Black Culture Discussion Thread

[Public Enemy]

My fault. It was related to him (previously) saying something, then getting criticized for it, then him trying to twist it and make what he said okay. So it wasn't necessarily about him supporting someone, and more him making questionable statements.

He's definitely worthy of sympathy and I apologize if I made it seem like he wasn't. Its just been a minefield of trying to figure out which stories are true and which are false, but I shouldn't have made a flippant comment based on what little info I took in about his situation. My bad.

 

[Present]

What's the problem with young black men who value their appearance and acknowledge public perception?

Why is it "identity politics" or "being white"?

Black American men are one of the most diverse groups of people on the planet. We've been the vanguard of style / popular culture for decades.

We are Boyz II Men AND Jodeci, not Boyz II Men OR Jodeci.

The false dichotomy is wild.

 

[Nike Jordan]

R.I.P.

 

[finessence]

Please point out the responses that make you feel as such

A few young black men prefer professional/business attire over athletic wear.

Response: Booo!!! Identity politics! They're followers trying to fit in with white folks!!!

A grown black man shares the impact of his childhood trauma because his mother forced him to show her his private parts, then gaslights him / denies it ever happened, and his sister disregards his lived experiences and accuses him of being the problem.

Response: Booo!!! Who did he vote for?

A blonde-haired black misandrist shares her hate of and for black men, just because they wear clothes.

Response: Yaaaas Queen! Those worthless black men are just trying to be white! Never mind the hypocrisy of the fact that you choose to wear a white woman's hair color on your head - you have a point!

I thought dudes were disagreeing with that bozo chic. We agreed to let the young boys cook up

 

[DCAllAfrican]

My fault. It was related to him (previously) saying something, then getting criticized for it, then him trying to twist it and make what he said okay. So it wasn't necessarily about him supporting someone, and more him making questionable statements.

He's definitely worthy of sympathy and I apologize if I made it seem like he wasn't. Its just been a minefield of trying to figure out which stories are true and which are false, but I shouldn't have made a flippant comment based on what little info I took in about his situation. My bad.

It's cool but some folks have that very mindset. A Trump supporter doesn't deserve ____ (insert feeling).

Somof us still like to value black lives based on where we lie politically. People on this very site have explicitly stated that certain black folks don't deserve empathy/sympathy because of where they stand.

I just don't think that's right.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Prime example, to SOME telling this man to put down the got damn weed would probably be viewed as "Respectability Politics."

Put the damn weed down and serve the people dude.

 

[tokes99]

What's the problem with young black men who value their appearance and acknowledge public perception?

Why is it "identity politics" or "being white"?

Black American men are one of the most diverse groups of people on the planet. We've been the vanguard of style / popular culture for decades.

We are Boyz II Men AND Jodeci, not Boyz II Men OR Jodeci.

The false dichotomy is wild.

no problem with the quarter zip& matchas ting…and even tho i think it overstated folk to ‘praise’ the youngins for the switch up as some type of (counter)movement/statement against the ‘yn-ification’ presenting of youth, i don’t really have a problem that wishful thinking & stating that the young men are doing something ’good’ by presenting in this manner…

i could be wrong but it was started as being a funny thing & every iteration i’ve seen has that bent, the dichotomy IS kinda the joke it would seem…while it’s for jokes, that noted & actually to your false dichotomy point, someone questioning what IS actually funny or particularly impressive about folk putting on pullover zip sweaters and/or suits doesn’t strike me as ahht of pocket, even while wearing what appears to be a blonde hair hat

 

[Present]

i could be wrong but it was started as being a funny thing & every iteration i’ve seen has that bent, the dichotomy IS kinda the joke it would seem…while it’s for jokes, that noted & actually to your false dichotomy point, someone questioning what IS actually funny or particularly impressive about folk putting on pullover zip sweaters and/or suits doesn’t strike me as ahht of pocket, even while wearing what appears to be a blonde hair hat

Shorty was clearly irritated by young black men wearing clothes / being happy / existing.

Whatever narratives she decided to attach to these young men are her own, and she is welcome to them - even if her narratives say more about her than them.

Doing all that "trying to be white" talk while wearing a "blonde hair hat" was the chef's kiss.

I highly doubt those young men are concerned with her or her kind's opinions anyway.

I was just surprised to see black men agree with her / endorse her narratives. Especially in 2025.

We've seen this movie 1000 times before.

The black man vs black woman/misogyny vs misandry foolishness is getting hella old.

