embedded in the floating world
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nmazca.blog embedded in the floating world |
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The Ideal Breed by Curt Darius Williams "The terms 'white' and 'brown' define fluid boundaries, which many of us cross. There are light-skinned Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans, as well as dark Europeans. An "interracial" person is exotic and desirable, but a threat if you can't categorize them. So, we are coerced to choose sides. Any of the "white"-looking people could be "brown," and not mixing out. They may not be aware of the privileges of their skin, and of how, like my friend, they seem to be running back to "the winning side." How like me, their molasses-, honey- and hazelnut-skinned mates seem to choose to ignore that we are in vogue, and are shocked when our skin becomes an issue between us. Of how our children will look something like the fashion magazine's computer model, how she encourages us. How our unborn will be absorbed into the "New American Ideal," and made into white people of color." My intent here is not to be confrontational or disturbing -- to brashly "go there" -- in presenting this text/topic. I'm actually interested to know what any or all of you think of the labels White, Black, Race... and whether more accurate classifications ought to be tied to ethnicity or culture... and how this works (or is distorted) when one adds "-American" (or -Canadian, sorry). And when can dependence on titles and classifications just be dropped? I found myself explaining and defending the use of African-American last night. I thought this was odd later on, since just a couple of months ago I told people that I don't often use it myself... particularly/politically because of a dissociation with American... I've been sitting here for 10 minutes trying to capsulize my reasoning for that, and I have to settle for "Ask me later" or "Nationalism is so 19th (numerological 1) century." I also want to refer to a recent essay about Af-Am-ism that Michele Rose sent to me that I don't have saved; and Ruben Carter's interview in The Sun. But now I have to go. Ahhh, this whole ethnicity thing isn't just playing out in my head... it's cropping up with other folks too. Thank you, Blogdex. "What's wrong with a little color in your family tree?" |
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