Acceptable blackness is blackness that is acceptable to white Americans, blackness that does not threaten them or make them feel uncomfortable (racist). Barack Obama is a good example. So is Halle Berry, Will Smith, Michael Jordan, any black person in an ad, everyone on “The Cosby Show” and that pretty black woman on the evening news (every big American city seems to have one). Tupac Shakur and Malcolm X are not acceptably black.
Acceptable blacks often talk, dress and act like well-to-do white people. What white senator Joe Biden meant when he said Obama was “articulate and bright and clean”. Being light-skinned helps, but not necessary. So does smiling.
The idea caused something of a dust-up on the Internet in January 2008 when Bob Garfield wrote an article for “Ad Age”. He said Obama was acceptably black, so much so that white racists would love to vote for him to prove to themselves and others that they are not racist. Like having one of those black best friends.
Shark-fu read this and on her blog, Angry Black Bitch, she was, well, angry. She has been hearing this sort of thing most of her life. She grew up going to a white school, speaking proper English and even dressing white. She was acceptably black. White people told her so in so many words.
It made her blood boil:
Acceptable blackness is defined as the absence of overt culture and of difference. It is a level of conformity that requires absolute perfection…
Achieve that perfection and your black ass is acceptable … to a bunch of trigger happy assholes that soothe their privileged guilt by letting you tag along, all the while prepared to lay down harsh and rigid judgment should your perfect mask crack.
She does not like how it is whites, in their little, narrow racist minds, who determine what is “acceptable”; how you have to give up so much of your blackness and pretty much sell out to achieve it.
That is why so many who are “acceptably black” to whites are told by blacks that they are “not black enough”. Speak proper English and listen to rock music and suddenly you are “not black enough”.
But because “acceptable blackness” plays to a white audience and “black enough” to a black one, it is possible to please both.
It is not easy but it is possible: Will Smith, Denzel Washington, Chris Rock, James Earl Jones, Bill Cosby. I would love to know how they do it, but somehow they can put whites at ease with their blackness without having to act white to do it. It is the secret of their success.
Barack Obama, on the other hand, tries to achieve this by striking a balance by acting white but not too white. It is a thin, dangerous line: too many whites are waiting for the mask to crack.
See also:
- Acceptable Blackness – at Angry Black Bitch
- Why Even Hardened Racists Will Vote for Barack Obama – by Bob Garfield in “Ad Age”
- Race in America
- Barack Obama
- Black women that white men like
- How whites misunderstand blackness
- Korean adoptees
- mutual assimilation
People who know me know that I eschew generalizations. Any population group will be a polyglot collection of individuals containing many examples that defy generalization. However, I see this issue voiced frequently, and, since the issue itself is premised on generalizations, the only way to respond to it is also with generalizations.
Before I continue, let me acknowledge that there are many racist whites who will dislike or unfairly judge black people no matter what they do or how they act. I am not speaking of those whites in this post, nor I think was Agabond speaking of them in his original post.
At the same time, there are many non-racist whites, or whites who are conscious of racism and make legitimate efforts to eliminate it from their lives, who evince some level of the symptom described by Agabond.
However, I think it is incorrect to say that what whites find “acceptable” or “unacceptable” is a level of blackness. Now for the generalization about whites. Keep in mind that white American is a huge and diverse population, including rich and poor, gay and straight, many different religious affiliations, communists, socialists, democrats, republicans, Nazis, etc. Thus, my generalization speaks to the large undefined center – the white, Christian, middle class and upper-middle class America. This white America is very, er, for lack of a better term, I’ll create the term “valuist.” I use “valuist” to suggest that white America is very judgmental – both of blacks and whites – based on a value system informed by elements the British class or caste system, the Protestant work ethic, northern European/Nordic asceticism, and a frontier sense of do-it-yourself-ism. This system is rigid and unyeilding and it applies equally to pretty much everybody.
What some black Americans view as the dialectic between “acting black” and “acting white” is, to most white Americans, irrelevant. What is relevant to white America is behavior as measured along this “valuist” scale of acceptable behavior. Many of the behavior characteristics often ascribed to “acting black” are, in the eyes of white America, no different than similar behavior characteristics associated with poor white trailer trash or similar under-caste white subgroups. Public boisterousness. Use of heavy dialect rather than standard English. The scorn directed toward an individual’s effort to succeed at education. Hair trigger physical aggression among males over trivial issues. A lust for shiny trinkets and what I call “icons of aristocracy” – the fancy carriage, or the designer label on clothing, etc., coupled with a desire to flaunt the same. The repeated invocation of “them” or “they” when discussing the idea that some outside force – government, usually – has an obligation to provide an individual with a lifestyle consistent with a certain socio-economic standard. An interest only in low-brow or popular music or arts. A sloppy sort of chubby body fat.
