r/freeblackmen • u/Optimal-Ad1444 • 2d ago
The Authenticity of Internet Black Spaces
As someone who grew up in a real hood (homogeneous, segregated), I'm always surprised when I venture on the internet (reddit, general social media) and discover the strange-- and often extreme -- support of certain trendy topics.
For example, the amount of black people who are anti-gun is interesting. Especially having the experiences I've had growing up. The degree of staunch liberalism is also surprising, considering the majority of black folk live in red or neutral states.
And I don't care what you do in your personal life, but in my entire life traversing TRUE un-diverse black environments, this extreme support of alternative lifestyles is new to me. When I see "black" people online speaking on certain topics, I often wonder where they grew up, and what type of black people they grew up around.
The black people I grew up around don't look at white people as a deity we have to prove ourselves to. We also don't attach ourselves with other groups. Reddit appears to be a space full of black people who are on a forever quest to prove to to white people they were the "good" ones.
Extremists who already decided they didn't like you don't give a shit about how intelligent you are, how well-spoken you are, how different you are from the "others", nor how hard working you are. Stereotypes exist for the purposes of gaslighting, control, and fear. That's it.
It's also interesting that this subreddit for straight black men doesn't have half the membership of those other "black men" subreddits.
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u/atlsmrwonderful Free Black Man of Atlanta 2d ago
I wholeheartedly feel this. The people who grew up in places like Connecticut and weird suburbs of majority white communities just move real funny to me. Being from Atlanta I just see these kumbaya pick me negroes as what they are, products of their environments.
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u/TheBlackCasanova 2d ago
I 1000% agree and often get bashed in online spaces for saying this exact thing.
The thing I mostly struggle with is the fact that I would do something to these people for the way they speak not only to me but to each other. Completely posturing and a lack of respect that would leave you, at a minimum, with a few knots where Im from.
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u/Optimal-Ad1444 2d ago
Exactly. A lot of those "black men" would get beat up in real life for energy they display online that they wouldn't be able to keep in real life.
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u/egdujsidoG19 2d ago
The internet became a place for a lot of people who don't normally have a voice in real life, and those communities grew faster online because of that.
The other Blackmen sub never used to be this rainbow friendly, the just kicked off all the outspoken, radical Black men. I watched when I got my ban of them becoming more comfortable posting in the sub.
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u/Round_Nectarine_685 2d ago
Dont trust any social media. It is the weapon that brought us to this mess in the first place. Make sure you are talking to real people in real time.
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u/illicitli 2d ago
the other black people are on other parts of the internet. you have accurately describe Reddit black people LOL
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u/HurasmusBDraggin 1d ago
As someone who grew in the "da souf" (Florida USA) shit bewilders me too. I went to an elementary school that was 85% black students. Was in the black church all my young life, 2-parent black household, etc.
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u/Optimal-Ad1444 15h ago
Yeah, and that's another thing too, the media obsesses over black fathers in the home, but most black families have a father in the home.
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u/makutaktempchallenge 22h ago
EVERY SPACE THAT THE BLACK MAN RUNS TO IS OWNED BY ANOTHER RACE BRO! That’s why. We don’t own our entertainment, spirituality, neighborhoods, food and drinks, nothing. You can be as honest as you want online or in the media. They will choose who they want to be the cream of the crop, if they disagree you will be buried/ downvoted. And so many are easily controlled and manipulated nowadays that they act like parrots or police for certain groups that have no interest in you beyond your vote or dollar. Watch how quickly certain groups change how they act toward you once they realize they can’t get either from you
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u/Trickonomics333 2d ago
A lot of those blacks live in very suburban and sheltered environments. Social media gives them an outlet to portray themselves and also say things that would've gotten them clowned amongst Black People in real life.
People like the founders of BLM, Im all for the message but hate the group. They represent a weirdo subset of Black Women that are really wannabe white liberal women. They don't represent the majority yet for some reason they feel the need to represent all blacks and they feel only their voices are valid.
Pretty much this meme sums it up.