GAYS STEALING FEMALE BLACK CULTURE?

 

 CNN Debate: 'White Gays: Stop Stealing Black Female Culture'

WHATTA YOU THINK ???

You can see the entire CNN debate online with Don Lemon (it's short)...

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I can see both sides:

On one hand, no one owns a gesture or a behavior even if it started in a particular culture (that's what the USA is all about, adopting other cultures' food, dress, dance, behavior, etc.)...

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However, I do see the other side that assuming every African American woman should be addressed in a stereotypical, campy way can be perceived as a bit racist. 

We should try to treat people-regardless of gender or race- as individuals not with a blanket assumption.

Not every gay man wants to be addressed as "she"  or "guurl" for instance. 

Even the ubiquitous hello kiss among gay men is frowned upon by other gay men; preferring a firm handshake instead. 

Don't assume.

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To paraphrase both views:

Sierra Mannie an African American woman (not a journalist, just her personal experience) whose article got picked up by times.com states: "

"Maybe, for some of you, it’s a presumed mutual appreciation for Beyoncé and weaves that has you thinking that I’m going to be amused by you approaching me in your best “Shanequa from around the way” voice. I don’t know.

What I do know is that I don’t care how well you can quote Madea, who told you that your booty was getting bigger than hers, how cute you think it is to call yourself a strong black woman, who taught you to twerk, how funny you think it is to call yourself Quita or Keisha or for which black male you’ve been bottoming — you are not a black woman, and you do not get to claim either blackness or womanhood. It is not yours. It is not for you."

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The rebuttal on CNN comes from Huffington Post's writer & comedian H. Alan Scott:

" It’s all bullshit. You can be whomever you want to be, and you shouldn’t be belittled, black or white, gay or straight, for who you are, gesticulations and all.

Mannie goes on to talk about the very true hardships and disparities black Americans face in this country. She’s right, it is very hard to be a person of color in this country, and as a white man — a very gay white man — I have absolutely no true understanding of what that must be like. But what I do have is a very real understanding of generalizations, as all minorities do.

Mannie writes about white males appreciation of Beyoncé (because only black women can like her), or a use of a certain vernacular that apparently belongs exclusively to black women (what about black gay men, can they use it?). She writes that black people don’t have access to everything white people do, and she’s right. That they often must worry about their physical safety, and she’s right. That there aren’t enough venues for black voices to be heard, she’s still right..."