Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There is a comic strip artist named Aaron McGrueger(sp) that does the Boondocks, which became an animated hit on Adult Swim. It pokes fun not only at American pop culture, but what they believe is African American culture. Though Huey Freeman takes the whole black power thing too far, he's the only "normal" AA other than Tom and in some cases you can relate with.
Best episode is where the shown BET is actually a Legion of Doom-esque headquarters with the goal of dumbing down AAs, look it up on youtube.
I love The Boondocks. I cannot speak for all Black Americans, but most of my circle were aware of it, even those that did not have cable. The MLK episode is a classic. I'm pretty sure we are not unusual in that regards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by malamute
I think if anything there are many black American cultures. But then if someone is black but is from Nigeria or Uganda or Mexico or England, their culture will be very different.
Tony Brown used to have a program that dealt with black culture that was quite interesting -- but even that didn't deal with one monolith culture.
Agreed. I think Black Caribbean and Black African cultures have some distinct differences from Black Americans (as in the descendants of slaves, those who've been here for multiple generations). And there are definitely regional and class differences among Black Americans though some things we have in common. Still, we're not the Borg, a fact that gets lost frequently.
I remember Tony Brown's show! Tony Brown's Journal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aleecya
I come from a very educated lot of black people from the northeast so my experience is vastly different than some one that grew up in a more urban or southern environment.
This exactly. I mean there would be a full list just for the black upper class (Jack & Jill anyone? 95% of white people have no idea what I'm talking about right now. LOL.) but then the post would get too long and convoluted if we tried breaking it down into subgroups. Plus its only matter of time before some of the more flame throwing members of CD find this thread and turn it into a race baiting orgy. LOL
Anyone remember a book from the 90s called Buppies, Bboys, Baps and Bohos? That gets at cultural differences among subgroups of blacks in an entertaining way. Eugene Robinson more recently wrote a great book called Disintegration on the subject as well. It's a really good read, I highly recommend it.
Barbeques and Block Party's: When we cook our ribs, the whole neighborhood shuts down. We literally close down streets for these occasions.
Dancing: From Jerking to stepping
Church
Church
Church
Church
Did I mention Church?
Football, Basketball, And Track are the only sports to us.
Band: If your not playing a sport, your in the school band.
Choir: If your not in the band, your in choir.
Well I think I ansered this once a long while back, but I can answer this in a general way. "Black American" culture:
Stepshows.
Going to a college football game where everyone is only there to see the band's halftime show.
Huge family reunions where at some point everyone does the Electric Slide. Or the Wobble. Or the Cha Cha Slide.
Huge family weddings where at one point everyone does the Electric Slide. Or the Wobble. Or the Cha Cha Slide.
Someone talking you to see Alvin Ailey when you are young and it being one of the best outings of your life.
Being extremely familiar with a whole lot of black actors and actresses most non black people barely realize exists.
Being extremely familiar with a whole catalog of movies and TV shows starring black actors white people sorta know about but not really (like say Gabrielle Union, huge romantic comedy star to black people, "that girl from Bring It On" for everyone else" LOL).
Barber Shops as the place you go to talk politics and life.
Three hour waits at the beauty parlor, and it's normal to you.
Your older relatives trying to strong arm you into becoming a Delta, AKA, Q, Kappa, Sigma or Alpha. No one talks about Zetas. LOL
Never leaving your house unless every single piece of clothing is very clean and pressed and every hair on your head is LAID.
NEVER letting your children look anything less than brand new. Especially a female child's hair.
Knowing what the following words mean: Trifling. Common. Ratchet. (Hint: It's all the same thing).
Sitting in a hot church in Sunday mornings fanning yourself with a big old paper fan.
Deaconess Hats. Very big.
Red Kool Aid.
I'm sire I can think of more later. There's much more LOL.
THIS ^ spoken in terms of experience but not really the book definition of black culture lol. In my opinion you can't really define it to understand, you have to experience how we live.
I was responding to another post about a guy feeling alienated from his adopted white parents and some of the responses are " you should expose that child to black culture can someone on here tell me what that is"
I do not mean African, like people from Africa because that would be african culture not Black American culture... Please some one help me out here what is Black American Culture
Just a note...the OP in the post you are mentioning in not an American black person. He was born and raised in England.
Well I think I ansered this once a long while back, but I can answer this in a general way. "Black American" culture:
Stepshows.
Going to a college football game where everyone is only there to see the band's halftime show.
Huge family reunions where at some point everyone does the Electric Slide. Or the Wobble. Or the Cha Cha Slide.
Huge family weddings where at one point everyone does the Electric Slide. Or the Wobble. Or the Cha Cha Slide.
Someone talking you to see Alvin Ailey when you are young and it being one of the best outings of your life.
Being extremely familiar with a whole lot of black actors and actresses most non black people barely realize exists.
Being extremely familiar with a whole catalog of movies and TV shows starring black actors white people sorta know about but not really (like say Gabrielle Union, huge romantic comedy star to black people, "that girl from Bring It On" for everyone else" LOL).
Barber Shops as the place you go to talk politics and life.
Three hour waits at the beauty parlor, and it's normal to you.
Your older relatives trying to strong arm you into becoming a Delta, AKA, Q, Kappa, Sigma or Alpha. No one talks about Zetas. LOL
Never leaving your house unless every single piece of clothing is very clean and pressed and every hair on your head is LAID.
NEVER letting your children look anything less than brand new. Especially a female child's hair.
Knowing what the following words mean: Trifling. Common. Ratchet. (Hint: It's all the same thing).
Sitting in a hot church in Sunday mornings fanning yourself with a big old paper fan.
Deaconess Hats. Very big.
Red Kool Aid.
I'm sire I can think of more later. There's much more LOL.
While what you wrote is true... There's a lot more and more depth. I am Going to bed now but will add to this by adding more depth ....in a couple of days
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
