Be Real

I've often heard it said, "I'm from the hood; I'm real!"
Really? Because if being from the "hood" makes you real, then there are several out there going on deceived.

I must admit, I wouldn't consider myself from the "hood," I grew up in the suburbs, we had meals every night of the week, and my single father that raised us until I was eleven never sold drugs, robbed people, or dropped out of school. I was well-nurtured, was hardly ever in the streets after dark, and was raised by strict religious guidelines. Yet, anyone who really knows me- and not have just seen me or heard of me- knows that I am as "real" as they come.
Yes my name might be considered, let me put this in quotations, "white" but I am not saddity. Yes, I do talk proper and have a high-pitched voice so I do not appear to know slang or ebonics, but I can play a great spades hand and chill listening to hip-hop without feeling uncomfortable. Yes, I do love to read and writing is a passion of mine, but I am still as down-to-earth as they come.

I will go on to admit that I am actually offended when I hear in songs, "She's a ghetto girl...the
type I want to marry" or some rendition of that idea. However, on the back end, "ghetto" people get a negative conotation though they're supposed to be the "realest" ones. So ultimately, should it be implied that men want a "real" woman- one who will curse them out in public, smash their tires, fight him like a man- at the end of the day? Does a temper make someone more real? Being ghetto makes you real? Getting arrested makes you real?

There is nothing wrong with not conforming to your surroundings. Sure, I had access to the "hood," where I grew up you could live on one street with big houses, pretty grass, and long driveways, and the next street over could house the most run-down apartments with a steady flow of patrol cars and drug trafficing. But access to "hood" qualities, living in the "hood" and being "hood" are all- ask anyone in the hood, pun intended- different by several standards.

I can sit down on public transportation and not fear for my life, or hold my purse like someone is going to steal it, not because I feel I am so above others that nothing will harm me, but because I realize the chances of having a dangerous person an every car is about as likely as me winning the lotto should I ever choose to play. In fact, greater chances are, public transit riders who appear dangerous or suspect are probably just as concerned of being a victim as the next person. I don't use this scenario to validate my hoodness, just merely to prove that one doesn't have to put on airs to show who they really are.

Whatever situation I'm put in, I will find my level of comfort and be myself. Granted, I do not think I will ever be a "ride or die chick" who, should my beau become incarcerated, holds down the fort until he returns, but if that is the only characteristic that makes one real then I guess I might as well sign up for fake boobs, eyelashes, and acryllic nails pronto!

Honestly speaking, at the end of the day, I refuse to believe someone's location determines everything about his or herself. Some of the most ghetto-acting people have been inclined to stab their very own friends in the back. I am real because I take people as they are, and pass judgment on no one. Now, what I really wish to happen is for those that are not from the hood to stop rep'ing it just so people will think they're real. Truth be told, if your water is crystal clean and has never been turned off, if the only time you see cops is for writing a citation, if a landscaping crew does your lawn, if the garage to your home is for 5 or less cars, if there is a full grocery store less than 5 miles from your neighborhood, if the school your children attend has flat screens and computers in every classroom, you are not hood.

So, I'm not hood. So I'm not ghetto. So I listen to neo-soul and R&B. But I'm still very real. I can still hold a conversation with anyone without them feeling I'm above them. I can still go to a theme park and not look at all the black kids as potential delinquents. I think it's time the black community stops judging others by what they wear, how they talk, and where they grew up. Real is about who you really are and how you think, not what others deem the truth.

Now, will the real people please stand up?