New Blacks (by 2014) are those Blacks in the US who think they are beyond race, the post-racial Blacks. They seem to think racism is either pretty much dead or the fault of Black people.
Singer Pharrell Williams (“Happy”), who self-identifies as New Black, told Oprah in 2014:
“The ‘new black’ doesn’t blame other races for our issues. The ‘new black’ dreams and realizes that it’s not a pigmentation; it’s a mentality. And it’s either going to work for you, or it’s going to work against you. And you’ve got to pick the side you’re gonna be on.”
Months later actress Raven-Symoné (“The Cosby Show”, “That’s So Raven”) told Oprah:
“I’m tired of being labelled. I’m an American. I’m not an African American, I’m an American. … I’m an American, and that’s a colourless person. … I have darker skin. I have a nice, interesting grade of hair. I connect with Caucasian. I connect with Asian. I connect with Black. I connect with Indian. I connect with each culture.”
She is a “melting pot” in one body.
Oprah warned her that what she said would set Twitter on fire, but she stuck by it. Until, that is, Twitter was on fire. Then she said she never denied being Black, just being “African American”.
So, she is Black yet “colourless”.
Barack Obama, Morgan Freeman, John McWhorter and Zoe Saldana have also made New Black-ish statements.
New Blacks are Blacks who are colour-blind racists. That is what is “new” about them. They try not to see race or play it down. As if there is something wrong with most Black people, like bad mentalities or a grade of hair that is not “nice”.
For most Black people the experience being at the wrong end of White racism makes colour-blind racism unworkable and psychologically damaging, if not outright delusional. At least for those not sheltered by youth, money or fame.
For most White people, it seems, there was nothing wrong with what Raven-Symoné said. If anything it was admirable. No wonder since they share her colour-blind racism. They think that by not seeing race that racism will disappear when, in fact, it is that very discomfort with racial differences that is the bedrock of racism! It is like thinking homophobia would disappear if all gays stayed in the closet. In fact, the opposite is true.
Because colour-blind racism does not “see” race, it keeps racism in place. That works well for Whites but not for Blacks. Malcolm X, Medgar Evers and Fred Hampton did not see themselves as “colourless”. Not even Martin Luther King, he who said that thing which White people love to quote.
Actress Kerry Washington (the other Olivia) cut right through it and nailed it when she said:
“I’m not interested in sort of living in a world where my race is not a part of who I am. I am interested in living in a world where our races, no matter what they are, don’t define our trajectory in life.”
See also:
I think there is a middle ground on this issue. Raven-Symone can define herself however she wants to, IMO. That is her personal right and choice, and I don’t see her doing so as denying that racism exists per se.
I personally identify foremost as a human being who happens to be an African-American woman.
So the quote from Actress Kerry Washington, as you wrote, cuts right to the heart of the matter: “I’m not interested in sort of living in a world where my race is not a part of who I am. I am interested in living in a world where our races, no matter what they are, don’t define our trajectory in life.”
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I had no idea pharrell made such a statement. Though It is likely the butt hurt response that people made in regards to his album cover.
Raven clearly had no idea what she was talking about. She stated she does not like labels yet comes back to label herself as black and American. I think it might have sounded cool when she rehearsed it but poor delivery. At any rate these same ones rely on blacks to advance their very career. With or without that statement those same supportive whites are not trying to see her in anything.
With that being said, these “new” blacks have little or no clue about what is really going on until it happens to them and even in those case they will either rationalize or look for black support in which they threw out the window at some point.
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I did notice that the main ones saying this kind of stuff are Black people who have lead relatively sheltered lives. They have the buffer of fame and money or just being young and pretty, between them and the rest of the world. it’s very easy for them to be colorblind. The White people they deal with daily have a use for them or want something from them, even if all they want is “fame by osmosis”, so yeah, they’re going to get kind treatment from them.
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What Kerry Washington, like her so much, said is the truth that the other new black idiots want to deny. Your race, whether a social construct or not, is a part of you. Just like everyone’s culture is part of them. You don’t deny who you are to fit some mold because the questions becomes what do you now become? So these new blacks are basically denying their blackness as though it helps when it doesn’t. So if they aren’t black what are they white? The tone I get is that they have self hate and believe that being black is the root of all their problems rather than a system that treats them with malice and injustice for being black. These are two different things. All of these new blacks can go build a new black country in the middle of nowhere and see how quick they change their tune. I notice it is those with money who sprout this bs, well unfortunately your money or status won’t protect you from racism, plain and simple whether they will acknowledge it or not.
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acj13 said:
That was one of the first things to cross my mind: the money thing.
I expect you’re right that it won’t protect those people from racism, but perhaps it does ease the pain some. Wealth brings its own privilege and its own detachment from other people’s harsh realities.
Kerry Washington clearly has kept sight of the real world.
@ abagond:
I was disappointed to read that about Morgan Freeman. What has he said?
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But raven Simone and Obama are half white,so hearing this from a black person I feel is more of a hard pill to swallow,since they would be denying who they are,for someone who is mixed- it’s easier for them to disassociate themself from the masses because a black persons pain is more hard to bear.
Biracial people are given a pass because they have a mix but blacks are not,however it’s easier to forget your true self and what you stand for when you live in a world where you have to be of a certain mind set Just to make it.
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Raven is not half-white, she is just as “Black” as the average U.S. citizen actually. On a side note: Pharrell and that stupid park ranger hat that he tried to make into a fashion statement can both take a long walk off a short pier, with that “New Black” nonsense he’s spouting!
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Well; to some extent Raven was just trying to challenge the idea that “American” should automatically mean “white”.
The homophobia thing is a little different a closer statement would be “Homophobia would disappear if we all stopped labeling our sexuality”.
Not likely to be a true statement either but a little different one.
