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I think I’ll try to explain it to you in a way that might help you understand better.
Anyone who’s not white is implicitly told to go through life without drawing attention to it. I am brown, but have friends of all races. One time, I was hanging out with one of my white friends and another friend, who is also brown, called me and told me to stop by a party she was at. I asked my white friend if she was down to check it out, and her response “Am I going to be the only white person there?” How many times had I been with her as the only nonwhite person in the room? And yet, I never mentioned it or drew attention it because that’s just how life is. But the minute she thought she might be in the minority, she announced it out loud and I had to acknowledge it and coddle her discomfort, even though my comfort is never asked about. It’s not even considered, and when you’re not white, you’re used to navigating through life like that.
This is kind of how I equate people in this thread who are upset at the black representation at these performances. You’ve never had to think about representation before, and so you have never noticed it or gave it any thought. Now that representation matters have been brought to the forefront of society, you’re uncomfortable—like my friend who was uncomfortable going to that party.
Do you see maybe why your discomfort may be offensive to others?
Very good way of putting it. The usual suspects will of course completely dismiss what you’ve said.
I think I’ll try to explain it to you in a way that might help you understand better.
Anyone who’s not white is implicitly told to go through life without drawing attention to it. I am brown, but have friends of all races. One time, I was hanging out with one of my white friends and another friend, who is also brown, called me and told me to stop by a party she was at. I asked my white friend if she was down to check it out, and her response “Am I going to be the only white person there?” How many times had I been with her as the only nonwhite person in the room? And yet, I never mentioned it or drew attention it because that’s just how life is. But the minute she thought she might be in the minority, she announced it out loud and I had to acknowledge it and coddle her discomfort, even though my comfort is never asked about. It’s not even considered, and when you’re not white, you’re used to navigating through life like that.
This is kind of how I equate people in this thread who are upset at the black representation at these performances. You’ve never had to think about representation before, and so you have never noticed it or gave it any thought. Now that representation matters have been brought to the forefront of society, you’re uncomfortable—like my friend who was uncomfortable going to that party.
Do you see maybe why your discomfort may be offensive to others?
You don’t get it. It’s not the black representation at these performances. It’s the pre-determined decision that the performers would be all black, except for one, and, to drive home the point, kick it off with the Black National Anthem.
And it’s not in isolation. It’s everywhere, as I explained. Biden proudly claimed that the majority of his Cabinet is POC (despite the fact that the majority of Americans are white), and he also announced beforehand that he would select a VP from among blacks only.
Beyond that, it’s at the commercial level. We are being told which brands are from black-owned businesses, so we can choose to prioritize blacks. All the models from the 8 lipstick shades I was considering were black. The majority of commercials are either black or bi-racial families. This means that white performers, or actors, or VP hopefuls, or lipstick models are being discriminated against.
And I fully know what it feels like to be “the only” in a crowd. I am a member of a minority myself. But I would cringe if all of a sudden, even though my minority makes up a very small percentage of Americans, the majority of commercials, and Cabinet members, and lipstick models all were members of MY minority.
Back to the subject:
Someone playing the piano [at the Super Bowl] just sang something called "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Pretty song, nice voice.
But then somebody said it was supposed to be the "Black National Anthem".
What? Blacks have their own National Anthem? For what country? I didn't know it was for ANY country.
I assume they meant it for the United States?
Why? Are they trying to tell us that the old "Star Spangled Banner" doesn't stand for them?
Maybe their message is, "We aren't really part of the United States, we need an anthem that represents us, not 'all citizens' "?
"Blacks are different, we just can't be with whites, we want some sort of "Separate but Equal" status?
Umm... isn't that what we've been trying to GET AWAY from, for the last 50-plus years?
When did black people suddenly decide they couldn't relate to "The Star-Spangled Banner", and that they needed s separate anthem?
Or did they?
Did a couple of chronic Social Justice Warriors get together around a microphone and decide it on their own, without the concurrence (or even the knowledge) of most black people?
When did this course reversal happen?
Lift Every Voice and Sing was penned in 1900 and performed in 1905, at a time when Black people were inferior in the eyes of the law and the Supreme Court held that Black people could never be citizens. And you wonder why the song exists? The song has an amazing message of perseverance. And if, as people often retort in racial discussion, every group has faced struggles, then everyone should be able to relate to it. The song should be sung with pride by every American because its message is uplifting.
Btw, are you of American heritage? It amazes me how many long-standing Americans don’t know that this song exists and why.
You don’t get it. It’s not the black representation at these performances. It’s the pre-determined decision that the performers would be all black, except for one, and, to drive home the point, kick it off with the Black National Anthem.
And it’s not in isolation. It’s everywhere, as I explained. Biden proudly claimed that the majority of his Cabinet is POC (despite the fact that the majority of Americans are white), and he also announced beforehand that he would select a VP from among blacks only.
Beyond that, it’s at the commercial level. We are being told which brands are from black-owned businesses, so we can choose to prioritize blacks. All the models from the 8 lipstick shades I was considering were black. The majority of commercials are either black or bi-racial families. This means that white performers, or actors, or VP hopefuls, or lipstick models are being discriminated against.
And I fully know what it feels like to be “the only” in a crowd. I am a member of a minority myself. But I would cringe if all of a sudden, even though my minority makes up a very small percentage of Americans, the majority of commercials, and Cabinet members, and lipstick models all were members of MY minority.
It’s all so.....contrived.
Uh huh. Now let me ask you, where is the concern for centuries where it was predetermined that only whites would be cast, hired, etc? Why did you people not give a care in the world then? Are you afraid you’re going to lose your job, your husband, your kids, your status to black people? What is it exactly?
Got the TV going in the background, they're doing the usual lead-in stuff.
Someone playing the piano just sang something called "Lift Every Voice and Sing". Pretty song, nice voice.
But then somebody said it was supposed to be the "Black National Anthem".
What? Blacks have their own National Anthem? For what country? I didn't know it was for ANY country.
I assume they meant it for the United States?
That song was written over a hundred years ago, at a time when black people were legally excluded from mainstream society and thought of themselves as "a nation within a nation".
So the history of exclusion is the reason we have our own national anthem.
You probably think that Biden picked Kamala Harris to be his VP because she is the most qualified candidate.
The fact that she’s a minority is probably just a coincidence, right?
By that logic, there would never be a person of color as a VP pick, because you'd just poison the well with the snarky "the fact that he/she's a ______________ is probably just a coincidence, right?"
That song was written over a hundred years ago, at a time when black people were legally excluded from mainstream society and thought of themselves as "a nation within a nation".
So the history of exclusion is the reason we have our own national anthem.
Exactly. Common sense.
Furthermore, all they have to do is Google the song but they prefer to be both lazy and hateful.
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