This type of behavior is repulsive to white America whether it is evinced by Jethro with his mullet haircut and wifebeater shirt or by DeShaunte with his gold fronts and sagging trousers.
To Angry Black Bitch and others who chafe against the idea that a black person must don a mask or otherwise subvert his “blackness” to gain acceptance within “white America,” I would respond that white people must do this as well. Jethro will not be welcomed with easy conviviality if he shows up at the Lafayette Club in his un-muffled, chrome-studded monster truck, blasting Lynyrd Skynyrd at insanity levels, with his crazed crystal-meth eyes darting about looking for things to steal, while Billie Sue, with her heehive hairdo, fake eyelashes and a chubby muffin top spilling out over the waistband of tight Daisy Dukes, cigarette dangling from her lips, loads up a plate at the buffet. Nor will DeShaunte, who shows up in his lowered Imapala with spinner rims and Fitty blasting from the stereo, gold fronts on display, holding his crotch in a lewd manner to keep his pants from falling, while Sh’Aniqua struts toward the free bar with her monster bum threatening to explode her khaki shorts and a bead of glue from her lace front dribbling down her forehead. In the eyes of white America, these two guys are the same person. Neither is welcome at the Lafayette Club, let me assure you.
Certainly it is, in general (again there are plenty of exceptions to any generalization) incrementally easier for a white person to cross this threshold than a black person. But make no mistake that white people must make the effort to cross that threshold if they want acceptance by mainstream white America, and if we do not, we will be judged negatively by white America just as ruthlessly as any person of color.
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Very interesting! I will not say anything about it just now because it leads right into my next two posts: blackness for Friday and colour-blind racism for Saturday.
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Excellent post Abagond, and Will Smith has been called out for Toming when he started to act in major movies.
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Thanks. So should I take Will Smith off my list of being both “black enough” and “acceptably black”?
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Thank you blanc2. That was expressed so clearly and so much better than I could have ever said it, and yet that was what my own inchoate thoughts were groping towards while I read this post.
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Abagond, this was a great topic for discussion.
Blanc2 I thought your point of view was well thought out. I can actually see both sides of this argument. I am aware that White America holds everyone to certain acceptance criteria even their own, however maybe it is because I am black that I feel that acceptance is particularly steep for a person of African descent. I also feel that the dominant society requires you to leave cultural tendencies and cleave to their standards of normalcy. I am looking for to your next two posts as always Abagond. Enjoy your weekend.
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I’m not sure Abagond because a lot of black people *now*respect him for marrying Jada and staying togeather for ten years and being Hollywood’s biggest box office star.
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Blanc2: So you are saying that it is a class thing, not a race thing; that Shark-fu would have gone through the very same thing if she were white?
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If Jethro and DeShaunte went to a School for Valuist Training for a year, got rid of their girlfriends and their cars and changed their names to Edward and came back, the white Edward (ex-Jethro) would fit right in and no one would think twice about it. He might even join the inner circle in time. But the black Edward (ex-DeShaunte) would be watched closely for any slip-up – assuming, that is, they did not find some excuse not to admit him in the first place. There is more than just valuism at play here.
Taking on the manners of the white middle class will make you acceptably black. It will not make you white. There is a difference. Class matters, but so does race.
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I think you got it Abagond, and Blanc2 is right. Bill Clinton is a Jethro, check his background.
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I can emphasize with the frustration of having to be an “acceptable black.” People of African descent whether they are from the Caribbean, Canada, and Europe or anywhere on this planet understand what it means to have a “culture of semblance”. This “culture of semblance” albeit frustrating, is necessary means of survival. I’ll argue that is one of the ways to survive the psychic damage that has been done to the people of the Diaspora. But here needs to be a proper discussion of what it means to be black.
That is why I personally find the terms “acting black” and “acting white problematic.” Who defined what is black? I find this especially frustrating because I get this statement all the time ‘oh you don’t sound black’. Then I proceed to ask ‘what does a black person sound like? Needles to say I’m still waiting for a clever answer to my question.
