When I was in elementary and middle school, I went to a predominantly black school. It was around fifth or sixth grade I started being told by my peers, “You act so white!”
At first, I had no idea what this meant. By the way they were saying it, I gathered that it was supposed to be an insult, but I wasn’t sure how acting white was meant to be a derogatory phrase. They judged almost everything about me. I constantly heard statements like, “You talk like a white person,” “You walk like a white person.” At one point I was even told, “You chew like a white person!”
By now I know very well what the phrase means. “Acting white” refers to a black person who doesn’t act stereotypically black. You don’t listen to the latest rap music? You’re white. You don’t cause trouble in school? You’re white. You’re not loud or use what people consider typical black language? You’re white.
Why is there this separation of groups among people, especially black people? I’ve never once had a white person say to me, “You act white.”
This type of language perpetuates the stereotypes within the black community that we have been working so hard to get rid of. At the same time, they want to call it “black culture.” If you don’t fall into the category that society has placed you in, even just a little bit, then there’s something wrong with you and they want to revoke your black card.
There’s the misconception that black people are loud, obnoxious, trouble makers, wannabe gangster, etc. That’s not the black culture that I want to see or that I identify with. The majority of black people and many that I know personally are educated, proud, and classy. These characteristics aren't something that's exclusive to white people. They're characteristics of individuals who choose to carry themselves in such a way. But by the standards of those I went to school with and unfortunately many people I’ve encountered in my adult life, they would be told they “act white.”
No matter who you are, no matter what race you are, being who you are no matter what is the best way to break stereotypes.