And Raven is kind of right; if all Americans just looked at one another as “American” regardless of race……then well at that point Racism would already have taken a drop.
Its not really something you “do” to get a lesser level of racism, its something that could already happen once there.
Are they sheltered by youth or is dealing with young white people simply different than dealing with middle aged and up white people?
I guess Raven’s statement kind of comes down to “that defining ourselves by race-separates us by race” or some such sort of thing.
Hell; hasn’t the same thing been said about people who identify as white on this blog by various commentators?
Looking at the celebrities; well at least a couple of them are fairly mixed.
It makes sense that they wouldn’t identify only as black……though whether that’s a social reality they can truly live I would be surprised.
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The only way I could think like these “new black” folk is if I believed there was something the matter with being black. That is the subtext of “new black.” It isn’t colorblind, it’s just a racist perception of blackness, black as stigma. Only if you buy into the racist lies about what it means to be black can you be a “colorblind” “new black” person. It precisely upholds the racist standard quo. Brava for Kerry Washington for being a self-aware sister. I admire her even more. I feel the exact same way she does. I am proud to be classic, timeless black. There is nothing the matter with me, my skin, my hair, my culture none of it. If a person doesn’t see my color, they don’t see me. It’s part of what defines me. Why should it be denied? I feel like a lot of so called new blacks are pandering to whites. They can’t believe that garbage.
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I think Pharrell and Raven are being misunderstood. They seem to be expressing their desire to not be negatively judged based on race, and I don’t think anyone wants that.
I did, however, think Raven’s comment that she doesn’t want to be “labeled” was a little hypocritical because she then labeled herself as “an American.” It also made her look like she was distancing herself from Africa, intentionally or not, which I can understand considering how ignorant she probably is about Africa and its history and the fact that whites generally don’t call themselves European-Americans.
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Raven Symone is not bi-racial she has two black parents. These black celebrities that are trying to distance themselves from the black community annoy me to no end. Morgan Freeman and stupid Pharrell with that new black idiocy and Morgan Freeman who denies that there is racism, i am so disappointed in him. He is old enough to know better. I guess living in Hollywood just gives them amnesia and they forget where they come from. Raven Symone is 29 years old and she is very naive. What is this colorless foolisness about?
Everything has a label. That is just a naive statement to make. I feel her life in that Mousehouse (DIsney) messes those former child stars from that franchise. Miley Cyrus and Amanda Bynes and Brittney Spears are perfect examples. I think Raven must have been sheltered and she lives in a bubble. Pharrell and this “New Black” stuff just reeks of self hate and racism against black people.
Social Media gave him a dragging for his album cover because there were no black women in his videos. He then added a black woman after being criticized about this. These so called new blacks obviously had not been paying attention to what has been happening in this country with racial profiling and black men being murdered by police. In regard to Raven’s sexuality i have no problem with her as a lesbian or bi-sexual woman. Raven is young i realize this and she is probably trying to find herself. But she needs to be honest with herself about
the statements she made. Oprah gave her leeway to correct herself.
But she stuck by her statement. I don’t understand what the big deal is with the identifier African American versus Black American. I have no problem calling myself African American. But as i have been following the blogs and social.media many black folks have an issue with this.
If anything these statements Raven Symone made has surely got everyone talking and i think that’s interesting. I feel these so called “New Black want to distance themselves from the black community because they feel it’s about
negative pathologies. Whites love these types of statements. That stupid i don’t see color is so insulting and offensive, this means they don’t see me and my pigmentation is apart of my being.
Love Kerry Washington she summed it all up in a nut she quite eloquently. They can lose me with that ignorance. “New Black” is racism and colorism and all other misogynistic trash perpetrated by black folks. Shaking my head. and sighing a huge sigh. Maybe Raven and Pharrell need a visit from the “Drop Squad” they need a huge Negro wake up call.
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My comments are in moderation. I was on a roll. But Raven Symone is just naive and clueless as for Pharrell he is just out of touch with reality. This “New Black” foolishiness is just nonsense. It smacks of self hate and racism. Everything has a label Raven Symone needs to grow up. At 29 years old that is just silly thing to say, this colorless business what is that about are these people ashamed of being black Americans. If anything this statement by Symone has really got folks talking. It’s kind of interesting what people in social media are saying in regards to this.
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Idc if raven does not want to be labeled African American, the part that got me was when she said an American is a colorless person. what she should have said is an American comes in different colors. by saying colorless I just can’t help but think of white. Then when she said I have darker skin and a nice interesting grade of hair, I was done, because if u are just American and colorless why point that out. her hair is nothing “interesting” it looks like the same “grade” of hair that is deemed acceptable. so ur hair is colorful, but u are colorless?
I love how ppl were pointing out that she played African American roles on tv but doesn’t want to be labeled as one. Really u more than likely went to casting calls for African americans and are mad that u don’t get to play the roles whites got.
I notice they go on oprah to proclaim their colorblindness, corbin bleu did the same thing but he said he wants everyone to be colorblind and beige.
most of the ones making these statements don’t have anything new going on, except pharrell, I haven’t seen raven or corbin bleu in anything lately so…
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@ Buddhu
I remember Morgan Freeman doing an interview a long time ago where he stated he didn’t want to be known as a black actor, he just wanted to be known as a good actor. I think that’s what got him put into this category.
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True the only thing getting Raven into word of mouth lately has been her being a lesbian and the whole “not being african” thing.
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@A
That and he said that the way to get past race is to stop talking about race.
Kind of true; kind of not true.
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V4, I would have to say it isn’t true. Its just going to be the elephant in the room & one thing I hate more than anything is passive aggressive behavior which is the only way people act when they don’t talk about the issues at hand. Passive aggressive behavior only boils over after a while and makes people eventually explode.
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@A
Basically; if there is a problem not talking about it most of the time won’t solve it.
On the other hand; if we ever do get past race……then we will probably stop talking about it.
