Race/Ethnicity
Questions 61-70
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THE
QUESTION:
R70: In the past several years, I have noticed a lot of crown
air fresheners in the automobiles of African Americans. I have rarely
seen them in the cars of Caucasians. Does the crown have some
significance?
POSTED MARCH 21, 1998
Diane R., Plymouth, MI
ANSWER 1:
I live in a suburb about 15 minutes away from Detroit, and
I also have noticed the same. I have seen the crowns in stores as air
fresheners, but I have heard there is a deeper meaning to them than
their sweet smell. A few years back in Detroit, a man by the name of
Malice Green was killed by Detroit police. Also, in the L.A. riots
preceded the beating of Rodney King. I have been told that the crowns
signify a remembrance of the two incidents.
POSTED MARCH 24, 1998
VK, MI
FURTHER NOTICE:
They are air fresheners that may only be sold in the
minority community.
POSTED MARCH 24, 1998
Rain, 43, Dallas, TX
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I disagree that crown air fresheners are sold only in
minority communities. I have seen them in suburban Kmarts, car
washes, etc.
POSTED MARCH 29, 1998
David H. 30, white, Royal Oak, MI
FURTHER NOTICE 3
In my community, we see the crown air fresheners in mostly
Latino vehicles. The significance to me is different. Our local
Portuguese communities hold yearly Holy Ghost festivals. We recently
had a party to celebrate a relative being chosen as "queen" and gave
those air fresheners as party favors. To our family, it means
something religious/cultural.
POSTED JUNE 9, 1998
L.H., Santa Rosa, CA
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THE QUESTION:
R69: It seems that African-American intellectuals often use
difficult words in sentences where easier words would suffice. Are
they aggressively responding to those who assume that they are
ignorant or merely asserting their brilliance?
D. VanBuskirk
<sooners85@aol.com>
Searcy, AR
ANSWER 1:
I'm white and a former MENSA member. I don't think this is
a racial question, since many white intellectuals also insist on
using more complicated verbiage than necessary to express themselves.
Reasons for using expanded vocabulary are: 1. The less-familiar word
has overtones that are more precisely expressive of the speaker's
thoughts - the Mot Juste. 2. The speaker enjoys the opportunity of
using words not commonly heard, as an assertion of personal style and
individuality. The English language is a thing of beauty and
diversity, and shouldn't be restricted to two-syllable words. 3. (On
occasion) the speaker is expressing this thought - "Your house is
more expensive than mine, your car is newer, your income is 10 times
mine, you got promoted over my head, but I know all these words that
you don't. Ha, ha, ha! Moron!"
POSTED MARCH 24, 1998
Colette, 32
<inkwolf@earthlink,net>
Seymour, WI
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THE QUESTION:
R68: I recently met a gentleman with the last name Nguyen. He
said that in his country, his last name is pronounced "Wang." I know
that Asian languages are character-based, and they do not use the
same alphabet as the English language. When people using one of these
languages write their name in English for the first time, how do they
arrive at Nguyen for "Wang?" It seems like any spelling could be
chosen, since English and these languages do not have any common
characters. Why choose a spelling that is not pronounced as it
looks?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Phillip W., Detroit, MI
ANSWER 1:
First of all, not all Asian languages are character-based.
If you read history, the Vietnamese people were very influenced by
the French. We've integrated many of our words together to form what
is now the Vietnamese language. We also changed the style of writing
from characters to actual letters, most resembling the French
alphabet. And this is the main reason we spell our last name the way
we do. Now, if you were to ask someone to say "Nguyen" in the native
tongue, it would most resemble "Win" instead of "Wang."
POSTED MARCH 25, 1998
Ms. Nguyen, Detroit, MI
FURTHER NOTICE:
To piggyback on Ms. Nguyen's answer, Tagalog (the main
dialect of the Philippines) is written in the Roman script and is not
character-based, as is Chinese. Moreover, the question, "Why choose a
spelling that is not pronounced as it looks?" might well be applied
to English, which has a notoriously inconsistent system of spelling
vs. pronunciation. As an example, look at the pronunciation of "gh,"
as in "enough" or "though." The same two letters, but two different
pronunciations!
POSTED JULY 18, 1998
Noisette, 27, Filipino-American, Seattle, WA
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THE QUESTION:
R67: My best friend is black and we've known each other for
more than 10 years. Over time, practically all of her black female
friends severed ties with her, saying she had "sold out" by
befriending me. This is so unfair, but I'm trying to understand the
basis of it. Any suggestions?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Sam L. Lansing, MI
ANSWER 1:
Unfortunately, there are still people who believe having a
close friendship with a person of an opposite race means you have
betrayed your own race. Unless this young woman's friendship with you
has caused her to disassociate herself from any and everything black,
she has not "sold out." It could be that over the years she has
picked up some of your mannerisms and ways of speaking that her
ex-friends may consider "acting white." If their friendship was based
on such superficialities to begin with - rather than what's in the
heart - then she's better off without them.
POSTED MARCH 24, 1998
Michelle, African American
<kmichell@umich.edu>
Ann Arbor, MI
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THE QUESTION:
R66: I work in areas with mostly black population(s) and
Arabic store owners. When I'm in their stores, they talk about black
people in the most negative way. They say they all try to steal from
them. I told them, if you serve mostly one type of group and you have
a theft problem, you can't blame the group. If you served a 50-50
mixed group and constantly had caught only one type of group, then
you might have a point. Was I right?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Kevin <star4478>
Detroit, MI
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THE QUESTION:
R65: Why do black people say that other black people who make
it in corporate America or other high-profile jobs are sell-outs?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Gary, 26, white male
<pillette@tdi.net>
Monroe, MI
ANSWER 1:
Success in mainstream America is perceived as giving in or
selling out to "The Man" instead of resisting. It's the same thing
with blacks who speak proper English as opposed to slang. They are
questioned about their "blackness," as if they are trying to be
something they're not. (Trying to be white.) Ludicrous, isn't it?
