This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/AmItheAsshole by /u/Chatterchum on 2023-09-06 03:16:10.

So I 15f am black and Hispanic, and I’m pretty sure loads of people can relate but whenever I’m around certain kinds of POC (you know who I’m talking about) I constantly hear “you sound white” “stop speaking like a white girl”. Earlier my cousin and I got into an argument because she introduced me to some of her friends and one of them pointed out that I speak differently. I’m from the Bronx, born and raised. I have an accent, as do plenty of people. But my cousins friend who we’ll call Hannah wasn’t saying anything about my accent, she told me that I sound as if I’m white. So my cousin started to bash on me as well, saying how I think I’m better than them because I speak like that and so many other things.

Me and her started arguing and I told her that I’d gladly accept the title of “whitewashed” if it means speaking as if I have an education, if it means that I’m articulate and that I’m intelligent. Instead of speaking as if I don’t know any better, speaking like those wanna be gangsters and hoodlums. She got mad at me saying that I was a “whitewashed bitch who thinks she’s better than everybody because she’s speaking as if she’s trying to appease the white man.” I and plenty of other POC have experienced racism, I’d rather be told that I sound articulate and smart than “uneducated and ghetto.” Because it doesn’t feel good being told that, and I told my cousin that I don’t want to speak like her and her friends.

She got mad and told my aunt (her mom) and my aunt told my mom. My mom is taking my side saying I did nothing wrong, but aunt claims that I hurt my cousins feelings and that I need to apologize to her. Because to her I was rude and disrespectful and that I need to right my wrongs. I told her that I’m not apologizing and that my cousin is just going to have to be upset at me. She put my cousin on the phone and my cousin went off on me.

AITA for saying what I said?