I try to avoid proving the stereotype true. Most times anyway. At work, there are more than enough situations that would make a sistah wanna go off, but I always take the higher road (?) and force a polite smile, and nonchalant demeanor, stay focused on the bigger picture instead (PLAYING THE GAME they call it). It gets hard. Seems like there are these mouse traps to trick you into exploding. I feel like there is going to be a day when I'm just going to come in here and really express myself. The only thing is it would hurt things for me. It would easily be labeled as difficult, black women with an "attitude problem"

I want so badly to say to one person who is always loud, grouchy, and becoming harder to work with:

Keep your voice down. You are not on a Fishtown porch. Everybody in here feels okay until you come in here, like the tazmanian devil with all your complaints and problems. You have been here for over 25 years and you have complained about the same shit every year like clock work. Retire or shut the hell up. Don't ask questions about things that don't involve you. You make things that you have nothing to do with even more complicated.

And to another one:

Everything is a crisis for you. I bet you would have to consult someone just to write your name on a post-it note. You are truly overpaid. Go away and solve your problem on your own. Earn your money. Earn your title. Its not that deep.

Whew. That felt good just pretending...getting it out really helps. I know some of it was mean, but its what I have been pinning up inside for a long time (Which is NOT a good thing). In the meantime, my solutions are delays. I delay responding on the same day. I say "i will get back to you" often. I guess some of my frustration comes from knowing that if blacks carried on in the same way these two did, they would be cut by now.

I am not a victim of this workplace though. I am very thankful and very very blessed. I realize all environments have their issues. I just like to vent every now and then.

Are there any stereotypes that you find yourself working hard to avoid proving true?

I hate falling into stereotypes! but i can't help it.
-people would always think i was a poet or some type of an artisit because i have locs.
-they also assume i'm a vegan or vegetarian or something. (close but not quite)
-most people are suprised when i tell them i grew up in north philly. (i guess their perception is that you have to be hard, ghetto, and unitelligent or something. they always think i grew up in mt. airy or the northeast)

it gets on my nerves.

Yeah, hair tells a lot - even if its not true. A few years back, a friend of mine who usually wore his hair close cut grew it out and rocked an afro and braids. He told me that depending on which hairstyle he had at the time, different types of girls would pay attention to him.

I always seem to surprise people because I have locs, eat pork, and don't smoke.

I think that people who always fit stereotypes are usually the ones who tend to go with the crowd, so I don't put much effort into avoiding stereotypes. i just try to be me. Sometimes that entails fitting stereotypes, sometimes it means I don't fit any kind of pre-conceived mold. You can look at me as artsy, loc having, incense burning MC, or you can see me as the pork eating, non-smoking, loc having computer geek.

I get the same reaction, Swayyah, when I tell people I grew up in Camden. It's funny - I don't just get it from white people, I get from black folks too. That never fails to disappoint me. Either way, I like to prove that stereotype wrong. I take joy in telling people where I grew up, knowing that it messes with their mind.

Traycee, I do try to avoid the attitude-having-black-woman stereotype, but it's hard sometimes 'cause people can get on your damn nerves!

But really, I am a stereotype. Depends on who you ask.

i kinda fall into the perm stereotype except i don't like beyonce, going to clubs, i'm a nerd, i'm not always shallow, i do know a little more about africa than most, people say i think too highly of myself, and i wish a man would call me shorti. however - my new growth IS killing me.

we are all a stereotype in some way. but like glory, the funnest thing is surprising people. there are folks who don't think i can be ghetto.