Real Housewives of DC: The Mis-Use of the Word “Racist”

by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor HaJ

Last Thursday’s Real Housewives of DC Reunion show sparked an interesting conversation with my family about race and culture. Cast member Stacie Scott Turner called co-star Mary Schmidt Amons out for personifying a more ethnic demeanor when talking to her; imitating the stereotypical “s” shape motion of the finger and head roll that is usually associated with Black women. Mary explained it as a “quirk” that has nothing to do with race. I beg to differ.

My family and I talked about how common it is to take on the persona of someone you interact with. When I get in front of Caribbean folks, three might turn into tree. A foreigner who speaks very little English may cause me to speak slower. If I’m in a corporate setting my “ing’s” are enunciated. When I’m with my Puerto Rican girls from around-the-way I may speak it so that juno.

My point is, dialects, hand motions and energy levels can constantly change depending on whom one interacts with. However, what I find problematic is when people take on an urban tone with me when I’m not personifying one.

In corporate environments, where I have been the minority, I've found this to be most common. A white colleague once sent me a work e-mail that started with, “What up yo.” I was the only person in the office that he seemed to take up this informal language with. I never initiated or reciprocated it. So where is this coming from?

He, like many others whom I’ve encountered, is personifying the only image of Black culture featured in media, Hip Hop. Therefore, it’s all they know, and as a result urban professionals everywhere fall victim to stereotypes. I remember a friend of mine from Inglewood annoyed with her boss for telling clients that she was from Compton; as if to brag that she was a child of a ghetto he had saved. Even Michelle Obama has been called a "Baby Mama." What in the hell! Not even the first damn lady of the United States can escape the stereotypes.

However, can we qualify this behavior as racist when people simply don't know any better? The fact is there are more images of Black rappers in media than urban professionals, more Asians portrayed as tech geeks than slouches, and Muslims as angry cynical bombers than people with hopes and dreams like everyone else.

The question is how does one become educated when more often than not… they don’t even know they’re NOT educated?

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Deaf vs. Black on the Amazing Race

by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor

If you haven’t been following the Amazing Race this season you might have to “Get In.” The show’s premise consists of teams of two traveling around the world accomplishing a variety of challenging tasks and the last team to check in may be eliminated.

We’re down to the final four contestants that include a Chinese brother and sister team, these annoying white female cheerleaders who talk to everyone disrespectfully, these two Black sisters and a white mom and her son who is deaf. Now last night the deaf son and one of the Black sisters got into a fight. HILARIOUS only because talk about something you usually don’t see on television. Basically they both went for the clue box at the same time and the deaf guy damn near elbowed the one sister in the face, which the sister then tooted “Bitch.” He had already turned away and of course did not hear this and it wasn’t until he and his mom were driving off to the next location did the mom communicate what the sister had said. The son got very upset and signed, “That she’s lucky he did not hear her for he would have gone at her.” He then signed, “How are you going to call a deaf guy a bitch?”

Ok see this is where I have a problem, you can’t be elbowing somebody in the face and then label their reaction as abusive behavior towards the disabled. What brought this moment to an even more ridiculous climax is at the end when all teams arrived within seconds of each other at the check in point where the host of the show greets you that the mom and her son and the sisters get into again.

The mom BROKE on the sisters accusing them of laughing at her son because they had a smile on their face when the son was trying to communicate, and that they of all people should understand because they’re Black. ANOTHER comical moment. Let me first off clarify that in no way shape or form is the son being deaf comical- it’s the illogical emotion around it, which has me going. The sisters had to clarify that they were not laughing at the deaf son they just tend to smile in tense situations, which is true. Black women do tend to smile in situations of conflict to show that they are not fazed. I in fact remember my mother popping me in mouth for smirking as she was scolding me about something when I was young but of course this white mom who I’m going to assume has never popped her deaf son in the mouth for a similar reason would not understand however she expects these sisters to compare the plight of the Black with the plight of the deaf. Sorry lady two different plights and for argument sake let's not compare the plights here.

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