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my take is oprah started picking away at raven’s sexuality and show the picture of her butch girlfriend and really effin outed her and then raven blinked and raven went on with the other categorization of race
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she did go with the colorblind option this is not an argument
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Pharrell’s forest ranger hat is a fashion fail. I think his head has grown big and he believes the hype.
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My last comment when something bad goes down with these black celebrities after they have shunned the black community they come running back to the black community for support and we welcome them back after the dominant culture had chewed them up and spit them out. Raven’s statements remind me of Tiger Woods being a “calberasian”
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1. What is a black person?
2. Do you want to be a black person?
2. What does a person have to say and/or do to be a black person?
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You’ll be a “new Black” as long as you have money. Also, you’ll be a “new Black” until the next time a cop pulls your ass over and sticks a gun up your new Black ass and remind you that you’re still the same ole old Black. What you are is a coon and ain’t nothing new about that.
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“New Black?”
That just seems like ANOTHER way of saying “Acceptably Black.”
There’s absolutely nothing new about trying to make white people feel acceptably comfortable – for some of us – when in their presence.
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Pumpkin
I used to be a “new black.” until i went to inquire about a summer job and was told they didn’t want to accept any seniors who were graduating, only to be told by my white friend later that her boss was doing nothing but hiring just that…seniors for two months.
———————————————————————————————–
You THOUGHT you were a new black, but you were really just an old black in drag.
Why didn’t you produce EVIDENCE you were a new black by inventing a new black job for yourself?
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Also known as UncleRuckuses2.0 (lol) The New Black is truly nothing new. They are playing the game to get-a-long or maybe they do believe their delusions of Black people being their own worst enemy. Either way, I try to distances myself from these type of folk, because it’s really sad to see up close and personal.
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Would Don Lemon be New Black or just straight coon?
And you can add Keke Palmer and Jhene Aiko to that list. Both came out on that “NOT ABOUT RACE!” BS on twitter after Mike Brown’s murder
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Stop defining yourself by which celebrity fits into a neat little box called YOU.
Kerry Washington knows who she is and is very thoughtful about how her public statements can be used to hurt our struggle as POC.
Raven is clearly a child actor who, as she says, is struggling to be defined on her own terms in order to get past the “Cosby Kid” type casting career road block.
I enjoy Morgan Freeman the actor. He declared his support for Obama during both elections so at least he didn’t undermine Obama. This wasn’t a big leap.
The sit-com, “Blackish” has a high profile cast and a good concept. But, like Tyler Perry’s sit-coms, it’s just annoying, to me.
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acj13:
“So these new blacks are basically denying their blackness as though it helps when it doesn’t.”
You know what, at first glance, even i thought this was the case.
This is my opinion…
I think what you say is true to an extent but i think it has more to do with, “pleasing” whites by agreeing with their “color-blind racism” in order to get in good with them.
Its a strategy that well to do,rich and or famous blacks use on whites. It works on whites, because how white people, hate anything that has to do with race! So blacks, “pretend” to be race-less, color blind to themselves and other blacks.
Notice how poor blacks don’t do this, only rich and or famous black, who aren’t always rich.
For example Raven-Symoné is probably not considered rich anymore as she hasn’t done anything since the Disney channel as a young child.
This seem like an act of desperation for her to get movie roles, why come out now and say this? specially right after she announced she was gay, seems like she is trying to appease all the right people…..Gay white people and straight white people.
They are not so much, denying their blackness as just playing, “The game”
Because whites hate blacks that identify as such, they prefer the self-hating, whiteness worshiping, stay in your place, acceptable Negroes.
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Deep down in their heart of hearts, these famous blacks on this article and other blacks in America, don’t believe they are not black.
They are simply just echoing, what white people say in regards to how blacks, should identify themselves to them. Its a game that some blacks play and if you participate in this game, you are a sell out, period!
Because you are catering to white people that can make or brake your career in holly wood or the music industry. How do you think the hit song, “happy” sung by Pharrell Williams was so successful? it catered to the main stream white audience.
The song damn sure didn’t cater to black people in America. How can black people be “Happy” when unarmed black men are getting killed by white police and white vigilantes?
when the majority of black people in America, become rich and or famous by the backing and support of black people, then cross over to the main stream, white audience, there is no need for black support anymore.
Not only do they cater to whites and not blacks, they go further by disrespecting themselves and other black people by making sellout, coon statements.
Then when they are not longer relevant and famous to whites, they come crawling back to blacks to make them relevant again. Most blacks, turn their backs on them, which is justified.
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OK black people; how many of you got attacked in school by other people who accused you of “acting white?”
Ladies, were you ever physically assaulted in school by another girl who said “she thinks she’s white and all that…”
tell the truth.
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OFF TOPIC: acting white – except as it relates to the idea of being a New Black.
Discussions of acting White belong here:
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[…] New Blacks (by 2014) are those Blacks in the US who think they are beyond race, the post-racial Blacks. They seem to think racism is either pretty much dead or the fault of Black people. Singer Pha… […]
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[…] Source: abagond.wordpress.com […]
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OK, let me rephrase the question so its relationship to the thread topic is made clear for those having difficulty making the connection
Ladies and gentlemen; are you know, or have you ever been attacked, ridiculed, teased and or threatened because your behavior was declared not black, not black enough, not pro black… by some self appointed black “commissars?”
If so,
did you COMPENSATE by expanding your definition of black to include the behaviors you were attacked ridiculed, teased and or threatened over?
If so, what name did you use or coin to describe yourself?
Was it “new black?”
or something else?
