G
what a stuppiiid argument... if people are still so narrow minded to say black peoples music is RNB and rock is white peoples music. what about all the collaborations out there... kayne west, jaz-z, all happy enough to collabborate with coldplay, linkin park..

b
i remember when i was younger and when white girls used to back comb their hair so that it resembled black hair types. it used to bug me soo much. also the stereotypical behaviour associated with being black that i felt was almost exaggarated by my white counterparts. it felt to me at the time that they were almost mocking black people. however, its been a while since ive been in secondary school and as you grow up you grow up you learn that the black identity is strong and does not have to have these silly connotations. The behaviour that some people exhibit is not 'black' behaviour its ghetto. if you have a ghetto mentality your not going anywhere. if it has taken a man of black heritage to become the president for people to realise that ghetto desnt equal black then fair enough. however, i feel that mentality should have been gotten rid of a long time ago. we have had our own role models in the form of diane abbot and david lammy and lady scotland showing us that you can be black and successful. to me when people try to act ghetto its funny, cos they seem the fool. white people embracing black culture like food and music should not be an issue its the assumption that ghetto behaviour is black behaviour that is the problem. finally to me black british is the culture of african and caribbean people who are born in the uk or have lived here for a significant time. it is the appreciation of the culture of our heritage and blending of it in british society

Giulia
I'm mixed race...I have my own ideas of black culture and it's wonderful, for me it encompasses; the ability to overcome, huge understanding, being able to be analytical, warmth, family, food, tradition and values, but it seems some parts of the BBC have a v.good idea of what they think black is. Having gone on the CBBC site, I found a game which I believe is a spin off of a CBBC show. The game named 'Jeopardy', has one token black character called 'Leon' and here's how he's described: 'Leon is a bit of a wild child who loves R&B and soul. He can be unpredictable and emotional.He’s athletic but sometimes he just can’t be bothered. Self-appointed comedian of the group but doesn’t always pick his moments'I was so shocked by this and feel there's one token black person here and they've been smeared with the same old stereotype? I feel the media is a joke and totally works against black people however gives us little 'tidbits' here and there to make us feel as if were recognised.

jamila
the term acting black is somthing thing that uneducatied fools use im a somalian from AFRICA and when i walk down the street i get told im not black by other black girls witch is really stupied and u aint gotta be black to be part of the point is ur being acknowlaged .something ppl need to realize that the world is full off diffrent ppl meaning diffrent races culters and religion and because someone is not the same race as u but they like ur culter be happy couse its a good thing dont tell them u cant do this or that cous it aint ur culter or stop trying to be something ur not not cous that y rasicam lives till this dai cous everybody just showes their ppl love but really we should be OPEDN MINDED AND SHOW EVERY 1 LOVE REGARDLESS OF THERE RELIGION ,RACE, OR CULTER

-
my best friend is black and shes always getting a hard time from everyone cos apparantly she thinks shes 'ghetto' i wish people would just give her a break and stop making fun of herrr.

Sam
I'm white but when I was growing up I loved to listen to Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, George Clinton or Aretha Franklin. I also loved Abba, The Beatles, T Rex and the Sex Pistols; all of this music used to live happily side by side in the Radio 1 of my youth. Now we seem to be living in a world of musical apartheid! Why has music become so ghettoized? I love music regardless of colour and wish I could find a station where the Ting Tings could be heard along side the latest offerings from Jay-Z and the missus! Integration not segregation!! Peace & Love

Ben
Dear russ, proud and british, seen black, oncemore!, Again,, Breach Effect.Composition, Music, Production, Sound Enviroment, Live up live,,, Switch or react.. . We go Johnsmith for Tricky a/ Dudly? Hitting beats, Decidet for audience.RUSS love you geza!,,, Wana hear it, switching for the ramp up,, Take bits black to switch...

blackstar
Time to change the script on what is black and what is not; yes, much of the media does a poor job of presenting black faces positively but we should be lobbying via some co-ordinated mediawatch campaign to change that rather than complaining about it from the edges. We also need to recognise that if we want to see fewer stories of black on black killings, etc - that both the law and those which represent it need to do a more effective job of engaging with disenfranchised communities.But each of us know and understand what it is to be black and British and it's different for all of us; I feel this idea that black culture means ONLY basslines, low-slung jeans, sneakers and crime is partly a reflection of a lazy media, partly a reflection of a lazy response by us to change that perception. In specific response to the questions posed by this thread, black culture in this country then means a variety of things and as soon as we try to define or label it, we fall into a trap of narrow and ill-fitting descriptions. Do we need to have something called black culture? Yes, in so much as people need to feel they belong to something and if they feel excluded by the majority culture, then an alternative makes sense. But I don't believe the differences are that significant - young people rebelling against their parent's values isn't a recent invention and punk was never described as 'white culture' despite being a largely white phenomenon. Criminality is definitely not an aspect of anything you might describe as black culture any more than joyriding on poor white estates is white culture or so called honour killings might be Asian culture - they are all narrow aspects of what some in those communities choose to do. Accessing black culture - if you mean what I think you do: music, food, language, etc - is available to everyone in the same way that I can tap into any number of 'cultural' vibes via the choices I make in what I eat, what I listen to, who I socialise with, etc. This is one of this country's strongest aspects, especially in big cities and towns where the mix of people is significant. In terms of acting black, as a black man, I was often accused of acting white at school because my old man beat the patois out of me at an early age - his view was that he came here not for me to replicate his lifestyle but to build a new one where I was seen as an active participant in this country, for better or worse. I was at school with plenty of white kids who talked a certain way, walked a certain way and immersed themselves in hip hop and ragga (as did I during behind my folks' back as part of the process of 'finding myself' which all teens go through). It didn't change the fact that I'm black and they're white and in certain situations, that would give them an advantage and in certain, but fewer situations, I would have an advantage.My biggest problem is with a lack of meaningful legacy to leave our next generation - some of the posts on here suggest that my generation have done little to help integrate our kids more fully into this multicultural society or feel confident enough to meet racism head on with intelligence and integrity. If such a thing as acting black exists, it would be great if it meant building a sustainable legacy which provides our kids - in fact all kids - with a better and more open education, access to better opportunities, the confidence to pursue them and the ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with other ethnicities/nationalities without any sense of victimhood. We have that potential - will we realise it?

