Why Do Some White People Act Like They're Black?

[LoneKiller]

I'm sorry if this thread seems stupid, but it's driving me nuts. I don't play basketball as much as I used to, but some of these guys
I play with really annoy me.

Every now and then these 3 guys play. They are white, they come from a good and safe neighborhood, yet they act like they are black, straight out of Compton. They're like" "..W'sup yo? You gots da juice to play dis game yo? The video below is obviously not real, but is a perfect example of what I mean. Why do they act this way?

Sometimes I feel like yelling: YOU ARE NOT BLACK!!

[YOUTUBE]N68t7NvuTgQ[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Ghost Boy]

Because Black people are cool.

 

[SophiaGrace]

Question: Why are you annoyed by it?

 

[Mikey193]

Cause they think they're gangsta yo

 

[LoneKiller]

Because it's not who they are. They act like they are gang members from South Central, Los Angeles. The talk in Ebonics. They wear enough "Bling" for every rapper out there. Everything they say and do
is not characteristic of a white person or the area they live in.

How can they walk around, act and speak the way black people who have actually grown up in places like Compton do? Some white people rap about growing up in the "Hood" and "Banging" as if they grew up there and faced all the hardships that black people have experienced and rap about?

It's so ******* phony. If a white person lived in grew up in these areas, then maybe they have the right to rap about it, and conduct themselves the way they do without being labeled as phony.

Just be genuine in who you are is all I'm saying.

 

[Barbaloot]

Yay, negative stereotypes. Because all black people are exactly as you described, even though I've never met a single one who is. Curious that.

What next? "Black people! Why do some of you act like you're white by not fulfilling the negative stereotype of being semi-literate, thuggish, 'ghetto' gangsters who are fond of rap and hip hop music?!!"

How about not caring about what false affectations people adopt?

 

[SophiaGrace]

Well i think people tend to try to imitate those they admire. So, if a white boy acts like a black guy from compton, it's probably because they admire them.

 

[Lost Drifter]

I’ve always gone by the logic that if you’re not hurting or causing distress to anyone else then you’ve got a free pass to act how you want and do what you like.

 

[LoneKiller]

Yay, negative stereotypes. Because all black people are exactly as you described, even though I've never met a single one who is. Curious that.

What next? "Black people! Why do some of you act like you're white by not fulfilling the negative stereotype of being semi-literate, thuggish, 'ghetto' gangsters who are fond of rap and hip hop music?!!"

How about not caring about what false affectations people adopt?

It's not a negative stereotype. I'm also not saying that all black people act this way. If you listen to rappers like Ice Cube and others, you will notice that they rap about who they are and their experiences in life. Some white people rap about that kind of thing when they have never experienced that lifestyle. The late Tupac Shakur rapped about how he lived, and his experiences.

I'm a 36yo white male from the Maritime Provinces in Canada. Don't you think that if I started going around rapping about the "Hood" and acting "Gangsta" that those who are black and truly lived that way would be offended and call me a phony?

 

[Barbaloot]

Yay, negative stereotypes. Because all black people are exactly as you described, even though I've never met a single one who is. Curious that.

What next? "Black people! Why do some of you act like you're white by not fulfilling the negative stereotype of being semi-literate, thuggish, 'ghetto' gangsters who are fond of rap and hip hop music?!!"

How about not caring about what false affectations people adopt?

It's not a negative stereotype. I'm also not saying that all black people act this way. If you listen to rappers like Ice Cube and others, you will notice that they rap about who they are and their experiences in life. Some white people rap about that kind of thing when they have never experienced that lifestyle. The late Tupac Shakur rapped about how he lived, and his experiences.

I'm a 36yo white male from the Maritime Provinces in Canada. Don't you think that if I started going around rapping about the "Hood" and acting "Gangsta" that those who are black and truly lived that way would be offended and call me a phony?

Well judging by your thread title alone, as well as your other comments here, you have equated being and acting 'black' with the more negative aspects and affectations adopted by the rap/hip hop community, which is of course absurd. They are two entirely different things. One is a subculture, one is a racial distinction. They are not mutually linked.

In subcultures, people tend to gravitate towards it based on fondness for, or as Soph said, admiration of, the elements, behaviors and ideas promoted within that subculture. Are these people acting like they are part of the rap/hip hop subculture? Yes. But does it mean they are acting 'black'? No. And it is this 'acting black' you keep throwing around that I take issue with.
Why are white people attracted to the rap/hip hop subculture? Why is anyone, regardless of race, attracted to the Juggalo subculture? Identity and preference are very fluid things that are not confined to race.

But really, why do you even care what other people do? If they want to play pretend and be apart of something, regardless of their own experiences, what does it matter to you? You don't have to have anything to do with them.

 

[Ak5]

Because they think blacks are cool because blacks are stereotyped as being the tough guys?

 

[Lonely in BC]

Cause they want to hear they're "pretty fly for a white guy" from the babes

 

[Doubt The Rabbit]

They're not acting like "blacks". They're acting like hoodlums. If they want to be hoodlums, they can be hoodlums. A hoodlum is not a nationality, race, or gender. It's a mindset and way of living. I'm half black and I can assure you I do not behave the way you've described, despite my entire neighborhood being comprised of hoodlums. But hey, maybe it's because I'm only half black, right? I'm not a full blooded black "gangsta," hmm? Puh-lease.
Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and everything in between can act like a hoodlum and no one should be able to tell them otherwise. No, not even you.

I find it funny, though, that you're a white guy being bothered by other white guys acting like hoodlums. It's not your place to decide how they should be.

 

[DreamerDeceiver]

Well i think people tend to try to imitate those they admire. So, if a white boy acts like a black guy from compton, it's probably because they admire them.

I agree, it's all part of a scene.

---

I'm sure it has nothing to do with a general representation of all black people. It's just pop culture.

 

[LoneKiller]

Upon reading the replies again, I realize that my wording was misleading. Just because some black people rap, dress a certain way, and talk the way they do doesn't mean that all black people are like that.

Doubt was correct in describing them as "Hoodlums". "Gangstas" if you will. I'm not racist or anything. I just worded it wrong. I'm sorry if I offended anyone. I sure didn't mean to.

 

[Limlim]

I knew a guy who acted like that, we just started calling him Vanilla Ice and he stopped.

 

[LoneKiller]

I knew a guy who acted like that, we just started calling him Vanilla Ice and he stopped.

I love it when I get the perfect opportunity to post this vid.

[YOUTUBE]0A7tLVIsuNw[/YOUTUBE]

 

[EveWasFramed]

How does one "act" a COLOR? lol

 

[Intranetusa]

So the topic creator is saying "black culture" is all about speaking in ebonics and acting like gangstas? Why the stereotyping?

Is there a way to "act white"? Are blacks who don't talk in ebonics and slangs "acting white?"
Of course not.

It's pretty simple - people like different cultures - these people like the rap/ghetto sub-culture. There is nothing wrong with liking a culture different from your own. What is wrong is thinking these cultures and attitudes are race specific or entirely based on race.

 

[LoneKiller]

All in favor of deleting this thread say aye!