[lbo-talk] Acting White

[bitch at pulpculture.org]

At 03:08 PM 11/14/2007, Dennis Claxton wrote:
>http://www.blackcommentator.com/100/100_cover_acting_white.html
>
>I have heard a lot of static concerning African
>Americans and their supposed disregard for
>education. "Our black kids look down on
>education" say many of the black pundits, "they
>tease the black kids who are doing well school
>and say they are acting white." I've heard this
>repeated over and over again by African-American
>personalities and celebrities (none of which, by
>the way, have any extensive, classroom teaching
>experience). Let me also add, that in all my
>years as an educator and youth program
>specialist, I have never heard any student
>equating scholastic achievement with whiteness.
>Nevertheless, this assertion is usually made
>without challenge, rebuttal or explanation. This
>is yet another sign of the reactionary times that
>we now live in, here in America ­ with a pit
>bull-like tenacity we lock on to what is being
>said without examining why it's being said.  I,
>in the course of this writing, will endeavor to
>unmask this widely-held misconception.
>
>[....]

i don't have dyson's book at the moment, but it pretty much puts to rest 
the notion that very many kids use the phrase "acting white" as a put down 
in this sense. I *d0* notice that it's common among leftish leaning POC == 
as a put down. E.g., J Lo is 'acting white' when she forgets her roots. (Or 
something like that. I didn't understand this pop culture ref because I 
don't read j lo gossip that isn't about her ass. :))

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