Comments on The Brain Dump: O-R-E-O

Okay, I thought I was clicking on your Fokti album...

2007-03-21T09:22:00.000-05:00

Okay, I thought I was clicking on your Fokti album in NP, but I accidentally clicked on your blog link instead, and saw this entry and had to comment. I don't have much to say except: Well done, well written, nicely said.

I had a similar upbringing except that we were part of a black wave that hit the white suburbs so there were other black kids around. Still, I was called Oreo because I "spoke proper" (ALL due to my teacher mom!) and dared to explore the world outside of "Black America".

BTW: I found your Fokti. You and I are almost hair twins...yours is thicker than mine, but just as nappy. :)

Hey, this is a well-written piece! You bring my o...

2006-10-16T05:12:00.000-05:00

Hey, this is a well-written piece! You bring my own memories rushing back.
-From one who knows the feeling

Thanks for putting this into words. I was also ra...

2006-06-20T11:56:00.000-05:00

Thanks for putting this into words. I was also raised in a predominately white suburb of Detroit, only to be moved into the city and teased incessantly about "talking white" and "acting white." So I tried my hardest to assimilate myself into black culture, but I only knew how to do that by alienating all the White that were my friends.

Over the years, I think I've figured out how to walk the line, and just be who I am. I hope.

(you are quickly becoming my favorite blog... and you're in Mich too!)

Great post! Growing up in the 80's half black & ha...

2006-05-17T18:59:00.000-05:00

Great post! Growing up in the 80's half black & half white in NYC was a real non-issue. No role problems, no confusion...there were exactly enough beige kids at my school for us to create an actual racial category and create zero questions or controversy.

It was only recently that I realised how incredibly unusual that was, and only recently that I have had to deal with the snide oreo comments and criticism ("you talk so white") that I never had to field as a kid--disturbingly, it's at work and it's ALL from black women half-a-generation older than myself.

I'm grateful I didn't have to deal with it when I was young.

You, Miss Cheetarah, are one hell of a writer.

I grew up in the South Bronx and loved 90210 just ...

2006-05-11T12:48:00.000-05:00

I grew up in the South Bronx and loved 90210 just as much as the girls in the suburbs did. I had the 90210 poster next to my NKOTB poster (New Kids on the Block for those unfamiliar with early 90's fads). But that didn't mean I lost my Latina-ness. I still listened to merengue, salsa and bachata. DR was still my summer vacation spot. I like having had that balance. But yes Cornell was definitely an eye-opener. Now I can listen to the song "Closing Time" and sing the words (I know Chesty LaRue especially can sing along with me from dining at Okenshield's :-) Rock is rock no matter what race or skin color the lead singer is. In either case, cheers to diversity and by the way, Zach and Slater are two different people (Zach being the hottie blond and A.C. Slater being the muscular hispanic).

A coworker/friend has a similar experience - growi...

2006-05-10T21:43:00.000-05:00

A coworker/friend has a similar experience - growing up in Berkeley, CA. She's half white/half black, and upon moving south to attend UCLA, says she 'got educated' on being black.

I can relate to this as well, though my situation ...

2006-05-10T18:25:00.000-05:00

I can relate to this as well, though my situation is not the same. I come from a working class Brooklyn-Italian neighborhood but ended up due to my geekdom in very competitive schools. I have a love for all the things that are stereotypes about us Brooklyn-Italians (like dance music, speaking half-in-Italian, eating a lot of cannoli, etc. EXCEPT the non-pronoun, "you's", which I deplore, as an English teacher). Anyway, I always got a lot of headaches for my ethnicity, and never thought that my "educated" and "alternative" and whatever else circles could ever coincide with my upbringing. But in the past few years, I've learned to accept both sides of myself and rather expect other people to do the same. So what if I like Saturday Night Fever? And so what if I don't like Goodfellas?

Really, really insightful post. This is the best p...

2006-05-08T19:57:00.000-05:00

Really, really insightful post. This is the best part of blogging - discovering people who are brave enough to really put themselves out there, and talented enough to write their stories so compellingly.

You've won a new fan and I'll be back. Great post, and I'll look forward to seeing future posts from you.

Hey... I'm a white guy who grew up in the suburbs,...

2006-05-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

Hey... I'm a white guy who grew up in the suburbs, and I always liked watching Soul Train. But that's just me.

1. I had to post again to show off my new Diana Ro...

2006-05-03T14:24:00.000-05:00

1. I had to post again to show off my new Diana Ross - like picture
2. Where in the hell are you?? You left me a comment and then vanished again...
3. I don't know who jailbait is, not yet anyway but we really are about to get together and form a stalker *ahem* i mean finder group for you. I already looked on ebay for a trench coat. JB can bring the flashlights
4. I'm considering hijacking all of your readers and bringing them to my blog. If you don't come back soon, I am starting my~steal the commenters~campaign. You have 24 hours to comply with our demands for some new posts or deal with the consequences

Leah, don't give her any ideas!!Liz, where are you...

2006-05-03T01:59:00.000-05:00

Leah, don't give her any ideas!!

Liz, where are you woman? I've emailed you and posted comments in your blog....don't make me stalk you (you know I have 'slight stalker tendencies')

Thanks for this post. It got me thinking about all...

2006-05-02T17:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks for this post. It got me thinking about all the "roles" I've played throughout the years too.

Fantastic. As usual. Someone should pay you for th...

