 I am an African-American. I am proud to be an African-American. I don't want to be anything else. Having said that, I'm not a cookie-cutter AA. Ihave interests and proclivities that set me apart from your stereotypical AA. In fact, if this wasn't an anonymous blog, the NAACP might come after me and take my black card back!!!!
Music: If you were ever in my car, you’d hear just as much Classic Rock, 80’s pop, and jazz standards (Ella, Sarah, Billie) than you would R&B. You’d definitely would not hear a lot of rap. I think the rap thing has more to do with my age than anything else. I don’t know what Lil’ Wayne and Soulja Boy are saying and … I don’t care! I also have no desire to do the stank leg or whatever that dance is!
Charlie Daniels Band: One of my all time favorite songs ever is Devil Went Down to Georgia. I can sing it word-for-word with the Charlie’s same Southern twang and have been known to dance a jig and play air ‘fiddle’ while I do it. And, I have no shame about it!
Grits and Chitterlings: Never had either one of them. Whenever my grandma would make grits, she would drop a big dollop of butter in them and I HATE butter. So, I never ate them. As far as chitterlings, my dad grew up on a farm and has, on occasion, removed the intestine from the pig, so he had no desire to eat them. My mom put it best however, when she said, “Anything that smells that bad doesn’t need to be eaten.”
My Voting Record: I am not a Democrat but, I’m not a Republican either. I am a registered Independent. As such I vote based on who I think would do the best job. Period. Sometimes it’s the Democrat. Other times, it’s the Republican. I have no blind allegiance to the Democratic Party. I feel as a group, they look down on African-Americans. They don’t expect us to succeed. They treated us like we are the ‘developmentally-challenged’ little sister – praising us for every little thing but not really expecting big things from us. “Oh look! Katie just ate with the fork!!! Oh, you’re such a big girl!!!”
The Burbs: True, I lived in the city until I was 4. But that’s when my family pulled a Jeffersons and moved on up. I grew up so far out in the suburbs that it would make your nose bleed. The suburb I grew up in has a healthy number of blacks NOW but back in the day, I was the only black female in my class. By the time I graduated, there were 3 of us (and 9 boys). Of course, I was the designated Smart Black Girl so I was the only one African-American all my classes in high school. I know nothing about ‘The Hood’ or government cheese, or avoiding gangbangers on my walk home from school. However, I know more than I ever wanted to know about bar mitzvahs, tanning salons and how to tell legitimate designer jeans from knock-offs.
King of the Hill: By far, my favorite show. I watch it nightly on Cartoon network and then again on my local Fox affiliate while I’m going to sleep. Outside of guest appearances by Bernie Mac and Chris Rock this is probably the whitest show out there. I don’t care. I love it and I refuse to apologize or justify it. Just let me end my day with the exploits of Hank Hill and his family and his crew. Morning Radio: Most of my people are driving to work listening to Steve Harvey, Tom Joiner, Russ Parr or Big Boy. I listen to them to, but I'm a hopeless station changer, and as I cruise the set of presets on my radio, I find myself, more often than not, listening to John Boy and Billy - who are just about as Southern redneck as you can get. As, I review this list, Charlie Daniels, Classic Rock, John Boy and Billy, King of the Hill, is it possible that I was a white redneck in a past life. It would explain a lot.
Having said all of this, remember that I also got lost in West Virginia looking for a KFC ... that should count for something. Labels: Music, Politics, Television |
