Urban Therapy with Sun #78 Scared to Black Around White People.

It's a common phenomenon. Black people being afraid to embrace and represent their culture when there are White people around. Is it because they feel like they are going to be ridiculed for walking, talking and being who they are naturally? Is it because they are in a corporate setting that frowns on cultural diversity outside of color or country of origin?

It's kind of interesting when you witness it in real time. Black folks who often speak slang and keep the whole swag thing going magically become familiar with all that high school English vernacular that seemed to be absent from their vocabulary before an auhoritative White person shows up on the seen. Lol!

This is not to say that Black people should not be aware of their surroundings and act accordingly, or that they shouldn't choose their social and professional battles wisely because they should. We all should. The thing is when you're just kicking it and being sociable around folks who are on the same socio-economic plane that you are, who are you trying to impress? Why do you believe that acting differently than who you are will earn their respect? This is also not to say that all Black people talk and act the same as if we all were designed as some sort of carbon copy of each other and that no one should deviate from that.

Peep these questions for this show (I said that in Black. Lol!):

What is acting Black?

What is acting White?

What is talking Black?

What is talking White?

Do you find yourself acting different when White people come around if you're Black? Do you think that that helps you in some way?

Do White people change the way they talk and act when they are around Black people? Would you respect them or like them if they did?

Is it necessary to act differently than who you are in order to get respect from other cultures?