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New Black Movement is very old. This act come from the New Negro Movement from the House Negro Children. In another word. They don’t want to be a part or get involved with the black world. And choose to become blindside of racial issue and struggle from the poor blacks behind the fancy glass window for opulence.(Till,tax deductible time to hang around the poster children and poor darkies.Poverty Porn does sell) Sadly. Black people that helpsupport them into these high class position. In return, a big F U to the supporters. The business world doesn’t run by emotion or taken side. Money and fanbase speaks a huge volume in their eyes. That why you see white dancers and rappers trying to grab the white audience attention for white dollars to whitewashing blackness in hiphop.. (m.youtube.com/watch?v=jR8TyD2ornA&itct=CDgQpDAYASITCIac4sSVosECFdQSfgod2hAAGlIaSG93YXJkIFByb2Zlc3NvciBOZXcgYmxhY2s%3D&client=mv-google&hl=en&gl=US)
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buddhuu
@ abagond:
I was disappointed to read that about Morgan Freeman. What has he said?
———————————————————————————————
May I chime in?
Thank you,
*chime*
Here is one thing he said (but he has used similar responses to other people who attempt to put him in a box and label it “black.”)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3cGfrExozQ)
*pay close attention to what Mike Wallace says to put distance between himself and his own question*
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Good question thwack, were you?
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Thwack: I compensated by expanding my definition of Black and I asked others to do the same. I did not coin a new term though. I was still just “Black”.
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Another word from my previous comment. The statement of the New Black. (You isn’t like the other blacks. I don’t hardly see you as black person.) Broken and confuse experiment. The tragic puppet is erase and become the new black. The statement like Oreo,Reverse Oreo,Banana,Egg and Chocolate Fortune Cookie fall into the devil card game as soul switcher or acting(insert race). I wonder if she’s aware of Louisiana history of High Yellow Elite. High Yellow Elite was the main group to support colorism and pass
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Mstoogood4yall
Raven respectfully needs to shut up. She sound more stupid each time she says something. Does she even know what African American means? Does she know what anything means? This chick needs to take several seats and disapear.
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Herneith
Good question thwack, were you?
———————————————————————–
Was I?
Of course; and it still happens today, right here on this very blog. There is nothing “New” about the “New Black” movement because the conflict between personal growth/ability and collectivism is as old as mankind itself.
One of the sad things about black people is our parents “beat” the curiosity out of us as children in an attempt to protect us from the white supremacists; then they wonder why we are not as smart as white children; then they “beat” us for not being smart.
Some people hate collectivism because it limits their growth; others love collectivism because it compensates for mans greatest fear which is the fear of being alone.
I hate it.
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[…] New Blacks (by 2014) are those Blacks in the US who think they are beyond race, the post-racial Blacks. They seem to think racism is either pretty much dead or the fault of Black people. Singer Pha… […]
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fantastic post – as usual.
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@ thwack:
Thank you for the link.
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Sondis, Raven Symone is worth over $50 million dollars. I saw a show a couple of years ago about child stars and where they are now, NO other Cosby Kid has done better than her financially since leaving the show. She basically created her own Disney Channel empire with the Cheetah Girls, her music recordings and other shows on Disney. That’s why you haven’t seen her. She stayed in her lane as a kid star. She hasn’t done much as an adult, but as a pre-teen and a teenager she racked up her millions and “laid back in the cut” so to speak. She is officially worth more than enough to be a part of the “New Black” crowd.
Has anyone noticed that no one cares that she’s gay since she made the statement about no labels, except American (made no sense). Her core audience (Whites) didn’t even care that she was gay. They were so happy with her stance on the race issue, she may have actually gained fans. Anybody thought that May have been her plan? Get off the gay issue and move it to a racial one, especially since her career has been in TV for kids? Something to think about…If that was the plan it’s working. Nobody is pissed off except Blacks, and I don’t think Blacks are that big into The Disney Channel anyway. Oh, well…
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Acting white and acting black goes into different level of mindbreaking/escapist.Education doesn’t make you white or black.Black culture comes in different form like steamfunk, afrofuturism,hip-hop,etc.Darker side of acting white is mindbreaking/erasing the essence of your blackness into the world above you.Bending yourself into monsterlike character,oppressor or tragic victim.The same world that contains a huge phobia of everything black.They try to bleach,dye,etc.Acting black is a comical joke into blackface or playing a stereotype from ethnic subculture from mainstream. The New Black is a code word of(Every man for themselves.)
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Is the “new black” part of a pathway to being an honorary white person? If so, Morgan Slaveman, oops, my bad, ‘Freeman’ should be a loyal member by now.
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MF does have a good point. You can produce justice without mentioning race. Matter of fact it sometimes works better; but either way you cannot get sloppy with the language.
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If that is how Raven feels then she should stick with it and not give a flying whoop. What I don’t understand is why is it once twitter blew up that she decided to come back and claim she never said she was not black? At that point who cares. People are focused on what was originally said. Did she realize how stupid what she said was? Or did the idea of fans shunning her make her try to fix it?
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thwack:
“You can produce justice without mentioning race.”
I would love for you to say the at the Museum of Tolerance in West Los Angeles.
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why?
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thwack:
1. A either hailing from sub-saharan Africa, or having a significant portion* of sub-saharan blood**
2. Yes I am proud of my heritage in this country.
3. Nothing, they have no control over their descent, although whether they subscribe to the culture*** is another matter.
*-portions that determine blackness vary, in America the one drop (1/8th) rule is still the general rule.
**-blackness is a social construct and its geographical has shifted and changed as white people found convenient, in order to preserve white supremacy.
***-blackness encompasses many different ethnic and cultural groups, the dominant one in the US is the culture of black American slave descendants but this is not the norm in the rest of the diaspora or the sub-saharan African region.
