You could say that acting black or white is not black and white. It's somewhat a mixture of stereotypes of the opposite race and identifying common characteristics of your race and doing the opposite. I think there's a significant difference between someone who naturally identifies with a certain culture (fashion-wise, musically, etc.) and someone who is doing things to reject their own race. Instead of rejecting obvious negative issues within the black community, they reject all that they know as black. I've worked with, gone to school with, and have distant family members like this. I think a lot time is spent describing who isn't an "oreo" and little on what one actually is. The result is people with less experience in the topic still end up lacking a proper understanding. A simplified comparison is how some flamboyant homosexuals reject manhood and attempt to mimic women but it comes off as unauthentic. Their speech, mannerisms, and overall style is more of a statement than a natural expression of who they truly are, imo. An "oreo" is unauthentic. I had a female cousin that, as a teenager, miraculously developed a "valley girl" accent with friends and an aversion to respect for her parents. Of course, these are not white characteristics, they are white teenage stereotypes that she chose to pretend to align with. I think you can "act white", "act black", and "act American". There is slang that mostly whites use, slang that blacks mostly blacks use, and slang that nearly everyone uses. There's clothes that mostly whites wear casually, clothes mostly blacks where casually, and clothes that nearly all wear casually. I believe the argument becomes confusing for some because they can not discern between what is American and what is white, partly because America is mostly white.
All you need to know about cultural differences between blacks and whites can be learned by watching the first ten minutes or so of The Jerk.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dOI6wk2emxQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Chris Broussard brought some great thoughts to the conversation. Thought I would share it in case any of you missed it.
Duke is loved because they are massively successful. they have the highest winning percentage in the tourney and have the most championships and final fours since Coach K came around. It isn't really about white guys.
I thought that it was stated on the documentary that Chris Webber came from a pretty poor family and that he barely scratched a living for himself as a college student? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the reason C-Webb (and all those other players) who took money from that one guy was mainly because he had very little money in his pocket.
I am not sure where Jalen Rose was going with his comments. I mean, why would he share his feelings in that documentary if he wasn't trying to build the case that he was wrong and he wanted to share that. Me thinks that he still feels the way he did when he was 18 and just done and goofed. Beyond that, this is an interesting debate. Amongst basketball fans I don't see any kind of pattern with race. But I do notice that their is a class difference amongst my black friends regarding which teams they gravitate towards. Their background does influence whether they root for the fav five or a Duke team. Not because of what color the players are, but for what they players represent from a class perspective. Heck, even I kind don't like the white boys club feel of Duke. Whether it is real or not, it certainly feels real. And I do know a lot of whites who detest basketball and claim hockey is a real sport. Asked why they dislike it and you hear everything from too many whistles to too much scoring, to the game isn't decided until the 4th quarter, and also that it's only about being tall and nothing about endurance or real athleticism...not like Hockey is. I think race and class play a role, and no one ever talks about it. Maybe they should.
I nver watch hockey but I bet it is less of a WWF event than the NBA these days. How is something an athletic competition when you have refs in prison? Superstars having a different set of rules?
The media loves them. You could also say (and be right) that Cowboys and Yankees are not loved, but they are always on TV.
what's funny is that that's what they all want Webber to do/have done to be accepted by the UM program
I don't agree with his comparison, but I see the point he's trying to make. Even when Notre Dame is terrible (a while now), they are still making the front page. The difference is ND's popularity has maintained strong despite a long success drought and multiple head coaches who failed; Duke basketball is 100% Coach K. We'll see how the school fares once he leaves.
