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Sheesh. I'd rather just assume they developed their own naming culture because they in fact do have their own American subculture, which means more to them as a context than dominant white culture. It doesn't have to be characterized as a response to white oppression. (Even if it does seem to sometimes be vaguely like a threatening middle finger to the dominant white culture, resulting in some white people feeling they need to put it down.) Shall we also say that poor whites developed their naming culture as a response to poverty or lack of "proper" liberal education? Is Heavynleigh's mother just flipping the bird at someone? or maybe she really thinks it's a great name! It seems patronizing to me to say African-American naming culture is just a reaction to oppression ... as if nothing about African American culture is just authentically culture, and what they do is all ultimately caused by white racism. I think it is authentically just culture, and there is actually nothing wrong with it that needs to be justified by invoking reaction to racism ... and I think it can be so without minimizing the real impacts of oppression, either. Feel free to tell me why you think I am wrong, anybody, I would like to understand why if you think I am.

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- mirfak

This message was edited 7/16/2017, 3:08 PM