Influences In African American Culture

Culture & Society Forum

I hope this doesn't offend... I'm not trying to make any critical statements.

I'm curious about the types of peer pressure felt by young black boys and girls... from early years of grade school throughout highschool and college.

There's a lot of culture that is distinctively black. The image of the "gansta," is portrayed and primarily propogated through rap music videos which are watched and emulated mostly by black youth. Some white people choose this style / attitude but not many. The point is that you see most black people in america that are into this style, gangsta or "thugged out" which leads to my question: Is there peer pressure to adopt these styles, to "act black" over other styles which appear to be more white?

Is there peer pressure to not act white?

I know I've also seen a lot of sophisticated young black men and women that are wearing nice clothes and have an aura of intelligence and poise. Is this seen as selling out?

There probably aren't many african americans here to answer this. darn.

sadly...yes it is true. i cant count the number of times ive been chastised by peers for speaking proper english. not speaking with a somewhat ignorant accent is seen as "trying to be white". it sucks. im in HS by the way. but hey i guess thats the price you pay

woah! thanks man, that's really interesting! I'm gonna link to this thread elsewhere to try to get more input.

Do they specifically say that you are acting white, or honky or whatever? Or is it more along the lines of acting smart?

What about clothing?

OK, I am a Black girl and I go to a White school and yes there is some pressure but I guess that is depends on how you can handle it. I can relate to mojo in what he was saying.

I've wondered quite some time myself why it is that there is a distinct separate sub-culture for Blacks in America (and around the world?) I have a few guesses, but they're from the perspective of an outsider looking in.

I think we can most probably fairly easily divide African Americans (as with any sub-culture in the U.S., including whites, really) into two groups: the educated and the uneducated. The educated clearly have a desire for success in their lives. They speak, read & write well, make a good income, provide for their families, and plan for the future. The uneducated do not speak, read or write well, make poor income and their lifestyles suffer as a result. As I see it, both groups have distinctly separate sub-culture identities, however they are quite different from one another. Where the educated group focuses on African American history, cultural roots in Africa, engages in ethnic gatherings & activities that keep them focused on their goals and common struggles and share pride amongst themselves, the uneducated group seems to grasp for cultural identity, some way to uniquely identify themselves, something to call their own. I think they do this through the use of poor language (some have gone so far as to label the language itself as "ebonics", stemming from "ebony" + "phonics" or "black sounds") and other symbolisms that represent pride, strength, power such as the gangster image, hardcore rappers, etc.

But then of course: good luck getting someone like that to impartially psychoanalyze themselves and provide an honest assessment of where they think their feelings and personal identity come from.

Personally, I find it very disheartening that there is still something of a cultural divide, moreso with the uneducated than with the educated. There's still discomfort because you never know who's going to take offense to some off-the-wall comment that was not designed to be offensive and it is received with the weight of a lifetime of training in the cultural divide..

Thanks for opening this topic.

I agree whole heartedly with what your saying, and I would love to hear mor of your opinions!

i argee with the fact that as black people we are divided
but what i don't argee with fact that you divided them with educated and uneducated.
i think if you really what to find out what is the dividing mark you have to take if back way back!(lol)
and from what i read about you i don't think(may be you could) your the type of person who could understand it or want to understand it
eboincs doesn't mean your uneducated to me it's just like slang.
just because some black people speak slang or eboincs don't use so called "big words" doesn't mean their uneducated.
and don't think i'm trying to come at you wrong but by saying things like that some people take the wrong way
one question 4 u kelly are you black or white it doen't matter but i want to know
thank you

I had to come back Read the first post a few times and share my life’s experience regarding this topic.

To start with, from 4 – 16 years of age I was fortunate to have lived where I got a good taste of ‘both sides” of the fence. While I am 48 and white and will perhaps seem out of touch with ‘Today’ Its still The same today as ‘Back then” , Its just packaged differently. (peer pressure)I grew up in a family that taught the only difference between anyone was their heart. No form of racism was ever allowed in this home for any reason. In the sixties they went to MLK speeches, Malcolm X, And Faracon. I remember both militant Whites and Blacks say Stuff like” This Ain’t no place for You White folks, You cant be a black you will never be black stupid crackers, you all just ****** lovers! There was a few more but you get the idea. Neither side understood we were there in search of knowledge. (Well I was a Kid; I just liked the food… Rib tips and Greens yummy!). BTW, it was believed that Faracon took out Malcolm X in this house. Anyway they had “Peer” pressure from both sides daily as I recall, because they would not change their beliefs. I Hope this is not boring you.

Then As I got older (about 14) still not understanding Race hate thing, my first love was a Black girl I met in a church that I was helping fix up with some Vista people I hung out with. (Vista was stateside Peace Corps in the sixties). Talk about Peer pressure? This went way beyond just pressure. It was almost daily I would get beat up over her, by whites and blacks. But she was everything to me so I just learned how to fight 3 or 4 guys at a time. However over time ‘Society” pressure won out with her folks and it was 27 years before we saw each other again. Could be why I’m still single today.

