if blacks could go white would they?

JohnnyQ wrote:

Ok. JohnnyQ has a sad story. I'll try to keep it short.
I was raised on the campus of a medical school. Though it was a historically Black institution, the demographics were EXTREMELY mixed; in fact there was no clear racial majority on campus. So, I was raised around filipinos, indians, blacks, whites, africans, you name it. Those were my friends and my enemies. Race never blipped my radar until I when to elementary school.
I was bussed to a majority White elementary school. At the tender age of 6 is when I learned that race mattered. I didn't know HOW exactly, but it became clear. I was not treated terribly...but the teachers were all White, most of the students were White, and I was definitely treated "differently". Kids don't interpret the subtleties, but they definitely notice the differences. I did, by the end of 1st grade, have it figured that White kids get treated "better". By third grade, my "BEST FRIEND" (an Irish kid, not so bright, but generally fun and likable) told me he was smarter than me. "Why?" I asked. "Because I'm White". LOL...I wonder who told him THAT?(Especially since all objective test indicated that his assumption was untrue). Well - long story short, and after much observation and deliberation, I decided that I would grow up to be White. ROFL...now, I KNOW it's not funny. But I thought that such a thing was possible. I thought if I ate the same things, and knew the same things, and did the same activities, and had good grades, and acted like a good little boy, that the obvious outcome would be that at some indeterminate time in the future, I would be White, and I would be treated like everyone else. It's funny and sad at the same time. Then I ask my mamma and she straightened it all out for me. LOL.
It's the subtlety that got me...it's the same subtlety that gets 99.999% of White people...they don't have the good fortune to be cured of their ignorance...the lessons that I'd learned about race by the time I was 8 years old are still like rocket science to middle-aged White people. They will likely go to the grave not "getting it".
Ok, so that was the sad part.
Well - by high school (BTW, I went to a 72% Black high school) I was kickin' a$$ and taking names academically, and life was good. I was cured of my "White is right" affliction, and I went on to a White college on full academic scholarship. Man...I had never been so happy, proud, and satisfied to be a Black man. There I was - holding my own and excelling in a world that I'd learned the hard way was geared to hold me back. Every now and then I saw a glimpse of the lost little White kids from elementary school behind the eyes of my fellow students: "Oh, you're on scholarship? Do you play football?". "No, fool. I scored in the top .5 percent on the SAT. How did YOU get in?"
Nope, I wouldn't trade being Black for ANYTHING. I have the best of it all. I come from a lineage of survivors. I AM a survivor. I've assimilated the best of every culture I have come into contact with. It's been a great life. And I'm twice the man I would have been if I'd never been forced to see the world through the eyes of a Black man. Damn, I am a grateful brother.

Flycity wrote:

<quoted text>
This is a beautiful narrative.
Now if I wrote this you will be picking out all my errors and typos, LOL, I saw none in yours.
Your intelligence astonishes me.
Yes, it is sad that the world just feels that a black man cannot go far.
This evening from work, I decided to stop by the stores and do a little shopping, so I bumped into a senior in the university I attended, we started to catch up on old times and all.
He told me he was permanent staff at his job but it was HARD for a black man to break the ceiling into the higher ranks, so he decided to go on contracts, the pay in obscenely huge which is good enough for him, they can have their white company.
How do feel after getting this off your chest, sir?

JohnnyQ wrote:

