Comments on: What Bougie Folks are Forced to Do – Defend our Blackness

By: facebook-668326875

facebook-668326875 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 06:01:17 +0000

I had to laugh and nod “yes!” to this one. Although, I was in as close to the hood as my neighborhood got & I did watch the Brady Bunch because it was on.

By: texasladybird

texasladybird — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:48:46 +0000

Stuff like this is why I stay on JJP!

My childhood was the polar opposite: projects, food stamps, drive by's and hoodlums on the corner. But guess what? Didn't stop me from taking advantage of every opportunity that came my way. I took ballet classes, went to summer camp for several years, did a mission trip to Mexico, tried new foods and read every book I could get my hands on.

People precieve me as the "bougie Black girl" until they get to know me. Then they're all shocked that I not only "speak so well" but have an education to back it up.

By: Val

Val — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:49:02 +0000

great post

By: facebook-668326875

facebook-668326875 — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:01:17 +0000

I had to laugh and nod “yes!” to this one. Although, I was in as close to the hood as my neighborhood got & I did watch the Brady Bunch because it was on.

By: texasladybird

texasladybird — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:48:46 +0000

Stuff like this is why I stay on JJP!

Rikyrah, my childhood was the polar opposite of yours: projects, food stamps, drive by's and hoodlums on the corner. But guess what? Didn't stop me from taking advantage of every opportunity that came my way. I took ballet classes, went to summer camp for several years, did a mission trip to Mexico, tried new foods and read every book I could get my hands on.

People precieve me as the "bougie Black girl" until they get to know me. Then they're all shocked that I not only "speak so well" but have an education to back it up.

And I'm still taking advantage of those opportunities: I start LSAT prep next month!

By: Val

Val — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:49:02 +0000

great post

By: ibru

ibru — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:00:15 +0000

Wow, so much of what you describe is what I and many other Black Americans experience. Just wish they had blogs when I was one of five black girls at my high school. Thanks for posting, you are not alone!

By: puma81

puma81 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:48:01 +0000

Thanks for sharing. All of what you've described sums up my life. I feel that we're “invisible” sometimes.

By: justsomeguy20000

justsomeguy20000 — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:37:20 +0000

I really wish people would learn that there is no such thing as proper English. No wonder you get called out on it, if you're in an informal setting people might just wonder why your speech doesn't match it. What the author called proper is Standard American English but because language isn't objective it doesn't make it “right” only what is acceptable in a set of circumstances, like when conducting business. AAVE or Ebonics is a dialect of English and is proper in its on set of circumstances. If you come to me with the attitude that how I talk is improper when really you're just expressing the white standard you've accepted, uncritically, I might point it out. Other people may not know the technical terms to call you out on your bullish but they also understand that you aren't speaking properly, you are speaking in a dialect that is more accepted by mainstream American and in your ignorance you feel special.

By: OneChele

OneChele — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:25:50 +0000

Thanks for posting my semi-controlled rant on Living la Vida Bougie ;-). It's been great getting feedback and shared experiences. So often, we assume we tread paths alone, nice to know there are plenty of us on this journey.

By: rikyrah

rikyrah — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:34:34 +0000

AFTERNOON OPEN THREAD IS UP!!

By: ASmith

ASmith — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:52:54 +0000

This was wonderful (I read the full thing) and really describes a lot of my life — the living between two worlds thing is so hard but I've become so adept at it I don't even know if I could “go back…” though from time to time I do kinda wish I could…