Today it seems to me there are those who understand to make a difference you must be “on the team’. Are they “selling out”? Well I remember this term from the sixties and the hippy era. But yet the baby boomers occupy a large upper income arena. The hippies looked strange to the majority back then, today its ‘gangster or thug’ looks. Back then we ran out and bought music that messaged ‘war’ is wrong’ or lets do drugs and sex….Today its bad cops and gangsters and hate your parents music called rap.

Its still Groups of people who share the same cause…That makes up our society. It was a statement back then by the way we looked. (Hippy) Today is ‘gangster”…and lets not forget ‘Gothic”. All Statements of “I am different”, “I represent change”. All surrounded by Peer pressure.

I just wish Race was not mixed in. We learned nothing in 30 years it seems sometimes. Some will not let go. There are a lot people who have gotten a bad card in life. And some of them made “change” to improve themselves. I don’t think of it as selling out…It think of it as taking the long hard road to improving their life rather than finding a shortcut. (Something for free is worth nothing)

To me…One must do their best not to allow peer pressure to alter their path in life. knowlege is not limited to color. A very hard thing to overcome but what better way to say.. I am different?

it sounds like to me what someone of yall are saying is you can't listen to rap music and be "gangsta"--whitout being uneducated which is not true

maybe that's what someone of yall are sayin because i only read few of the replies

but i don't think there is peer pessure i think a lot of people are scared of black music or scared of people knowing that they like the whole 'black' thing, so they create this image about themsleves so they can fit in with black people

i know some white people if i'm sisting beside them they will say that they like rap music or to start a conversation they'll be like did you know i like 50 cent , yea i'm a white person who likes rap music
my question is why is it that some white people think that to talk to a black person they have to say did you know i like rap music

i don't think there is a problem with people who are very educated and talk that way as long as it is blanced

Just wanted to add my 2 cents in here as well.. My fiancee is an educated black man, who is also street smart. Grew up in the city but was always afforded the best education. His family wasn't rich but they made due.

34 years later and you have a college educated brotha who knows his way around the street. He listens to rap/hip-hop, reggae, jazz and some occasional 80's rock. You have a brotha that can switch up from slang (ebonics) to his "work persona" as he likes to call it. He can talk about all kind of topics and not sound stupid. He can curse at a football game using all types of profanities. He makes a damn good living and worked hard to get there. He can wear hip hop styles on the weekend and then put on a suit and tie for work (he takes out his earrings). I love him for this. He can fit in anywhere, with confidence.

Recenlty, one of his broke no-job having relatives got into an argument in which he said "What have you DONE for me, to help me?" This confused both of us and he retorted "Where you there to take my tests in college? Where you there to sit in with my interview? Where you there for my training?" The basic feeling that we have is the divide is among black people because of this.. Some are about what they "deserve" and others are about What they are going to go out and do for "themselves."

This does not discount that black people as a whole have more to prove to make it. Everyday he has some type of sterotypical obsticle to overcome. But as a confident black man, he doesn't let this stop him from succeeding.

First time in my life i have heard about racism, have seen and have felt it here - in NAmerica. Never in my life i could imagine people hating each other due to their color. Quite opposite, it was interesting to me to meet germans, english, chinese, americans, who lived and worked in my country. It looked exotic to me!
After all these years in Canada, i understood where racism comes from. Imagine yourself that where you live there are more blacks and asians than whites. Where you lived all your life, your homeland, is filled with 'visible minorities' who dont speak english, who dont respect you, who like to show off that they are NOT with you, and so on.
You get the point?

Originally posted by KJPotter

Juko, you sound really racist, in the respect that you feel that people have come to "YOUR" country and don't respect you... It sounds like you expect a lot.

Again you misunderstood me. I said that i understand how it feels to be white being the minority - never meant that i feel the same way.

I live in San Diego, right on the Mexican border, and we have people coming here every single day. They don't speak our language of english, and they get free medical insurance, etc... While that isn't easy to swallow, on the whole, people have the right to live pretty much where they want.
Just because a county might be the majority white people, and then, all of a sudden, you are the minority, doesn't make that wrong.

Then you have to deal with the consequences: racism; lower quality of life in general due to large part of population being poor; and loss of nation's culture.

MANY years ago North America didn't even "BELONG" to the white people.

That was many years ago. If you want to correct it, move everybody out, and give everything americans achieved to indians and let them live how they want. Or, if you suggest that every man could decide where to live, just imagine what happens if 1 billion of indians move to USA - they certainly want to live here more than there. Think about it.