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@ jadapoo
I noticed that too, it seemed she was diverting attention away from her sexuality, oprah asked her about her tweet and if that was her way of coming out. Then she just went on about I don’t want to be labeled and repeatedly said she does not identify as African American yet didn’t go into great detail about why she doesn’t want to be labeled gay.
when I saw the clip I was thinking what does that have to do with the original question. Then I was thinking if she just wants to be labeled American why does it seem it was a way to distance herself from two marginalized groups and proclaim i’m neither i’m just American, see i’m normal, accept me. I can understand not wanting to be treated differently because u are not like the standard, but I would’ve respected her if she would’ve challenged it.
The problem with that is that there are labels, and people are discriminated against. The way to fix it is not to just do away with labels but to do away with the mentality that anything different is bad and something to be tolerated. Until people accept others for who they are and not what they are labeled and realize that labels do not define who that person is then we can do away with labels.
people try to blend into the standard and will deny who they are, that is the problem with the term melting pot. If everything is melted together it is just a bunch of things mixed together and looking like one thing. if u use paint and mix all the colors together u get one color. when u see a rainbow it is full of colors and each color has it’s own space and they are side by side, until people can stand side by side and look at that person next to them as their equal and allow each person equal representation and rights , we will be stuck.
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“You can produce justice without mentioning race.”
Not when the injustices are racially based. Pretending to be blind, doesn’t improve site thwack.
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It sounds to me like these people are apologizing for being different. There should be a way to fight the devil without playing his game.
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When you spend your life hearing and seeing others define you based on their own prejudicial thoughts and opinions, and when said definitions have an extraordinary impact on your daily life, it’s easy to want to transcend those definitions and convince others to look beyond how you’re defined.
And that’s what Raven-Symone, Pharrell and countless others have tried to do – encourage themselves and others around them that they’ve transcended the old stereotypes and definitions that have proven crippling and even deadly for them. To get ordinary white Americans to see them the way they see themselves – or at least as much of a non-threat as possible.
It never works. There’s always that “Nigga Wake-Up Call” that rings loud and clear at the most inopportune of times. Oprah herself should know. And there’s always people who want black Americans to forever know their proper societal place at all times. Black people can chase “New Blackness” as much as they want as far as they want, only for the mainstream to remind them that there’s no such thing as “New Black” as far as they’re concerned. An N-word is still an N-word and will always be an N-word. No changing that, ever.
As long as it’s in America’s interests to make sure black Americans remain at the bottom of the socioeconomic totem pole, you’ll always see that in action.
@thwack
Still not germane to the topic at hand. If you can’t respect Abagond enough to not launch into a slightly-reworded derail, then you should take your act elsewhere.
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So I take it this thwack feller is the new Randy.
@Anne
Sure. It’s called “not giving a damn what these people think of you and doing your own thing regardless.” No more appeals for acceptance, as these celebs are doing.
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sjackson44
thwack:
1. A either hailing from sub-saharan Africa, or having a significant portion* of sub-saharan blood**
2. Yes I am proud of my heritage in this country.
3. Nothing, they have no control over their descent, although whether they subscribe to the culture*** is another matter.
—————————————————————————————
1. So Charlize Theron is black?
2. Why are you proud of something you did not do; to quote Obama: “you didn’t build that”
3. Why do you want to be something that has no or low standards?
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“So I take it this thwack feller is the new Randy.”
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Only if (race realist aka real racist) Randy identifies as Black.
Randy’s a white male. The most polite racist I’ve ever seen here.
Thwack is as blunt and direct as a Black man can be.
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@mistoogood4yall
Very well said.
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Sad that it seems that the ‘new black’ thing is coming from the world of fame where actors and musicians come out to declare that race is no longer an issue. Personally, it’s upsetting, but then again, when you live great in a racist nation, problems like race, sexism, homophobia and whatever, seem thousands of miles away for some of them, even if they go through it. SMH.
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One could say that the ‘new black’ thing is an offshoot of black conservatism. Black conservatives, for the most part, don’t believe that racism is significant in this nation and would side with their white brothers to blame black people for…almost anything.
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Mack Lyons (@DDSSBlog) @ “And that’s what Raven-Symone, Pharrell and countless others have tried to do – encourage themselves and others around them that they’ve transcended the old stereotypes and definitions that have proven crippling and even deadly for them. To get ordinary white Americans to see them the way they see themselves – or at least as much of a non-threat as possible.
It never works. There’s always that “Nigga Wake-Up Call” that rings loud and clear at the most inopportune of times. Oprah herself should know.”
Linda says,
Mack Lyons, you put my thoughts into words, Thank You.
I was trying to find a way to say that these “new black” people are trying to define themselves as “people who have succeeded, despite their race,” but as Mary mentioned, they are being naive if they think that their skin colour is no longer a factor and is not the first thing that people see.
I’ve been in “all white” functions where I was the only brown spot in the room and it was taken for granted that I was comfortable and well adjusted (and I was, had not problems with it); but when the situation is reversed, then its a problem and the complaints of being “the only white person in the room” comes bubbling up.
I’ve been with white colleagues who felt very uncomfortable being (in their words) “the only real white person” in the room at Hispanic, Caribbean, or almost all black functions. (I would mention that they are not the only white person and point out the Cubans or other south Americans, and this did Not appease their sense of alienation.)
Acknowledging race or the affects of racial dynamics, does not mean that people cannot get along with each other or succeed in life.
Look at Samuel Jackson in comparison to Morgan Freeman. Both are great actors who started out in Hollywood playing the stereotypical “scary black man”– and now, both have transcended the stereotypical black roles in Hollywood, and both have a massive cross-over appeal.
The difference, Samuel Jackson acknowledges that Hollywood is racist and has stayed true to himself and everyone else while he played the game,
and Morgan Freeman wants to just pretend that race is not a factor anymore in Hollywood and that there is No game.
but to pretend that race is not a factor, is a dangerous precedent to set.
Everyone needs to know the rules of the game, so that they are not caught with their pants down.
