Chocolate and Carmel Don't Mix Well (MEGABLOG)

WARNING: The opinions expressed in this megablog are strictly that of the writer's. It's not the writer's intent to
offend anyone who may or may not identify with the following blog, nor does he side with any extremist group.

I work in Downtown LA. In the garment district where it's safe to say that the population of workers is 90% latino. The other 4.93% and 4.06% is made up of Middle Eastern and Asian (Korean/Chinese mostly) respectively.
Then there's 0.0007% African men and the final 0.0003% is African American men and women.

I'm in that last percentage...probably making up most of it.

In the specific area where I work, I am the only black person holding a position in a business in the area. Yes, seriously the only one. Everyone knows who I am. They see me everyday. I AM SAMBO. (That was a black joke if you didn't get it.)

All of that been said to say that in 2008 I am still looked at as if I don't belong there. A couple of people are cool, some are polite, but I constantly get akward following stares and once overs daily.

Growing up amidst a mix of Latin people for most of my life, I know that there's a certain tension between some types of Latin people and black people.

I've heard the stories that were lightly smattered with prejudice from both sides:
Black people look at latin people as lazy "border hoppers" who took their jobs and take up space...

Latin people look at black people as lazy drugged out alcoholics who are only taking up space and killing people for no reason...

and so on and so forth.
While in some cases, some of the stereotypes ring true, I can't believe that an entire group of people can be so one-sided with their beliefs towards another group of people.

...I take that back. It's possible. Prejudice is a helluva drug.

I also grew up with heavily prejudiced ideals being put into my head about all people...even my own; however, as a child, I saw too much possibility for difference to be held down to one person's belief of who these people were.

What I remember from High School is that my friends and I suffered the most abuse from Mexican guys who were immigrants. I have no idea why they didn't like us, but they didn't. They'd always throw bottlecaps at our hangout while we ate lunch...cherry bomb us...even start lunchtime brawls that shut down the quads for days at a time.

What killed me the most was, the same kids who harrassed us were the same kids who wanted to dress like us, listen to our music, and even use our slang... but they didn't want us in the picture.

Was it jealousy? Were they mad because we had what they didn't have? Did they want to just "erase" us and take our spots? Surely they didn't want that because then they'd have to go through the history that we have...that they wouldn't want.

I honestly don't understand the tension between the two groups...who started it and why is it still going on to this day. That's something I'd rather know than the possibility of living on the moon and depleting another precious resource.

Comments

What killed me the most was, the same kids who harrassed us were the same kids who wanted to dress like us, listen to our music, and even use our slang... but they didn't want us in the picture.
This has bothered me for Decades! Whites, Hispanics, Asians, Latinos all think it's cool to "act black" until the cops come. Then if there is a token/Sambo in the group he is the first one carted off in handcuffs. :mad:

Was it jealousy? Were they mad because we had what they didn't have? Did they want to just "erase" us and take our spots? Surely they didn't want that because then they'd have to go through the history that we have...that they wouldn't want. But yngjock20 if they did have to suffer and survive what many black Americans have, when those people start to complain you could just say what we have always been told. "Slavery is done, get over it, move on; and forget about reparations." :biggrin1:


I honestly don't understand the tension between the two groups...who started it and why is it still going on to this day. That's something I'd rather know than the possibility of living on the moon and depleting another precious resource. I didn't even know this tension existed until about two years ago. :eek: I grew up in an uppper-middle class, white enclave in New Jersey. Growing up all the diners were greek owned but all the busboys were Puerto Rican or Mexican. We used to wonder where they lived, went to school, worshipped, and shopped because we never saw these people anywhere else.



 
Well, maybe that is what they want you to feel like. Don't allow them make you feel that way. You have just as much right to be there like anyone else. If they are prejudiced, let them keep to their stupid shit.
 
where im from mexicans dont like africans mainly because africans always start stuff with them, like steal ther property, try to molest their sisters, or just be playing racist, people think only europeans can be racist thats not true in fact some of the most racist people ive seen were africans, they hate europeans, mexicans and asians mainly koreans, where i live mexicans are about faith, family, and honest work and thats why theyre always being hired to work for businesses because the employers can trust them, on the other hand the africans steal stuff from work and thats if they even go to work and thats why theyre never hired, also since most africans are on probation or parole they have a hard time being hired because they cant be trusted, people say africans are hated because of the color of their skin but where im from thats not true, theyre hated because of who they are on the inside, their character is shady and they cant be trusted

your a young guy and you seem to have a descent head on your shoulders and your able to sift through the nonsense no matter where the human beings come from, good luck tho
 
i grew up in LA where i still live, and i work near cal-state LA, not too far from where you're at in the fashion/garment district. and yes! i notice that conflict b/t blacks and mexicans happening all the time. a similiar incident even occured at my high school. when i was a senior, there was a huge fight between blacks vs. mexicans that ended up almost turning into a campus riot.

my reasoning behind this is that one group probably feels inferior to the other, so that's why they choose to cause all the hate and violence. of course the other group will retaliate as well. however, i notice it happening among males more than females, although those do occur, just not as often. i don't know what it has to do with. maybe mexicans feel they have to express their masculinity the way a machismo would? maybe blacks feel they have to stand up for what they believe in?

i really don't know the answer to this one either. but one thing i've always noticed though is the interracial dating that occurs between the two groups. there are so many black and mexican couples who do really love each other... i guess at least there's a positive to this negative.
 

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