Everything's Black and White

I got a lot out of Tuesdays discussion and wanted to go back and discuss it again. The idea that we as a society have come up with a stereotype of the black person. Yes we have done it with many other ethnicity's but I want to focus on this one. For some reason people have put a label on what the common "black male" looks like. This is wrong in more ways than one and has become something of a common statement for people. When a white male dresses with a big shirt and baggy jeans people do not think well maybe they are hand me downs and he can't afford new clothes or maybe that is just the way he likes to dress, no instead people say " o he is trying to look black". We have put a way people dress into a category and people will judge them without even getting to know them based 100% on how they dress. Think about in a school when a teacher sees a kid with baggy clothes and jeans most would automatically assume " ok that is going to be a problem student". This is sad because that's how our society is we base judged on looks and throw people into a category of who they are based on what they are wearing. Its the same way when you flip it around, a black male dresses in a polo and khakis and speaks a certain way, and people may say he is trying to be white. It is sad that we have come up with such a way to focus on this aspect of people and instead of seeing them for who they are we judge them before we know them. I believe slowly we may be able to make a change in this area, I know it will never happen in my generation but maybe others. People need to get passed this barrier and see people for who they are not how they talk or dress, everybody is unique and is a bit different from the next, so maybe we can start learning who people really are instead of who we think they are.


Peter Ferguson Post #4