What’s even more frustrating is that it comes from blacks and other ethno racial minorities. Therefore this is a perception that is not exclusive to whites, it’s a shared perception. Where does it come from?
My theory is that it just happens that the dominant media images of black culture that appear on the global stage are from America. Consequently, there exists a reinforced and accepted perception of “blackness” for everyone, black white, Indian Asian etc.
But, will I agree, if we are talking about an American experience, there exist certain cultural nuances that are unique to black and white Americans. However, blacks are not a monolithic group. I believe that everyone has to redefine and revaluate the concept of blackness and what it means.
Blanc2 brings up a valid point by addressing a “valuist system”. It can be argued, socially, economically and politically blacks do not have substantial power or influence.
Therefore by extension black peoples existence is devalued and will be held in constant diametric opposition to the rest of society.
Between the have and the have not blacks are at the bottom their experience is only exacerbated by the fact that they have pigment in their skin. I’m mean it’s absurd the how colour of black people skin has become the “master status”.
The best example of that is the mindless dedication of online discussions about who is better than who based on skin tone. I’m just bewildered by how much damage has been done to a lot of psyches.
I’m live in Canada, I grew up here and I’ve been here for over 20 years. I speak standard English and make no apologies for it. But I came here from Mama Africa. Yet I still get that, ‘you don’t sound black’ or’ don’t act black.’ I’m a dark-skinned woman from the continent. Literally and figuratively speaking I can’t get any blacker than I am. I say that with so all humour.
Being African to me was tacit learning, it was seeing my parents, uncles aunts striving for better education. It was being taught by my grand father the art of story telling. It was being taught by my mother to value family and by my father to treat people civilly even when you did not like them.
It was not wearing Kinte clothes, or about wearing X medallions or commodified “afrocentricity”. It was and still is about knowing that you are of intrinsic value therefore you need no outward artificial validations of your worth, just what’s in your mind.
Black is what I am not what I strive to be.
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Who is black and “black enough” and why are deep questions that you could write books on.
The way I think about it is like this: when the police stop you for no reason it has nothing to do with your English, how valuist you are or anything like that. Only one thing matters in a moment like that, the same thing that has mattered since slave days.
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I have many friends who have immigrated to this land. I’m AA myself, and when I met other people from other countries who are residing in this country and we talk and have a great dialogue…mostly the next series of questions is as follows “How long have you been in the states?”—assuming I am not American because of the way I talk/look…I don’t know. Most are surprised that I do not fit into the mold that in a lot of their minds, as an African American, I should be snuggly confined. I should have children, tattoos, no value in education, I should be lazy, every other word that proceeds out of my mouth should be a curse word, I should enjoy rap music, be promiscuous, on welfare, my parents should have had me before they were married, and by now they should be divorced, and the list goes on with other absurd stereotypes—but none of these things apply to me, and when they find this out the next thing is “You’re different” or “Are you sure you’re parents are not from Africa” Of course I’m sure…they are descendents of Africa but my family has been here in America since the time of slavery.
Love the skin I’m In…
Great post. I think it was truthful and straight to the point. Yes, racism is very much alive today, but the intrinsic value that an individual has of oneself…is what will keep you sane in such a cold and harsh world. By other AA I have been accused of being “Stuck Up” trying to be white and all sort of things. Honestly, I think that—- with those people who say these things—even with all the education in the world, all the same opportunities available and the likes of this…to black people…they will still see themselves as unequal and it’s not because of what someone white did or did not do…it’s because they do not see the value within themselves. Of course, this does not apply to everyone but to a lot of us. This could be in part do to the damage of one’s psyches in a mainly white dominated society, but what good will it do anyone to have all the opportunities the world and they see don’t see themselves just as humans, on the same playing field all together? You must see the value in yourself and love you first and by being you—it doesn’t mean adhering to someone’s standard of “blackness”, “whiteness”, African “ness” or any other label. Just love you and be you but be the BEST you in yourself.
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This post is a couple months old, but it’s pretty right on.
I think Oprah, Whoopi and Latifah are good examples of famous blacks who became widely adored by white America without coming off as playing at being “white”. Lauryn Hill and Dave Chappelle were two other ones.
It’s not impossible to be your natural black self with appeal to the “white” majority. I’ve effortlessly did it my whole life.
