call the record books because I’m 63 and if pregnant I’d be quite the miracle mom). Where you lose me is on the stupid question part and in your reaction to the Medusa comment. I don’t think that makes her a dumb white person. I don’t think it makes her a hater. She might be both BUT she also might be someone who intended to say your hair was beautiful. She may not have understood Medusa’s hair was snakes and comparing your hair to snakes is not a compliment. She may be thinking of statues of Medusa she’s seen maybe in your museum and she was trying to reach out to you and relate somehow. She may not know a whole lot of black folks and just wanted to talk to one she felt was approachable. There are a shitload of stupid, racist white people, way too many for my tolerance level, but that’s all the more reason not to see them under rocks where they may not be. The “uppity nigger” white person, that’s an obvious ignorant racist cracker. The Medusa lady? Maybe not. We are over our heads these days with serious ignorant racists. (Donald Trump comes to mind.) I hate to have you find them among the regular just plain dumb white people.

    1. It was a rude nasty racist comment. Why say anything at all?
      Who gives her the right to judge me or my culture. I doubt very much if I had been white she would have said something so ignorant and hurtful. Keep in mind Black employees go through this on a daily basis. For me that’s seven years of unrelenting bigotry. Out of all the artwork in the museum why Medusa?
      Frankly I don’t want to be compared to a monster. Again a negation of my humanity.

      1. I can’t tell you how to feel. That’s up to you. I can agree she was ignorant but I’m just suggesting ignorance isn’t always racist. Then again, you could just be right. I wasn’t there, I’m not you I just reacted to your story as written. Which, by the way, was very compelling. But I ask you to ponder your own question, Why did she say anything? Was she trying to insult you or talk to you? Food for thought….

      2. Some talk I can do without. As my Mom used to say If you can’t say anything nice about a person then don’t say anything at all. Black people don’t deserve to be compared to animals or monsters.

      3. You are 100% right. Not black people, not white people, no good and decent people deserve that. There are enough actually monstrous people in the world. We should not be creating more where there are good people to behold. I’m with you there. Respect should not be color bound, more like color blind.

  5. Loooool Deborah, the sorry asses that want to try playing around with you. Am not usually for ranta but yours is hilarious and so true on all accounts. Keep your light shining. Fools are not worth your breath but great going anyway 😀

  6. And btw am not sorry for you or would have been sorry for myself going through some of the same things and it actually only makes us stronger. This has nothing to do with the level of the job, just a racial white mindset for the majority; anything coloured is too much for their eyesight which clamours only for dead white. Even when they try to be nice, they only end up being condescending like “amazingl articulate speech”etc. You nailed it woman! And hell no, don’t apologise. There are truly good ones who live in harmony and unity but they are becoming increasingly rare. Pity because in the inside we all are the same colour

      2. Sad commentary on race relations that Black and Brown peoples have these shared racist experiences. This is one of those clubs that should not be but is due to society’s narrow view of anyone who is not white.

      4. You are correct. It seems that no matter where or what part of the world Black or Brown people reside we always have to deal with bigots and prejudice. We are placed or put into the spot of being the “Other.” Our cultures and traditions are disrespected or maligned. Then we are expected to forgive, forget, laugh, dance and smile like we are part of some sort of sick minstrel show. SMH.

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