get Wayne Brady on her ass
seriously, enough.
black people have enough to contend with without people like her trying to create a ridiculous divide merely to jump-start a literary career. i think my biggest problem with her is not her actual view. i think there's a bit of validity to it. true, someone who is first generation doesn't have a lot of the historical familial baggage. however, that doesn't mean that they're not black. it doesn't mean that they haven't experienced the same social and economic hardships as Black Americans. i think what unites black people is maybe 30% history. i think what really unites us is a current shared cultural experience.
my problem with her comes with not keeping that shit in-house. how we --as black people--relate to other blacks is an internal debate. to the rest of the world, it doesn't matter what your lineage is--you're just black. oh, you may have "something in you," but no one is really making a large distinction between bi-racial, sub-saharan, caribbean, etc. so why publicly try to divide and segregate your own people?
it reminds me of college. of course, everyone goes through identity issues when they hit college...no matter what color you are. i was no different. i chose to drop the bi-racial stuff and just be black. it has absolutely nothing to do with how i identify. i claim and am proud of all aspects of my heritage --i'm particularly fond of the Dutch part...it has a nice touch of irony to it-- but i made the decision for two reasons: 1) it keeps things moving. i don't want to, and shouldn't have to, divulge my entire life story just to satisfy curiosity. just being black is easier. if you want to know more, especially when i'm rockin' the curls, i'll be happy to oblige, but i'm a very private person and that keeps nonsense at bay. more importantly, 2) that's how the world sees me anyway. it's not a matter of me caving to the ignorance of the world, but if i'm going to be mistreated or stigmatized, i want the good with the bad. i'm not going to segregate myself from the main people who understand me best. plus, i dig being black. there's a culture, style, and swagger i love. there's a natural cool that comes with being black; it's in the stride of our walk and the rhythm of our talk. it's the dap we all know; the universal language everyone can see, but few can execute.
hell, why do you think so many people try to be black? tanning salons, lip injections, volumizing shampoo, and low rise jeans all strive for what? darker skin, fully lips, thicker hair, and bigger asses... all of which we have naturally.
so, she should be celebrating and respecting all aspects of our people and the many ways we are beautiful instead of trying to tear us apart. i have no idea what her other politics are and haven't read her book, so she may make total sense in a great number of other realms. however, in this one...don't make me choke a bitch.
black people have enough to contend with without people like her trying to create a ridiculous divide merely to jump-start a literary career. i think my biggest problem with her is not her actual view. i think there's a bit of validity to it. true, someone who is first generation doesn't have a lot of the historical familial baggage. however, that doesn't mean that they're not black. it doesn't mean that they haven't experienced the same social and economic hardships as Black Americans. i think what unites black people is maybe 30% history. i think what really unites us is a current shared cultural experience.
my problem with her comes with not keeping that shit in-house. how we --as black people--relate to other blacks is an internal debate. to the rest of the world, it doesn't matter what your lineage is--you're just black. oh, you may have "something in you," but no one is really making a large distinction between bi-racial, sub-saharan, caribbean, etc. so why publicly try to divide and segregate your own people?
it reminds me of college. of course, everyone goes through identity issues when they hit college...no matter what color you are. i was no different. i chose to drop the bi-racial stuff and just be black. it has absolutely nothing to do with how i identify. i claim and am proud of all aspects of my heritage --i'm particularly fond of the Dutch part...it has a nice touch of irony to it-- but i made the decision for two reasons: 1) it keeps things moving. i don't want to, and shouldn't have to, divulge my entire life story just to satisfy curiosity. just being black is easier. if you want to know more, especially when i'm rockin' the curls, i'll be happy to oblige, but i'm a very private person and that keeps nonsense at bay. more importantly, 2) that's how the world sees me anyway. it's not a matter of me caving to the ignorance of the world, but if i'm going to be mistreated or stigmatized, i want the good with the bad. i'm not going to segregate myself from the main people who understand me best. plus, i dig being black. there's a culture, style, and swagger i love. there's a natural cool that comes with being black; it's in the stride of our walk and the rhythm of our talk. it's the dap we all know; the universal language everyone can see, but few can execute.
hell, why do you think so many people try to be black? tanning salons, lip injections, volumizing shampoo, and low rise jeans all strive for what? darker skin, fully lips, thicker hair, and bigger asses... all of which we have naturally.
so, she should be celebrating and respecting all aspects of our people and the many ways we are beautiful instead of trying to tear us apart. i have no idea what her other politics are and haven't read her book, so she may make total sense in a great number of other realms. however, in this one...don't make me choke a bitch.
posted by badassed at
11:12 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home