"You don't speak the way you look...". What does that mean? No I don't take that as disrespect. Just like "you speak so well" isn't disrespectful...to ME. It is, however, disrespectful to the person making such an absurd statement.
That you believe my appearance is any indication of my ability to articulate my thoughts and transform them into speech is an example of YOUR preconceived notions. Why should your past experiences be disrespectful to me? If I wear a suit everyday, does that make me a professional? I worked in the car business for years and I will tell you that the suit did NOT make the man. From a very young age, most of us have heard "don't judge a book by it's cover"....and yet here you are handing down intellectual verdicts based on the tilt of my Yankee fitted. And still....it's ME that you ask to make adjustments.
Nah...I'm good. Hip hop is violent and misogynist and filled with ignorance...except I'm hip hop. I love and respect the women in my family. I'm not alone. I've made mistakes (like most humans), but as I've grown, my love for hip hop and it's culture hasn't diminished. In a world of people who claim to hate stereotypes and generalizations, I've been taken to task for either being "too urban" or "too white sounding". Yeah...about that...
That you've chosen a particular path (and in many cases limited your options) has no bearing on me. I can love Martin AND Malcolm. I can love Tupac AND Biggie. And i can love slang AND the queen's English. While you are critiquing my manner of speech, have you looked at the content? Often it's the same people quoting MLK jr. "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" who are ignoring character and focusing on apparel. Focusing on language. Focusing on your party affiliations.
If I've shown nothing, I've shown that I can't be placed in a box. Interviewers like Jay Nordlinger (National Review) have traveled to Virginia to ascertain my true political leanings, only to leave without being able to categorize. I'm not riding the fence. I'm not waffling. I'm using logic. If the conservatives say that Occupy Wall Street is a Marxist plot, I am allowed to disagree. But, that doesn't preclude me from later agreeing with their position on another issue. My skin doesn't force me to agree with everyone who shares my melanin content. If a black man shoots another black man in cold blood...should I defend him "because he's my brother"? Should I excuse his behavior because of the economic factors created by slavery, and Jim Crow laws that only in the last generation and a half have been lifted? If a white man saves a black man's life should I be forced to point out the paternal pattern of "Different Strokes" humanitarianism that Whites have engaged in throughout the years is just a product of "White guilt" and he's probably still secretly a racist?
Judge. Judge. Judge. In Christian scripture (Matt 7:1-2) it is translated "judge not, lest ye be judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall BE judged" (emphasis mine). While pointing the finger at the rich, affluent, poor, "entitled", black, white, latino, man...are you really making a difference? Golden rule quotes with bronze rule actions. I am hip hop. I am articulate. I am real. I am not your verdict....Stop it B!
That you believe my appearance is any indication of my ability to articulate my thoughts and transform them into speech is an example of YOUR preconceived notions. Why should your past experiences be disrespectful to me? If I wear a suit everyday, does that make me a professional? I worked in the car business for years and I will tell you that the suit did NOT make the man. From a very young age, most of us have heard "don't judge a book by it's cover"....and yet here you are handing down intellectual verdicts based on the tilt of my Yankee fitted. And still....it's ME that you ask to make adjustments.
Nah...I'm good. Hip hop is violent and misogynist and filled with ignorance...except I'm hip hop. I love and respect the women in my family. I'm not alone. I've made mistakes (like most humans), but as I've grown, my love for hip hop and it's culture hasn't diminished. In a world of people who claim to hate stereotypes and generalizations, I've been taken to task for either being "too urban" or "too white sounding". Yeah...about that...
That you've chosen a particular path (and in many cases limited your options) has no bearing on me. I can love Martin AND Malcolm. I can love Tupac AND Biggie. And i can love slang AND the queen's English. While you are critiquing my manner of speech, have you looked at the content? Often it's the same people quoting MLK jr. "not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" who are ignoring character and focusing on apparel. Focusing on language. Focusing on your party affiliations.
If I've shown nothing, I've shown that I can't be placed in a box. Interviewers like Jay Nordlinger (National Review) have traveled to Virginia to ascertain my true political leanings, only to leave without being able to categorize. I'm not riding the fence. I'm not waffling. I'm using logic. If the conservatives say that Occupy Wall Street is a Marxist plot, I am allowed to disagree. But, that doesn't preclude me from later agreeing with their position on another issue. My skin doesn't force me to agree with everyone who shares my melanin content. If a black man shoots another black man in cold blood...should I defend him "because he's my brother"? Should I excuse his behavior because of the economic factors created by slavery, and Jim Crow laws that only in the last generation and a half have been lifted? If a white man saves a black man's life should I be forced to point out the paternal pattern of "Different Strokes" humanitarianism that Whites have engaged in throughout the years is just a product of "White guilt" and he's probably still secretly a racist?
Judge. Judge. Judge. In Christian scripture (Matt 7:1-2) it is translated "judge not, lest ye be judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall BE judged" (emphasis mine). While pointing the finger at the rich, affluent, poor, "entitled", black, white, latino, man...are you really making a difference? Golden rule quotes with bronze rule actions. I am hip hop. I am articulate. I am real. I am not your verdict....Stop it B!
I agree on every point you've made in this post. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY there was a certain way young men and women acted. From the clothing to the mannerisms. When I moved out NY to join the Armed Forces were my eyes completely open to the rest of world. That it is OK to be "Urban" and express yourself, and it's also OK to be professional and articulate. Facebook friends for example would look at my pictures, I'd give them a call and before the conversation can go any further. I'm asked "why are you talking white?". This puzzled me greatly as well as confused me. Is it cool if I say " Stop it B!".
ReplyDelete