In reality, none of us should think twice about seeing a young black man walking down the street in a quarter zip or a shiesty mask or a young black woman wearing a business suit or a bonnet - as long as they aren't bothering us...who cares?

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Yea not sure why it keeps being stated that them wearing the zip ups won't cause any cultural shift or anything of the sorts; it's just a group of dudes wearing a clothing item. They didn't promote it as being a cultural shift so not sure where that even came from in the first place.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

#Respectabilities

 

[Present]

These narratives are ridiculous!

Research varies, but figures place the percentage of Black women within the nursing workforce at around 6.3% to 7.8%

Of that 7.8% let's be more than generous and estimate that half are "ratchet" or "city girls".

That leaves 3 to4%.

So you mean to tell me that the 4% of ratchet/city girl nurses in the entire nursing workforce were the reason for the Trump DOE to decide that nurses, physicians assistants, physical therapists, architects, accountants, educators, and social workers would no longer be considered for a "professional" degree?

How much of a hater do you have to be to come up with that foolishness, versus looking up the difference between a professional degree and a non-professional degree?

A 1965 federal law defined a "professional degree" as one that "signifies both completion of the academic requirements for beginning practice in a given profession and a level of professional skill beyond that normally required for a bachelor's degree."

I swear, all some of these folks know how to do is hate on other folks - most of all the ones who look just like them.

 

[deuce king]

In reality, none of us should think twice about seeing a young black man walking down the street in a quarter zip or a shiesty mask or a young black woman wearing a business suit or a bonnet - as long as they aren't bothering us...who cares?

This mentality of “who cares” or just let anyone do or wear whatever they want to wear is exactly why our collective image as a whole is in the gutter now. We all have or should have the spirit of discernment for a reason.

If I see a young black male rocking a shiesty I already know he’s mostly likely up to no good regardless if I see him doing something negatively at the time or not. If a see a young black woman rocking a bonnet out in public I already she’s the next candidate to be on the next episode of the Maury Povich show.

At some point in time as a collective body WE have to get back to having a set standard for ourselves and how we represent ourselves individually and as a whole. That “putting your head down and just letting people do whatever” mindset has gotten us nowhere…..and actually has set us back.

 

[tay1]

This mentality of “who cares” or just let anyone do or wear whatever they want to wear is exactly why our collective image as a whole is in the gutter now.

This that we gotta do better, pick ourselves up by the bootstrap mess that we not on anymore.

 

[finessence]

People pick and choose in terms of decorum and professionalism across the board……

It’s lacking in damn near all industries. Look who the damn president is. Again, society as whole has championed this. It’s ridiculous to single those nurses out. I don’t care.

As man who has seen it all, I’m not impressed or hard up for the physique of a woman anyway. That’s for dudes who are desperate and can’t control themselves.

Some women can’t help their shape. There’s literally no hiding it, no matter what they wear.

If you can’t control yourself around a woman in a professional or work setting… that’s a PERSONAL and internal problem

 

[DCAllAfrican]

We had a convo @ work about student dress code last year and one teacher talked about how she was tired of seeing students being allowed to come to school wearing dirty pajamas, carrying around blankets, the skull masks, bonnets, etc.
She talked about how it just makes the learning environment FEEL less of a learning environment and more like a big HOME.

Of course others had a problem with her saying that by responding with comments like, "Oh the kids go through so much that they should feel comfortable at school since it's a safe haven."

There was also this one teacher that felt there shouldn't be any restrictions in what female students should be allowed to wear because the same restrictions weren't applied to the male students. We are talking about no stomachs out, no low cut shirts, etc.

So it became a heated back and forth.

We went to uniforms this year because the Dean Team got sick of having to police what kids were wearing.

A few of the teachers got upset at the decision because she said uniforms negatively impact female students more than male students because it strips away their individual freedoms of expression.

I say all this to say that convos about what people should/shouldn't wear always bring out nasty discourse but people have to realize they can't do/wear what they want, WHEREVER they want. We are slowly creeping into a time period where people think they should have the right to do what they want at any given moment without it being checked.

Nah man, that ain't reality.

 

[maq25060]

Any adult saying pajamas are acceptable clothing items to wear in public is a damn fool.

You're not running out to grab your mail...youre about to be in front of others...have some pride about yourself and get dressed


I cant imagine how them kids smell.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

This that we gotta do better, pick ourselves up by the bootstrap mess that we not on anymore.

