It is sometimes confusing why color is an issue in the US??

Hello everyone. I have only been on this site a couple of weeks, but I really like the fact that there are others out there to talk about some of the issues that I deal with as a black man. One thing I notice is that it doesn’t matter what shade of black you are, we still get treated the same (which is typically poorly) by society. The reason I mention this is because I have heard that there is sometimes bitterness between light skinned and dark skinned blacks. I am here to tell you that this is the last thing that we should be concerned with. We get treated like sh.. no matter what from others, especially others of color.

Case in point: I have fairly light skin, and there are other people of color (i.e. Mexican, Indian (both American and Eastern), Mediterranean) that are in some cases much darker than I am, and yet they get instant respect. People see me, and there is instant tension. People see them, and it is instant respect (comprable to what white men receive.) Why does it always seem like I have to break the ice??

This makes me wonder why people think that we are so different (in terms of color), when there are others (as mentioned above) that are darker than we are. They say that there is a perceived social hierarchy based off of color, so this adds to the confusion. For those of you who watch golf, you always here about Tiger Woods being a black man, but when was the last time you heard anything negative about Vijay Singh who is probably 3 shades darker than Tiger??

Why are we considered so different than other people of color when we have made so many contributions to society, and have had some great leaders and role models like Thoroughgood Marshall, Martin Luther King Jr., Clarence Thomas, and the list goes on and on?

 

Color and race is an issue all over the world. Racism in Europe, while it may take on another form is still there. anti semetism in france, germany, russian. anti black africans in ireland, russia, asia, anti dark skins in india, new zealand, brazil, argentina, chile, mexico, central and south america, anti pakistani and indian in britian, anti arab throughout europe.

wake up it is all over, and even in africa tribes and gradients of color, so get with it, racism is apart of a sinful society

 

within the united states its an idea of proximity, visibility vs. the idea of "the other"

what i mean is this, with regards to contemporary society people still live in segregated "villages" where social values, outlook and belief systems are binding agents. City dwellers are able to come into contact (which btw i had to look up the fact and it turns out that according to the us census of 1990 there are MORE people living in urban settings than rural...oop!)

so, scratch that.

I cant fully break down modern perception but i have always felt that with the exception of religious oppression pretty much all can be traced to financial gain somewhere.

 

Tuck you hit the nail on the head man.

 

Re: It is sometimes confusing why color is an issue in the U

Because apparently, according to white nationalist/supremacist, blacks HAVEN'T made any contributions to society. At least, not in the sense that THEY consider contributions. (I.E: inventions, architecture, ect. as if any of THEM personally had anything to do with it) Don't even get me started on what they think of M.L.K.! :roll:

Even many non-racist whites feel uneasy about most blacks because they hear about the stereotypes before they get to actually KNOW you. Unfortunately, some of this is our OWN fault for those that perpetrate these stereotypes like the good little idiots they (A.K.A. "The Man") want you to be!

Also, racist people tend to generalize entire groups of people instead of judging people on an individual basis but THEY don't like being chastised as a "group". For example, your average white nationalist will condemn blacks (in general) as a worthless demographic of people all the while stating that they just want a country of their own and aren't racist. If you CALL them racist, many of them will state how THEY in particular are not but just want to be left alone when there are nothing but racist vibes flooding their boards! If you really aren't racist, why not just stick to wanting a place of your own instead of trying to "prove" how inferior everyone else is to you? If you really are about pride, why can't you do that WITHOUT demonizing everyone else??? That's what they do not or cannot understand...

 

drow- this is what's confusing as well, because you have what people call "White Trash/Trailer Trash" that are considered to be worthless, etc. And you have so called "Skinheads" who are considered violent and suppressant, and whom many whites say they condemn. The former makes up a moderate percentage of whites, while the latter makes up a smaller percentage, but you don't see people condemning the entire white race because of this. On the other hand, you have brothers that are straight out the hood, and brothers that are gang banging, but all of us are somehow put in one of these categories instead of being normal citizens. I am sure most people on this forum are like me (college educated, and just wanting a fair share of life), but have to constantly prove ourselves that we are different. Being black means: assuming you're bad before you're good. Being white means: assuming you're good before you're bad.

 

Oh yes! Didn't you get the memo? It's always in fashion to generalize blacks even if more than half of us are living normal non-violent, non-criminal lives! The loudest most obnoxious behavior always get the attention however, so it is not too surprising. Just look at that story about DMX on these boards. That idiot didn't even know who the hell Barack Obama was and acted a fool, carrying on about his name.