herbancowboy

I just read this article and I think it's missing a key reason why people like to deflate their background: they want to participate in the American "rags to riches" "by the bootstraps" myth.

I remember reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry back in sixth grade. For a few years afterwards, I would start off any autobiographical piece with the phrase "I was born the son of poor black sharecroppers..." (Being a big fan of Steve Martin's The Jerk prolly had something to do with that, too.) I'm glad that somebody I respect finally told me how corny I was being.

I'm also reminded of certain jackass suburban "gangstas" from my parents' temple who claim to be from "The Ghettoes of Punjab." Puh-lease! You are a chump who's been to jail too many times because you are stupid, not because you're hard or the man is keeping you down.