The Black Community Doesn't Have One Big Brain That Thinks For All Of Its Members? / Stereohyped

The Black Community Doesn't Have One Big Brain That Thinks For All Of Its Members?

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Black people aren't all the same! It's not news to us, of course, but the results of a study commissioned by black-owned Radio One should at least cause some in the media to question their decisions to portray blacks (and other racial minorities, while we're at it) as a monolithic group. Radio One CEO Catherine Hughes commissioned the study because, she said, "There's a difference (between) articulating that we're not a monolithic community and quantifying it. We really needed to take a snapshot of the black community with all of its textures and nuances and debunk the myth. … We wanted to quantify and qualify the incredible diversity in our community."

The study, for which black Americans ages 13-74 were surveyed, found "11 distinct segments" within black American. These segments include "'connected black teens' who are tech-savvy, optimistic and less familiar with the overt bigotry of the past; 'stretched black straddlers,' who excessively worry about everything from relationships to money; and the affluent 'new middle class' who are most likely to believe that challenges within black communities can best be solved by blacks."

Sometimes it seems like these sorts of studies are so common sense that they're a waste of money and time. But that's until you think about how often so many people forget — or never knew — the generational, cultural, socio-economical, and regional factors that differentiate black people in this country, even as a shared skin color and history bring us together.

What are some of the study's other findings?

• 68% of those surveyed use the Internet. By contrast, a study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that, as of December, 70% of all Americans ages 18 and older — and 72% of non-Hispanic whites — were online.

• Blacks are nearly evenly divided about what they prefer to be called — 42% favor "black" and 44% favor "African American."

• 88% of respondents — and 84% of teenagers — have tremendous respect for the opinions and desires of their elders.

• 24% say they had experienced bigotry personally within the past three months, and 82% believe it is "important for parents to prepare their children for prejudice."

• Many still deeply mistrust police, courts, government and mainstream media.

• 60% say "things are getting better for me," while more than half are positive about the future of the black community.