When "Shit Girls Say" hit Youtube last month, it quickly gained more than seven million views and has spawned hundreds of parodies including "Shit Gay Guys Say", "Shit Vegans Say", "Shit Moms Say", and the extremely popular, "Shit Black Girls Say," which has over a million views. After seeing "Shit Girls Say" posted on Facebook, I reluctantly watched "Shit Black Girls Say" knowing that before I hit the play button I probably wouldn't be able to relate.
Growing up I was constantly labeled an "oreo" by my black peers because of my proper speech and "valley girl accent". But contrary to my tormentors' taunts, I didn't "want to be white" or think I was better than them; my lilting voice and preppy attire was the result of my Catholic school elementary years combined with my suburban West Palm Beach upbringing.
After I entered high school, the teasing subsided and my circle of friends grew to include girls from all walks of life; but I always seemed to fall in with the white girls from upper middle class families. I quickly became the "token black girl" in my group, which came with a whole host of awkward questions and first experiences for my peers. Unfortunately, the awkward questions and comments didn't stop after I graduated from high school. Throughout college and even today, in corporate America, I find myself fielding inappropriate questions and swatting hands away from my waist length dreadlocks.
Over the years I've found that dealing with white people faux pas can be tricky. If I get upset, I could quickly be labeled the "angry black girl." But if I don't say anything or react too passively, I risk giving friends and acquaintances permission to continue crossing the line. So I decided to create my own parody, "Shit White Girls Say...to Black Girls," to make all people laugh while, hopefully, opening some eyes and encouraging some of my white friends and acquaintances to think twice before they treat their black friends and associates like petting zoo animals or expect us to be spokespeople for the entire race.
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I grew up in New England too and also went to a diverse school, but I still witnessed this kind of behavior and sometimes from people you wouldn't expect. If I'm correct, the girl in the video lives in NYC, a very multicultural city, and yet she still experiences these things. You should talk to your friends of different races and see if their experiences match yours.
What the girl in the video seems to be calling racism is just naivete and ignorance. If her white friends didn't like her they wouldn't hang out with her.
Having been the only white among mostly blacks, they treated me like crap. Some African-Americans are the most racist people of all. And they are often more racist toward their own race than they are to white people, because they taunt other blacks for being white or for not being black enough.
The girl who made the video seems to be blissfully unaware of all this. I think she's more racist than she thinks.
Just because you don't agree with the posters statement does not mean that their experiences are not legitimate.
As a college student my roommate this year is a white girl and I have some of the most uncomfortable moments like she tells me stories about how her dad is worried that her roommate is black and always say "Not to be racist" or "My dad's not racist" but.. and when I wore my natural hair she touches it and says wow I thought you didn't have any hair ! Oh and let her misplace something she is looking all on my side of the room ! (I did not let that slide) it these little issues that make me feel so uncomfortable around her because she's stereo typing me without even noticing me as the person I am. Can I blame her no, Do i think she is racist no, she just doesn't understand how she comes off or that the few things she says are a little rude.
Perhaps this will be an education to those that need it in racist words and actions that is long overdue.