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Some of my posts are like that: they can remain pretty right on for months 😉
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Hi Abagond,
You’ll be surprised to hear that I was thinking about this post all night before I eventually fell asleep.
While I see your point, I do disagree to an extent.
I personally find it a little insulting to the Black community to assume that those who are educated, well-spoken, have “white” interests, friends, etc. are “trying” to “appeal” to white folk.
Firstly, my opinion on “race” is as follows: “Black” and “White” are the chicken, not the egg. Black is a socially fabricated term to group together a large number of nations and ethnicities who have suffered predjudice for their darker skin. Therefore, being Black has no meaning of it’s own. It simply means “not being White.” Being White has no meaning of it’s own either, all it means is “being with a skin color of priviledge.” “African” “European” “American””Nigerian” “South Asian” are terms that mean something, culturally and ethnically speaking, not socially or politically speaking.
Meaning, we can’t really define what it means to be Black. Black people all share one thing in common: a constant social struggle against racism and discrimination. But as far as I’m concerned, that’s the only statement that I could say defines the “Black” experience.
I’m not sure whether you are a White man or a Black man. But if you are a Black man, then you surely know what it means to be defined. What insults me a little is the fact that people equate “well-spoken” and “educated” and “well-dressed” and “not-ghetto” as something that only White people have as characteristics… Suddenly anyone who is Black and who is like this isn’t “Black enough” for their community.
I don’t have to elaborate too much on why this irritates me, I thihk you understand it yourself even if you are a White man.
I’m not talking about television and the media here, because as far as that goes I completely agree with your point. What I mean is, I think that if certain Black people look down on their brothers and sisters for being “too white,” they are honestly just strengthening the stereotype White American currently holds about Black people. That means a Black person can’t win. If they are stereotypically “Black” they may discriminated against by Whites, if they act too “White” they will be looked down upon by certain Blacks…
How can someone say that these people are trying to please others? How can one make that kind of judgement? A Black acquaintance of mine is very well spoken, eloquent, well dressed, makes a 6 digit income, and has many white friends. But she’s quite distincly Black to me. There’s nothing White about her. To call her a Black women who tries to appeal to White people is a racist comment. Not trying to call you racist! I have seen heard this opinion a many times before. She is very much involved in her culture. She hasn’t given any of that up.
This is going to sound classist, but I’m going to be honest here. I think that people who are classy (and you don’t necessarily have to be rich to be a classy person) have much more in common with other classy people than they do with people of their own race. This means that even though they might uphold their values, their language, their religion, their culture, they are able to get along with other races who are also classy people even if they have strong cultural differences. I see this everyday. I am lucky enough to live in Toronto and witness this.
Any New Yorker who has lived in Toronto admits that social and interracial dynamics are very different between the two countries, Canada and America, and most especially pronounced in those two cities. So this might be a matter of experience. In New York, Whites and Blacks still seem segregated. Here everyone is kind of mixed up. I live in a nice neighbourhood with a very large number of Black people. This is my first hand experience. I know there’s the Toronto ghetto, but there’s an equal amount of Black and White folk there. It isn’t like in America, where this particular neighbourhood is the white ghetto and this particular neighbourhood is the black ghetto. In schools, whites and blacks will sit together in the cafetaria. I’m not sure this is exactly the case in New York.
I think where I was getting with this was – you will have certain stereotypes about how Blacks should act if you don’t have enough experience with them as people. If you do not know how diverse this group of people is you will continue to have stereotypes even if you deem yourself “non-racist.” One or two examples isn’t enough. You need to be constantly exposed to them. Racism comes mostly from ignorance, I think you can agree with me on this.
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Roxy,
You live in T.Dot? Cool. I loved it when I visted it there a few years back. Very expensive but cool vibe and lots to do. I noticed that it didn’t seem as racially segegated as many U.S. cities of similar size. But I’m sure they have their share of racial issues too.
Some black people, like me and some celebrities, as Aba noted, can “win”. You can be your natural black self while having an universal appeal. It’s more about natural confidence and being true to yourself, IMO. Notions about “being black” also develop from anti-black attitudes, I believe. Notice the characistics (sp.) associated with being “black” are usually negative, while the ones attributed to being “white” are positive.
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Roxy:
“Acting white” and “not black enough” are not things that I have ever personally said about anyone. Search my blog if you do not believe me – and shame me if necessary. I do not agree with that kind of thinking at all. Not one bit. It is stereotyping, even if it is black-on-black stereotyping. And that makes it wrong.
