A good friend of mine (a young black man) was a bit shocked at a situation that recently happened to him: He explained that as he casually walked down the street on the Upper East Side in New York City (in his sports clothes, since he just finished playing basketball on a nearby court), a young woman who was walking her dog in his direction on the sidewalk decided to immediately cross the street upon seeing him. I did not want to automatically assume that this woman freaked out upon seeing a black man and crossed the street on impulse, so I asked him if he thought her decision had anything to do with his skin color. Unfortunately, it did - he explained that she was walking her dog, her head was looking down, and when she looked up, they made brief eye contact with each other, she noticed he was walking in her direction, looked startled/shocked, and she (along with her dog) then made a immediate sharp right turn off the sidewalk and successfully slid between two tightly-parked cars on the street to get to the sidewalk across the street.
Note: He is black, and she is Asian. They have never met before or had any type of interaction.
My friend was quite confused about the whole ordeal, and didn't quite understand how, in the 21st century, in the age of Obama, that this woman could possibly have an irrational fear of a black man. He wasn't necessarily mad about it - but he was definitely surprised that a young woman (in her early 20s) could have reacted to him (in my opinion, a nice-looking guy who happened to be dressed in his basketball-playing gear) in such a drastic and strange way. Now, admittedly, not too many blacks live on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, so perhaps he looked out of place, but there was nothing menacing or strange about his appearance. I do, however, believe that she most likely has been heavily influenced by an incredibly biased media that has done an amazing job at convincing people that blacks - particularly young black men - are people to be naturally afraid of on a day to day basis ("negrophobia"). And yet, at the same time, the media is currently promoting positive images of President Obama and his family. Perhaps she, along with many other people, view the Obamas as the exception to the rule - that perhaps, they could very well be the Cosbys/the "family next door." However, I have never viewed the Obamas as the exception - I saw them as the rule and the standard, and I consider the negative images of blacks on television as the extreme exception that has been blown out of proportion by a media desperate and eager to pigeon-hole blacks into particular categories.
Interestingly enough, my friend noted that he found it strange that this woman happened to be a minority as well (Asian) and decided to react to him in such a harsh manner, particularly in light of the fact that a older white couple was simultaneously passing by him without even flinching. When he asked me about my thoughts on that particular issue, I reflected back to the beliefs we choose to accept/reject about the "other" - and clearly, the young woman had absorbed a perception about black men that directly led to her decision to act so irrationally. I sometimes wonder if the Obama presidency will help reverse erroneous, idiotic, and obviously stereotypical beliefs about black people and potentially reverse the negative stereotypes that may be embedded in some people's consciousness/subconciousness. I guess only time will tell...
Obama is President, and Yet She Crossed the Street...
My YouTube Commentary on the Tyra Banks Show Discussion of Racism and Stereotyping Today
Thanks for watching!
Blacks Who "Grow Up White" - The "Oreo"/"Carlton" Complex
When I ask "what's your oreo status?," I'm not asking if you have a package of Oreo cookies in your kitchen cupboard. Nope - I'm going deeper on this one. When I ask this question, I'm asking: To what degree are you "black" on the outside and "white" on the inside? And is this even a legit question? What does it even mean to be black on the outside and white on the inside? Despite the ridiculousness of this question, plenty of people still refer to others as Oreos or imply it through their statements, so I am taking a moment to blog about it. 
A lot of blacks get accused of being "Oreos" - a phenomenon I find quite intriguing. These "Carlton-esque" types (think "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air") are considered contrary to the norm because on some level, they remind people of what is considered "white culture" or "white standards" and yet, on the outside, happen to be black. Those who freely call others Oreos are likely to abide by the principle that speaking "white" is in opposition to speaking "black" (e.g. to speak articulately and without any usage of ebonics/broken English). "Oreo" logic also suggests that studying and doing well in school can turn you into an Oreo - as if studying and learning is so "culturally white" that you may as well just forget about studying and do something else if you want to maintain the true essence of "blackness" and remain cool among your peers.
Now...I have sympathy for Oreos. It is harder to be an Oreo in American society because they are fighting the multitude of stereotypes held against black Americans. Why bother risk being viewed as an Oreo and possible alienation by your peers?
Viewing my life through the lens of "Oreo-ology," I did indeed grow up as an Oreo but I didn't necessarily have what most people consider the "typical black American" experience growing up - my family is from the Caribbean (I am first-generation American) and I grew up in a predominately privileged white suburb, so I wasn't as much of an "other" to my peers because techically, we were mostly all "culturally white" - whether or not you were racially white. But I do believe my personality and my growing up experience would have been different if I, for example, grew up in a predominately black American environment which was not as economically privileged and more prone to critique me if I exhibited "Carlton" characteristics.
Every now and again I am reminded of my supposed "Carlton" status by various people - but I find that older non-black Americans (as well as non-blacks abroad), on average, are more likely to bring it to my attention as I grow older (I have recently been compared to Condoleeza Rice for some reason when I dress in either business casual or a formal suit). On average, people have said, "Wow, you are so articulate" or the classic "Well, you are different" comment (in their interesting attempt to compare me to "most black Americans") - as if somehow being black automatically means that I cannot form a grammatically correct sentence in my head or my personality and character are somehow an anomaly in the black American experience. I will admit that when people make these statements, I tend to automatically put them in the "ignorant" category in my head because I find it somewhat esoteric that they are shocked by the existence of an articulate black person, considering the growing amount of black politicians and media moguls that clearly defy the stereotypes out there. Now I just laugh it off, but it is still amusing to see someone get confused when they hear me talking on the cell phone and wonder how my voice is associated with brown skin.
Yet, I don't think that my existence makes them rethink their stereotypes of black Americans - I, to many of them, am the exception - just like Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell, and President Barack Obama appear to be the "black exception" within the political arena. Clearly such "stereotypers" are not aware of the growing numbers of Oreos my age and younger who are bursting forth onto the professional scene. I just hope they don't get too overwhelmed by cookie overload.
