Quote:
Originally Posted by RoyalEmpress33
DSTCHAOS, I understand what you are saying. It does seem rather awkward but who cares? LOL! I mean, I am brown. And I am an American, that's my choice to use those terms. Some people are more literal or technical than others. Someone else may feel differently and that's fine, call yourself whatever you want. If I had the luxury and funds to find out my true African "tribe" or "ethnicity" or whatever you want to call it, then I'd eliminate all these terms and claim that proudly. I long for the day...
If Black is Black, why are people sweating something as simple as what one wants to name themselves? Dang, some people act like I tried to kill somebody lol. Just voicing an opinion, ya digg? 
I have a question though. I know this is suppose to be directed to people who are of African descent, but let's use a hypothetical situation. If a biracial or multiracial person (regardless of racial make-up) decided to claim one race over the other, could we still use the argument that they are not proud of where they came from because they don't claim this, that or the other? Would we even be sitting here discussing this? I'm just curious to know people's feelings on this particular matter. Or is it because they're of more than one racial background, they have that option? What makes it ok for them to claim whatever the hell they want, but because I'm predominately one race, as soon as I diverge and do something as trivial as claim one term over the other, people have an issue with it?
I think I'm going to write a paper on this... |
Yes, "Black" ultimately refers to culture in America, and to call oneself "Black" is making a political statement, whether one realizes it or not. All "raced" language in America, which is ensconsed in white supremicist ideology, is political: it tells us about our self-identity and where one's afilliations lie in how we view the ordering of society, etc. So, for example, Moses, a Jew by parentage and raised in Pharaoh's household, made a choice to identify with his people in their suffering and injustice in his adulthood (in this biblical example). It's why Halle Berry and Alicia Keys, both "biracial" persons, are "Black" and Tiger Woods and Jennifer Beals, other "biracial" persons, are not in their self-designation. And this is why Barack Obama is "Black." (This is not making a value judgment about the persons themselves but just to address this specific issue.)
For this reason racial cartographies are somewhat culture specific, reflecting the concrete sociohistorical and political exigencies of a given society. This is why the country with the largest "black" population outside of Africa, Brazil, has a lower percentage of people who designate themselves as "black" on a racial continuum.It's no accident that this is changing as the current government of Brazil is intentionally addressing the racial/caste/economic disparities of the nation and they are implementing affirmative action-type programs. Now there is some social capital in being "black" and some folks are rediscovering their blackness as it relates to increased opportunities in college admissions,etc.