When did you identify with your race?

[deoridhe]

I recently read a post in which a woman from the midwest in the US asked an entire community: "What's it like to be black?" The cries of horror, lectures, and congratulations for seeking out different information still ringing in my ears, I was struck with another question - when had I become white?

So now I put this to you all, my friends list - when did you become identified with a color/shade on the color spectrum and what is it like being identified with that color?

What's it like to be red, yellow, black, or white?

Comments

[deoridhe.livejournal.com]

Ur, so people who drink strawberry soda are intrinsically different from those who don't, then? The basic confusion remains.

[queenmadeline.livejournal.com]

My point was races are different and stereotypes are often justified. The reason I brought up the strawberry soda thing was because it is just one example of a racial stereotype that I know is justified. That is that black people love strawberry and watermelon things, much more so than other races.

So yes different, but not inferior/superior.

[deoridhe.livejournal.com]

So... "black" people like strawberries? Does that mean my roommate shingan is "black," 'cause she's ALL about the strawberries. It's about the only fruit she eats!

[queenmadeline.livejournal.com]

No, there are people of all races that like strawberries. However, pretty much ALL black people LOVE them. They also love watermelon and fried chicken. These are foods that if you're having a black person over for dinner you can't go wrong with.

I have seen this with my own eyes. I wish you could come with me to work one day so you could see how justified this is. You would hear black person after black person ordering strawberry soda, and you would see that hardly any white or mexican people order it. When black people walk in the door, I preemptively make some strawberry sodas because there's such a good chance that's what they're going to order.

[deoridhe.livejournal.com]

So, if I had a friend who liked sushi who happened to be "black" I should serve them chicken instead because they must like chicken? And have strawberries for dessert?

Your experiences are more important than dealing with people as individuals?

[fireba11.livejournal.com]

Pardon my butting-in, but... most of my black friends (and even dark-skinned people I've observed with whom I'm not acquainted) seem to have a preference for various fruit-flavored sodas. Especially grape soda. The same stereotype seems to hold true with fried chicken, watermelon, menthol cigarettes, and any number of other cultural identifiers that tend to skew more towards one community than another.

Reasons why? Who knows. I've never cared enough to delve into it and find out if there's something there, or if it's all just happenstance. More on this in another post...