General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Re Wypipo and Divisiveness [View all]wonkwest
(463 posts)I read through the thread and understand that you're black.
So what I'm about to relate is 100% true, but speaks to what you're responding to. I'm a little uncomfortable relating this - so please be kind if you hate it - but this is something I have experienced more than once in variations. I'm going to relate one single story as illustrative.
I live in San Francisco. I was loitering around a BART (public transit) station catching Pokemon (don't judge). Two older black women converged on the corner I was on. They seemed to know each other. They started talking amongst themselves. Their particular racial accent was very thick, and I was having a little bit of trouble understanding what they were saying initially.
Ultimately, I caught on. They were speaking a bit of nonsense. "Trump's going to put us all in FEMA camps." "Oh yeah, I heard that. Best mind your cash." That sort of thing. On one hand, I desperately wanted to roll my eyes and probably did. On the other, it spoke to the fear that PoC have of Trump.
However, then a young black man approached. He was loitering at the corner, too. Maybe he was also playing PokemonGo. I have no idea. But he was clearly a UC student. He leaned against the wall on one side, I was on the other. We both listened to these two women. I was just listening. The women's conversation was in that vein for quite awhile. After about three to five minutes, he stood up straight and said, "Why you gotta be ignorant like that?!" He was really angry and put out. I, being white, said nothing and melted entirely into the wall.
But, the poster you're calling a troll may not have untrue experiences. I had to "tune in" to the racial dialect. In passive listening, I wasn't understanding/hearing what the women were saying. It was only once I took an interest that I understood. The young, educated black man was offended by them. He was super unhappy with them.
This isn't a one-off. I've sensed (and you can no doubt speak to this way better than I can) that some black people who are educated judge or look down on those who are less educated or speak in a dialect. So what the poster above you related isn't an untrue thing. I've seen/experienced similar dichotomies. I could not begin to explain the how or why - I, as a white person, do not know the cultural nuances at play here.
But that interaction you called a troll doesn't ring false to me. I've seen similar myself.
If I'm wrong or misinterpreting in some way, please tell me how/why. I will listen.