Comments on: Keeping Black Friends

By: Gececik

Gececik — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:49:29 +0000

I’m white and a late on this, but have to add a few that I have witnessed over the years that bother me

- Going to one all black event or reading the Autobiography of Malcolm X does not make you an expert in the “black experience”, so do NOT try to correct your black friend about said experience

- If you ask a black friend over for dinner do not serve soul food unless it is in your normal food rotation

-Do not send your black friends Kwaanza cards and all your other friends X-mas cards

- Do not act surprised if a black person likes classical music or opera or other “high culture”. Um, Marion Anderson, Dean Dixon et al?

-If you are talking to black parents, do not start on the, “Oh it must be so hard to raise a black child in America” thing

By: Lynn

Lynn — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:18:38 +0000

hilarious. i feel i may have violated (with love) all these rules. so glad you have yet to disown me!

By: perksnrec

perksnrec — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 22:52:08 +0000

Reality is so different for everybody. I’m American Indian and when it came up in HIGH school the girl next to me asked if my grandparents lived in a tepee. Sometimes it’s offensive and sometimes it’s just people who don’t know any better, trying to learn more.

By: Dia

Dia — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:07:35 +0000

I would have just gotten up and left

By: ASmith

ASmith — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:26:47 +0000

Damon would probably discourage what I’m about to do, but…

now why would I want to touch your hair? I don’t know, sir. Let’s ask all the people over the years who have asked to touch my hair, shall we?

I like watermelon,why shouden’t any one else? Do you make it a point to go around asking people if they like watermelon? Is this normal fodder for conversation? If so, ok… clearly this doesn’t apply to you. When you’re eating your beloved watermelon, do you offer some to everyone, or just the ones you think will like it? If it’s the latter… who are those people? I’m really just asking, obviously I don’t know you.

If a white freind ask you a question like “why do you ware your hair in a weave all the time, it’s becouse they are interested in knowing more about you.
Fair enough. But would you agree that there are other ways to get to know a person that might be far more relevant to who they are?

By: OneChele

OneChele — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:18:35 +0000

I did a similar post called A Few Things Never to Ask Black People (especially bougie ones): http://www.blacknbougie.com/2009/07/few-things-never-to-ask-black-people.html

By: DICK

DICK — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:02:15 +0000

I’m a non-black, and I’m reading your comments and I’m thinking “man, are they touchy, don’t do this, and don’t do that”, now why would I want to touch your hair? I like watermelon,why shouden’t any one else? And what about fried chicken, is that a no-no too? If I tell somebody they look like so and so, it’s becouse the “so and so” is well know and a celeberty and it’s meant as acompliment. Some people, black or white, look alike. And, not all white people play sports either, but its not uncommon to ask a new white friend if he,or she, played any sport, so why should Mr. White not ask Mr. Black the same thing? If a white freind ask you a question like “why do you ware your hair in a weave all the time, it’s becouse they are interested in knowing more about you.

By: mts

mts — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:28:17 +0000

To Danni: ROTFLMAO!!!! Now that is funny. No kool-aid huh?
But here is one for you, DO NOT send me one of those emails that talks about being a “Real America” means I want to own a gun, vote Republican, stop whining about being a minority, so on and so on. Me —–>
I twist my hair every morning before I go to work, then have to listen to “your hair is so beautiful, my hair would never do that” ((insert the eye roll)) unbelievable.

By: Danni

Danni — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:55:04 +0000

frequent lurker…but coming out to share share.

ok so today, I saw the feed from the press conference in which the cop in the Gates arrest said that all was well after the beer with the president and they planned to have another talk over the phone and then maybe they would try something non-alcoholic like a “kool-aid or ice tea”. Uhm, this reminded me of this KBF post.
May we add suggesting kool-aid as a drink to you black friend to the list.

I thought his choice of words was poor considering all that just went down.

By: MissKCP

MissKCP — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 06:56:24 +0000

Okay, what about the non-blacks that “talk black” around black people? I don’t mean ebonics, or even slang… I mean trying to talk in a black dialect.