You know, stereotypes aren’t nearly as bad as people make them out to be...
Blondes are ditsy
Americans are ignorant
The Irish are drunkards
And black guys shoot people.
Now....
When a person finds themselves subject to stereotyping I find that they only really have 2 options available to them:
1.Embrace them. Play up to the stereotype in an attempt to garner the positive traits associated with that image.
OR...
2.Steer against them. Attempt to actively go against the pre existing expectations of your Character. “Wear” the unexpected,” say” the unexpected and “like” the un expected
Now regardless of which of these two options you take, your actions are still very much effected by the stereotype itself.
WELCOME TO THE MY WORLD BITCHES! The internal struggle between being myself (or “keeping it real” as my people like to say) and NOT coming across as a cliché.
I love Video games...
I also love hardcore underground rap...
Now....
I would like you all to draw a circle in your mind consisting of people you know that listen to hardcore underground rap...
Then I'd like you to create a separate circle of those who avidly play video games (Note: Dr Dre, Snoop doog, Eminem or other 90’s Rap acts don’t count. They must be followers of the modern scene...)
I love Video games...
I also love hardcore underground rap...
Now....
I would like you all to draw a circle in your mind consisting of people you know that listen to hardcore underground rap...
Then I'd like you to create a separate circle of those who avidly play video games (Note: Dr Dre, Snoop doog, Eminem or other 90’s Rap acts don’t count. They must be followers of the modern scene...)
If my calculations are correct (which they seldom are) the two circles are probably about as far apart as the Mandela Peace prize and The Former Italian leader Benito Mussolini...
That said, some of you might still have a person or two which you believe fits into both circles so, let’s further expand the search by adding the following criteria...
How many of those people ALSO like Anime (Japanese animation)
AND
NBA basketball / Basketball Culture
Now at this point I feel confident in saying that the search pool has officially come up blank.
There’s me...and some of you may have a few other friends, however I very much doubt that the number for any of you goes beyond 5...
My point, or rather my question is this:
What do you do when your two main cultural identities are culturally incompatible?
Goths tend to hang out with other Goths
Chavs Hang with fellow Chavs...
black dudes stick with black dudes
Asians with Asians...
Even people who HATE the mainstream social groups tend to form their own “Outcast, Counter-culture” (Which ironically becomes a culture in of itself, complete with certain accepted likes, dislikes, music tastes and gathering venues)
Truth is it would be much EASIER to simply conform to one Social stereotype as opposed to be half a member of two.
The word “conform” comes with a negative Connotation, but, If i COULD somehow fit neatly into 1, I'd do it.
It would surely help eliviate the anxiety you (and by you I mean “I”) often get of not REALLY fitting in to your current social group...
My black friends are all good to play ball with but...Generally no good at helping me work out which of my level 100 pokemon to have lead my party against a “Rain dance” team (Don’t worry if that that sentence didn’t make sense to you...just means you have a life)
In the meantime. My geek friends are great when I want to talk about why Final fantasy 10 had the greatest story in a final fantasy game but not so great when there’s a girl at the bar and I need a confident wing man to step up and whisk away her fat friend...
The life of a black geek...what can ya do.
1.
What do you do when your two main cultural identities are culturally incompatible?
Goths tend to hang out with other Goths
Chavs Hang with fellow Chavs...
black dudes stick with black dudes
Asians with Asians...
Even people who HATE the mainstream social groups tend to form their own “Outcast, Counter-culture” (Which ironically becomes a culture in of itself, complete with certain accepted likes, dislikes, music tastes and gathering venues)
Truth is it would be much EASIER to simply conform to one Social stereotype as opposed to be half a member of two.
The word “conform” comes with a negative Connotation, but, If i COULD somehow fit neatly into 1, I'd do it.
It would surely help eliviate the anxiety you (and by you I mean “I”) often get of not REALLY fitting in to your current social group...
My black friends are all good to play ball with but...Generally no good at helping me work out which of my level 100 pokemon to have lead my party against a “Rain dance” team (Don’t worry if that that sentence didn’t make sense to you...just means you have a life)
In the meantime. My geek friends are great when I want to talk about why Final fantasy 10 had the greatest story in a final fantasy game but not so great when there’s a girl at the bar and I need a confident wing man to step up and whisk away her fat friend...
The life of a black geek...what can ya do.
1.
