Thursday, April 25, 2013

Junot Diaz: How to Date a Brown Girl, Black Girl, White Girl, or Halfie


This boy seems to have it all figured out. He’s analyzed and calculated every move he will make when interacting with the opposite sex. In my opinion it’s sort of brilliant, in a sense that he has dissected every aspect of these girls and their social standings/ethnicities in order to determine what to do and say. He knows what will comfort her, what she will do in reaction to what he does and how to behave in order to get with these girls. As I read his thoughts and analyses, I can’t help but wonder what causes him to be so calculating. This boy is no older than grade school, he’s obviously poor and I’m not sure if he himself emigrated from Dominica or if his family did before his birth. He is the son of immigrants, perhaps an immigrant himself. I’m not sure of the exact time period but coming from poor immigrants doesn't exactly give someone the upper hand. This calculated behavior may be necessary for someone in his social standing. Does he do it purely to “get some” from these girls though? I also wonder if this is the way all men calculate behaviors in the presence of women. That may be a question that discriminates upon gender but do they? Maybe it’s just a type of person, or the way any person with a goal would behave. Regardless this boy has it down; he’s obviously experienced many of these dates with these different types of girls. This makes me wonder if his calculated actions work often with these young girls. I’d love to see the situation from the girls’ point of view. It’s not hard to imagine though. I’m sure they really do think the intentionally sweet things he says are so spectacularly sweet, they adore that brief touch of the shoulder, and swoon over the false sincerities he spits out in response to stories of the hardships of her family. How naïve, right? One can only pity these girls and applaud this boy. He’s figured it out. Good for him.

1 comment:

  1. I would have to disagree completely. This grade school boy could not possibly know every reaction of these women of different ‘race’ or ‘location.’ It upsets me that he thinks it’s okay to assume he knows, too. Not all ‘halfies’ have a white mother – not all black girls would be impressed with some busted-up Spanish – and not all white girls give it up right then and there. The poem is entertaining, but very disrespectful and distasteful throughout.
    I don’t necessarily think his ultimate goal is to get laid though. Of course that is part of it but there has got to be more to it than that. He ends with talking about the phone ringing, but not to answer. He mentions that he will enjoy watching TV without distractions from his family. I don’t think these things would have been said if he just wanted to have sex.

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