To Be a Young Black Man Working in an Office Full of White People | Hacker News Reader

To Be a Young Black Man Working in an Office Full of White People

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29 pointsjessaustin27 comments

He wrote a rap song as part of his job intended for "Youth Across America." He was asked once if he would perform the song at a company dinner and he declined. His decline was accepted without question and was not brought up again.

I can certainly understand why the request could be interpreted as racist, but from my perspective that seems to be a bit of a strong interpretation to take.

It's not really racism but as a black person it comes off a little insensitive. For a long we've been usually asked to perform as opposed to contribute in a more meaningful way for example.

I would find it strange if I was asked to perform for a board meeting hardly seems like the appropriate place for that. I would also take a bit of offense because it sends the message that all I'm good for is performing. Being the ONLY black guy heightens the stereotype that we're only good enough to entertain.

It's not something white people think about so it may be hard to realize what you're asking and how it may be interpreted.

I'm not advocating for social justice just voicing the black point of view. Also, the rest of the article is a bit shaky.

One more thing, sitting at a job and waiting to get fired for severance is terrible. It's embarrassing and dishonest. Your reputation is also at stake here. If you think no one knows what you're up to, you're very mistaken. BLACK people especially should not do this.

I understand your point about being asked to perform. (The railroad scene of Blazing Saddles comes to mind here.)

But he was asked to perform a rap HE wrote. Because he was the author, not because he was black. While obviously blacks should not be considered only good for entertainment, does that really mean society needs to avoid offering recognition of an individual's demonstrated creative abilities just because they happen to be black?

Also, as another commenter already documented, he was far from the only black in the office.

All that said, your final point is spot on! And not only for blacks...

I appreciate you sharing your perspective and experience.

I'm not sure why It could be interpreted as racist? It's not like the person assumed b/c the man is black that he could rap. The man admittedly already wrote the rap for a known project and was asked to or assumed he would be ok to perform it for another venue. The man declined stating he wasnt comfortable doing so and ended with no further incident. Rude possibly. Racist? Not even close!

I said "interpreted as racist."

Yes. And I said I don't know why it could be "interpreted as racist." and followed it up with my reasoning.

I agree, I do not think it was racist. If you cannot contrive of a way that this could be "interpreted as racist" it is hard to continue the conversation.

We aren't really having a conversation now. I explained why I don't think it could/should be interpreted as racist. You had an opportunity to share with me why it could be, allowing me to perhaps be enlightened and form a new opinion; however, you chose to throw insults and shut down the convo.

Exactly my first thought, it's because he wrote it, why would they ask someone who didn't write it to perform it?

> When I approached Anna to let her know that I did not feel comfortable rapping for a board member, she said “no problem” so quickly that it felt as if she knew she shouldn’t have made such a request.

That interaction might have something important the author experienced that we, as readers, can't visualise.

Also, a big part of this is that many times minorities don't want to reinforce a stereotype. There's a fine line to tread between one-off self-expression and the worry that the majority think that this is what you do all the time, or a label. I can see why the author doesn't want to be seen as "Derrius, the guy who raps."

THEN DON'T WRITE A RAP FOR THE YOUTH OF AMERICA AND TELL YOUR CO-WORKERS ABOUT IT?

It seemed like he actually wanted to and that he said yes. So the story is a little iffy from his side.

https://twitter.com/drquarles/status/692809125294706688 S/O means shout out so he was pretty happy about it to put it up on social media.

Yes, I'm aware that this might just be a self-aggrandizing piece, or it might be a legitimate issue. However, none of us were there, so I'm hesitant to pass too much judgement on this nuanced matter.

Fair enough. I'm usually the skeptical of all things person. I'm not sure how positive that is.

I think it's a good attitude to have. :)

I was just super hesitant here because we didn't know the complete story and everyone else seemed to be piling on the author.

I'm a bit confused. I didn't read anything that was blatantly racist against him in the article.

His original boss hired for his position looking for someone that wouldn't challenge her -- this happens to everyone, and is very common. Is he saying that they thought he would suck because he was black? That's pushing it, knowing nothing of the interview process.

He was asked to rap, but that is a skill he had and apparently people knew about.

"To Be A Young Black Man Working In An Office Full of White People" -- ends up writing about everyday white man working experiences.

Sorry, but this article is racist. Starting with the fact that the author capitalizes "Black", but uses lower case "white".

It is full of sweeping generalizations ("consistent overlooking of the institutional racism and systemic biases that exist in own cubicle-laden offices") and offers no concrete examples of what happened.

The author founded Breaux and Company – "a social justice business incubator", "Coded By Black Men" (https://www.breauxcapital.com/)

I see another Al Sharpton in the making.

He also didn't mention the black women, asian women and men, latinos that work there. Just the white people. https://www.dosomething.org/us/about/our-team

I don't understand why it's offensive to ask someone to recite a rap that he/she wrote? If someone else wrote it, would they not ask the other person to do the same?

He wasn't so upset about it in January https://twitter.com/drquarles/status/692809125294706688

Garbage article, this isn't racism, this is a guy seeking attention.

Yeah, i agree. Why can't I downvote this article? HN only allows upvotes for articles?

>HN only allows upvotes for articles?

Correct.

ehhhhhh seems a bit of a stretch. If you're looking for something, you'll see what you want even if it wasn't happening. The rule of 23.

why was he fired?

From experience, I'm going to guess, it was the glaringly obvious chip on his shoulder after believing that he was passed over for a job, he felt he was more qualified for, b/c he is black.

Pretty convenient to not include that part...

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