The world is filled with oppression. It’s in many forms and may not be completely visible. It hides, waiting to strike at the correct moment, making sure to pierce through the weakness parts. One type of it by pushing people within a box. Labels and names are put onto other people, and when people try to leave the box of conformity, they are treated like a traitor. People hate the change, they hate not knowing what to expect. Therefore when people around them decide on their own identity, they try to force their beliefs into other people. However, people, especially Latinos, Asians, and Black people who have suffered from this oppression the most, will not stand still forever. They will take the wounds that you have inflicted upon them and
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In “Not a Genuine Black Man”, a book written by Brian Copland, who is a writer, performer, stand up comedian and radio personality, he states his frustration when he is told that he isn’t a genuine black man because of how he speaks. He then questions what being a black means in the first place by asking, “Not a genuine black man. Why do people say that to me? It is how I dress? Is it how I talk?” Brian Copland, by asking these important questions, speaks against the stereotypes that have been used against them. He probably feels as if there shouldn’t be categories that black people for forced it because there’s no way to actually put all black men and women into a category in which they are all the same. In another book, “Minority Status Oppositional Culture and Schooling” edited by John U. Ogbu, an study was conducted on the term acting white and how students reacted towards it, especially towards students that were successful. In the book, some students call others that speak properly and are more intelligent with the term “acting white.” However, other students, such as student 31 claims, “I’m not going to sit there and hold myself back just so I can have the feeling of being black.” Another student, student 36, similarly states, “if you’re not doing work, it’s not because you’re black, it’s cause you didn’t do it.” It’s evident that these students claim that ethnicity in general has nothing to do with your intelligence, and that it simply depends on how hard you work. Therefore, it’s obvious that the stereotypes on black people in untrue. Luckily, like these Brian Copland, and students mentioned in the study
In “Not a Genuine Black Man”, a book written by Brian Copland, who is a writer, performer, stand up comedian and radio personality, he states his frustration when he is told that he isn’t a genuine black man because of how he speaks. He then questions what being a black means in the first place by asking, “Not a genuine black man. Why do people say that to me? It is how I dress? Is it how I talk?” Brian Copland, by asking these important questions, speaks against the stereotypes that have been used against them. He probably feels as if there shouldn’t be categories that black people for forced it because there’s no way to actually put all black men and women into a category in which they are all the same. In another book, “Minority Status Oppositional Culture and Schooling” edited by John U. Ogbu, an study was conducted on the term acting white and how students reacted towards it, especially towards students that were successful. In the book, some students call others that speak properly and are more intelligent with the term “acting white.” However, other students, such as student 31 claims, “I’m not going to sit there and hold myself back just so I can have the feeling of being black.” Another student, student 36, similarly states, “if you’re not doing work, it’s not because you’re black, it’s cause you didn’t do it.” It’s evident that these students claim that ethnicity in general has nothing to do with your intelligence, and that it simply depends on how hard you work. Therefore, it’s obvious that the stereotypes on black people in untrue. Luckily, like these Brian Copland, and students mentioned in the study