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Actually the western perception of race is the most accurate because it trumps the most powerful genotype "african" over all others, which it should.
Culture is something totally different and varies from each small colonized island, but regardless of the language you speak "spanish," "french," etc, it does not matter in the slightest in the good ol' US of A. If you are African or you are a biproduct of African stock everyone on planet earth knows who you are, in fact you would probably have to explain to any european including Spaniards why you thought you were not black. So for the most part Culture has no real worth to anyone who does not share your culture, everyone else on this planet including myself, identify by color,pigment etc like we were taught by the people who colonized both yours and my forefathers alike, so if you're thinking about how it is in the islands you need to check those thoughts with your luggage if you travel with a passport.
Pan-Africanism came from Caribbean people and involved African greats like Kwame Nkrumah. The Civil Rights Movement was not the only movement involved people of African origin.
Negritude was born out of the minds of Caribbean and African peoples...
This is true. Haiti was the first black country in the world and it can be said that from the start they had a sort of negritude ideology. In their first constitution they even said that all Haitians are black, that was later repealed because the minority of non-black Haitians felt uncomfortable with this. Until the early 20th Century, Haiti prohibited non-blacks from owning private property there and the only reason that law was repealed, was because the American military did it during the occupation of Haiti in the 1910s. Had it not been for that, Haiti would had probably kept that prohibition to this very day.
Haiti has been independent since 1804, older than any other movement by people of full or partial African decent.
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The one-drop rule is backwards...it has nothing to do with pride. It originated with racist whites and treats African heritage like a stain that contaminates any and everything else.
Bingo
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Additionally, the idea that diverse peoples are all "the same" based on color is backwards and originated with racist Europeans. They had not respect for the cultures, languages, names of African peoples...the majority of which were lost by those who were victims of chattel slavery. Africans and African peoples are culturally diverse and should not be consumed with color (black/white).
Very true. I even see some of this to this very day.
For example, people tend to think that all Native people of the Americas (in the US they are known as Native Americans but in other places they are known by other names, including indians) all have one culture. There is a tendency to think of them as all the same, when reality they are not. An Aztec had nothing in common with an Inca, other than both being the native people to this hemisphere.
I also notice people do this with Africa too and even with some people of east Asia (the tendency to think that they are all variations of Chinese.) In almost all Latin American countries, people call those with slanted eyes a 'chinos' meaning Chinese. One time I even heard a person refer to the Japanese as "japoneses chinos" which is sort of like saying the Chinese from Japan, although she was not referring to Chinese of Japanese descent or Japanese of Chinese descent, but rather the Japanese themselves.
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At least in Latin America and the Caribbean, generally speaking, one can embrace both their African and other heritage.
Yes, and that is one of the things I admire from south of the border.
People can embrace their full heritage and no one will come out and make them feel bad for it. Its not like in the USA, where people will call mixed race people that are proud of their full heritage as self-haters. I never understood why a mixed person that is proud of everything that they are would be self-hating, when they are not denying anything, but whatever. I agree with the Latin/Caribbean way of dealing with this, its much more honest.
Actually the western perception of race is the most accurate because it trumps the most powerful genotype "african" over all others, which it should.
There's no "Western perception of race."
Americans invented a racial system that simply doesn't exist in most other countries, including other countries that were born out of the British Empire. In the English-speaking Caribbean, practically in none of them is the one-drop-rule accepted. Mixed people can identify as mixed and no one bats an eye, as it should be.
If there is one perception of race that could be considered "Western" is precisely the one that exist in most European countries and in Latin America/the Caribbean, which is quite different from the one-drop-rule inspired racial system of the United States.
Actually the western perception of race is the most accurate because it trumps the most powerful genotype "african" over all others, which it should.
+1
Basically. They use the N-word in Europe, too. The hierarchy is the same everywhere: white on top, Asians in the middle, and people of African ancestry on the bottom. The average Brit is going to view Lenny Kravitz or Amandla Stenberg as "black" just as the average American would. This isn't really that complex.
Like I said before, the one-drop-rule mentality is pretty much an American thing. Some people just need to catch up with the times and most of these people are in the USA, unfortunately.
Pan-Africanism came from Caribbean people and involved African greats like Kwame Nkrumah. The Civil Rights Movement was not the only movement involved people of African origin.
Negritude was born out of the minds of Caribbean and African peoples...
The one-drop rule is backwards...it has nothing to do with pride. It originated with racist whites and treats African heritage like a stain that contaminates any and everything else.
Additionally, the idea that diverse peoples are all "the same" based on color is backwards and originated with racist Europeans. They had not respect for the cultures, languages, names of African peoples...the majority of which were lost by those who were victims of chattel slavery. Africans and African peoples are culturally diverse and should not be consumed with color (black/white).
At least in Latin America and the Caribbean, generally speaking, one can embrace both their African and other heritage.
To be fair, many historians credit the creation of Liberia by black Americans with the birth of Pan Africanism. It makes sense. Blacks from the States who moved into Libera had no direct cultural link to the tribes of that area. The concept of Pan Africanism was born to attempt to link the various peoples together. That was in the early 1800's. It would later serve as inspiration for "Garveyism" put forth by Marcus Garvey in the 1920's.
I do agree with you about the "one drop" rule. It is ignorant and backwards. But I think what some are getting at is there are people who clearly have West African ancestry who will flat out deny it. I am a fair skinned black American. I've had plenty of conversations with blacks from other cultures who will claim everything EXCEPT their African ancestry. I never argue. I let people define themselves the way they want.
But if a guy like me, who is on the light side of a brown paper bag, can proudly claim my portion of African ancestry those others should too.
Americans invented a racial system that simply doesn't exist in most other countries, including other countries that were born out of the British Empire. In the English-speaking Caribbean, practically in none of them is the one-drop-rule accepted. Mixed people can identify as mixed and no one bats an eye, as it should be.
If there is one perception of race that could be considered "Western" is precisely the one that exist in most European countries and in Latin America/the Caribbean, which is quite different from the one-drop-rule inspired racial system of the United States.
Americans invented a racial system that simply doesn't exist in most other countries, including other countries that were born out of the British Empire. In the English-speaking Caribbean, practically in none of them is the one-drop-rule accepted. Mixed people can identify as mixed and no one bats an eye, as it should be.
If there is one perception of race that could be considered "Western" is precisely the one that exist in most European countries and in Latin America/the Caribbean, which is quite different from the one-drop-rule inspired racial system of the United States.
Most Westerners don't live in the United States.
So western civilization has no perception of race?
Of course not, every civilazation has a perception of race.
I don't know where you come from but in the U.S there is a clear perception of race
And race relations and it is well documented.
Basically. They use the N-word in Europe, too. The hierarchy is the same everywhere: white on top, Asians in the middle, and people of African ancestry on the bottom. The average Brit is going to view Lenny Kravitz or Amandla Stenberg as "black" just as the average American would. This isn't really that complex.
It's kinda funny you say "most americans" would make an assumption as to what Lenny Kravitz racial background would be. Of course most Americans would say he's black just as every human being on planet earth would including you. Had he not became famous and his background not been well documented would you have said he is Jewish also upon initial sight? Of course not.
I always viewed them as Latin until I read about the history. They are Afro-Latinos. Although it's such a shame that so many Dominicans deny their African heritage.
I'ts very common for Domincanos to deny their African side, but that goes for any Afro-Latino.
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