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Oh what the heck, here's a fairly recent pic of me. So that's what NooYowkur81 looks like, but IMO I am not very photogenic. lol.
BTW I wanted to point out that I think its funny people in NYC almost always assume dark-skinned Latinos are Dominican. FYI, there are Black people all over Latin America. But I guess its what they are most familiar with...
Last edited by NooYowkur81; 08-28-2008 at 08:46 AM..
You said you were American..and your mom was Panamanian...but only when pressed did you reveal your father was black. Why use the I am American and my mother is Panamanian? Who says that? You would say my dad is black and my mom Panamanian....but you covered the fact your dad was black by saying your were American, and that your mom was Panamanian. You dont have to grow up drinking kool-aid and fried chicken to be black by the way, or culturally black for that matter....that was a very sad statement and demonstrates your self-hatred of being black.
You said you were American..and your mom was Panamanian...but only when pressed did you reveal your father was black. Why use the I am American and my mother is Panamanian? Who says that? You would say my dad is black and my mom Panamanian....but you covered the fact your dad was black by saying your were American, and that your mom was Panamanian. You dont have to grow up drinking kool-aid and fried chicken to be black by the way, or culturally black for that matter....that was a very sad statement and demonstrates your self-hatred of being black.
To be honest I noted the same thing. But I can see mir_ny's point when she explained her reasoning. If she was raised by spanish people, speaks spanish as possibly a first language being that her mother probably spoke to her in spanish if she's straight off the boat panamanian (like my family spoke german when we were little), ate spanish food and listened to spanish music, then of course she will identify with spanish people. The spanish culture and the African-American culture can be very different in terms of food, music and customs, as mir_ny noted.
In spanish people often use words like "negro" "moreno" and "blancito" not in assigning a stigma or a status, like is done in this beloved but ridiculously racist country of mine, but just in describing someone by the color of their skin. White people will often describe with the hair color, "ya know, that blond girl" or whatever.
It is true that being "black" here carries a stigma which truly sickens me, having recently done a lot of research on the internet about the lives of blacks in this country during slavery and beyond. Its just sad that the stigma from that horrible practice still exists today to an extent.
I think people are confusing Race and Culture here. Two different things. For example you can be Black racially and still be Latino culturally, one doesn't necessarily negate the other.
I don't want to go into a whole discussion about that because it is way off-topic. But yeah its being confused.
I think people are confusing Race and Culture here. Two different things. For example you can be Black racially and still be Latino culturally, one doesn't necessarily negate the other.
I don't want to go into a whole discussion about that because it is way off-topic. But yeah its being confused.
True, if you describe a dark-skinned person as black that originates from a spanish speaking country to a spanish person, they will correct you and say "no they're not black, they're puerto rican" or dominican or whatever. Clarifying that the skin color is of less significance than the culture to many people of spanish origin. Now to Americans, mostly white Americans, the race is more significant than the culture. People are very hung up on "race" here! And I quote "race" because most black people who originate here for several generations and also many white people as well have blood of the other race in their veins. So what race is "negroid" and "caucasian" mixed together. And dont say mulatto HAHA. I thought we ALL come from Africa originally.
True, if you describe a dark-skinned person as black that originates from a spanish speaking country to a spanish person, they will correct you and say "no they're not black, they're puerto rican" or dominican or whatever. Clarifying that the skin color is of less significance than the culture.
partially a culture thing. there was a documentary on tv years ago where some dark skinned dominicans interviewed "distanced' themselves from being black as a matter not of culture alone. it appeared that they thought being perceived as black was not a good thing for them.
partially a culture thing. there was a documentary on tv years ago where some dark skinned dominicans interviewed "distanced' themselves from being black as a matter not of culture alone. it appeared that they thought being perceived as black was not a good thing for them.
Its not just in DR, it happens all over Latin America, and I for one think its ignorant and ridiculous. But its deeply ingrained unfortunately.
...... I didn't grow up eating collard beans, grits, chitlings (however you spell that), fried chicken, drinking kool aid or whatever southern/black people generally eat. ......
Oh dear...... Buddy, when you say black, you include Brazilians, native Africans(East, West, South), Jamaicans, Dominicans, people from Trinidad etc.
Let's take West Africa for example - There are over 20 different languages spoken in ANY of the West African countries (X) - NOT DIALECTS but actual languages(Y). Each of these languages come with different foods (A), marriage rites (B), festivals (C), funeral rites (D), Religious beliefs/Practices (E) etc. So Black Americans might "generally" eating those foods you listed above, does not imply "black" people do as well.
The poly-exponential function, describing the UNIQUE cultural elements as a function of X, Y, A, B, C, D and E, is left as an exercise to the reader
partially a culture thing. there was a documentary on tv years ago where some dark skinned dominicans interviewed "distanced' themselves from being black as a matter not of culture alone. it appeared that they thought being perceived as black was not a good thing for them.
A lot of people who come here from the Caribbean do like to be viewed as a separate culture and often dont identify with black Americans who have originated here for generations. The Caribbean cultures often ARE very different from the African-American culture.
But to your point, I read about the times in the early to mid 1900's where thousands of Americans with black parents or grandparents lived as "whites" to avail themselves of the benefits, and there are many IMO, of being white in this country. They did this to save themselves from potential linchings and job discrimination, and I believe not from the standpoint of racial self-hatred. I believe the people you saw in the documentary similarly try to distance themselves from the African-American culture precisely BECAUSE it is still so intensively stigmatized.
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