Back to the real topic of this thread...
I think that there are definately stereo types that are on all people. But, I think that black people have had it the hardest. They are judged just by the color of their skin. That's wrong. I don't know what it is like to live in a country and be judged solely on the basis of the color or my skin, and not on the person that I am. People of color have had to fight, tooth and nail, to get past the stereotypes in this country.
One of my mom's best friends is an Africian American woman, and she is basically a second mother to me. It's funny when we intro ourselves as mother and daughter, and watching people's reactions. They are shocked to hear that.
Someone was talking about how there is "slang" talk... and yes, I've heard many a black person talk like that. But, I've heard many a white person, mexican person, asian person, etc... talk slang of some form. So what. It might not be how I talk... and it might not be how someone else talks... but it's how that particular person talks.

You should understand that english is a language and has certain rules and grammar that have to be followed. If nobody followes those rules, what will language turn into after certain time?

too funny, bit

[QUOTE]CriX said this in post #1 :
[B]I hope this doesn't offend... I'm not trying to make any critical statements.

I'm curious about the types of peer pressure felt by young black boys and girls... from early years of grade school throughout highschool and college.

There's a lot of culture that is distinctively black. The image of the "gansta," is portrayed and primarily propogated through rap music videos which are watched and emulated mostly by black youth. Some white people choose this style / attitude but not many. The point is that you see most black people in america that are into this style, gangsta or "thugged out" which leads to my question: Is there peer pressure to adopt these styles, to "act black" over other styles which appear to be more white?

Is there peer pressure to not act white?

I know I've also seen a lot of sophisticated young black men and women that are wearing nice clothes and have an aura of intelligence and poise. Is this seen as selling out?



YOU ARE VERY WRONG MY FRIEND. YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FACTS WRONG A THUG OR GANGSTER HOW EVER U WANT TO CALL IT ITS NEVER BEEN A STYLE OR SHOULD I SAY FOR THE MINORITY ITS A WAY OF LIFE. NOW IF U LIVE IN THE SUBBURBS THEN U ARE ACTING OR USING IT AS A STYLE. BUT WHEN U AND YOUR FAMILY DEPEND ON THE STREETS TO EAT AND LIVE, AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS DOING THE SAME, THEN TO EVERYONE ELSE THAT'S NOT ON THE STREETS WE ARE PORTRAYED IT AS THUGS OR GANGSTERS.

WE ARE NOT BEEN PRESSURE. THERE IS NO PEER PRESSURE, THERE IS JUST NOT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME MINORITIES DUE TO RACIAL CONCEPT PEOPLE STILL HAVE THIS DAYS. THE REASON HIP HOP IS THE #1 SELLER RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT LISTEN TO IT, BEEN THROUGH OR ARE GOING THROUGH WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. FOR MY UNDERSTANDING THERE ARE MANY WHITE PEOPLE OR SHOULD I SAY OTHER CULTURES THAT ARE GOING THRU THE SAME ROUGH TIMES IN LIFE, SO IT'S NOT JUST BLACK PEOPLE AND IF YOU WANT A BETTER UNDERSTANDING, GO CHECK OUT THE URBAN COMMUNITY OUT.

YOU ARE VERY WRONG MY FRIEND. YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FACTS WRONG A THUG OR GANGSTER HOW EVER U WANT TO CALL IT ITS NEVER BEEN A STYLE OR SHOULD I SAY FOR THE MINORITY ITS A WAY OF LIFE. NOW IF U LIVE IN THE SUBBURBS THEN U ARE ACTING OR USING IT AS A STYLE. BUT WHEN U AND YOUR FAMILY DEPEND ON THE STREETS TO EAT AND LIVE, AND EVERYONE AROUND YOU IS DOING THE SAME, THEN TO EVERYONE ELSE THAT'S NOT ON THE STREETS WE ARE PORTRAYED IT AS THUGS OR GANGSTERS.

WE ARE NOT BEEN PRESSURE. THERE IS NO PEER PRESSURE, THERE IS JUST NOT A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOME MINORITIES DUE TO RACIAL CONCEPT PEOPLE STILL HAVE THIS DAYS. THE REASON HIP HOP IS THE #1 SELLER RIGHT NOW IS BECAUSE MOST OF THE PEOPLE THAT LISTEN TO IT, BEEN THROUGH OR ARE GOING THROUGH WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. FOR MY UNDERSTANDING THERE ARE MANY WHITE PEOPLE OR SHOULD I SAY OTHER CULTURES THAT ARE GOING THRU THE SAME ROUGH TIMES IN LIFE, SO IT'S NOT JUST BLACK PEOPLE AND IF YOU WANT A BETTER UNDERSTANDING, GO CHECK OUT THE URBAN COMMUNITY OUT.

hmmm old but intersting thread

I grew up in the suburbs, and I always find it funny when black or white people try to be "gangsta"

adressing ebonics: That's just how black people talk. Some more than others. It's really not all that different from rednecks talking, just left over southern flavor. But now that it's "cool" to be black (thank you MTV) people use a lot of catch phrases.