Being Bougie & Black

Well growing up I used to think that being bougie and black was just crazy. I thought that most blacks lived the same lifestyle that I grew up with and didn't think that any "black" person could be bougie. Well then I went to college at High Point University and discovered something different. It was like a new set of black people that I never knew existed. I couldn't believe it. Where were these people from and what were they thinking. I couldn't understand what the hell was going on with them. I knew I wasn't in little old Middletown, Ohio and I was now seeing a whole different aspect of black people.

Now before I go any further let me clarify some things. Most of the black people i knew didn't have a whole lot of money. Most of my friends were from single parent families and were going through everyday struggles. When every we came across someone who was black with money we considered them bougie and stuck up. I know we were living a very sheltered life in da Middie. There was a lot of black people out there that had money, but I just wasn't accustomed to seeing it.

Back to the point of the story. When I first got to college I met a wide variety of people. Some of the black people that I met I was intrigued because there life experiences were different from mine. They didn't grow up in a single parent home. They had both parents and came from a middle class families. One person in particular was my roommate sophomore year of college. We came from very different family backgrounds. We both were black, but that's were the similarities ended. He didn't quite see the world like I did. We both would say some foolish things. Of course, I thought then that he was crazy. I couldn't understand why he thought the way that he did. He probably couldn't figure out what I was thinking. I thought to myself he grew up bougie and black and that's just not a good combination.

Well I am now facing a dilema of my own. I have begun my career and have the potential to make a lot of money in my field. I fear that I could one day lose touch with what I grew up in. I already make more than double the salary of my mother. I have no desire of living in the ghetto and I want a better life, but some would say that I am being bougie. Am I being bougie by wanting to move up in the world? As most of my friends know, I am not a big spender. I like things simple and I have no problem not getting name brand things. I'm not a label whore. I just want to live a comfortable lifestyle. I just don't know. Why do I fear becoming bougie?

I know this post is all over the place, but I just sat down and started typing. I am America's Nightmare.