In the above post I was just observing what people do – like you did yourself in your own comment. It does not mean I agree with it. Anything but:
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Roxy, you wrote:
“Racism comes mostly from ignorance, I think you can agree with me on this.”
I do not agree with that, as it turns out. Ignorance makes racism worse, but it does not drive it. What drives it is how white people think and feel about themselves – and therefore about blackness – and their unwillingness to give up their privileges. That in turn affects everyone else in American society and how they think and feel.
I have written quite a bit about white people. Start here:
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There is a profound experiential and logical flaw to this piece. And it is the fact that there is no such thing as acceptable Blackness – which the author surely knows. Such a claim is misusing English to mean something else since acceptable, in this context, really means tolerable because non threatening. One cannot claim that one accepts the presence of a wild animal, which can kill, unless it is caged and one is outside the cage. To talk about others in terms of threat is to implicitly admit that one thinks of others in the negative – regardless of their behaviour – and that they should be caged and controlled. Thus, Whites here are not talking in terms of a contrast between threatening and worthwhile, They are talking in terms of threatening and non threatening. And it is Blacks’ job to prove They are non threatening before Whites will even to pretend to find Blacks acceptable. Yet, Whites never say how anyone can prove a negative nor why Blacks have such an obligation that Whites do not. Nor do Whites demonstrate how Blacks can make Whites feel comfortable in Their presence when Blacks cannot change the source of White discomfort – skin colour. Blackness is never acceptable, it is merely conditionally tolerable.
The article itself makes this clear by claiming Blacks are required by Whites to conform to an impossible stereotype based on the fact that Blacks are judged by Whites as a group; Whites are judged by Whites as individuals. No White individual is to be considered as typical: Stereotypes of Whites are not allowed and so attempts are made to vigorously suppress any by Whites.
The concept of acceptable Blackness (when no similar concept exists for Whites) is that Blacks are not acceptable unless They do the impossible – eradicate White negrophobia by not reminding Whites of White prejudice. This, ultimately, is the goal of all White anti racism. The very fact that Whites require this of Blacks proves Blacks are not acceptable to Whites – and never could be. If Blacks were acceptable – as such – and if good Blacks were acceptable while bad Blacks were not, then why erect an extra behavioural hurdle for Blacks, over and above the usual ethical criteria for acceptance as being morally good?
This article answers this question by demonstrating that Whites are still terrified of Blacks and require Them not so much to conform to good ethical behaviour but to behaviour Whites will not find frightening. Yet, there is also no such thing as unacceptable Black behaviour since Whites regard all Black behaviour with suspicion. And Whites are suspicious for no better reason than the behaviour They fear is enacted by those with darker skins than Whites choose to find acceptable. The issue with Whites is not acceptability of behaviour, but the skin colour of the person exhibiting the behaviour. With Whites, behaviour is always a secondary consideration in Their ethical assessments of those who do not look like Them. If this were not the case, there would be no phenotypism and their attitudes and behaviour would judge bad people – not their skin colour.
By trying to make Blacks think there is such a thing as acceptable Black behaviour, Whites are still trying to control the behaviour of Blacks by distracting Them from the real fears of Whites – the alleged inferiority of Blacks. Whites wish to replace this genetic defamation with the absurd claim that Whites judge Blacks by Their behaviour – not Their skin colour. Whites wish to make this assertion regardless of the fact that all descriptions of Black behaviour are always prefaced with the qualifying adjective “Black” and the fact that there are no intolerant epithets not referring to skin colour. If the skin of the person judged is not the issue, then why mention it at all?
This Affirmative Action for Whites is all part of the current politically correct White culture of denial that seeks to blame Blacks for not being acceptable by saying that They must behave properly; that is, identically to Whites. But, since skin pigmentation is not affected by behaviour (nor is it biologically causative of any behaviour), Blacks can never actually come to be seen as White (or, indeed, fully human) – unless Whites renounce narrow-mindedness. This is, therefore, a means for Whites to continue in Their injustice while only appearing to accept Blacks as human; allowing Whites to indulge Their bigotry while vainly assuaging the resulting guilt. It fails in this because it still overtly singles Blacks out for differential treatment from Whites since the standard of acceptable behaviour is still different for Whites.
