Im 16 and in high school, and I've wanted to date a girl for a while but everything i do is seen as a joke, even when i compliment a girl. I've tried being romantic by not making faces or making jokes but i choke up and back down form doing it and just make a joke in order to keep a friend relationship and not turning it into an awkward situation. Next to that im african american and people have this way ward mind that im ghetto when really im not so i dont know what to do or how to handle the situation. Help me please?

If you've been friends with her for a while then you're probably friend zoned and you have a very slim chance of getting with her. Move on and next time you meet a girl you're into, be blunt from the beginning so she's knows your intentions and can either reject you or accept you, then you can go back to step 1 and repeat if you're rejected or escalate with her appropriately.

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Next time someone tells you "to forget it because you were friendzoned" tell them to suck your dick.

Either change your frame or be more sexual with your jokes. Since you're still young and there are certain social norms in high school, I think the latter might be more difficult for you. You don't want to be a jokester but be playful and teasing. Tone it down a bit. If you think a situation is awkward and that's why you're inserting jokes, go into yourself a bit. I would suggest to slightly change your frame and become less joking.

Watch Californication and take note of what Hank does. He jokes a lot but he knows how to be adequate, which makes his jokes disarming.

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