“Being Black”
What is someone’s first thought when asked what “black” is? Would they think strictly of the actual color? This is probably what most people think of first. Now if they were asked what “being black” is, what comes to their mind? No one is going to think, “Well there’s no way someone can be a color.” This is because when dealing with the term “being black”, the actual color is left out and black becomes a whole different connotation. See, many people may say being black is just being dark-skinned or is another way of saying that someone is African American. On the contrary, being black encompasses a lot more than just that definition. Ever since Africans first came to America as slaves, the term being black has evolved and changed throughout American history. In America, being black has become a label used to relate the stereotypes of African Americans to whoever is being or not being black.
Although this label is used by most, if not all of America, the youth is seen exploiting it more. Like mentioned earlier, they use it in about every aspect of their lives. Many …show more content…
However, there are positive and negative connotations of being black. Athletics is an example of how “being black” can be a positive accusation. The reason is that black people are considered to be naturally better at sports and athletic activities. If someone is said to play basketball like they’re black, then the audience assumes that the person is good at the sport. Singing and dancing are good examples as well. While singing and dancing are either born with or trained skills that anyone can have, black people are looked at as being inherently better than any other race. These complemental claims might not do much in terms of actual skill, however they can bring on some self-confidence in the person being labeled. So while being black is a label, it’s not always seen as a bad
What is someone’s first thought when asked what “black” is? Would they think strictly of the actual color? This is probably what most people think of first. Now if they were asked what “being black” is, what comes to their mind? No one is going to think, “Well there’s no way someone can be a color.” This is because when dealing with the term “being black”, the actual color is left out and black becomes a whole different connotation. See, many people may say being black is just being dark-skinned or is another way of saying that someone is African American. On the contrary, being black encompasses a lot more than just that definition. Ever since Africans first came to America as slaves, the term being black has evolved and changed throughout American history. In America, being black has become a label used to relate the stereotypes of African Americans to whoever is being or not being black.
Although this label is used by most, if not all of America, the youth is seen exploiting it more. Like mentioned earlier, they use it in about every aspect of their lives. Many …show more content…
However, there are positive and negative connotations of being black. Athletics is an example of how “being black” can be a positive accusation. The reason is that black people are considered to be naturally better at sports and athletic activities. If someone is said to play basketball like they’re black, then the audience assumes that the person is good at the sport. Singing and dancing are good examples as well. While singing and dancing are either born with or trained skills that anyone can have, black people are looked at as being inherently better than any other race. These complemental claims might not do much in terms of actual skill, however they can bring on some self-confidence in the person being labeled. So while being black is a label, it’s not always seen as a bad