Need an African American to Explain this Behavior

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Being 16 years old and having people clutch their purses when you come near and cross the street to avoid you is tough to process as an immature teen. Even dressed in a suit you see people lock their car doors as if you are out to rob them when you are just coming home from work. Not every Black man is out to harm you.

I have to agree. And add that "certain" people's fear feeds into negative interactions. If you are afraid, kids and adults will pick up on it and prey on it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being 16 years old and having people clutch their purses when you come near and cross the street to avoid you is tough to process as an immature teen. Even dressed in a suit you see people lock their car doors as if you are out to rob them when you are just coming home from work. Not every Black man is out to harm you.

No, it's not. Please stop making excuses.

The only people that make these kind of statements have never been in this type of situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I'm not white.

I don't care what race you are. Black mother here. My son would never behave this way, and the behavior is beyond my comprehension, so how could I answer why this was done to you? Were you looking fearful? Did you run to your car? Did you clutch your baby closer? Now, when I have experienced that type of behavior from people it surely pisses me off. I am no one you need to cross the street from. I have no interested, nor does anyone in my family have interest in snatching your purse. Maybe you looked terrified at coming across 4 black males? If so, maybe that's why one of them spit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Being 16 years old and having people clutch their purses when you come near and cross the street to avoid you is tough to process as an immature teen. Even dressed in a suit you see people lock their car doors as if you are out to rob them when you are just coming home from work. Not every Black man is out to harm you.

No, it's not. Please stop making excuses.

The only people that make these kind of statements have never been in this type of situation.

This is not easy to manage as a 50 year old double masters degree, refined, black woman! It happens to me too.
If you are in doubt, might I suggest you google "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," McIntosh (white woman). Then, think again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I'm not white.

I don't care what race you are. Black mother here. My son would never behave this way, and the behavior is beyond my comprehension, so how could I answer why this was done to you? Were you looking fearful? Did you run to your car? Did you clutch your baby closer? Now, when I have experienced that type of behavior from people it surely pisses me off. I am no one you need to cross the street from. I have no interested, nor does anyone in my family have interest in snatching your purse. Maybe you looked terrified at coming across 4 black males? If so, maybe that's why one of them spit!

Several people, predominantly AA, seem to be making a similar point: OP may have invited the spitting behavior by looking "fearful." As someone born abroad, may I ask is this is a common cultural expectation in the US? in the AA community? in DC? or just a random coincidence?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the below event to be an act of racism, but I would like a member from the African American community to verify or help me see why I'm wrong.

While picking up my child from daycare today (between Cameron Station and Old Town Alexandria, just off of Duke Street), I encountered four African American males while walking back to my car, 10 month old child in arms. My car was parked in front of the daycare building along the curb. They, the four African American youths (between 18 and 25 of age), were walking parallel to the street, on the street itself. We reached my car at the same time. One of the youths looked at me while I reached for my car door and, without breaking stride, spat on the driver's side of the door while looking me right in the eye.

Racism? Or am I overreacting?

black guy here.

it seems like these AA species you encountered simply spat on your window to inform you that your vehicle needs cleaning. they either spat on your car to provide the water they felt you needed to wipe down your window or they were simply giving you the universal negro sign of "fuck you"

Touche!

Is your reply supposed t be funny?

its as serious as her "question" is

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I'm not white.

I don't care what race you are. Black mother here. My son would never behave this way, and the behavior is beyond my comprehension, so how could I answer why this was done to you? Were you looking fearful? Did you run to your car? Did you clutch your baby closer? Now, when I have experienced that type of behavior from people it surely pisses me off. I am no one you need to cross the street from. I have no interested, nor does anyone in my family have interest in snatching your purse. Maybe you looked terrified at coming across 4 black males? If so, maybe that's why one of them spit!

Several people, predominantly AA, seem to be making a similar point: OP may have invited the spitting behavior by looking "fearful." As someone born abroad, may I ask is this is a common cultural expectation in the US? in the AA community? in DC? or just a random coincidence?

To clarify my question: in my culture, if someone looks "fearful," you'd probably smile, or do something to defuse tension, not spit on them/ their car (unless you're a thug, of course, but this is not the scenario OP or PPs were talking about, we were talking average teenagers, and cultural assumptions by DCUM posters)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I'm not white.

