Eat Me
You are what you eat...or are you??
“Oliver, you’re not really Black!!” You would not believe how many times I have heard this in my life. I have almost become numb to these words & thoughts, mostly writing people off who have this mindset. Growing up in Deltona, this was a challenge for me as a child. I was usually the only black kid in my class for the first few years. I would get picked on sometimes about it, but mostly stayed close to a core group of friends who accepted me for who I was. A person. Unfortunately though, these same kids who grew up thinking that being black meant, rims and gold teeth, think no differently now. It is amazing how people mask racism with terms like “urban”, “inner-city”, “demographic” etc… As I am now in Corp. America again, these terms and sayings have reared their ugly heads once more.
I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that I am a person who is very proud to be a black man. I am also very proud of my Jamaican Heritage. I say these statements not to feel superior to another race of people or culture, but I feel there is so much to be proud of in the face of struggle from both the color of my skin and the culture I was raised in. I enjoy meeting people of other cultures as we can learn so much from those who are different than us. If all the colors of the rainbow were red, that would not be very exciting now would it?? Such is true in life, we need all kinds of people to make this world interesting. It is sad to me when people limit themselves to shallow thinking and closed mindedness. More than anything I feel sorry for these people. If I thought like this, I would only eat “Rice & Peas and Jerk Chicken!!” As much as I love Jamaican food, I also enjoy Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, French, Japanese, and all types of international cuisine. It would be boring to eat the same style of food every night. Sometimes you feel like a taco, sometimes you feel like a crepe’. The beauty of life is knowing that you can experience all these things without losing your own identity.
“Oliver, you’re not really Black!!” You would not believe how many times I have heard this in my life. I have almost become numb to these words & thoughts, mostly writing people off who have this mindset. Growing up in Deltona, this was a challenge for me as a child. I was usually the only black kid in my class for the first few years. I would get picked on sometimes about it, but mostly stayed close to a core group of friends who accepted me for who I was. A person. Unfortunately though, these same kids who grew up thinking that being black meant, rims and gold teeth, think no differently now. It is amazing how people mask racism with terms like “urban”, “inner-city”, “demographic” etc… As I am now in Corp. America again, these terms and sayings have reared their ugly heads once more.
I guess the thing that bothers me the most is that I am a person who is very proud to be a black man. I am also very proud of my Jamaican Heritage. I say these statements not to feel superior to another race of people or culture, but I feel there is so much to be proud of in the face of struggle from both the color of my skin and the culture I was raised in. I enjoy meeting people of other cultures as we can learn so much from those who are different than us. If all the colors of the rainbow were red, that would not be very exciting now would it?? Such is true in life, we need all kinds of people to make this world interesting. It is sad to me when people limit themselves to shallow thinking and closed mindedness. More than anything I feel sorry for these people. If I thought like this, I would only eat “Rice & Peas and Jerk Chicken!!” As much as I love Jamaican food, I also enjoy Italian, Chinese, Mediterranean, French, Japanese, and all types of international cuisine. It would be boring to eat the same style of food every night. Sometimes you feel like a taco, sometimes you feel like a crepe’. The beauty of life is knowing that you can experience all these things without losing your own identity.
posted by O King at
12:21 AM
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