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Black People Say It Loud

Let’s be fair here: There are plenty of African-Americans who are not so loud, who are, in fact, pretty quiet. But I know what you mean. Black folks seem to speak at higher volumes than white folks whether they’re happy (hanging out with friends, conversing on public transportation, watching a movie in the theater) or angry (scolding their children or significant others or complete strangers). They hold intimate conversations in public spaces at embarrassing pitches, shouting things that white people would be ashamed to whisper in the company of strangers. Why is this?

Well, several factors apply, it seems to me. For most of them, you can Google “Why are black people so loud?” and find many helpful responses, from “Because they’re ignorant little picaninnies” to “Shut up, you fucking racist cracker.” Beyond that, here are my humble contributions to the debate:

First, the level of frustration is high for black mothers in particular. With so many absentee or no account black fathers, black mothers often feel as though they are alone in the difficult task of raising black children, who may or may not be more prone to bad behavior than white children. (I don’t think they are any worse than white kids, but the black mothers I hear yelling at them all the time might disagree, at least in private, if there is such a thing as “private” for black mothers.)

Secondly, black folks have been told to shut up for a long time, and at some point along the way, maybe with the advent of the Black Power movement in the mid-late ’60s, they became sick of it. Empowering messages transmitted through negro music such as blues, rhythm & blues, soul, funk, and rap encouraged them to make some noise. To do otherwise would be to capitulate to white culture and assume the mantles of “Uncle Tom” and “Aunt Jemima.” Ever since slavery, lots of black folks have carried chips on their shoulders. I don’t blame them. I mean, if I went back far enough, I could probably find slaves in my own ancestry, but for African-Americans, the brutal and repressive condition was much more recent and in the country in which they still live. That doesn’t excuse them from taking personal responsibility for their lives, but it’s something. They’re mad as hell about not being able to talk as loud as they wanted to back then, and so they are not going to take it anymore.

I hope my wisdom has enlightened you on this issue, dear reader. Next time you are annoyed with a loud black person, just tell them, “I am so glad you are no longer a slave, but could you assert your freedom a little more quietly or farther away from me, please?” And if you thought they were loud before …