This afternoon, a young woman came to my door selling magazines. She said she was from Atlanta (I'm writing from a Massachusetts suburb) and that she is dropped off and picked up hours later. She said that hopefully she'll make her "quota" of sales for the day.

This concerned me for two reasons. First that she is all alone and secondly that she was African/American. There aren't any people of color living in this area and I was concened for her. I told her this and she said "I'm not African/American, I'm black".

She came back to my house a second time to use my phone. Her ride wasn't coming for a hour and a half and she had no umbrella or coat and it was beginning to rain. I told her to stay with me until her ride came, which she did.

I don't get it. Trying not to offend, what is correct? I've heard on TV and in movies where blacks call each other the "N" word, almost as a greeting. Why is this ok? I don't live in a racially diverse area and do not know any people of color. Could someone shed some light on this for me?

Comments

Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 7, 2006 at 3:29 PM

I am in Ma. also. We get the black teens and young adults up from the south selling magazines. There are no blacks in my neighborhood either, but I wouldn't worry for HER safety. There is NO WAY I would let her/him come one foot in my door.
These kids come around every year. If you are in the backyard they open the gate and come right on back there.
I had to order a young black male out of my yard last summer.
I was slightly fearful, because there are NO blacks living in my area and I was afraid of what he was going to do (was he here to rob me?). I would have ordered ANYONE out of my backyard that was not invited, but being honest I was more afraid because he was a SOUTHERN black.
The northern ones do not make me nervous, but there is something about those southern ones that scare me.

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 7, 2006 at 11:52 PM

I wait till they get in the middle of the yard then sic the dog on them.

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 8, 2006 at 4:35 AM

I wouldn't call a black person a "nigger" even if they call eachother that.
The only niggers are those blacks that fight,steal, sell drugs and cause general anarchy and dissarray.

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 8, 2006 at 6:30 PM

Were all humans , commit that to memory.

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 9, 2006 at 3:11 PM

<I>"I don't live in a racially diverse area and do not know any people of color."</I>

What back water "Ozzie and Harriet" "Leave It To Beaver" 1950's gated community do you live in?

You would seem to be completely irrelevent to any converstaion.

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 9, 2006 at 4:27 PM

I don't live in a gated community. I live in the suburbs of Boston. There are 2 African/Ameican kids in my sons middle school of 1,200 students, only one in my other sons elementry school of 825 students. I have never lived in any area that wasn't white. I graduated high school in 1976 with no black students, but there were two black teachers, but the were for the special ed kids so we never really saw them.

I can offer some very relevent conversation, just because I don't live in a racially diverse area doesn't mean we are snobs or elitiest. What's the deal with that comment?

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 9, 2006 at 5:42 PM

I live in the suberbs of Boston also. There are virtually NO blacks or Hispanics in my town except for in the new section 8 housing that my town HAD to build per order of the state.

I graduated HS in 1986 with a white population of 100%
in my class.We all have a different perspective and can all have legitimate input.

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 10, 2006 at 7:55 AM

Exactly! When my parents were first married, they owned a triple deker in Jamacia Plain. When they started a family, we moved to the 'burbs. Had I been raised in the city, it would have been a different story.

I did not know any black people until I worked downtown Boston, back in the 80's. I think black people are very complex in the way they interact with white people. I am confused by their speech patterns. I once had a two black women that worked in my department. For the most part, they spoke "normal" when in the company of white people, but then I'd over hear them talking together or on the phone talking "ebonics". Do they feel they can't be themselves around whites? Are they trying to blend in socially and bounce between the two cultures?

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 14, 2006 at 4:52 PM

^Some black people are like that , but not me i'm weird I don't speak ebonics , I lsten to rock music blah blah blah
So don't sterotype people!

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 15, 2006 at 5:45 AM

you know you are why this country is the way it is go over to new york black folks (the bad ones are all the same everywhere) as are the good ones donr say all southern black men are bad they are not. i am a white woman who raised in a mostly black area. grow up and fear the mexicans their here illegally at least the black folks are legal and most are honest

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 15, 2006 at 5:50 AM

exactly. what your saying is all black folks are dumbas dirt and all they are going to do is rob you and rape you.you alsosay that all white people are safe and wouldnt harm you. HAHAHA bullshit.in my hometowna few years back the serial rapist on the loose in my neighbor hood was a white man. most robberies in the city i currently reside in are white men as are the rapes. most crimes here are by service men looking for a way out

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 15, 2006 at 6:39 AM

What the hell did you just say? Are you from the south?

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Nov 15, 2006 at 6:54 PM

What's in the name , hey

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Feb 11, 2007 at 5:38 AM

What does it mean to sic the dog?

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Dec 19, 2012 at 2:20 AM

i don't give a fuck if i call black people "black" or "dark" ,even though some black people seem to get offended by this , though i really do not care .. it's kind of laughable really that when this has happened , they have had a go at me , to which i reply "well .. what the fuck do you -

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Dec 19, 2012 at 2:24 AM

want me to call you ?" white ? yellow ?? rainbow maybe ??? your black !! & if your so damn proud to be "black" like you black people seem to always claim then,why the fuck are you so offended ?!! your black ffs,deal with it ! they usually have a think when i say that then shut up & walk off LOL DUH

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Anonymous

by Anonymous on Dec 19, 2012 at 2:27 AM

i think too many people are concerned with being "politically correct" & offending not just blacks but also other nationalities .. rather than just saying the goddamn truth it's pathetic !

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