A
all this talk about white people trying to act black they are not they just hang with black people so they pick it up, I'm black African (Nigerian) and I have white friends who as grown up with me, listern to black music and eat black food.I think it's cool that they are trying to embrace our culture.. they could learn from it and not hate us like there people did back in the day.. But I don't mind it I LOVE Westwood his cool

Si
I don't really understand... If all this music, dress and dialect is black, is wearing a suit, going to European/American restaurants and speaking 'old' English... White? Do black men in suits get labelled as pretending to be white by their friends? Do black women get labelled as trying to be white, if they are seen eating Pizza?

jamily
black music is different to white music. black peopel dont complain about it being called white music why r some people complaning about our music they can still lession to it? i love westwood if all white people was lik him than the world whould be a better plase. speacliy in England

loura
other races never had it hard the way we do as blak people in london or america. we must not forget that its part of our history the way we eat the way we dress and our music that want makes us.

Martinez
I do not agree with da term acting black, because theres no such thing ! I am lithuanian my self and i live in south east london, i haven't been actepted well within white english community ! Most of my friendz are black, mixed race, lithuanian, albanian, vitenamese, turkish etc. Just because i go out (or chill) with these people, or listen to grime and funky do not make me black, i am who i am. Acting bad is what id call it ! You can act and talk hard, that wont make u black.. People will only look at u n say, rite he thinks hes bad ! And If da person really is bad, no1 cant do nothing to him whether hes black or white. But if hes fake, people will put him to his place quick ! For example in my country I believe some streetz are more dangrous dan here, and to make it worse we do not have any gangs..even tho the whole capital is packed with estates, derz barely any private houses atal ! Da point that im trying to prove is that you cant actually call all them people black because they arent black, its just their life style, the way they have been raised..There are no balck people in ma country. Most of ma friendz have da same opinion about black culture too..Music, the way we talk, same life style brings us all together and we should be proud of that no matter where ur from, or what colour u are..!

sexy black chick
black is bueatyful its only for us ok stop wannabers why do want to be black anyways. i sometimes feel some white people hate us. that the turth. am not racist. just be ur self and stop being obsesed with black people and it should be called black music always dont chage it.

jko
everythink makes senses am 14 and i sometimes feel like white people have a big hate on us and was wondwring why? Now i see it might be becouse they want to be us. and i think it should be called black musci becouse a black person is singing it rock is mainly white musci why dont we argue about that one?

joo
Westwood can be black we lik him ok though generally to be black or act black u have be dark skin.. simple

w
r u people still going on about black people do love us that much. there r stations for rock music you dont see a black person complaning about that

k
am mixed races but I feel that some white people dont want black people in their culture yet some try to be like us watsup with that man.

j
black peopele tell we die i dont care of want other races think of us - black people have been though alot we are stronge

Judith dixon
I listened to the documentary, and its good to see something of interest happening in Black history month that is a bit more contemporary. To be honest I always say Black-Caribbean as it is my parents are from - don't really like to say black british because the way things are they still don't want us here - I feel anyway. But yes I am Caribbean and british - the music and the styles yes anyone can enjoy but my thing is I don't like when others take it up then don't wann give us any credit for it - like they just come so. Then if we say we are the closed minded ones - we should be able to call of black music if we chooes to and no one should take offense because its by us. Our dancing - all up on MTV now with everyone trying or doing it, singing like us - dressing like us - please we are stylish, musical and creative not forgetting intellience too - so it just credit where its due we are not taking anything away from them - so what it the problem. The problems is they don't want us to be credited for our good postive contribution to the British culture but quick to bring up the bad!

JASON
DO YOU HAVE TO BE BLACK OF COURSE BECOUSE BLACK HISTORY CAME ABOUT FROM WHAT WHITE PEOPLE DID TO US

u
being black means smart look at Barack obama. i'm pride being sexy black chik i would never change it to be white or asian even if i could. I am at unversty doing my thing and i dont care.

chistle
i dont minde white people or other race try to act lik us its fune i have a white boy friend and he loves black people so i dont care rally.

Acol
as a black person am pride to be a black person. big up to all my black people one love forever.

tenay
why is it always black people are seen as the bad people in this world for eample boys behaving badley white do that as well as asians. but on the tv NEWS they seems to show black crame. why is that.

sarah white
people are different for example rock is a white musc and it played at Galaxy radiio hip and R&B IS A BLACK music which is played at this sation or choice FM that the different in a music way and when it cames to get a job a white person always have it easy than anyothers race thats the facts am mix race ok. i belive black culture still exist becouse they still get trated dffient from white people. am mix ok my mum is black and my dad is white. my dad side hates me becouse am mixed races so therfore black culture still exist asians have their own culture white have theirs aswell as black we all cook different so plz jut leave the black culture alone am on my mum side and am pride.

Zoe
Why are we equating being Black British with ghetto mentality??I'm Black British and incredibly proud of my culture.I have a degree, good job and don't speak street or wear ghetto clothes. Does this make me any less black?All too often accusing someone of 'acting black' has a whole load of negative connotations.Surely the election of Barack Obama means that being black can mean whatever you want it to mean.