POSTED MARCH 21, 1998
John W., African American, Detroit, MI
FURTHER NOTICE:
I think John W.'s answer fails to do justice to the often
legitimate criticism/concern that a black person who "makes it" in
corporate America is a sell-out. The reality is that, even today,
those who are in the positions to determine whether, when, and to
what extent a black person is allowed an opportunity to advance are
largely white men (e.g., college admissions committees). I believe
these men continue to make such decisions in part on how well a given
black person "fits in," and "fitting in" often means "acting white."
(Yes, there is a such thing as acting white.)
If you disagree, go out in society and compare the background,
demeanor, social habits, personality and even spouses of, say, black
men who have made partner in America's largest private law firms.
Compare them to white men and you will see they act white, often
displaying behavior that markedly contrasts with the average black
male professional. Qualifications aside, their "whiteness" is the
reason whites felt comfortable enough to hire them in the first
place. (If you doubt that, too, compare the blacks that whites tend
to hire with the blacks that whites refuse jobs, even where the
qualifications are the same.)
Finally, consider that there is almost no chance any black person
who takes a job in a majority/historically white setting will not
encounter racism. The question is, what will he/she do when that
happens? If they point it out and try to "change" it, they're likely
to be fired. If they overlook it and stay quiet, they might keep
their jobs and even be rewarded (with promotions, etc.). So, the
notion is that in order to advance to any high level in "white"
corporate America, a black would be required to pretend that racism
doesn't exist; some really believe it and are, therefore, considered
sell-outs. I feel Justice Clarence Thomas is a prime example. As a
black man, were he not a sell-out, regardless of credentials, he
absolutely would not have been nominated and confirmed for the
Supreme Court. Blacks already know this; I wonder if whites do.
POSTED SEPT. 10, 1998
A.J.S., 26, black male
<ASalley@aol.com>,
Columbia, SC
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THE QUESTION:
R64: Why is it that in a poor area, where a lot of black
people live, they tend to find it more important to have a new car
than to have a better house or to be living in a better area?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Delbert, Detroit, MI
ANSWER 1:
It is not that most blacks who live in a poor area prefer
a nice car to a home, but as a result of racism and prejudice in
lending practices, it is easier for blacks to get a car loan than a
home loan. As we all know, home ownership is one of the first avenues
to wealth. Racism and prejudice dictate that the avenue is blocked to
blacks.
POSTED MARCH 21, 1998
Claire D., black female, Stone Mountain, GA
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THE QUESTION:
R63: I'm convinced that Michelle Tafoya, a reporter for CBS
Sports, is black. My family believes she is white. Which race is
she?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Mark M., Detroit, MI
ANSWER 1:
Often in American society, because of the
"one-drop-of-black-blood" theory, we try to categorize people into
white or black heritage. The fallacy of this theory is that black
blood is so powerful that it dominates the other 99 percent white
blood. When I look at Michelle Tofaya, she looks biracial to me. I
guess it's what we're looking for.
POSTED MARCH 31, 1998
B.J.W., 33, president, Unity, a Multiracial Social Group
Jacksonville, FL
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THE QUESTION:
R62: I would like to know why some black men wear a plastic
shower cap (or so it appears) covering their hair.
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Dennis C., 49, white, Jacksonville, FL
ANSWER 1:
There is a hairstyle called a "jheri curl" (a curly hair
style) that is activated by an oil spray and a plastic cap. Just as
some women wear curlers in public, some men wear the activator caps
in public.
POSTED MARCH 21, 1998
Rain, 43, black, Dallas
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THE QUESTION:
R61: I have noticed that some black men drive their cars with
the driver's seat in a fully reclining position, their heads barely
showing above the steering wheel and door. It seems like a strange,
dangerous thing to do. Is it a "gang" thing, or a "fashion" thing?
Any explanations for this?
POSTED MARCH 20, 1998
Artie, 46, white, Dallas
(Similar question posted June 24, 1998, by Mary D., MD)
ANSWER 1:
I drive in a more reclined position because it is more
comfortable to me. I find it odd that some people can drive so
upright; it appears they are kissing the windshield.
POSTED MARCH 28, 1998
Michael, 31, black
<Notlad2@webtv.net>
Ypsilanti, MI
FURTHER NOTICE:
Do people still do that? I thought it was a 1970s thing.
Back then, this driving position was called a "gangster lean"; there
was actually a popular song that described it, as well as describing
the "dream car" of the period. It isn't gang-related, however; it's
just a matter of what could be called personal style. Personally, I
would say it looks rather unsafe, although I've only seen it done at
slow speeds, usually in a "cruising" situation.
POSTED MARCH 28, 1998
PombaGira, 36, African American female, Detroit
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
Yes, this is still around, and it's not only blacks that
do it. The Puerto Rican and Mexican teenagers in my neighborhood do
it. Come to think of it, I've seen some of the white teenagers do it,
too. They all think it's cool!
POSTED MARCH 29, 1998
K. Lynn, black
<fortlynn@ix.netcom.com>
Chicago, IL
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