Look what happened to Christopher Dorner, the black cop in California that went postal and starting killing his ex-coworkers. When he got his wake up call and couldn’t take it anymore, he felt betrayed and went ballistic!
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Mack Lyons (@DDSSBlog) @ “And that’s what Raven-Symone, Pharrell and countless others have tried to do – encourage themselves and others around them that they’ve transcended the old stereotypes and definitions that have proven crippling and even deadly for them. To get ordinary white Americans to see them the way they see themselves – or at least as much of a non-threat as possible.
It never works. There’s always that “N Wake-Up Call” that rings loud and clear at the most inopportune of times. Oprah herself should know.”
Linda says,
Mack Lyons, you put my thoughts into words, Thank You.
I was trying to find a way to say that these “new black” people are trying to define themselves as “people who have succeeded, despite their race,” but as Mary mentioned, they are being naive if they think that their skin colour is no longer a factor and is not the first thing that people see.
I’ve been in “all white” functions where I was the only brown spot in the room and it was taken for granted that I was comfortable and well adjusted (and I was, had not problems with it); but when the situation is reversed, then its a problem and the complaints of being “the only white person in the room” comes bubbling up.
I’ve been with white colleagues who felt very uncomfortable being (in their words) “the only real white person” in the room at Hispanic, Caribbean, or almost all black functions. (I would mention that they are not the only white person and point out the Cubans or other south Americans, and this did Not appease their sense of alienation.)
Acknowledging race or the affects of racial dynamics, does not mean that people cannot get along with each other or succeed in life.
Look at Samuel Jackson in comparison to Morgan Freeman. Both are great actors who started out in Hollywood playing the stereotypical “scary black man”– and now, both have transcended the stereotypical black roles in Hollywood, and both have a massive cross-over appeal.
The difference, Samuel Jackson acknowledges that Hollywood is racist and has stayed true to himself and everyone else while he played the game,
and Morgan Freeman wants to just pretend that race is not a factor anymore in Hollywood and that there is No game.
but to pretend that race is not a factor, is a dangerous precedent to set.
Everyone needs to know the rules of the game, so that they are not caught with their pants down.
Look what happened to Christopher Dorner, the black cop in California that went postal and starting killing his ex-coworkers. When he got his wake up call and couldn’t take it anymore, he felt betrayed and went ballistic!
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[…] New Blacks (by 2014) are those Blacks in the US who think they are beyond race, the post-racial Blacks. They seem to think racism is either pretty much dead or the fault of Black people. Singer Pha… […]
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[…] Source: abagond.wordpress.com […]
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“Why didn’t you produce EVIDENCE you were a new black by inventing a new black job for yourself?”
Is this what New Black means? Not depending on white people to not be racist? If so, I’m all for that.
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“1. So Charlize Theron is black?
2. Why are you proud of something you did not do; to quote Obama: “you didn’t build that”
3. Why do you want to be something that has no or low standards?”
—————————————————————-
1. Correction, skin color and genetic origin (portion of blood from sub-Saharan Africa) are more determinant than geographic location. But the main determinant is people, since race is just another social construct. I identify as black because I do not identify with the African ethnic group my ancestors were abducted from. I identify with the black American slaves that built much of this country. Other people with similar skin and blood ties may live in places where identification is not based on skin color, rather ethnic group, or nationality.
2. Same reason people are proud of being American, or any other tribe, nationality, group. BTW Obama is proud of America.
3. I am a black (of sub Saharan African descent) American whether I want to be or do not. Humans are social animals we create groups for survival and community. Trying to atomize everything down to individualism misses huge swathes of the human experience. And quite frankly, black people being ignorant of their heritage plays right into white societies hands. Because they have a history of trying to control our identity, in order to maintain the social order.
Additionally one can be affiliated with more than one group, I am black I am also an American these are not contradictory, only a person who has a problem with one of those groups, or does not understand how important collective identity is to the human experience would think so.
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Correction to number 3. I don’t have to identify as a black American, but I also have no control over my blood lines. I choose to identify as a black American because that is the group I was born in and raised in, and I am not ashamed of that. Similarly I do not feel it limits me from having other group affiliations.
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sjackson44
3. I am a black (of sub Saharan African descent) American whether I want to be or do not.
————————————————————————————————
How did the first black person on Earth find out he/she was black?
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thwack
See my correction to number 3 above your comment.
Why are you so opposed to being a black American. If you are indeed of black American slave heritage? If not never mind.
You sound like Raven and Pharell and all these other blacks trying to act like they are above being ‘black’ and ‘post-racial’ or some other feel-good white clap trap, when in reality they are just ashamed of their heritage, because they care more about white opinions than is healthy.
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[…] New Blacks (by 2014) are those Blacks in the US who think they are beyond race, the post-racial Blacks. They seem to think racism is either pretty much dead or the fault of Black people. Singer Pha… […]
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sjackson44
thwack
See my correction to number 3 above your comment.
————————————————————————————-
You didn’t answer the question?
If you don’t know; you can use that as an asnwer.
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Solesearch
Is this what New Black means? Not depending on white people to not be racist? If so, I’m all for that.
——————————————————————————————–
That could be part of it; but on a more fundamental level I suspect its a response to the burden of collectivism, from both within and without.
BTW, white people do it too. I say racism is the ultimate form of collectivism and white people get called on the carpet all the time by other white people to explain their words and actions that violate the white collective (white supremacy). We usually don’t get to witness it; but it slips out from time to time.
For example, a current white collectivist “issue” is whether a white man can be married to a nonwhite woman and still be in “good standing” in the white collective?
Ive seen it on Stormfront.
