It's Not The White Folk: 5 Things Black People Need To Stop Bitching About

[Anonymous]

That's right, I said it. There are 5 things that we as a people need to just shut the hell up about. Everything in the media involving race seems to be surrounded by white people. White people enslaved us. White people raped my ancestors. White people didn't give us our civil rights, we had to fight for them. White people, white people, white people.

But, come on, how many of these things that we blame on white people can we still blame on them? I mean, it's 2016. Time to take ownership of ourselves. And if you are someone who wants to take ownership, here's a list of 5 things in no particular order that you can start with. Note: This myTake is not for the easily offended.

1. Stop Blaming Racism For Your Life

I am so serious about this one. As racist as America has been and still is, quit pretending like there are no opportunities out there for you. Last time I checked, you have a right to public education. You have the right to your own land. You can get a job in any field you want. The possibilities are endless. You grew up in a ghetto? Oh well, we can't help the situation we're born into.

However, it is completely up to you what you decide to do about it. White people are not hoarding all the good schools, degrees, homes, and jobs for themselves. Most white people still living in 2016, especially of my generation, are not to blame for slavery or anything else that happened prior to the Civil Rights Movement.

2. Quit Acting Like The Government Owes You

Now, before you jump down my throat, no, I'm not talking about welfare, although I guess it would technically fall under this category. Specifically, I'm talking about making sure every little thing is geared towards making you successful. Truth time: The government can create as many laws as they want, but if someone doesn't like you or you just aren't qualified, then there's nothing they can do for you. That's not me being ridiculous, it's just the truth.

Unfortunately, people will find loopholes in anything and that's just life. However, the government is not going to jump in and rescue you because you feel someone doesn't like your skin color.

3. Stop Disrespecting White Police Officers

Police officers, whether or not you like it, are some of the few occupations in the world that you just have to respect. I'm sorry if you don't like what they said or did or even if they're putting you in a bad spot. The way you respond will always dictate who was right in the end. If he pulls you over and asks for you driver's license and proof of insurance, give it to him. Don't argue. If he questions you, let him. Reacting in the moment will not look good on you, even if the police officer is doing something wrong. It's always better to wait for the situation to be over and then present your case.

Besides, they're the ones with the guns and tasers, not you. When you're talking back, doing what you want, and not listening to them, you know, the people who are authorized to impose the law, then you can't cry 'POLICE BRUTALITY' when they slap the cuffs on you or tase your ass. In the end, that camera is going to show the police officer being calm and you acting like a moron if you retaliate, so just do the smart thing and act like a mature person. Let the camera show you being a calm person and it WILL work out for you better in the long run.

4. Stop Acting Offended When You're Not Offended

Now, this one, I will admit I feel only applies to a certain group of black people. The most common example is the 'n' word (yeah, I'm not part of the group that uses it). No matter how you say it or use it, it's a derogatory word that was used to address our ancestors as property, not something you just call someone else for fun. Let's be real. If a white person randomly called you that, you'd be mad or look at them funny. Well, if you don't like it, stop using it.

Example not good enough? I can give you a prime one that was in the media spotlight. Not too long ago, a couple was addressed on their iHop ticket as black. Well, you are black, are you not?

5. It's Not Us Against Them, Let It Go

Even if you didn't like the first things on this list that I mentioned, which I'm sure some did not and I'll hear about it later in the comments, please stop believing white people are your enemy. Whether you like it or not, we live in a country where we are the minority. No, we didn't ask the white people way back when to bring our ancestors over here but I don't exactly see you hopping on a boat to different country, either, so life here clearly isn't that bad. However, there's no war against white people. If you really want equality, then work for it peacefully. No, you will not get along with every white person you meet just like they won't get along with every black person, but it's not skin color, just personality.

And there you have it. A list of 5 things that white people need to be freed from. Don't get me wrong, there's still plenty of racism is the great ol' U.S. of A, but some of these problems we can fix ourselves. Don't forget that not too long ago, we banded together as a people to stand up for an equal country. That goal hasn't been accomplished, but it never will be if we continue to fight our own neighbors.

Strive for peace.

Search for equality.

Live happily.

[RetroDreamerXD]

This is foolishness. I don't think black people blame white people. They can't, because the reality is that they are just functioning citizens, playing the cards they've been dealt, and it just so happens they have the upper hand. And you know what I mean on more levels than one. I agree, it's not a white individual's fault. It's society's, it's the government. I guarantee you 100%, that if you check and read through some success statistics you'll see it's a race thing. It always has been. And by the way, the government does owe black people. Last I checked their ancestors were promised 40 acres and a mule. It's astounding that you didn't know these facts and you're a "teacher".

