Black Woman Attitude

I was part of a discussion on Facebook that focused on "Black woman attitude." I have heard this so often and as a Black woman, it really annoys me. Why do you not hear of the "White woman attitude?" The "Latin woman attitude?" "The Asian woman attitude?" It's like "ATTITUDE" is solely a Black woman thing and it's always depicted in a negative manner. Black men are quick to say that Black women have "attitude problems" and that's a big reason why they run to other races. I find that hurtful and quite offensive. So I sat and really thought about this "PHENOMENON" called the "BLACK WOMAN ATTITUDE." Naturally, I wrote a poem about it. Like to read it, here it go: 

They say that Black women have a lot of attitude
That we walk around like we're in a bad mood
No man hurts us the way the Black man does
So the basis of our "attitude" is simply because...
If we're too strong, then we scare away men
If that's the case, doesn't it make them weak then?
If we're too meek, then we get run the hell over,
Getting knocked down like Red Rover, Red Rover
If we speak our minds, then we have a fly mouth
"That's not how to get a man in the deep South!"
If we hide our thoughts, then we must be clueless
If we don't know how to cook, then we must be useless
If we don't sleep with you, we're probably gay
If we do, then we've become an easy lay
You tell your homies how we put it down in bed
Sharing all the details of how we gave, gave, gave you some head
If we do the same, oh, we talk too damn much
Bumping our gums, gossiping and such
If we openly express our sexual freedom
Then we deserve what "cums" since "we so dumb"
But if we're hesitant and seem a little rude
Then all of a sudden, we're stuck up prudes
If we have unprotected sex due to broken latex
And an unplanned pregnancy comes up next,
And we decide to keep the kid, then we're stupid whores
But if we decide to kill the kid, then we're running from consequences' doors
If we're gay, it's because a Black man has "done us wrong"
If we're celibate, it's because the right one (umm you?) hadn't come along
If we play the game like a playa, then we're skanks and hoes
But if we get played, it's our fault because it's the men we chose
If we've been single for years, it's because we're too picky
But if we jump from man to man, then all we're worth is a quickie
If we don't accept your bullshit, then we have attitude
If we do, then bitterness accrues and our outlook is screwed
If we expect more, then we're unappreciative
But if we accept less than, then what kind of life is that to live?
If we love with all our soul, then it's taken for granted
So it's hard to open up again because we've become disenchanted
We create walls to protect our hearts from pain
And men are too lazy to work for the gain
If we make them earn it, they get bored and disappear
To be vulnerable is a feeling that most men fear
If we make it too easy, then they search for more of a challenge
Carelessly taking what they want like a dirty syringe
If we date outside our race, then we couldn't handle the Black men
Yet they throw other races in our faces time and time again
If we speak properly and use correct English, we wanna be White
If we speak Ebonics and other slang, then we're ghetto and don't appear too bright
If we utilize an extensive vocabulary, we're uppity
If we dumb down our language, suddenly, we're dumb and ditzy
If we wear our hair natural, it looks nappy to you
If we use creamy crack, we're catering to the "White view"
Beaten by our Black men, hurt and lied to
We have no equal we can talk and cry to
If we stay in abuse, we're weak and settling
Our love's not enough; it seems unwelcoming
But if we leave, then we've abandoned them
Left them alone for others to condemn
If we lose our job, we apply for welfare
Oh the burden the taxpayers must bear!
We need some help to get back on our feet
So we get food stamps so that our children can eat
Using our EBT, we have folks looking down on us
"How you gonna carry all that food on the city bus?"
Now if we kept our pride, we would be hungry
"Willing to give us money to help me and my family?"
We're looked at as welfare queens and ratchet sluts
Walking around, big hips, thighs, and big ol' butts
Stereotypes weigh heavily and they're hard to remove
Leaving chips on our shoulders, messing up our groove
Forget all of us that actually speak with some sense
We don't all have "stank attitudes" when we come to our defense
We don't all aspire to be the next trashy reality star
Some of us actually have aspirations to take us pretty far
Most of us want the love of a strong Black man
No one should understand us the way that he can
Sadly, they don't make him the way they used to
Self-hatred makes them prefer a lighter hue
If they do want a Black woman, they want one with no voice
So to the strong Black woman, we're left with little choice
Damned if we don't, damned if we do
So excuse me if you think we have attitude!

(Copywritten so don't try to steal my work, thanks!). 

Being a Black woman is a catch-22. No matter what we say or do, it's never enough. We carry so many burdens and people wonder why we're so TOUGH. 

LIFE HAS MADE US THIS WAY.