My Free Laughing Gas

WARNING

This post is for entertainment only. 

I understand some people might take it the wrong way.

It might be classified as racist.

Do NOT read if you get offended easily.

You have been warned.

We read Recitatif by Toni Morrison in my Eng 293 class.

The short story is about a black girl and a white girl.

Their names are Twyla and Roberta.

We never find out which one is which, though.

Morrison never tells us who the black girl or the white girl is.

Hutch--my professor--said that class today would be about prejudice.

And to participate we needed to do some prejudicing.

Some people in class were outraged.

I was laughing.

After all, I'm brown. I'm not racist.

Most of the class involved shouting out reasons 

why we thought Twyla or Roberta would be the white or black girl.

This is how the discussion on the board looked like.

Roberta

Reasons why she's black

- Eats fried chicken

- Likes Jimi Hendrix

- Her mom is fat

- Her mom wears a cross around her neck

- Roberta has smelly hair

- Roberta can't read

- She has an afro

Reasons why she's white

- She's rich

- She has a bigoted mother

- She's condescending towards Twyla

- Buys in the food emporium

Twyla

Reasons why she's white

- Her mom is a prostitute

- Accused of kicking black Maggie

- Refers to their differences as "race"

- Works as a waitress

Reasons why she's black

- When her child is bussed, she supports it

- Lived in the projects

- Twyla is the narrator, and Morrison was black

The point Morrison was making by omitting the races is that it doesn't matter who the white or the black girl is.

We assume because of our prejudice and, as Hutch said 

"The point is, who gives a flip? Morrison doesn't. And we shouldn't either."

There's a black girl in our class.

Her name is Honivah.

People were trying to be careful with what they said.

She was a good sport though.

Hutch: "Twyla's mom said that Roberta had smelly hair, then she has to be black, doesn't she?"

Honivah:"I wash my hair!" (laughing)

Hutch: "Nobody's doubting that, Honivah."

*

Hutch: "Because Twyla's mom dances all night, you all got that she's either a stripper or a prostitute, right?"

Class, but me: "Yeah"

Hutch: "Mom's a prostitute, she has to be white, right?"

*

Dougie: "On my mission all the black baptists always ate fried chicken."

Hutch: "So, Roberta's black because she eats chicken?"

*

(to the class)

Hutch: "Raise your hand if you have had KFC before."

Some people raised their hands. Including me.

Hutch: "Who's a prostitute?"

A white girl raised her hand.

That was kinda funny,

I learned a lot about prejudice.

I even learned I have my own prejudice.

I though Roberta was the black girl.

But then again, 

who gives a flip?