Whites neophobic fear of difference is behind all attempts to make everyone else the same, but flops because it requires an impossible to achieve perfection – much like Christianity. Since the behaviour of Whites and Their mores change over time, Blacks would be led by the nose by Whites – in perpetuity – and would then be obligated to copy every custom, attitude, practice, belief, etc of Whites. This would ensure Blacks never develop nor perpetuate Their own culture – the ultimate aim of such a practice. If Whites want Blacks to conform to White standards and to integrate, the only solution is for Whites to renounce intolerance, but this is precisely what Whites are being avoided here. It is harder than giving up smoking, drinking, or illegal drugs, but it can be done.
To buy into the dogmatism of acceptable Black behaviour is to buy the fanatic line of Whites completely. It is to become acceptable (really, tolerable) without ever really being accepted. Ultimately Whites – alone – want to decide what is acceptable and that fact alone makes the concept of acceptable Blackness fundamentally bigoted. This is an ethnic protection racket within which Blacks are required to pay Whites a “Racism Tax” in order not to be politically abused by Whites by becoming Uncle Toms – the latter being a form of self enslavement.
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Agreed, acceptable blacks are not truly accepted by whites – far from it. Tolerated is better but that is not quite it either because there is an element of contempt in it.
In person I sometimes say bitter and sarcastic things in a completely deadpan way to see if the other person is on my wavelength. I am afraid sometimes I do this in my writing too. The word “acceptable” in this post is like that.
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Interesting topic.
I find that acceptable (as in Brady-Bunch acceptable) blackness is seen as socially deviant/awkward, as Brady Bunch like modalities often are, for younger guys like me. In this view acceptable blackness usually means conforming in some way to some societal/historical / status-quo idea of what black people are (stereotype), but then there have always been two very different sides [of any society but especially] American society, even in the simpler basic survival times. And youth culture tends to look into ways to deviate, someway some how, lol.
I guess on the flip side, your acceptable blackness would be right on the mark, in terms of traditional morality and norms/rules.
I’ll say it again, very interesting topic, and indeed the whole idea of machine like acceptability is what drives many sub-cultures, like many centered on rock music. Soon enough i think we’ll all learn to think interms of appreciation and functionality, and not the short-sighted fear and hysteria that comes with blind “taboo” and “acceptability”, we’ll forgive and move on.
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Could somebody break it down to me please what exactly is black on black racism. can i have some workable examples as well as any pieces of literature.
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Isn’t it just as racist to say that white people are narrow minded? And let me remind you all that racism is not just an issue between “black” and “white” people, but within the black community itself. I heard one of the girls at work talking about wanting to be “redskinned”. I feel ignorant admitting I didn’t know what this meant, but apparently she wanted to be “pretty” and apparently that meant being light skinned. Why? “Because that’s what the boys want”, she says. Ignorance is everywhere. You gotta stomp it out with your words; not fuel it. Saying “white people” like people are all the same based on their skin color. Are black people all the same cos of their skin. No. That’s stupid and ignorant. I swear, I am so tired of all this shit. Bein racist while complaining about racism. For real???
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Most whites are racist. How is anything going to change if no one is allowed to point that out, if we are all supposed to just keep quiet about it?
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Warior7 Says:
Fri 3 Jul 2009 at 01:20:43
Could somebody break it down to me please what exactly is black on black racism. can i have some workable examples as well as any pieces of literature.
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It is where blacks are racist against themselves. Everyone in American society is taught to look down on blacks. Blacks learn this racism along with everyone else, but it takes on a different form, like self-hatred, self-doubt, the whole light-skinned thing.
I wrote a post on it which has links to other related posts:
Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” is about internalized racism.
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Haha I wish Obama would get really GHETTO just ONCE!
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I so agree
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How is “the whole light-skinned thing” different from white supremacy, exactly?
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^ Its the same thing to me except instead of whites looking down on blacks, its blacks looking down on other blacks.
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I would say that it’s not the same thing.
Its a ‘creation’ or one of the ‘effects’ of White Supremacy . Especially if you view White Supremacy as a global system in the world that manifest itself in areas like religion, politics, economics etc
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“Barack Obama, on the other hand, tries to achieve this by striking a balance by acting white but not too white. It is a thin, dangerous line: too many whites are waiting for the mask to crack.”
I don’t think Obama wears a mask. How he acts in public life is probably how he acts in private life.