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The funny thing about Pharrell’s New Blacks comment is that the person he said it to, Oprah, would fit the profile of someone who he might think believes in his principles since she hasn’t “let” her race stop her from achieving. It’s funny because last year Oprah witnessed first hand racism when a shop assistant in Switzerland refused to show her a very expensive bag, believing there was no way a black woman could afford it. The point I’m making is, what Pharrell and his type don’t seem to or want to realise is that no matter what your mentality is as a black person, it’s not going to stop a racist from treating you like you are subhuman. To them your just another N word. You can be as colourblind as you like and not blame other races for your issues. It’s not gonna stop you from being a victim of racism.
On Zoe Saldana; I remember when a movie she starred in called ‘Colombiana’ came out some years back. I was so thrilled to see a black female lead in a movie that had decent marketing backing. I felt it was my duty to go out and support this by seeing the movie regardless of critical reviews. I was unable to catch it in the theatres for whatever reason and felt really guilty about it for a while. So for her to turn around and say she doesn’t identify as black felt like a slap in the face. There I was beating myself up over someone who could give an f bomb about racial pride. I’m also very much let down by Morgan Freeman as others have said in their comments.
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Shaidi Blacksmith
It’s funny because last year Oprah witnessed first hand racism when a shop assistant in Switzerland refused to show her a very expensive bag, believing there was no way a black woman could afford it.
———————————————————————————————–
OMG, thats horrible!
Just imagine how much Oprah suffered from not being able to fondle a $5,000 hand bag.
Did she attempt suicide after this brutal incident?
Once again the terrible violence of racism destroys another black life; nobody knows the trouble Oprah has seen, nobody knows but Jesus.
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can you guys stop putting that quote by Kerry Washington everywhere and pimp her as our lord and savior? She said the same thing some of those labeled new black said, she just is wise enough to phrase the same concept in a way that is enough politically correct that black people won’t hate on her for saying, too, that she doesn’t like labels. She always says what she thinks that her fans want to hear but sometimes I prefer the spontaneous bluntness of other black people, even if it makes it easier for other people to take them out of context and put words in their mouth.
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Nao85
That depends on if taking out of context means quoting them word for word, viewing what they say, and still having their shut stick.
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Shyt*
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I’m south Africa and its weird how black Americans think that every light skin person is biracial. Nicole Akri Parker, Monalisa Chinda, Oguchi Onyenyu, Manie Malone,Cora Emmanuel, Anne Marie Johnson and Raven have two black parents.
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@michelle
Not sure what you are basing that off of but most black Americans don’t believe that unless it is otherwise made clear. Of the people you named those are not ever light skinned person.
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There is no such thing as a new Black! There is such a thing as a Black who thinks every Black person has to think like they do!
Each of us has a right to conduct our lives as we choose!
Get over it!
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@Allen Shaw
Perhaps it is something you need to get over. You are the only one using exclamation marks and seems mad at other people opinion. Take a deep breathe and counthe to 3.
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Collectivism is the precursor to communism. Millions of people sacrificed their lives so YOU could have the right to function as an individual and not a slave to some unelected collective.
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Thwack
You mean in the manner that you act as a slave to needing to be relevant?
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Please leave me for I grow weary of you churlish insolence; and take that extra large rug you’re wearing with you.
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Thwack
You don’t need mock ebonics to prove how stupid you are. I think your comments in and of themselves prove that. Besides you are the one starved for attention. Why complain about the type you get?
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“Collectivism is the precursor to communism. Millions of people sacrificed their lives so YOU could have the right to function as an individual and not a slave to some unelected collective.”
Well Thwack if our current corporate masters have their way most of us will end up as their debt slaves, just trying to keep up with the basic cost of living. Oh wait too late.
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Should be titled the “New Sellout”.
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Should be titled the ‘New Kerchief Heads’.
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Indeed!lol
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Abagond, you’ve got it wrong. When Raven said she was a “colorless American”, she meant that an American isn’t of a homogeneous appearance. It was a metaphor. It doesn’t erase her personal physical characteristics and ancestry. It’s a shame to see you resort to such simplistic propaganda.
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I feel like they both sort of have half a point. Dreams, positive mentalities, and being proactive are great. Deconstructing the idea of race and focusing on common ties can be useful. However, forgetting the forest for the trees and ignoring reality is not useful to anyone. Facts show that racism exists and people identify each other by racial categories no matter how arbitrary they are. We have to acknowledge reality in order to improve it.
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Abagond – have you seen this? You really need to do something on this I LOLed so hard I had to get a mop! Don’t wearf sunglasses? Only wear T-Shirts that have the name of a respectable school on it? Really?
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/sunday-commentary/20141112-lawrence-otis-graham-i-thought-privilege-would-protect-my-kids-from-racism.-i-was-wrong..ece
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The Pragmatist
As you ate likely aware there has been a large group of black/ African American people wishing to distance themselves from being called African American and preferring black American. I have heard compelling arguments on both sides but I am quite curious on your take and perhaps others in regards to how they see this.
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sharinalr
Yea.. i don’t have the answers.
For a long time i preferred Black or Jamaican American to African American. I did so bc AA makes me think of soul food and the Temptations– things i enjoy, just not my culture. Years ago i was accused of trying to distance myself from Africa after explaining this. Which is false. Africa is all over Jamaican culture and i love that. Nowadays i do say I am African American, following the logic that it is an umbrella term for any American of African descent.
Either way it doesn’t matter. It’s just a label
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The Pragmatist
I also preferred Black American at one time. Someone posed a question to me last week and it has left me a bit confused. That asked me to take a black crayon and put it to my skin. Then ask myself if I am black.
I was never pro African American but someone made a statement about it putting us in the other category and making white Americans seems as the true Americans.
“Either way it doesn’t matter. It’s just a label”—That is true, but I am finding I have a hard time breaking away from labels. 😦
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sharinalr
-True… looking back, that was a pretty idealistic statement.
