And now I think the jokes can start. This Near Life Experience that I mentioned earlier contained all kinds of juicy bits of drama: race, religion, music, mother-daughter relations, male-female relations…the whole bit. Race is the one I want to cover right now, in a little list I would like to call: Stupid Things White People Might Say or Have Said to Black People.
“You look familiar.” (Connoting that all people of another race look the same.)
“Well, YOU call US crackers.” (as a rebuttal against the hurt felt by the use of the N-word.)
Black person: “it started on street corners.”
White person: “yea, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
“Amazing Grace is one of my favorite songs.” (well, I mean, it IS devastatingly, heart-wrenchingly beautiful.)
“Obama is my homeboy.” (No, Obama is BLACK people’s homeboy. Or is there just enough love and hope to go around? I like to think so.)
So, please, if you are not black, do not say these things to a black person. It will just make things a little bit uncomfortable. We can all be friends, but there are just some things you don’t want to say.
