uhbutwhytho:uncle-paul-hargis:the-perks-of-being-black:Beautiful“Beautiful blackness”? Fuck off with
uhbutwhytho:uncle-paul-hargis:the-perks-of-being-black:Beautiful“Beautiful blackness”? Fuck off with that. You know as well as I do that “beautiful whiteness” would not be well-received so why is beautiful blackness okay? There is nothing beautiful about being black or white.This is a child. A child who is insecure about his skin because of the messages he gets from all around him. His classmates (white and black) might call him names like “darkie”, “charcoal”, “kunte kinte”, or “midnight” for not being as light as them like I was told when I was younger. He sees magazines with only light skinned and white models in them everywhere except for maybe magazines like JET and a few choice others. Movies and TV shows where the people who look like him are usually “evil”, the clown, or get killed first are probably all he sees. He may feel this insecure because of comments like, “Aww, I thought you were gonna stay light like me.” which is what my godchild was told by their godmother when they were younger. He might have come to understand that his society thinks that darker skinned people are sexualized in a way that other groups aren’t; “The darker the berry the sweeter the juice.” That may sound sexy to you, but it spurs on behaviour like harassing dark skinned women for sex or sexually assaulting them because people believe they are unrapeable. Let me make this sociologically clear. Almost all of his reference groups, the ones that influence him and manipulate his psyche, are sending the message that an outgroup (white and light skinned people) is better; that white and light skin is cleaner. There are skin lightening products being advertised by companies that send him the message that there’s a problem with his skin and he needs to fix it. People literally bleach\chemically alter their skin to become white because they think black and brown is “dirty” and “bad” and needs to be fixed. Police will shoot him on sight because, as a Black man, he will appear to be a threat for existing in just about any space. Kids younger than him have tried to kill themselves because they were being bullied because of their skin. Someone is trying to counter these paradigms and show him that there’s nothing wrong with his skin. White people very rarely, if at all, get told their skin is “dirty” and that their skin needs to be fixed. There are more kids that hate their black and brown skin than you’re probably aware of. And you want to fuck with that? Why?Your example is one of false equivalence because white as beautiful is ubiquitous. You don’t always need to have a white equivalent or alternative to whatever black people are doing. You all dominate the beauty industry. Models and actors who are white are way more prevalent. Most people don’t look at you and think they know your story. You are allowed individualism that he can’t ever earn. Too many people think he’s just a young thug. Your stories get told on TV and in movies. Your perspectives are privileged over everyone else’s, even on topics that have nothing to do with you just like this one. Leave the boy be, he needs this.There’s nothing beautiful about white or black? What is wrong with you? Why do you have to be so hostile about it? “Fuck off with that.” Were you hurt by someone? What’s your damage? -- source link