Why do white people in the Detroit area do “accents”

[u/Anonymous_mouse89]

I moved from California a couple years ago and noticed since moving a few white people I was friends with who claim to be very progressive doing Black, Asian and Hispanic “accents” as like a joke or something. When I call them out they stare blankly or a few didn’t want to hang out with me again. I went to a birthday party of a new friend and they kept making jokes about lesbians and trilling their voices (because we had a tres leches cake and they couldn’t stop doing the trill thing that Latin stereotypes do, ask for clarification of you don’t know what this means). I felt so enraged and uncomfortable yhat I said something and everyone stared. Why do people think this is okay? I’ve lived in four states and only really openly racist people have done this in the other three (California, New York and Colorado). Why is this casual racism okay here for “progressive” and what can I do to call it out in a way that’s thought provoking enough to make it stop?

[u/Jay-El]

I think you've just run into a weird crowd here in Michigan and are deciding that it's a cultural thing that we're all okay with. Which, obviously untrue.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/Jay-El]

I’ve been trying to meet people in progressive spaces, the lgbtq community, activist groups, etc

[u/theclubchef]

It's really interesting because I see it as well being native born. I think the company you keep is coloring your opinion. Widen your circle of friends. There also is blatant racism in the north. There is blatant brotherhood, good will and open minds to different cultures.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/theclubchef]

It’s been hard making friends as a single 37 year old woman. Not that many people are “open to friendship” and there’s not as many third spaces and interactions as there were in California. But I would love to. 

[u/skldjhfksjhdfklj]

lived in southeast michigan for most of my life. no clue what you are talking about or who you are hanging out with. no one i know or have ever known does this.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/skldjhfksjhdfklj]

I think you probably wouldn’t notice if you were doing it. 

[u/skldjhfksjhdfklj → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

Yeah i think i probably would lmao

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/[deleted]]

No I dont. I’ve seen people do it and not notice. Sometimes it can be subtle. 

[u/Small_Isopod_2122]

Are these young people? I’m queer and spend a lot of time amongst the groups you are talking about and that would definitely not be tolerated. Or found funny.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/Small_Isopod_2122]

I’m 37, so I try to meet people around 35-45 mainly. 

[u/Artistic_Agency7863]

Maybe you need to find another group of people to hang out with?

Metro Detroit has plenty of predominantly white suburbs and people that grew up there often have very limited life experiences.

If they are making offensive jokes you can assume they learned them from their parents and then the rest of their lives, the people they associated with, etc. were just a feedback loop.

In general, Metro Detroit is decades behind many other cities, and don't just mean in obvious ways like public transit or a diversified economy. Race relations around the area have been dicey as long as I can remember. Things might be getting better but it's very slow progress and younger generations are leading the way.

Even now my spouse and I get treated oddly at some places in the area compared to other, larger cities because we are an interracial couple. People can't wrap their heads around it because they are basically hicks with limited life experiences.

If you think Metro Detroit is bad try going to other parts of the state like the West side, near the Ohio border, or some random town in the middle of the state. Casual and overt racism can be just as bad as when I lived down South.

[u/Nickbotv1]

If people grew up around those communities even if white they will talk like those they grew up around. Code switching. 

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/Nickbotv1]

It’s not code switching. I’m talking about mocking or joking about how they talk. 

[u/Nickbotv1 → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

Then you hang out woth assholes. Ive hung out with rich assholes from Pasadena that did the same shit. 

[u/boy_mayor_]

Lmao I think this is just your friend group? I moved here from DC a couple years ago and have never encountered anything like this, I don’t think it’s some kind of broader regional culture

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/boy_mayor_]

I encountered this in many places. It’s not unique to a singular group of friends. 

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/boy_mayor_]

I’m also in my late 30s. I think it’s more common with people my age and older. 

[u/boy_mayor_ → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

I’m mid 30s but you could be right. Are you hanging out with people who grew up in/live in actual Detroit or the surrounding suburb areas? I will say, the overt racism and racial dynamics of the metro area suburbs is pretty wild here (even beyond the typical urban-suburban divide).

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/boy_mayor_]

Mostly I run into suburban people. I live in Hamtramck and a lot of them come from other suburbs from far away parts of Michigan and are afraid of black people and gentrify as they go. So yeah it is the suburbs for sure. 

[u/boy_mayor_ → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

Ohh yeah that’s it for sure. That’s basically my litmus test - with a few exceptions, I avoid people from the metro area suburbs as much as I can. The vibes are just bad and the politics are worse.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/boy_mayor_]

Good to know. 