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I’ve been told my whole life by black people that I act too white just because I speak proper English, don’t have a “black” voice and dress like a nerd. It gets old. Really old. These people have never gotten to know me, my interests, or anything about me.
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My whole life I’ve been dissed by white and black people. White people laugh at me because even though I grew up middle class and speak proper English, I’m still black. Black people either made fun of me or ignored me.
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@ Jess
About how old are you (just a general idea)
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OMG. I deal with this all of the time. Many of my friends like me to tag along to seem “progressive” but then they jump on any opinion I share lol. Its like they just want me around to stroke their ego and pat their back for “accepting” me while they portray me as the “angry black but not really black chick” whenever I don’t smile and nod lol. They’d usually say something like “Well your not like the other one’s, your not the usual black girl.” or “your not gay gay, your cool gay.”
Heck, my entire family gets this in some regard because we’re relatively light skinned (or dark with East Asian features in regards to my mother), and well educated. So we’re good enough to hang with the racist folk until we open our mouths and get tired of back handed compliments lol.
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I dislike arrogant fools like yourself equally. It doesn’t matter what color they are. Rebelling against virtue is what are actually doing.
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Its not about acting white. You just be yourself if your accepted, You are. If your not accepted, oh well, move around then. White people sniff ouut phony just as well as all races. And if your acceptable to a white or black or mexican doesnt matter. Phony isnt accepted period anywhere. Thats that. Also, I noticed lots of blacks in my generation are more accepting of typicle ‘white norms’ like rock, prep, and extra curriculars. Everybody likes a change. Life too short. We all try something new eventually right. Point being its harder and harder to see the norm for white and blacks.
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Its called respecting people abd they will respect you back
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This is a great post. It’s hard being a black person. “Damn” The black people policing you if you are in their judgment acting white. You run the risk of being a fill in the blank, tom,coon, oreo. Whites are the ones black people work double time trying to impress. Proper word enunciation, dress and carry yourself so you don’t threaten them and be acceptable. Assimilate into white culture. No wonder we black folks have some many psychological issues trying to be black in America.
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Wayne Brady and Aisha Tyler are acceptable Black people.
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But the crazy thing is no matter how hard one tries to assimilate into white society,accomplishments/acheivements. Black people will always be the N-word to white America.
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I read a magazine article featuring comedienne/actress Aisha Tyler, she was asked about being this so called acceptable black person. And I will paraphrase what she said, “Nobody has the right to police another’s blackness, Nobody knows what I’ve been through”. I agree with that statement. We don’t know what she has been through, Who are any of us to label or judge her. That’s only fair.
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When I think of ”acceptable Black people”, 8 times out of 10, I think of sellouts and Uncle Toms. I don’t know why. Many of times these so called acceptable Blacks act like they are White to fit in with Whites and not associate themselves with others of their own race.
@Mary
I am not rude, loud or ghetto. I get good grades and care about school but I am not what you would call an ”acceptable Black person. I am too outspoken person who speaks her mind on subjects even about racism in school. Whites in my school see me as a threat for not conforming to their narrow minded view of Blacks and Blacks see me as Whitewashed sellout for caring about school and not liking Hip Hop culture etc.
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@Adeen: Spot on. The same here for me as well. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Go figure. (sigh)
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@ Adeen: Keep on Doing you. Keep on keeping on. I think you will be fine.
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@Mary
Thank you but at my school, the Blacks who fit the stereotypes get more attentions than I do and Whites ‘seem to ”like’ them more. Between you and me, we know that they are laughing behind these buffoons behind their backs. That makes me mad because they are making themselves look dumb to please White people. One of them even said that he was mixed with something just because his father was light skin. SMH. There is no way that I would let go of my dignity to please Whites. I don’t come on earth to please and kiss their behind, I came on earth to live my life and be me! That is why I am a threat to them.
Plus White girls and girls of other races envy my figure because they want to be skinny and they outright say so too.
I have been asked what type of music I listen to and where my family came from because they think I am so ”different” yet threatening.
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@ Adeen: You are unique and nobody can do you better than you can. It is there loss if they can see how unique you are. you don’t need those freaks. Be you everyday all day.
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@Mary
Thank you very much and you too. Many Whites can’t accept that we aren’t a monolithic group. We, like other races, have different ideas, tastes in music-I like Led Zeppelin by the way, etc.
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Knowledge is unbeatable
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