My boss just made the assumption by saying "Oh I don't think you'd like the Sterophonics"I said "Why? Because I'm black?" he started laughing because I use this one often half serious but half joking.
I had to reel off Radiohead, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers and Oasis all non-black, non-hip hop that I listen to. You'd be surprised the amount of assumptions made because of your colour and what music you'd prefer and enjoy.
The most common one I find is people assuming because my folks are from Jamaica that I love reggae music. In fact I can't stand it. And they never played it much either when I was growing up. Dancehall I can deal with, reggae and revival *shakes head* I don't mind a bit of Jah Cure, but on a personal level I'm not feeling him and feel very strongly about that rape conviction he served time in prison for. I can honestly say haven't listened to anything of his since because of it.
I even had one fool from the 1st floor say to me "Oh Naomi you must like hip-hop?"
I asked him the same thing "Why? Because I'm black? You wouldn't assume anybody else on the desk liked hip-hop but me just because I'm black. You wouldn't ask Joe or Paul but you ask me why is that."
Truth be it I don't mind it [hip-hop] but I'm not a fan of it. I prefer to dance to the popular club hip-hot tunes rather than buy and listen to a whole album pretending to be into it for the sake of being down.
Now Linkin Park and Gun's n Roses those are my favourite groups.
But I was more appalled by my managers favourite GNR song being 'You Could Be Mine' from the Terminator ": Judgement Day soundtrack. The poor thing I laughed in his face for quite a while, luckily he's not easily offended anyone knows it's a hard toss up between 'Sweet Child O Mine' or 'November Rain'.
Nothing beats an 8 minute long GNR song with a great guitar solo by Slash.
Slash Fact: He's mixed race. African American mother and white British father. She reminds me of Whoopi Goldberg.
I even had one fool from the 1st floor say to me "Oh Naomi you must like hip-hop?"
I asked him the same thing "Why? Because I'm black? You wouldn't assume anybody else on the desk liked hip-hop but me just because I'm black. You wouldn't ask Joe or Paul but you ask me why is that."
Truth be it I don't mind it [hip-hop] but I'm not a fan of it. I prefer to dance to the popular club hip-hot tunes rather than buy and listen to a whole album pretending to be into it for the sake of being down.
Now Linkin Park and Gun's n Roses those are my favourite groups.
But I was more appalled by my managers favourite GNR song being 'You Could Be Mine' from the Terminator ": Judgement Day soundtrack. The poor thing I laughed in his face for quite a while, luckily he's not easily offended anyone knows it's a hard toss up between 'Sweet Child O Mine' or 'November Rain'.
Nothing beats an 8 minute long GNR song with a great guitar solo by Slash.Slash Fact: He's mixed race. African American mother and white British father. She reminds me of Whoopi Goldberg.
Interesting fact about Slash. Who knew?
ReplyDeleteHey Londondiva, does England classify its' citizens racially... meaning are there, for each person, an official race classification listed in their ID or birth record?
I ask because it's interesting to note how various countries classify their black and mixed raced cits. In South Africa, the mixed population goes by Coloured, whereas in the States they have no classification for mixed race folk. If you're mixed race in the states, you have to choose one race or check off 'other'.
Yes it does, here is a link for you to break it down and is pretty much official.
ReplyDeleteMine is Black British Caribbean [or more importatnly what I check for myself], you sometimes get the option to not check Caribbean or African and just check Black British and leave it at that.
In the US it's straight African American in the UK we can choose between [black]Caribbean and African.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/about-statistics/classifications/archived/ethnic-interim/presenting-data/index.html
Wow that is some classification standard.
ReplyDeleteI wish it were as broken down as that over here.
The whole classification thing frustrates me. My kids are total 'mutts', as our pres-elect so humorously called it.... they resemble ethnicities that they are not even remotely connected to... but eh.. we all bleed red, right?