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Common Questions that You\u2019ll Have to Answer<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhite<\/a> noise\u201d is the term for sounds that are such a regular part of your environment that they blend into a dependable background hum. White<\/a> noise is a subtle sound track for your daily life. It\u2019s like living<\/a> next to a freeway. At first, the sound of the cars<\/a> may seem so loud you can barely hear yourself think<\/a>. But after a while the drone becomes familiar, a standard part of your daily routine. In fact, some days you can\u2019t imagine living<\/a> without it. Just kidding.<\/p>\n You may have heard these statements so often that you\u2019ve begun to tune them out. It\u2019s time to splash some cold water on your face and listen<\/a> again to what\u2019s being said around you. . . .<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘Do black<\/a> people get tan? What I<\/a> mean<\/a> is, does your skin get darker? And then do you call that \u2018tan\u2019 or \u2018darker\u2019? You get blacker, right? Or do you get lighter? Do you get lighter in the sun?’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘You speak<\/a> English very well. You\u2019re so articulate. You can talk without even sounding black. But you could sound black if you wanted to, right? Do it now. Say something and sound really black.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘I used to try to make friends<\/a> with black people, but black people just don\u2019t want to be friends with white people. I try to talk to them and they look at me like I\u2019m crazy. What am I doing wrong?’<\/p>\n \u2022”I thought it would be really fascinating to meet you since you\u2019re from the Caribbean. Oh, you\u2019re not from the Caribbean? Well, you could be. Are you sure you\u2019re not?’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘I<\/a>\u2019ve met a few black people in my life. They were interesting, always wore the most colorful clothes. I don\u2019t remember their names. I liked to look at them. But I didn\u2019t make friends with any of them. We didn\u2019t have anything in common.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘How come black people don\u2019t come to our group? I invite them. I have food I think they will like, but they don\u2019t come. Week after week we wait, and no people of color come. They just aren\u2019t interested in our group. I guess we\u2019re going to stay an all-white group. I don\u2019t know how to change that. It\u2019s not our fault. We want to talk about racism, but how can we do that without people of color there?\u2019<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘Why do you call yourselves black? I mean you\u2019re not really black, you\u2019re more of a brown color. Though I did see this man once who was so black. He was actually black, like the color, like my shoes. Actually black. He was beautiful. I thought so.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘You have such an interesting name. Are you named after [insert name of geographical landmark] or [insert name of ethnic food] or maybe [insert rhyming name of impoverished country]? I\u2019ve never met anyone with your name. Did you make it up yourself?’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘Why are you always talking about racism<\/a>? Can\u2019t you just relax? I tell people not to talk about race around black people \u2018cause you\u2019ll get really angry and call them racist<\/a>.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘I really don\u2019t have very much experience with people of color. I don\u2019t know what to say or do. I\u2019m from an all-white town, remember? Don\u2019t fault me for my circumstances. If I\u2019m surrounded by white people, I\u2019m going to know mostly white people and know about white people. What am I supposed to do? Yes, all of my friends are white, but I don\u2019t know any other people. Am I supposed to seek out black people? You think they\u2019re going to talk to me?”<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘My grandparents are the most racist<\/a> people you\u2019d ever meet. I sit at dinner sometimes and they say the most racist<\/a> things. I can\u2019t believe it. There\u2019s nothing I can do about it. Let me tell you some of the things they say. They are so racist<\/a>.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘Last year I read this book<\/a>, I don\u2019t remember the name, but a black person wrote it. You know the one they made into a movie? It was great. You\u2019d like it. It wasn\u2019t like anything I\u2019ve ever read. You\u2019d probably understand it more than I would. It was really good. The main character was black and he killed a woman and he was running from the police. And I don\u2019t want to spoil the ending or anything \u2018cause you really should read it, but he gets killed. In the end. In prison. He was guilty. It was really good. Really realistic. A black person wrote it, so it was accurate. I think it was based on a true story. I bet it was true. You\u2019d like it. You should read it. I\u2019ll lend it to you.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘Where I went to school there was a lot of racism and the black kids were always protesting. I don\u2019t really know much about it. I heard once that the campus police beat this kid up because he was black. But he must have done something wrong. Anyway, I didn\u2019t really get involved with it. I had to concentrate on important things, like my schoolwork.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘All the black people I\u2019ve met are so angry, it makes it hard to be friends with them. But you are easy to talk to. You don\u2019t get mad every time I say something.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘You come from a big family. And you grew up in the ghetto, I mean, inner city. Right? How many brothers and sisters do you have? Did you have to share a bedroom with all of them? Do you know your father? And you were really poor<\/a> and on welfare. Or did you have money? Then you aren\u2019t really black. Like, you are black, but you are kind of white too. You kind of act white. I bet you can be black or white depending on who you\u2019re talking to.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘Were your great-grandparents slaves? I just found out that my great-great-grandparents were slave masters. They owned slaves. Of course I don\u2019t think that\u2019s good or anything. I\u2019m glad that it\u2019s all in the past<\/a> now. I can\u2019t be held responsible<\/a> for something my ancestors<\/a> did hundreds of years ago. It was a really long time ago. Everything is different now. People are equal. I can\u2019t keep paying for things my ancestors did that I don\u2019t even believe<\/a> in. What am I supposed to do, pay a special tax? A white tax?’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘People think that you, I mean black people, are uneducated. But you\u2019re different. I mean, I don\u2019t think of you that way. A lot of people I know think that way. You\u2019re easy to talk to. Most black people aren\u2019t as easy to talk to as you are. I can say whatever I want around you and I know you\u2019re not going to call me a racist or something. Right? Because I\u2019m not. I\u2019m not a racist. You know that, right?’<\/p>\n \u2022 \u2018I don\u2019t even see race. When I look at someone I don\u2019t see their race at all. I\u2019m really beyond all of that.’<\/p>\n \u2022 ‘I don\u2019t think of you as black.’\u201d<\/p>\n aus: Damali Ayo: How to Rent a Negro (2005), im Internet<\/a>.<\/p>\n