Read on Twitter
IME, part of being a savvy Twitter user is knowing when the conversation does not include or involve you.
Sometimes I share some things that are- for lack of a better word- insider-y.
It's OK. Not everything has to be understood by every one. I, for one, am not here to translate "Black things" for non-Black people.
It's OK. Not everything has to be understood by every one. I, for one, am not here to translate "Black things" for non-Black people.
In fact, I have no desire to translate Black people for non-Black audiences. Rather than fostering shared context & understanding, it often leads to a false familiarity that slides very quickly into contempt. And that contempt maps neatly onto anti-Black racism.
E.g. there was an "analysis" going around, that claimed to be "debunking" the concept of "cuffing season". It applied a zoological lens ("human mating is not seasonal") onto a literal interpretation of a commonly used colloquialism among Black folks on social media.
"Here, let me explain this observed phenomenon to you, because I'm working on the presumption that you lack knowledge."
- many people trying to make sense of & analyze Black culture, art, language
- many people trying to make sense of & analyze Black culture, art, language
It took years for me to disentangle my desire to be understood from an impulse to explain Black people, culture, language, food... to non-Black people.
I'm here now, and I'm good on all of that.
I'm here now, and I'm good on all of that.