I don't care what race you are. Black mother here. My son would never behave this way, and the behavior is beyond my comprehension, so how could I answer why this was done to you? Were you looking fearful? Did you run to your car? Did you clutch your baby closer? Now, when I have experienced that type of behavior from people it surely pisses me off. I am no one you need to cross the street from. I have no interested, nor does anyone in my family have interest in snatching your purse. Maybe you looked terrified at coming across 4 black males? If so, maybe that's why one of them spit!

Several people, predominantly AA, seem to be making a similar point: OP may have invited the spitting behavior by looking "fearful." As someone born abroad, may I ask is this is a common cultural expectation in the US? in the AA community? in DC? or just a random coincidence?

To clarify my question: in my culture, if someone looks "fearful," you'd probably smile, or do something to defuse tension, not spit on them/ their car (unless you're a thug, of course, but this is not the scenario OP or PPs were talking about, we were talking average teenagers, and cultural assumptions by DCUM posters)

Uh, no, the assumption is that these are thugs. Their race is just not really relevant here. I see teens like this (of all races) on the metro. They're in a group and seem to like intimidating people and making them uncomfortable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I'm not white.

I don't care what race you are. Black mother here. My son would never behave this way, and the behavior is beyond my comprehension, so how could I answer why this was done to you? Were you looking fearful? Did you run to your car? Did you clutch your baby closer? Now, when I have experienced that type of behavior from people it surely pisses me off. I am no one you need to cross the street from. I have no interested, nor does anyone in my family have interest in snatching your purse. Maybe you looked terrified at coming across 4 black males? If so, maybe that's why one of them spit!

Several people, predominantly AA, seem to be making a similar point: OP may have invited the spitting behavior by looking "fearful." As someone born abroad, may I ask is this is a common cultural expectation in the US? in the AA community? in DC? or just a random coincidence?

To clarify my question: in my culture, if someone looks "fearful," you'd probably smile, or do something to defuse tension, not spit on them/ their car (unless you're a thug, of course, but this is not the scenario OP or PPs were talking about, we were talking average teenagers, and cultural assumptions by DCUM posters)

Sorry person, but if you have folks crossing the street and scared of you, you are not gonna smile at them or defuse the situation. This is a constant experience, not rare. It gets old. Obviously, you have no ability to empathize. As they say, if you've not walked a mile in someone's shoes, you don't know.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I'm not white.

I don't care what race you are. Black mother here. My son would never behave this way, and the behavior is beyond my comprehension, so how could I answer why this was done to you? Were you looking fearful? Did you run to your car? Did you clutch your baby closer? Now, when I have experienced that type of behavior from people it surely pisses me off. I am no one you need to cross the street from. I have no interested, nor does anyone in my family have interest in snatching your purse. Maybe you looked terrified at coming across 4 black males? If so, maybe that's why one of them spit!

Several people, predominantly AA, seem to be making a similar point: OP may have invited the spitting behavior by looking "fearful." As someone born abroad, may I ask is this is a common cultural expectation in the US? in the AA community? in DC? or just a random coincidence?

To clarify my question: in my culture, if someone looks "fearful," you'd probably smile, or do something to defuse tension, not spit on them/ their car (unless you're a thug, of course, but this is not the scenario OP or PPs were talking about, we were talking average teenagers, and cultural assumptions by DCUM posters)

We have smiled for hundreds of years. We are done. You act like an ass you take your chance of running into a less cultured person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have smiled for hundreds of years. We are done. You act like an ass you take your chance of running into a less cultured person.

You seem like a real shithead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have smiled for hundreds of years. We are done. You act like an ass you take your chance of running into a less cultured person.

You seem like a real shithead.

No, this person is not a shithead. He/she is stating simple truth. Smiled for 100s of years, done!

[Anonymous]

You are hundreds of years old? WHOA......

[Anonymous]

Black don't crack, honey.


(Not PP but I am older than I look)

[Anonymous]

Why is it so important to "not crack"? I agree with the foreign poster. I am confused. If I was not here hundreds of years ago (nor were you but I'll play along here) - what is all the hate? Hostility is the way to go?

I ask because you will notice when you go on vacation or visit certain places that you can't be nice to some AA's - they act suspicious of your motives. That to me is f*cked up, considering I never met that person before and they are hostile in exchange to normal every day pleasantries.

Where I come from people are civil.