Oreo, Coconut and Twinkie. These are all words that are associated with someone who was born of a specific race but others label them as "acting" white. More specifically those born from Hispanic, African or Asian backgrounds.
But what does it mean to “act white”? Being born of a certain race you are more than not expected to act a certain way, like certain things and whatever idiotic stereotype goes along with each specific race. How idiotic is that? Just because I’m black I have to perpetuate the black stereotypes that we see in the media.
There have been several moments in my life where people told me that I “sound white”. In high school I was once even told that I’m a white girl stuck in a black girl’s body. Only because I wore Old Navy, Sketchers and I listened to the Backstreet Boys. Listening to BSB is still something I do today and I’m very proud of that!! In my adulthood a close friend, whose white told me that I was one of the whitest black people she knows. My friend doesn’t know that I took offense to that but I did. I didn’t ask her what she meant by that but I should have.
People should not be categorized by their race by talking a certain way, liking certain foods, music, sports or anything else that’s stereotyped to a certain group of people. It’s hurtful and your idea of them is that they have to act like the people we see in the media. I’ve also heard an in law call his brother-in-law in Oreo because he went skiing with his white co-workers. Saying things like that insults someone’s race and them as a person.
Sometimes these stereotypes even come from people of our own racial groups. Like my experience in high school and my cousin’s experience.
Society has conditioned us to think that because you were born a certain skin tone you have to act a certain way. Why can’t a black person or any person for that matter like things that are out of the “norm” for them to like.
There is no right or wrong way to be Black, Hispanic or Asian. We have to stop labeling each other and accept and embrace each other’s individuality. There’s no shame in liking Coldplay, Backstreet Boys or Leann Rhimes if you’re not white. Be who you are and forget what everyone else thinks and says.