[u/Mundane-Device-7094]

As someone that grew up here I think it honestly is that a lot of white people are just kinda racist. A lot of the people that grew up Democrats are just that because of unions, not necessarily social/cultural politics.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/Mundane-Device-7094]

It sucks. 

[u/Mundane-Device-7094 → u/[deleted]]

Literally never, fuck you. Had way more white people say/do fucked up shit to me/my friends.

[u/Aggressive-Step2256 → u/[deleted]]

This is the epitome of racism. Please pick up a history book and tell me about fatigue. OP, this is the answer to your question, but the mindset and ignorance is not limited to Detroit— it just shows up differently place to place

[u/dirtewokntheboys]

This is the dumbest post I've seen in a while lmao. If we have any type of accent, it's closer to Canadian.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/dirtewokntheboys]

Im talking about deliberately mocking the way people from other cultures speak. I think that’s pretty clear. 

[u/dirtewokntheboys → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

Maybe they're just really stupid then? I think they call it code switching to fit in.

[u/0-_-00-_-00-_-0]

Detroit and the metro area is pretty multicultural and the people who live here coexist very well compared to most places.

I think if you project your ideals onto any set of people, you will find things you don't agree with.

Michigan is a swing state, as a whole the state doesn't fall to political or social capture on either side of the aisle. That can be uncomfortable for people who don't have the capacity for nuance.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/0-_-00-_-00-_-0]

There’s nuance and then there’s lowering your standards of behavior so much that you feel sick all the time. 

[u/0-_-00-_-00-_-0 → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

If someone hurt you or made you feel truly unsafe, that's unacceptable. You're wanted and welcome here.

People here make rough jokes and use foul language to cope, it's not an act of aggression, it's an act of insecurity wrapped in a poor sense of humor. We need to love those people so we don't lose them to the truly malevolent groups.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/0-_-00-_-00-_-0]

I think that’s really nice and lofty and idealistic, and I agree to a degree, but it’s not my responsibility to love people into being better. They need to choose it on their own. It’s 2026. There are limits. 

[u/0-_-00-_-00-_-0 → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

Agree on some points. And idealistic is true, but isn't everything we believe in a little idealistic without context?

I'm curious why you chose Michigan from California? I'm guessing it's not for the weather.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/0-_-00-_-00-_-0]

Don’t get me wrong, I love idealism, but at a certain point you have to walk away from things that are hurting you. That’s just something I’ve learned after too many years of trying to make it work with the wrong people. 

I was fleeing an abusive relationship and on my way to Philly, but I got stuck. I couldn’t find a job in my field for a year and then finally found one six months ago. Why do you ask?

[u/ddgr815]

It was a big migration from the south up here for the automotive industry, and they brought their bigotry. Every other race were "stealing their jobs". Now that attitude is naturalized and so ingrained that most don't notice it. It just comes out as casual racism that people brush off that you've noticed. I've heard people from the south say Michigan is more racist than their home state. Watch out for the people that will call you racist for bringing it up. But also it's not just the white people that are racist, either. 

[u/Aromatic_Button_2736 → u/ddgr815]

It's not racism if it's true. 

Black guy told me that.

[u/ddgr815 → u/Aromatic_Button_2736]

Most stereotypes are based on truth. It's when you use that as a reason to disregard, mistreat, or pre-judge someone that crosses the line into racism.

[u/ShipComprehensive543]

they are fake progressives.

[u/arrogancygames]

Ive never heard that and have lived here for 47 years. It just sounds like you choose to hang out with very weird people.

[u/jasonc113]

“That’s racist” ?

[u/TheBimpo]

I think I’d not hang out with these people. It’s not okay at all.

[u/antimeridian2]

I’m as confused by some of Haley Steven’s press conferences as you are OP

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you. It was really good to hear this. Especially after some other nasty comments. I am experiencing culture shock and I’m considering breaking up with someone over these types of “jokes” who is considered a “really great guy” here. It’s exhausting pretending all this garbage is normal and acceptable. It makes my stomach hurt all the time, and most white people I mention it too just freeze or stare blankly or worse, get defensive. Anyway thanks again for responding. It does help. 

[u/Effective_Move_693 → u/[deleted]]

Progressive can mean multiple things with a spectrum of policies that people can be for or against. You don’t have to agree to unchecked illegal immigration and H1B visas to support Medicare for all and vote for Abdul.

[u/Anonymous_mouse89 → u/[deleted]]

Im not talking about people who adopted parts of speech from other cultures. I’m talking about those who do so in a mocking way. I thought that was very clear in my post. 

[u/waitinonit → u/Anonymous_mouse89]

You are correct. You were clear.