Im Just Sayin...

Today I was on the bus, and as the bus came to a startling hault. A girl fell; hit the floor kind of hard. Immediately, the bus driver turned around and exclaimed "You aight shawty?" The girls expression was priceless. "Excuse me?"

Now, my initial instinct, as was every other [black] person on the bus was laughter, but for a moment, I refrained. I thought to myself, "would we have laughed if she was black? or would we have laughed harder if he were white too?"

Second scenario. Two boys in class talking about their experience visiting an elementary school. One was black, the other asian. The asian guy says "Yea man, them lil niggas was bad as hell." The black guys replies, "Hell yea... Wait. What you say?" They both begin to laugh.

My professor once said, "I don't see colors, just people" but how many of us can truly say the same? I'll admit, I can't. But I'd like to be able to... I didn't really even care until this year when I had to face race issues on a daily basis. Coming from a predominately African American area, the adjustment from Ellenwood to Athens has been a major challenge. I went from being the short, light-skinned girl, with short hair, who used to be a cheerleader but now is on the step team, with the pretty smile in spanish class in high school, to the BLACK girl in my spanish class here at UGA. I've never considered myself a racist, but if race is always the first thing I see, am I? And if my race is the first thing you see when you see me, are you?

So what exactly is American? I know I was born here, but I'm not like these people. They're not like me either, so what are they? How come they can't say the same things we say? Go the same places we go? Do the same things we do? Aren't we all American? Can't we all say "Shawty" and "Bruh" and "Totally awesome"? And how come "niggas" don't have problems with other "niggas" callin them "nigga" or callin other "niggas" "nigga"? Nigga why you gotta go blowin up when somebody thats not your color calls you "nigga". You still a "nigga" right? Yuuuup.

America has so many colors it should be colorless by now, so why is it not? Some people think that with color on top of color on top of color it should be black now. But that's one thing it will never be, especially if color is always the first thing you see... I'm just sayin...