-Apparently white ppl like the term African-American better. I hate hearing white ppl say AA btw. I’ve always felt it sounds ridiculously politically correct coming out of their mouths.
http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/11/16/fascinating-study-reveals-white-people-far-negative-view-blacks-african-americans/
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@ Satanforce
Sondis linked to it on the Open Thread. Maybe I will do a post on it, but I kind of already did, twice:
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I still grapple with this issue of identity. To me, it is very difficult and maddening.
If you may, I am what you would call a coloured person in South Africa. Here it is spelled in lower case and with a ‘u’. Lest I offend any Black Americans/African Americans, my intention would be to use the most appropriate or least offensive identifier. When talking about colour, there usually is minefield of misunderstanding amongst different vantage points.
When I visited America, I was viewed as Hispanic. Mistaken for the nanny. My child looks white. Welcome to my world. I have had White people, strangers to me, come up to me saying how privileged I am to have a daughter like mine. I wanted to be Black in America. In South Africa, for me, it would just not be possible to call myself Black, for many reasons. The record of my ancestry is sketchy, but from my own deduction and anecdotal story telling, on my paternal side of the family it could be Zulu,Portuguese(from St. Helena), Malay? (slaves from Madagascar). On my maternal side, San, Dutch,Griqua) My mother was a child slave.
I would have to tell you that being called coloured really hurts me to the bottom of being. I do not see or feel myself as such. At best, it is shorthand, albeit a swearword , for me. Instead of saying Zulu,San,Malay, Portuguese, etc. I do not like the term bi-racial. I do not have to explain myself to people, anyway, to whom I should be invisible ,but block their line of vision.
The internalized racism of people of mixed ancestry introduced by White racism, is tragic. Actually, the internalization of racism of all people affected by White domination and racism. I cannot put myself in the same category of people who think having a lighter skin tone confers them superiority in any way.
I, for one have been saved by the very excesses of Apartheid, by not being Black. That is not to say that my parents were not treated as unter-menschen.
I really do not like any labels attached to me. Other may call themselves whatever they like. It is their life on planet Earth. In my quest for my own freedom, from the shackles of the white domination,I am trying to figure out this whole thing. I really hate racial classification, but just cannot get away from it as the whole world was reframed by White scientific classification of human beings. With them on top ,of course.
My language/s has been stripped away, my ancestors culture eradicated. I like my nut brown skin and curly hair, but I do not want to be defined by my skin colour. This wriggling in the straitjacket forced upon me by White racism is very hard. The ease that Europeans, North Americans Australian and South African Whites call themselves – so normal, so natural.
I absolutely would not want to be White. The work cut out for White people for self- revolution entails extreme hard work.
I am a human being. I would like to be called that and be treated as one.
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The Pragmatist
“I’ve always felt it sounds ridiculously politically correct coming out of their mouths.”—I agree completely.
Thanks for the study. I was not aware that “black” and “African American” took on such a different view/meaning for white people.
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@the Pragmatist
“Apparently white ppl like the term African-American better. I hate hearing white ppl say AA btw.”
That makes since because the English word “black” has always evoked negative sentiments, e.g., blacklist, blackmail, black lie, black words, black looks.
I fully believe that labeling certain people “black” subconsciously evokes negativity about them (as does labeling certain people white subconsciously evokes positivity). Sadly so does “African,” considering the media’s unending quest to paint Africa as poor, savagely and desolate.
My preference would be no racial labels at all as race is a fictitious, social concept.
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@resw77
Speaking of which, why is it that the word “black” when used as a noun signifying a group of people is always lowercase, while “Latino” and “Asian” merit a beginning uppercase letter? I believe that in itself signifies that the blacks are somehow lesser and more insignificant than these other groups.
Change the language and you change one’s perception. Starting with “Black.” See what I just did there? Uppercase beginning letter. You have to place yourselves on a pedestal if no one else is willing to do it for you.
It’s funny how the mass media does this, all the while quietly acknowledging how the continent is home to a vast treasure of natural resources – all of which the white Western world has eagerly consumed without so much as a thanks in return.
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@Mack Lyons (@DDSSBlog)
“why is it that the word “black” when used as a noun signifying a group of people is always lowercase, while “Latino” and “Asian” merit a beginning uppercase letter?”
So is “white,” “yellow” and “brown” in that case. I don’t consider them to be the same as “Latino,” “Asian” or “African” or “European”
“Change the language and you change one’s perception. Starting with ‘Black.’ ”
I admire that but doubt there’s any difference inasmuch as capitalising “Bad” changes people’s perceptions and subconscious about that word.
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@ML
Seems like China is racing in front of them in this regard. They are offering to build infrastructure in return, but with Chinese companies raking in the profits (maybe sharing a little tiny bit with the leaders).
Sorry, don’t mean to steer this off topic.
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Reading the post and the comments in this thread I see much of critics about public positions taken by the actress Raven-Symoné. My first reaction was of bewilderment: was she not the same Raven-Symoné who shined in one of the first renowned Black American TV series in the USA? She could be one of my female heroes!
But later I review some controvert statements she has made lately and I was shocked. Look at following info from Wikipedia:
“Raven-Symoné’s previous statements regarding her ethnic background have sparked controversy. In response to the backlash, she stated “I never said I wasn’t black … I want to make that very clear. I said, I am not African-American. I never expected my personal beliefs and comments to spark such emotion in people. I think it is only positive when we can openly discuss race and being labeled in America.”
Raven-Symoné also sparked controversy when she defended Univision’s Rodner Figueroa’s statement that Michelle Obama looked like a member of the Planet of the Apes cast. While a guest on The View Symoné claimed that his comments were not necessarily racist and that some people did, in fact, look like animals and compared herself to a bird. During a different “View” appearance, she also spoke out against the proposal to put Harriet Tubman on U.S. currency, claiming that Rosa Parks would be a more appropriate choice. Her comment once again drew considerable criticism.”
These attitudes are very difficult to swallow, indeed!
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