Also, I'd like to point out that not every black person receives gov't benefits/help (Not saying you said they did, just presenting facts). And people whose ancestors weren't promised slavery retribution, they do. So it's impossible for anyone to say that gov't benefits is retribution for what is owed to black people. So yes again, the gov't owes them.40 acres and a mule. And how can someone, anyone, let something go when there are constant reminders and put downs that are placed upon them. To say the things you've said is ignorant on its own accord. And you need a wake up call. Am I wrong? Is there a rebuttal?

[myTake Owner]

You sound like you didn't read my Take at all. What makes you think I didn't know about the 40 acres and a mule? Because I didn't mention it here? I also didn't mention Harriet Tubman and of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, does that automatically mean I don't know anything about that either? It's 2016. Wtf is my family going to do with a mule? Your comment doesn't make sense at all. Blacks don't blame whites but then you say later on that some success stats is a race things. You're very contradictory.

If you took the time to read AND comprehend, you'd very clearly would have noticed that I stated that I wasn't talking about welfare, which, last I checked, is a government assistance. How can someone let it go? Well, I did. I'm black. My parents let it go. They're black. Sooo... again, please actually read the Take because it quite clear that you didn't.

[bcromartie]

This is so silly it's just impossible to appreciate. It's almost like you're oblivious to how things work and think that "availability" equates "equality". Sure, you have access to a public education, but the notion that all schools are the same and that inner city schools (in those ghettos) are just as good as schools... Nevermind.

It's not worth my time anymore. I have outgrown this too. :/

[myTake Owner]

I actually teach in an inner city school and based most of this on what I see in our school. Most of the students I have come from families who believe they will never go to college or get a good paying job simply because they are black. However, they won't tell their child it's because they're cussing out their teacher, getting suspended, and skipping class. The opportunity is there.

Also, I never said availability equals equality. In fact, I believe I said there are racist people out there and there's not much you can do about it. Please read the article before commenting next time.

[Aetumn]

Just to answer this part :
"However, it is completely up to you what you decide to do about it. White people are not hoarding all the good schools, degrees, homes, and jobs for themselves."
It's been verified (to the point where my country's government has begun posting ads on the matter just about everywhere) that given two identical resumes, the white guy is significantly likelier to get the job than the black one.
I understand the feeling you have that some black people might be using this in situations where the argument doesn't apply. But regardless of these individuals (that may speak louder than the rest but do remain a minority), we can't just start saying racism is gone now when the numbers show us this isn't the case.
This attitude, in a way, fuels the unreasonable folk that then get to say you don't care about the whole group. And from there it's only a downwards spiral.

[myTake Owner]

Please point out where I said racism doesn't exist. Oh wait, I didn't. Please read the entire myTake as I clearly state that racism still exists at the very end of the piece.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

So, who exactly has "pointed out" that two guys: One Black, one White with "identical" resumes (Which is virtually impossible in the first place), that the White guy would significantly more likely get the job?

If anything, many places are LOOKING for for minorities to make themselves look more diverse.

[myTake Owner]

@EnglishArtsteacher It depends on what it is. Technically, no one has to hire a minority, just make it look like they are looking for one. If they can prove they don't have many minority applicants that meet their requirements, then there's not much many people can do. But I haven't experienced that as an issue. I don't know anyone who has.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

@myTakeOwner I understand that nobody HAS to hire minorities. I just meant many places purposely do.

But anyway, it's highly highly highly highly unlike (like bizarre odds), that two people would have IDENTICAL resumes, so her point is nullified anyway.

[myTake Owner]

@EnglishArtsteacher Yeah, that's true.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

I mean... these two people would have to have the same exact Grade Point Average from their college/high school, same exact educational background, same exact job history, same exact volunteer history, and that's not even getting to the physical aspects of a resume: Same headers, footers, font sizes, colors, etc. There is just no way two people are walking into the same job interview the with identical resumes.

[Aetumn]

@EnglishArtsteacher You're raising an interesting point, but you're looking at it from the recruiter's perspective; indeed, it's unlikely for any recruiter to end up with two identical resumes and go "Yeah... let's take the white guy."
However, what can happen is that the black guy will have to seem a whole lot more 'irreproachable' to the recruiter than he would have needed to if he'd been white. This is also true for other minorities; they are given a lot less room for error than the standard white male guy.
So they do have bigger odds, against a behavior that often isn't even a conscious one. And yes, some groups specifically hire minorities and all, and that's good. But on average, life remains easier when you aren't black, and failure to acknowledge this generally leads to an increase of discriminations. Which would be nice to prevent.

[MikkyLachae]

I know what you mean. My dad likes to say "It's the white people who hold us down, they own all the good businesses, they live in big houses, blah blah blah" seriously he's not even black, he just looks black and all of his friends are black and mexican. It's like he don't realize how good things are for us. We lost everything 8 years ago and already we have way more than we did before we lost it. In 1-5 years we'll be living in one of those big houses and owning our own business. I went to predominantly black and white schools over the years and honestly... those kids all had the same outcome regardless of color. Some of them live in trailer parks or run down houses, have many kids and no spouse, or do/sell drugs. Most of them were pretty successful, went to college, and/or have their own shit. Black and white. Complaining didn't get the others anywhere. They'd settle for flipping burgers or trapping. It's called trapping for a reason.

