What Is Black?
Yes, I am asking this question.
After being playfully shunned for "not being black" but shunned just the same out of a conversation some black friends of mine were having today, I asked if they were serious. They then commented on not my skin but hair. So now my hair not being exactly the same as theirs demerits my voice in a discussion about stereotypes of single black mothers?
Firstly, there are some people who look at someone and quickly class them as black because of light brown skin and dark curls or coils in their hair, simply. So you would see in their minds this man:
is seen as black
as well as someone like myself or this person:
While I have no issue with this because the men above clearly aren't white or oriental, I do know there are some people who do it out of ignorance of ethnicity. I also know there are others who would object to the second photo being seen as black. I also know some South Asians, mixed race people and Hispanics regard themselves as black for whatever honest or dishonest reasons they have.
Secondly, there are others who see a slight difference to the "pure African" person such as finer hair or lighter skin or thinner facial features and say that therefore makes them something else.
For example, Ethiopians/Eritrean people and certain Somalians aren't black to some people; others who are exhausted by the debate just bunch everyone together and ignore ethnicity and just dismiss them as black.
I have an issue with both types of people. I can't tell from the former person or the latter person who is indifferent and who is in denial.
Can black people not have variety without someone looking slightly different than the above photo being seen as not black?
Does this man
look like this man
(I googled Italian)
look like this man
look like this man?
No. But they are all seen as white.
Does this woman
look like this woman
look like this woman?
No. But they are all seen as Indian.
Do the women above look like this woman?
No. But they are all seen as Asian.
Is this type of person
or this person
or this person
or her
seen as black to some people?
Is he not black simply because of his eyes?
Well then what about him?
or her?
Now what?
We obviously can't do away with racial categories because it's for some reason a way for the government to identify and survey society. But why is there a stringent prototype to what black is or isn't? It's all dividing and conquering and I'd prefer not to participate in that.
When you apply light skin or light eyes or soft hair as not being black to your definition, you will find it doesn't work. So what exactly is it? There are people who become severely depressed or self hating because they aren't accepted as something racially all for the confusion of what a race is.
I myself feel Ethiopians and Eritreans and Sudanese and Somalians to be black, I just feel mixing or indigeneous traits of one tribe, ethnicity or person differing from another aren't enough to mean you are or aren't something. I'm just annoyed 😩
After being playfully shunned for "not being black" but shunned just the same out of a conversation some black friends of mine were having today, I asked if they were serious. They then commented on not my skin but hair. So now my hair not being exactly the same as theirs demerits my voice in a discussion about stereotypes of single black mothers?
Firstly, there are some people who look at someone and quickly class them as black because of light brown skin and dark curls or coils in their hair, simply. So you would see in their minds this man:
is seen as black
as well as someone like myself or this person:
While I have no issue with this because the men above clearly aren't white or oriental, I do know there are some people who do it out of ignorance of ethnicity. I also know there are others who would object to the second photo being seen as black. I also know some South Asians, mixed race people and Hispanics regard themselves as black for whatever honest or dishonest reasons they have.
Secondly, there are others who see a slight difference to the "pure African" person such as finer hair or lighter skin or thinner facial features and say that therefore makes them something else.
For example, Ethiopians/Eritrean people and certain Somalians aren't black to some people; others who are exhausted by the debate just bunch everyone together and ignore ethnicity and just dismiss them as black.
I have an issue with both types of people. I can't tell from the former person or the latter person who is indifferent and who is in denial.
Can black people not have variety without someone looking slightly different than the above photo being seen as not black?
Does this man
look like this man
(I googled Italian)
look like this man
look like this man?
No. But they are all seen as white.
Does this woman
look like this woman
look like this woman?
No. But they are all seen as Indian.
Do the women above look like this woman?
No. But they are all seen as Asian.
Is this type of person
or this person
or this person
or her
seen as black to some people?
Is he not black simply because of his eyes?
Well then what about him?
or her?
Now what?
We obviously can't do away with racial categories because it's for some reason a way for the government to identify and survey society. But why is there a stringent prototype to what black is or isn't? It's all dividing and conquering and I'd prefer not to participate in that.
When you apply light skin or light eyes or soft hair as not being black to your definition, you will find it doesn't work. So what exactly is it? There are people who become severely depressed or self hating because they aren't accepted as something racially all for the confusion of what a race is.
I myself feel Ethiopians and Eritreans and Sudanese and Somalians to be black, I just feel mixing or indigeneous traits of one tribe, ethnicity or person differing from another aren't enough to mean you are or aren't something. I'm just annoyed 😩
Scroll to see replies
Indian and Asian are nationalities, though, whereas skin colours are genetics.
None of those colours are actually black, they're just varying shades of brown.
So why black people are actually called "black" is beyond me, though I'd imagine it has to do with the way language has been used and evolved over time ("negro" coming from the Spanish word of the same name, derived from "niger", which is Latin for "black").
So why black people are actually called "black" is beyond me, though I'd imagine it has to do with the way language has been used and evolved over time ("negro" coming from the Spanish word of the same name, derived from "niger", which is Latin for "black").
(edited 8 years ago)
This guy is pretty black.
76 views? No posts? Some indifferent people around here. Does anyone know where else I can take this argument to?
Too long could not be bothered to read.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Sweet n Sour
76 views? No posts? Some indifferent people around here. Does anyone know where else I can take this argument to?
It's probs because it's 3 in the morn and most people are sleeping :/ wait til it's daytime, you'll get lots more responses to this hopefully :-)
Original post by RainbowKiwi
It's probs because it's 3 in the morn and most people are sleeping :/ wait til it's daytime, you'll get lots more responses to this hopefully :-)
I posted this when it wasn't 3 in the "morn."
Should I put it in Chat? It's 3 in the "morn" and people are posting there like mad.
Original post by Okay PM me
Too long could not be bothered to read.
It really isn't that long.
I worked really hard on this 
Original post by Sweet n Sour
It really isn't that long.
So you want to know how we categorize Black people?
I'm not asking about a guessing game; I'm challenging the divide/conquer theory that light skinned/soft hair/bright eyes =/= black.
Original post by Sweet n Sour
I'm not asking about a guessing game; I'm challenging the divide/conquer theory that light skinned/soft hair/bright eyes =/= black.
No, all that you said above equals brown, like me.
Thread adjourned.
Original post by Mactotaur
Indian and Asian are nationalities, though, whereas skin colours are genetics.
Asian is not a nationality. Indian is a nationality within the Asian race. And how does this relate to my thread?
Original post by Okay PM me
No, all that you said above equals brown, like me.
Thread adjourned.
Thread adjourned.
"All that I said?"
You didn't read, did you?
What country are you from?
Original post by Sweet n Sour
I'm not asking about a guessing game; I'm challenging the divide/conquer theory that light skinned/soft hair/bright eyes =/= black.
^^^
Me:
I'm going to bed now.
Hopefully smarter people arise in the "morn." lol
Me:
I'm going to bed now.
Hopefully smarter people arise in the "morn." lol
Original post by Sweet n Sour
"All that I said?"
You didn't read, did you?
What country are you from?
You didn't read, did you?
What country are you from?
You want to know what makes someone a certain race based on their physical appearance.
I am Libyan/Spanish.
Why?
Original post by Sweet n Sour
Indian is a nationality within the Asian race
LOOOOOOOOOOL Asian race
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