Is there any middle grown between

A. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps
B. People should be able to do whatever they want without any consequences/commentary?

It seems like people like to pretend those two extremes are the only options.

SHOULD behaviors not get called out? CAN they be called out without it being called, "Pull yourself up.....?"

Legit asking.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Any adult saying pajamas are acceptable clothing items to wear in public is a damn fool.

You're not running out to grab your mail...youre about to be in front of others...have some pride about yourself and get dressed


I cant imagine how them kids smell.

I have to make announcements weekly to these kids to wash their a**es. Weekly. Carry deodorant, bring a pack of wipes in your booking and freshen up after recess. Drink water. Carry gum. Groom.

Parents are letting them (or the kids ain't listening) walk out the house any type of way.

It's disgusting.

 

[tay1]

Is there any middle grown between

A. Pick yourself up by your bootstraps
B. People should be able to do whatever they want without any consequences/commentary?

It seems like people like to pretend those two extremes are the only options.

SHOULD behaviors not get called out? CAN they be called out without it being called, "Pull yourself up.....?"

Legit asking.

Depends on the setting.

In classrooms/businesses etc, I’m all for presenting yourself well.

When outside, do whatever you want. I dont judge people for wearing bonnets outside like some in here.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Depends on the setting.

In classrooms/businesses etc, I’m all for presenting yourself well.

When outside, do whatever you want. I dont judge people for wearing bonnets outside like some in here.

Where do you draw the line between JUDGING and forming a quick opinion of?

I feel we are human beings and because of how our brains work, it's practically impossible not to use past information when encountering/seeing something new.

We will all form an opinion about folks dressed a certain way while out. If we see a group of teenaged boys in ski masks, we will have an opinion. If we see a group of girls dressing like "the women of the night" walking outside @ 7 am, we will form an opinion.

If we see someone wearing a suit, we wouldn't be on alert AS much as we would if someone was out looking like an unkempt individual.

We form opinions on what we see and based on how people dress. It's involuntary.

But how do you (you) define JUDGING?

 

[Rootin4EverybodyBlack]

Depends on the setting.

In classrooms/businesses etc, I’m all for presenting yourself well.

When outside, do whatever you want. I dont judge people for wearing bonnets outside like some in here.

People want hard and fast rules for everything when it really depends on the setting.

I don’t wear my durag on work calls, but I do at the gym. Does that make me a hoodlum to some of y’all?

 

[tay1]

People want hard and fast rules for everything when it really depends on the setting.

I don’t wear my durag on work calls, but I do at the gym. Does that make me a hoodlum to some of y’all?

Some of them clutching their phone and getting ready to call you a thug as we speak for wearing a durag.

 

[tay1]

Where do you dry the line between JUDGING and forming a quick opinion of?

I feel we are human beings and because of how our brains work, it's practically impossible not to use past information when encountering/seeing something new.

We will all form an opinion about folks dressed a certain way while out. If we see a group of teenaged boys in ski masks, we will have an opinion. If we see a group of girls dressing like "the women of the night" walking outside @ 7 am, we will form an opinion.

If we see someone wearing a suit, we wouldn't be on alert AS much as we would if someone was out looking like an unkempt individual.

We form opinions on what we see and based on how people dress. It's involuntary.

But how do you (you) define JUDGING?

I don’t judge people’s character off of their clothing. Sorry.

The only thing I don’t like when it comes to clothing is when people have their *** out. Men or women. But that’s because I just feel it’s indecent.

I feel like we should be grown enough to understand that clothing shouldn’t define a persons character but I guess not.

In the situation you provided, I’m more worried about what neighborhood I’m in where i see these teenage boys more than the sheisty yall love to highlight. But I have a feeling you won’t believe me when I say I don’t give any damns about that sheisty.

 

[DCAllAfrican]

I don’t judge people’s character off of their clothing. Sorry.

I'm not asking you to nor do I think anyone should.

My question was, Where do you dry the line between JUDGING and forming a quick opinion of?

I don't think most are judging anyone's CHARACTER when they see what they have on.

I think at most they are asking, "Hmmm, what made you come out of the house looking like that."

 

[DCAllAfrican]

The only thing I don’t like when it comes to clothing is when people have their *** out. Men or women. But that’s because I just feel it’s indecent.

I

So what goes through your mind when you see someone doing said behavior? What opinion are you forming in your head about that person? Don't say nothing because you just expressed you don't like it because it's indecent and the indecent behavior doesn't exist without a human performing said behavior.