The Buttons On Men's Button-Up Shirts are on the Opposite Side of Women's. It's Hard Putting on A Men's Button-up Shirt.

Towards the beginning of chapter 3, Wise refers to a major change in his social life that took place during his adolescent years. Before Junior High school Wise mentions that he wasn't, "really close to any white people"(59). He recollects a time where the demographics of his friend group began to change. Not because he consciously wanted more white friends but because he entered a school that systematically made his friendships less possible. This was operated by tracking, which made (makes) segregation legal in schools. Wise goes on to say that he, "was having to relearn everything: how to make friends, how to interact with people whose interests were different, and how to basically be white again"(59). I found this passage particularly interesting being that I can somewhat relate. This shift he had to deal with was made within the same community system he has been part of his whole life. It's just that now, it is directly affecting him on a more extreme level. As he mentions previous to this in his book, even in early elementary school he noticed the segregation. Although he chose to interact with the black students early on, the presence of whiteness, their presence as the majority, and their identity was still ever present from kindergarden--onwards. While my experience of that differs because the town and school I was raised in is extremely colorful (blacks being the "majority" and whites the "minority) I can identify with having to relearn certain ways of acting. Because of the community I grew up in and probably a few other factors, my environment nurtured me into my self that finds it hard to relate to the white community. I have had some exposure (pre-college) to being placed in a white community. But even for the short amount of time/few times I was in that situation, I felt disconnected and uncomfortable and felt that people made cliques where they all "clicked" and I couldn't find people I could click with. Now looking back, and having more experience, I understand what I thought was me not having friends because people didn't "like" or "get" me. Times when I was in a white-majority situation was like when I went to camp. Everyone came from different places but similar backgrounds. And their background I hardly relate to. Upon entering college I was also suddenly surrounded by so many white people. At camp it was different. It was not my home, and the people there were not my friends--because my friends were at home. Now being situated in a place, where everyone came from different places, like camp but now my new "permanent-ish" community,  forcing to be in a space of whiteness and making it my "space" too--I found, somewhere in the back of my head, of how to interact or be friends with white people. Similar to how Wise had the idea that he shouldn't or should like something. I have no idea where these ideas came from, but I took being friends with white people as being polite, submissive, and oddly more passive aggressive. Basically, the relationship I have with most white people here I would label as acquaintances. Thinking consciously now, I only have one white friend. As Wise said, "I wasn't really sure how to be white, but I figured I could fake it"(60).  I became conscious of little things that prevented fluid relationships. Like what I say (or even how I say it) (because I was realizing that what I would say normally was not "white language". My old roommate once told me that she could not understand my two friends and I half of the time she was around us).

From what I gathered the way Wise reacts to trying to change his identity as he describes, I think holds more general meaning. Because he could not relate to white music and felt he should not like black music he, "just stopped listening to music altogether". This might stand as an allegory to describe more generally how he couldn't relate to what he was trying to adjust his identity to, so he'd rather dismiss it all together.