[myTake Owner]

Well, this list can be true for some and not for others. It really depends on where you live and how you were raised.

[EnglishArtsteacher]

I agree with this "MyTake" entirely!

However, keep in mind, the minorities who blame Whites for everything are a louder voice, but I don't think they're a majority by any means.

[myTake Owner]

True, I maybe should have stated that somewhere. Good point.

[Fathoms77]

I agree with some of this but I have to say, I like Steven A. He's a smart dude and he's called out the African-American community on a number of occasions. I do believe there are times when he's a LITTLE too quick to play the race card (like when it comes to black coaches in sports) but otherwise, I think he's pretty great.

[myTake Owner]

Who is that?

[Fathoms77]

Steven A. Smith, the guy in your top pic there. He's a journalist, reporter, and personality for ESPN. Also has his own radio show.

[myTake Owner]

Oh, lol, good to know. I'll look up some of his stuff. I actually tried looking for someone who had direct quotes I could use for supporting statements but was in a time crunch so I had to get it posted in a certain amount of time. Wish I knew I could've used him. Thanks.

[kambo_trick3y]

No, I reject your reality, and substitute it with my own.

I'm unemployed because of white people, and it's all their fault.

I don't feel like looking for a job, and it's because of white people.

[Dancelover0608]

Most white people these days have nothing to do with racism and none of them want anything to do with it. Sorry.

[ikissedtheskyonce]

@Dancelover0608 he was being sarcastic

[ChillWhiteGuy]

There are several developed Countries on the African Continent that plenty of you Black Americans could move to.

I want to move back to Europe, specifically Scotland, but it seems like Scotland is letting in a whole bunch of Black People for an obvious agenda..

[Tromba]

With an attitude like that you are never going to get your 15 minutes of fame as a talking head. Well OK maybe on Fox news.

Sanity doesn't sell.

[chintita]

:( not guilty of any of these, leave africa out of ur title please

[myTake Owner]

It's not in my title, but if you're referring to this post being about some black people, allow to correct you.

1. Not all black people are from Africa. I actually don't even see in this post where I used the term "African American". And even if I did, everything in the post still applies.

2. I don't recall specifically mentioning you anywhere in this post. Just because you specifically aren't guilty of any of these doesn't mean people of the same shade and ethnicity aren't.

3. Even if you aren't guilty of any of these, you're still lumped in with the people who are because... America. And whether you like it or not, you do get judged on the above and may not even know it.

4. Just because you aren't guilty doesn't mean you should turn a blind eye to the problem.

5. Your*, not ur. If you're going to make a serious comment, please respond like you are serious. Thank you.

[chintita]

jeez, chill out wit tha micro aggressions "5 things black people need to stop bitching about" that's talking about the billion black people in the world. ur clearly talking about americans so "black american" could be a term that u'd use. i assure you, *majority* of my ethnicity hasn't stepped foot into america cuz we r happily residing in our own continent. i'm not lumped in with anyone since i'm an ocean away but god, the spell check at the end was hilarious. ur too much... so brazen.

[myTake Owner]

I am talking about more than Americans... that's why I said 'black people'. Duh. You are lumped in because you're black. I'm black, as well, so your ethnicity is also mine lol. Also, you make no sense. Your first comment: "not guilty of any of these, leave africa out of ur title please", then "ur clearly talking about americans". Most everything I stated applies to blacks living in a lot of western countries and even their own country.

However, I can see why you don't understand. Most people who are terrible at spelling aren't very good at language comprehension, either. I'm sorry you weren't able to understand my post.

By the way, several of my relatives were born and raised in Ethiopia and South Africa. They go back to visit family and one uncle even moved back. This post is based on their experiences as well in Africa. So, no, this still applies to your nation. Good day.

[Battooot]

gotta tone it down with the aggressive comments @Ellielexis513

Talking the way you are talking like you know everything, then assuming people are less smart because they are writing 'u instead of you' makes you look pretty unsmart to me.

I do agree with some of what you said, but the way you talk makes you lose a lot of credibility. If you want to be a mytake owner, you gotta know how to talk and reply to people and have more respect.

[ikissedtheskyonce]

Not all black people do this. I am Latino American with 30% African dna and only a few blacks I know act that way

[myTake Owner]

Never said all black people do this.

[ikissedtheskyonce]

"That's right, I said it. There are 5 things that we as a people need to just shut the hell up about"

[myTake Owner]

Lol, we as a people means in general. Just like it says on the one dollar bill 'in god WE trust' yet not every American believes in God. Go practice your reading comprehension.

