Nope.
I was using that as a kind of shorthand, which is what didn't translate well. In America, blacks tend to hold themselves very much separate from whites, even the more educated middle-class blacks. There's an entire other culture here that mostly falls along racial lines.

People from outside the US are a different case. The UK news guy from Trinidad is no more a part of American ghetto culture than I am. Ditto on the people from Trinidad I've known here- they're every bit as puzzled by American black kids as I am, and tend to identify with whites.

What's really interesting to me is the schism within the black culture that you can see by looking up the controversy regarding Bill Cosby. He put it very strongly and eloquently, and showed in sharp relief the problems that are now causing clashes between the young black hiphop culture and the rest of society. Coming from Cosby in particular it's interesting, as he was one of the people at the front of the Civil Rights movement back in the 60s and was extremely outspoken at that time as well.

Anyway... go back and read the above post, and if it still doesn't make sense to you, then I give up.
( The Resident Loon Not a demographic. Do not measure., Fri 17 Oct 2008, 15:06, Reply)