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In the seventh grade, I had a film class--you had props and made scrips and filmed it sometimes. It was horrible for me because I hate being in front of people, speaking. I just hate standing in front of people and presenting something. (I could never be an orator.) Anyway, the teacher was asked by a student, "Are you crazy if you talk to yourself?" to which he responded, "You're only crazy if you ask yourself questions and then answer them..." I thought it was funny. I also took it to heart because I talk to myself. Honestly, who doesn't? But I'm weird. I talk to myself as if there is someone RIGHT next to me listening to me. "I always wonder why blah blah blah, you know? Have you ever thought of that? It just bugs me, you know?" If there is something on my mind, this, I suppose, helps me ponder more on whatever I was already thinking about.
Yes, I'm really just weird and possibly crazy, I know, I know. *shakes head* but to the point, I had a lovely conversation with myself (yes, it was necessary to expound why I do so). What was it about? Nationalities. My ethnicity, others' ethnic background, etc. etc.
New York is the most diverse state in the country--so many people from all over the world. You can literally visit a country without even GOING to that country. It's amazing. Sure some of you knew this already, but have you ever lived here? That's what makes it amazing. When you experience it, blah blah blah, I digress. I learned a lot from being here. I became more open-minded about things, mainly people's ethnic background. There are a lot of black people in my school which surprised me because I'm so used to seeing a lot of white people. What else do you expect from NY? Silly me. One thing I learned was that every black person was not "black", as in African-American (I know, big whoop, I'm so unedu-ma-cated). There are a lot people who are Haitian, Jamaican, all those places in S. America. All to a point that when people ask me what I am, they ask "Are you Haitian? Jamaican? What are you??????" I can't blame them because they probably ask other people and get similar answers (Oh, I'm Haitian. Oh I'm Jamaican). What gets me is that, I suppose there's so many Haitians and whatnot that no one even thinks about the people whose roots lie in Africa.
I was in a party with my friends on XBOX Live and one of them asked what I was. When I told him he was like "Oh~! I know an African now!" LMAO I don't know, I just feel kind of annoyed that people think I'm from some part of South America when I'm not. On the other hand, it also annoys me when people just say I'm African (as in OH EM GEE I KNOW AN AFRICAN or whatever). I'm all wishy-washy about it. *shakes head*
But this brings me to my point. When you think of African-American, what is it you think of? Most think of someone with dark skin. I won't go into anything else because the main thing is about skin color. After thinking for a moment, I thought about this:
I want to be reincarnated into someone whose parents are both white but were born in Africa. I then want the parents to travel to America and have me there, so that I can have all those benefits of being an American or whatever... What would people call me? I have pale skin, yet my roots are, for the most part, in Africa. Wouldn't I be, technically, African-American? When I fill out a form, wouldn't I bubble in 'African-American, Black, or of African decent' (or would I bubble in 'Other')?
The idea was titillating because what if I had said to a group of Black-Americans "I'm African American"? What would their reaction be? If I said this to anyone, what would their reaction be? I kind of know the answer... >__>" but what would you think or say?
The thought is amusing and makes me wish that my next life is like this. To be able to say that I'm Africa-American yet I'm of pale complexion. Oh, what a dream; what a dream...
R A W R~ OMFJ KIT KATS!!! >:V . . .
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Random Thought Number One