2006-05-02T15:28:00.000-05:00

Fantastic. As usual. Someone should pay you for this stuff...

Beautiful. We're all a little bit of a lot of thi...

2006-05-02T09:38:00.000-05:00

Beautiful. We're all a little bit of a lot of things, and that's what really makes us us.

Amen, girl! What is it about speaking correctly th...

2006-05-01T11:50:00.000-05:00

Amen, girl! What is it about speaking correctly that will automatically get a "she think she White!" comment from other Black people? I often got taunted for being "proper" in school and never understood what the problem was.

And don't get me started on entertainment. Am I really less Black because I can't stand watching Martin! or The Parkers? Am I less Black because I like Gretchen Wilson and AC/DC? Why should music or tv preferences give us the traitor label?

It's all so silly so often. However, the fact that we can't accept variety in our own community is maddening. Grrrrr!

Liz, you are the bomb. You have always been so un...

2006-05-01T04:52:00.000-05:00

Liz, you are the bomb. You have always been so unique, and that is one thing that I admire about you. You have matured a lot and gotten more comfortable with yourself, yet you are still LIZ. I remember when you became a Delta. All I could think was "If she changes into a biotch I WILL be telling her about herself"...but no worries, you are still LIZ.

That was funny though, calling people on 3-way and convincing them you were black. Those were the days!

This piece is totally awesome.This is why I love w...

2006-04-29T01:13:00.000-05:00

This piece is totally awesome.

This is why I love writing. You just made clear, a formerly confusing subject for me. And you did it, as usual, so well. Please keep educating me.

Brave post!

What cece said in her first sentence, Liz. Such a...

2006-04-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

What cece said in her first sentence, Liz. Such a precise post, learning just the right amount of information, particularly the part about Dixie Chicks. I realize it matches your life in NO WAY WHATSOEVER, but you have me thinking about a future post where I compare my Roman Catholic Polish relatives in Chicago's suburbs with my father's hillbilly kinfolk in Shelby and Oldham Counties, Kentucky.

Liz. I can see now that I will be looking for a post from you every day, whether there is one or not.

Hello from Seattle (and temporarily Houston.)Thank...

2006-04-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

Hello from Seattle (and temporarily Houston.)

Thanks for stopping by my blog.

It's like there are two sides of me and until now,...

2006-04-28T14:42:00.000-05:00

It's like there are two sides of me and until now, I never thought they could meet. It was either/or, never both. But now I'm starting to wonder why. Contrary to what I've told myself, I still have a lot in common with Becky and Suzie. Just as much as I do with Shaniquah and Dawnisha. Because of where I grew up, I can navigate through two worlds that rarely ever meet.

I was the poorest girl in most of my classes at school, and the richest girl in my (poor) neighborhood. I come from a "red-neck" county, yet I am a "prep." I can relate to your post, although my situation is not the same. You're writing touches on so many different things-the need to embrace who we are, the need to embrace our culture,the struggle of determining who we are and how to relate to others without compromising that, but still be able to grow as a person and accept new things. There is no need to fit into any one label, but to take things from each of our experiences and combine those to creat our own unique selves. Your post is very well written- I look forward to reasding more of your blog.

Damn, girl you are talented. Not that I didn't bel...

2006-04-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

Damn, girl you are talented. Not that I didn't believe it before but now... I know. And its crazy meeting someone or better yet knowing someone out there is just like you. I had the same exact experience. I moved to Newburgh,NY from the South Bronx when I was 11 not 13 like I tell everyone. And from then on it was OREO everytime someone wanted to hurt me. I joined the ski club and had white friends. In highschool I abandoned that, trying to prove my "blackness" But unlike you I have yet to fully move past it. I still talk like a white girl if I'm not paying attention, the rest of the time I make sure to throw my New Yawker accent around, I don't hang out with that many white people with the exception of my best friend whom I make exceptions for by telling everyone shes an Italian from Brooklyn and always feel uncomfortable about what people are thinking when they see me with white people..I know I still have work to do... But trust I know its me and how I view myself that needs the work.
BTW Good shit on putting this out there!! I always say I'm honest on my blog (and I am) but I do have my topics that I don't write about... for whatever reason. You show that when you do, its not as crazy as it may seem. Hell others are going through it so maybe I'm not that f*cked up after all. ;-)

I always wondered what is was like to be on the "o...

2006-04-28T14:07:00.000-05:00

I always wondered what is was like to be on the "other side". I'd always viewed "Uncle Toms" with disdain because I couldn't understand why anyone would willingly abandon or disregard their cultural heritage. I couldn't fathom that their mannerisms might've been authentic.

They say college is a place of firsts and where you will make your most lasting friendships. Coming from a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood where the only whites you saw were your teachers and the police, going to Cornell was a definite culture shock. I see now why they pay so much attention to "diversity" on campus (not that the 10% minority population did much in that respect), but it's definitely integral to personal growth, to realizing your "reality" is so provincial compared to the country and world at large.

I'll admit that upon meeting you, I thought the same of you as those high school girls...because I'd never met anyone like you...because I was ignorant to neighborhoods and societies other than my own...because I was taught that being "Black" had a distinct sound, look, and feel. I apologize for my hand in ostracizing you (though I would appreciate it if you would STOP pretending to be a city girl and rapping to Biggie's Juicy cuz you sound CRAZY). You are exactly how you were meant to be.