Ok. JohnnyQ has a sad story. I'll try to keep it short.
I was raised on the campus of a medical school. Though it was a historically Black institution, the demographics were EXTREMELY mixed; in fact there was no clear racial majority on campus. So, I was raised around filipinos, indians, blacks, whites, africans, you name it. Those were my friends and my enemies. Race never blipped my radar until I when to elementary school.
I was bussed to a majority White elementary school. At the tender age of 6 is when I learned that race mattered. I didn't know HOW exactly, but it became clear. I was not treated terribly...but the teachers were all White, most of the students were White, and I was definitely treated "differently". Kids don't interpret the subtleties, but they definitely notice the differences. I did, by the end of 1st grade, have it figured that White kids get treated "better". By third grade, my "BEST FRIEND" (an Irish kid, not so bright, but generally fun and likable) told me he was smarter than me. "Why?" I asked. "Because I'm White". LOL...I wonder who told him THAT?(Especially since all objective test indicated that his assumption was untrue). Well - long story short, and after much observation and deliberation, I decided that I would grow up to be White. ROFL...now, I KNOW it's not funny. But I thought that such a thing was possible. I thought if I ate the same things, and knew the same things, and did the same activities, and had good grades, and acted like a good little boy, that the obvious outcome would be that at some indeterminate time in the future, I would be White, and I would be treated like everyone else. It's funny and sad at the same time. Then I ask my mamma and she straightened it all out for me. LOL.
It's the subtlety that got me...it's the same subtlety that gets 99.999% of White people...they don't have the good fortune to be cured of their ignorance...the lessons that I'd learned about race by the time I was 8 years old are still like rocket science to middle-aged White people. They will likely go to the grave not "getting it".
Ok, so that was the sad part.
Well - by high school (BTW, I went to a 72% Black high school) I was kickin' a$$ and taking names academically, and life was good. I was cured of my "White is right" affliction, and I went on to a White college on full academic scholarship. Man...I had never been so happy, proud, and satisfied to be a Black man. There I was - holding my own and excelling in a world that I'd learned the hard way was geared to hold me back. Every now and then I saw a glimpse of the lost little White kids from elementary school behind the eyes of my fellow students: "Oh, you're on scholarship? Do you play football?". "No, fool. I scored in the top .5 percent on the SAT. How did YOU get in?"
Nope, I wouldn't trade being Black for ANYTHING. I have the best of it all. I come from a lineage of survivors. I AM a survivor. I've assimilated the best of every culture I have come into contact with. It's been a great life. And I'm twice the man I would have been if I'd never been forced to see the world through the eyes of a Black man. Damn, I am a grateful brother.

Another Point of View wrote:

<quoted text>
I can relate to your story. When I was in kindergarden, a white classmate informed me that I was too pretty to be black and that I MUST be white. Obviously I was too young to comprehend the absurity of this comment, so I went home and talk to my Mom and she ended up setting me straight (i.e. two black parents means you a black)! That was the end of that.

JohnnyQ wrote:

<quoted text>
Hey, my Fly sister :-) You give me too much credit. Thank you for your kind words - you always make my day.
How do I feel? Longwinded! LOL. I know my experience is atypical in some areas, but I thought it might connect with some folks out there...And I'll be honest with you: It still causes me a little bit of shame when I look back on the person that I was - wishing I was White. That's pretty ugly, and it's just REALLY hard to admit to other Black people...it's feels disrespectful. And yeah- I know it wasn't my fault, but you know me...I'm not going to be any easier on myself than I am on White folks: I may not have been my "FAULT" but it was my "RESPONSIBILITY".
Hugz, Fly. Hope you're having a great weekend! Can't wait to get mine started!

Flycity wrote:

<quoted text>
Awww! JQ, I am telling the gospel truth, you are a rare breed.
I believe everyone has one or two life experiences they are ashamed of, in fact right now, I have taken a quick run down memory lane on some of the things I went through while trying to discover who I am.
We all dabble here and there while we are trying to find and carve a niche for ourselves, wouldn't you agree?
I am glad you have had the 'matrix experience' O:) you now know and appreciate who you are and this makes you even more beautiful as a person, as a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin, a partner, a friend and whatever capacity or office you find yourself operating in.
Thing is, the fact that we have discovered who we are, has absolutely no effect on the world and the people out there, but the way we relate to them is what really changes, wouldn't you agree?
It's friday evening, I am tired.
A CAD technician did not detail my design properly and it was sent out to our clients who returned it a list of errors.Sigh!
That didn't look good, it wasn't my fault, as the error was not design-related which is where I come in, but the CAD technician did not include all the reinforcement I recommended by way of analysis for the structure.
So I had to do the back breaking work of going through the details on the drawing one by one, there are about a thousand of them. Sigh! I tell you I am exhausted.
JQ, thank you! Hugz recieved, funny I needed it!

JohnnyQ wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, there's lots more hugz where that came from, Fly.:-)
Kick back and relax - sounds like you've EARNED this week more than most!
Your analogy, by the way, is PERFECT. It's "The Matrix Experience"!

JohnnyQ wrote:

<quoted text>
Thanks for sharing that!
And it's SO easy to see the philosophical/social descendants of that juvenile behavior in some full adult White people:
-"You're a credit to your race"
-"I don't even think of you as Black"
-"You're the only Black guy I'd ever consider dating"
-"You're SO articulate!"
-"Ohhh I bet you can SING!"
And so on, and so forth.

Judged:

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Nance wrote:

<quoted text>Are you joking?
Intelligent and Black don't compute.
It's an Oxymoron.