Optimists tend to interpret their troubles as transient, controllable, and specific to one situation. Pessimists, on the other hand, believe that their troubles last forever, undermine everything they do, and are uncontrollable.
I'm very proud to be black, but black is not all I am. That's my cultural historical background, my genetic makeup, but it's not all of who I am nor is it the basis from which I answer every question.