Why are most urban Blacks so ethnocentric?

Filed under: Poultry |

urban chickens
Image by robot_zombie_monkey
A bunch of us went out to St. Johns to visit Eric’s (and Ben’s) chicks. This was their second time outside and they were having a grand old time.

Question by : Why are most urban Blacks so ethnocentric?
I live in Bridgeport, CT where the population is a pretty even mix of Blacks and Whites. However, I have to say that in 21 years of living in the city, I have never, not one single time, been next to anyone Black listening to Guns n Roses, or Metallica, or Linkin Park, or any rock/alternative/etc type band. Further, I have been in many of their homes and I always see Jet magazine, Essence, Ebony, XXL, etc. On tv 99.999% of the time is B.E.T which always makes me wonder why bother having other channels. And the few times the channel changes it’s either to a basketball game, or one of the channels with Black programming like the CW. There are always things like incense and fake African type products like Leopard print blankets, etc. The food is almost always ethnic like fried chicken, collared greens, curried everything, etc. Their cars always have dark tints, and rims, and a subwoofer, even if it comes from Walmart and rattles the car. Their clothing style is completely different like hoodies, puffy jackets, camouflaged Yankees hats that are never seated right and always turned to the right or left on an angle. Their pants STILL never have a belt and are usually hanging down, a trend I thought was a trend but 20 years later it’s still happening. What gives? Why separate themselves from everyone else?

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11 Responses to Why are most urban Blacks so ethnocentric?

  1. wait a second….is this a serious question??

    I live in L.A….my family drives in a Saturn, I don’t listen to rap or hip hop very often, i like linkin park, I don’t own any of those magazines, my dad and brothers ALWAYS wear their pants with a belt, we do eat chicken (baked, fried, grilled), and we eat greens because they’ree good for you.

    I like what i like. I’m not separating from anything.

    princess ninja
    September 15, 2012 at 2:44 pm
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  2. So? why does what they like concern you?

    Rage 1
    September 15, 2012 at 2:48 pm
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  3. i watch bet i read jet and ebony and there isnt nothin wrong with that. I eat soul food but so do white people. when you think about it i can ask why i always see white people eatin lobster at 5star restaurants with blonde hair and fake boobs. there are black people somewhere that listen to rock. i dont tho. and why are we supposed to act and look like white people. and even if we did yall would call us wanna bes.

    Tigga Gurl
    September 15, 2012 at 3:33 pm
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  4. I am Afrocentric not ethnocentric

    Peaches Tell It Like It Iz
    September 15, 2012 at 4:01 pm
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  5. Adam,
    See, by asking a rather strange question you got down to earth answers from people who know the facts better than you do.

    Therefore, from now on “m.y.o.b.” is my suggestion.

    tgbc
    September 15, 2012 at 4:58 pm
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  6. Maybe if you move out of your little bubble, you will find something different.

    Librateen
    September 15, 2012 at 5:53 pm
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  7. You are stereotyping at its worst. You probably only notice things you want to notice about blacks. How is doing those things separating themselves from everyone else anyways? Its just things they like to do. What you basically saying is give up your culture and become like us or that means you are separate? This is a dumbest things i ever read. So we should do what you like or we are different from you? We don’t all have to like the same things. Every one has a trend they follow (goth, prep, scene) that doesn’t mean we are separating ourselves from everyone else we are just doing the things we like. Why do you view these things as being so different from everyone else?

    luvfades
    September 15, 2012 at 6:39 pm
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  8. Why do white people always wear jeans or khakis? There clothes are always pressed and laundered, flat as as a board and probably as stiff if they’ve starched it? Why don’t they wear zarapes or alpacan capes? Why do they eat food like lasagna, PB&J, and eggs with bacon? Haven’t they ever heard of tamales or coconut curry? How come they don’t customize their cars, just taking whatever rolls out of the factory floor? Why do they watch ABC/CBS/NBC instead of Telemundo, RAI, Deutschewelle? How come they read InStyle/Vogue instead of Ebony/Essence? How come they read the New York Times instead of Afro-American Times?

    Dude, people are people. Let them be. No one is bustin’ you for your choices. Call it culture, call it whatever you want… we are all just enjoying what we know/have been exposed to.

    Guru-Wannabe
    September 15, 2012 at 7:20 pm
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  9. am a filipino girl.

    i work in St. Bernard Hospital located in the south side of Chicago and all the patients here are black people. and they all watch BET channel in their hospital rooms. I never hear any black people play rock. It’s always either hiphop, rap or R&B. and I do see a lot of black guys who have their pants down and you can see their underpants? and their hat is never set right as well. it’s always on the sides. I dunno about the magazines though. And the type of food that they eat.

    My bf is black. and he wears his pants down. I can see his underpants and the lining of his butt showing. and he wears this heavy silver necklaces and earrings in both his ears. he smokes Newports like every 30 minutes – 2 hours every single frigging day! he wears his hat to the sides and never set in right. He only wears Nike Air shoes? he says these are the bestest shoes in the whole US. (whatever)

    I see a lot of black people on SS disability. I see a lot of black people who smoke crack or do weed. my bf used to do marijuana. and has been in jail a couple of times. and one time we were walking in broad daylight and 3 police cars stopped and handcuffed him. they thought he was the one that punched the arab owner at the store. i was just stunned. he said that was not the first time that cops wrongfully handcuffed him. we just went to that store to buy him some newport cigarettes and that’s what he got!

    later on when we were at the bus stop this black girl asked ma bf for a lighter. and she lighted up a brown paper. and i asked my man what that is. and he said that that was blunt. and i was like what is blunt. and he said marijuana. and i was like wouldn’t she be caught by the police as we were standing at the bus stops were a lot of cars were passing by. and the black girl said that cops will not arrest you for smoking blunt if you do it in the open. but if you smoke blunt inside the car that is when they arrest you. and she was only 19.

    and i see a lot of black girls who have several children of different fathers? some of their boyfriends are in jail? i see a lot of black people who are positive for HIV or AIDS and Hepatitis C.

    black teens are loud in the buses. they were even fighting inside the bus. and they were really loud like all people inside were looking at them. they do it all the time. they like the attention. and they sell Newports inside the trains even if it is not allowed. i saw a black guy spit inside the train. nasty.

    this is in the city of chicago.

    what a lonely world
    September 15, 2012 at 7:21 pm
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  10. Most black people are Afrocentric.
    Oh and this ‘question’ was pretty lame and stupid. I guess it’s to mock black culture? Um get your own culture and stop trying to learn every facet of ours. Talk about obsessed.
    Separate themselves? Yep, the white obsession. Wanting so badly to enter black culture. Give it up already.

    Don't Steal My Answer RIP MJ
    September 15, 2012 at 8:08 pm
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  11. I agree with Libratee… I’m born and raised in the Port and I’ve seen a mixture many times. Your question makes me wonder who you’ve been around and kinda shows just how limited your vision has been… I’ve always found Bpt to be a very diverse city, with cultures intermingling for the most part. A little more openness might do you good…

    VAgirl
    September 15, 2012 at 9:06 pm
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