#thingsblackgirlsdo and other self-deprecating bullshit

Most of the people I e-interact with know that I'm on Twitter a good deal (although not as much as of late), and while it's definitely not enough to base a thesis on, watching TTs (that's trending topics for you non-tweeters) has led me to a conclusion that I'd like to discuss.

Many of us have "drunk the kool-aid." We've bought into the negative stereotypes of ourselves. The following are some of the TTs and tweets I've seen:

#doesntmeanyourblack [sic] (I know it should be "you're" not "your" but that was the TT...)
#nowthatsghetto
#blackfolks "want an iPad but haven't paid their car note, rent or child support"
"black people: child support. white people: house note"

The the majority of people perpetrating the stereotypical foolishness are the same ones that these TTs target. The offending TT de jour is #thingsblackgirlsdo. And folks are having a field day with it. Observe some of the tamer tweets:

#thingsblackgirlsdo try to have kids wit a nigga coz he got "good hair"
#thingsblackgirlsdo get emotional on twitter and be wanting to fight over words that disappear smh
#ThingsBlackGirlsDo go to the club lookin like a million bucks but be broke as fuck lookin for a nigga to buy her drinks!
#ThingsBlackGirlsDo get foodstamps sell them for more than they worth
#thingsblackgirlsdo get loud in any public place
#thingsblackgirlsdo drive to a destination to go fight

Now there are a lot of people trying to put some positivity out there (among my favs: #thingsblackgirlsdo ROCK!!) but overall... SMH. And of course the onslaught of negativity brought about another TT:

#ThingsBlackMenDo With no Job Experience or Education gets pissed cuz they cant find a Good Paying Non Factory Job
#ThingsBlackMenDo could tell u everything about the Lebron decision...but couldnt name one major court decision in American history
#thingsblackmendo sell weed so they aint gotta get a real job
#thingsblackmendotry every way possible to get around the law

#thingsblackmendo hav 3, 4 baby mommas an call all of dem hoesm.. #sideeye [sic]

#ThingsBlackmenDo have side chicks fighting/hating each other and the main chick don't have a clue what's goin on....

My main issue is that it's us dogging us. Of course it would be upsetting to see "others" going in on us, but to me it wouldn't be as surprising. But for blacks to dog each other out for the whole Twitterverse to see is disheartening. Even if it is in jest--after all, there's some hint of honesty in every "joke" someone makes. Some people are believing the things they type. And by no means am I saying that everything is all roses with us as a people. Many of the tweets about what black people do can be applied to any other group of people (because each group is diverse and encompasses both good and bad). But the fact that everyone seems to associate black with the bad traits shows that we have bought into the lie that society has pushed onto us. Black is bad, wrong, negative, ugly, evil. We've been bombarded with that sentiment for so long that it's seeped into our collective psyche and now we are regurgitating it back into the universe. And not just on Twitter, but in our every day lives. So many of our people have a defeated outlook... They believe the negativity that swirls around them and it becomes a self-manifestation.

Instead of falling in line with that, how about we make a conscious effort to represent ourselves, our people, and our culture in a positive light, and then reflect that positivity in every aspect of our lives.

#Thatisall.

The Black Card

No, I'm not talking about the AmEx (or is it Visa/MasterCard/Discover? I'm not even "baller" enough to know which is the status symbol ) with the unlimited spending power. 

 

I'm talking about the ambiguous mythological "black card" or "black pass" that is constantly being turned in or revoked amongst ourselves (black people) and issued to non-blacks. Yesterday during "Mayergate" (if you missed it you didn't miss much) @TweetMeBlack had this to say:

 

We are the only race of people that are FOREVER trying to award people w/
blackness... I've never had an asian, white, award me w/ theirs. 

Especially when most times these hood & nigger passes are handed out to
whites for ridiculous behaviors! #Ugotarrested? #ublacknow

Interesting thought, no? What does it really say, the fact that we are willing to give away "blackness" and the reasons we cite for doing so? Of course, many people would say that someone of another race should feel "honored" to be given this "black pass" because it means that they are being accepted, embraced, yadda yadda yadda. I guess I can see what they are saying to an extent. Who wouldn't want to wear the badge of cool, power, and endurance known as BLACKNESS? (In reality, probably more than they'd imagine, but that's the thinking.) But come on, is that really all being black is? Of course not. And the things this pass is awarded for... You know the lyrics to all of Jay-Z's songs? You got multiple baby mommas/daddies? You got the "black girl" neck roll down to a T? You wear your pants off your ass? Whaaat, you speak ebonics, too?! Oh you're down! *in Oprah mode* You get a black card, and you get a black card, and you get a black card!

 

And what about those who feel the need to pull someone's black card? Members of our race who do not have certain "common" characteristics or don't fit the mold for what's considered Black (for example, Black Republicans) are said to have turned in their black card. I can't count the number of times I've had my black card revoked for random infractions, including not liking soul food or kool-aid, not knowing who certain "it" rappers were, talking "white" (since when does white equal proper? I missed the memo) and not living in the "hood."
Really, is that all it takes to be black or lose out on my blackness? Can I not value my heritage, where we as a people have come from and the contributions of those that look like me because of such frivolous issues? My black experience isn't black enough? These assumptions indicate that we are all a homogeneous people with stereotypical traits, do they not?
Yeah, okay... When I hit that glass ceiling in corporate America or get followed around the store I'm sure I'll be issued an immediate apology once I explain that I no longer have my black card...
I'd venture to say that those who are willing to give away "black cards" to others do not fully appreciate what it means to be black. I'd also state that they are not aware of the value of the ethnicity of the "recipient" of their gift. Think about it: could it be that you don't hear of "Chinese cards," "Jewish cards," etc. because of their love, respect and understanding of their heritage & culture. Of course I understand that we were not able to maintain our own culture as others has, but that's no excuse (and I know you know what excuses are).
I'm all for loving and embracing people of other races, cultures, etc. Open up, be "down" with one another, all that good stuff. But handing out "black cards"? Irrelevant and unnecessary.