[ikissedtheskyonce]

You should not generalize people
LOL instead of getting butthurt for no reason
I literally just said you were generalizing black people yet you act like I can't read
Ha ha ok

[myTake Owner]

Lol. I wasn't generalizing is what I was saying. We as a people do need to look into this, even if you aren't someone who does it because the point is, there's enough of us that DO it. We should work together to make sure this mindset ends. IF you can't understand that, you have no business commenting on this. You clearly cannot read and comprehend lol, go back to school.

[sixnineanon]

What triggered you to write all of this? Do you hear all of this everyday?

[myTake Owner]

I come from a pre-dominantly white area but have been working in an urban area and I hear so many complaints about white people that just aren't true.

[sixnineanon]

Where I live black people don't say these things

[myTake Owner]

Where I was raised, black people don't say those things, either. However, where I work is a completely different story. It's more of a location thing that I've seen.

[orphan]

you're describing ghetto people. i know of many mexicans who live by the philosophy you've outlined.

[myTake Owner]

I can't speak for Mexicans because I don't know that many. Plus, I'm black myself and I based this Take on my work experience versus how I was raised. I work with a lot of urban kids and a lot of them have been taught by their families and parents not to trust white people. And they openly say it. They're not ghetto at all, it's just what was put in their heads. I was raised with a lot of white people and I noticed the black people who were raised in the same school as me have a totally different view on how white people view the world, that's all.

[orphan]

next time i'll say uneducated families.

educated are taught to reason and understand. uneducated folk are taught to denigrate.

[Melcart23]

I agree with all but #3. Cops are pigs 👮🏼🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷🐷🐽🐽🐽🐽🐽

[myTake Owner]

My brother's best friend is a cop and he's really nice. And he's white. I do know there are a lot of corrupt cops, but they don't speak for the entire profession.

[Battooot]

Just like you commented here @EllieLexis513 , same thing applies to black people. Those few people who act the way you said do not speak for the entire race.

[myTake Owner]

@Battooot I don't believe I said they do...

[Battooot]

@Ellielexis513
Quote:
"Even if you aren't guilty of any of these, you're still lumped in with the people who are because... America. And whether you like it or not, you do get judged on the above and may not even know it."

Other than this, you implied it all over your title and post.

[myTake Owner]

@Battooot Okay, I'm going to explain this one last time.

Just because you don't do it doesn't mean you aren't lumped in with the people who do. It's how a lot of people think, just like how a lot of Europeans have the perception that Americans are all fat lazy slobs. I'm not fat nor lazy, but whether I like it or not, I'm still lumped in with them. And if you are tired of that image, even if you aren't guilty of doing any of these things, then you should do something about it. I never said all black people are this way or all white people are that way anywhere in my post. In fact, I state "we as a people", meaning that we should take responsibility for the culture we associate with to fight the inequality and racism. Whether you are guilty of doing it or not, it's still your problem because whether you know it or not, you get judged for it.

[Melcart23]

You know what, what I posted was stupid. It's never good to throw a "one size fits all" hat on EVERYBODY. There are great cops out there who genuinely want to serve and protect. But when I see videos of cops overstepping their boundaries and even KILLING innocent people, my blood boils. My comment was still stupid though, I take it back and I apologize for any offense.

[myTake Owner]

I wasn't offended. What angers me more than cops, and if I had been thinking about it, I would've worded number 3 to include this, is the system that lets those cops get away with doing things wrong. I guess that's more of the problem than the corrupt cops themselves.

[Battooot]

@Ellielexis513

i already knew what you meant. Even before i quote it. But that's not what you implied in your title nor your post. you gotta have clearer language. for example, QUOTE: "Now, this one, I will admit I feel only applies to a certain group of black people". When you type like this, you definitely indicate that the rest of your posts apply to ALL black people.

It looks like not only people who 'type lyke dis' can lack language comprehension. Just for your info, @chintita is actually an English teacher. I just wanted to let you know that your reasoning on people who write 'U instead of you' as a shortcut is very flawed and unwise of you.

[myTake Owner]

@Battooot I'm an English teacher, too. What's your point? This post doesn't imply anything. It's observations of how black people are portrayed in the media and how we aren't doing anything about it.

[ChillWhiteGuy]

yeah and not all of the corrupt cops are just white.

[LooksDOMATTER]

racism still exists... duuuuh.

[myTake Owner]

Never said it didn't.

[LooksDOMATTER]

so then what's the issue? accept the USA is and always will be racist, it's in the country's DNA.

[myTake Owner]

How much of this did you read?

[ConsultantIsBack]

I like to tan so I can pretend to not be so white

[Youdoyouboo]

I agree 100%.

[BelleGirl21]

Great take 👍