Ignorance is bliss. The dark skin vs light skin epidemic as is all time high. There is a constant comparison of skin tones in the African American community. People do not realize how their comments can affect someone. Judging people based on appearance and things they cannot change is a constant reminder of how we are not moving forward as a race.
As a young African American women of a deeper skin tone, I constantly battle with the way I look on the outside. I am always have been judged by the opposite sex because my hair is not a certain length and my skin is not close to white. I have begun to notice the ignorance not only in young African American males, but also in my closest acquaintances, Black women.
I notice that their ways of thinking are extremely vulgar and limited. I feel that in many ways they are ignorant to the idea of being open and accepting others for who they are. For instance they make statements like “You look real brown today,” or statements like “No his teeth aren’t white, they only look like whiter because he’s so dark.” These observations are extremely offensive to the African African community. Young black youth are brainwashed unknowingly by the ideas and beliefs of the equivalent of our white slave owners. There needs to be more self awareness of the racial astigmatisms place upon us by other races. What can be done? What is the reason for this ignorance?
We need to not let the influence of social media change how we treat people of a darker skin tone. In media there are constantly lighter skinned males or females as the posterchildren for everything, not allowing children of a dark skin tone to feel noticed.
Colorism is a the constant discrimination of someone with a darker skin tone. Colorism is a reminder of how uneducated our race is. To fully understand colorism, you must understand the idea of racism. As young African Americans we are constantly forgetting the reasons why we continue these harsh ideas. We have been influenced by the ideas of slavery historic views of “The White Man” , making lighter skinned people feel that they can be more privileged. Lighter skinned females are always asked “Are you mixed” in most cases associating that with a compliment. Or in even in media saying “Light skin is the right skin,”as in a song by rapper Consequence. This generates a feeling of disadvantage for females or males with darker skin tone.
There has been several cases where people of lighter skin tones feel that their authenticity has lacked. Meaning that in the African American community we have come up with the assumption that “The darker you are the more pure you are.” Inferences that if you are light skin life if some much easier, and many more opportunities. Not to forget the feelings of lighter men. Statements like “Like skin men are soft”. Trying to paint an idea that all men of a lighter skin tone are sweet, making assumptions that men of a darker skin tone are “thug.”
-Joie
As a young African American women of a deeper skin tone, I constantly battle with the way I look on the outside. I am always have been judged by the opposite sex because my hair is not a certain length and my skin is not close to white. I have begun to notice the ignorance not only in young African American males, but also in my closest acquaintances, Black women.
I notice that their ways of thinking are extremely vulgar and limited. I feel that in many ways they are ignorant to the idea of being open and accepting others for who they are. For instance they make statements like “You look real brown today,” or statements like “No his teeth aren’t white, they only look like whiter because he’s so dark.” These observations are extremely offensive to the African African community. Young black youth are brainwashed unknowingly by the ideas and beliefs of the equivalent of our white slave owners. There needs to be more self awareness of the racial astigmatisms place upon us by other races. What can be done? What is the reason for this ignorance?
We need to not let the influence of social media change how we treat people of a darker skin tone. In media there are constantly lighter skinned males or females as the posterchildren for everything, not allowing children of a dark skin tone to feel noticed.
Colorism is a the constant discrimination of someone with a darker skin tone. Colorism is a reminder of how uneducated our race is. To fully understand colorism, you must understand the idea of racism. As young African Americans we are constantly forgetting the reasons why we continue these harsh ideas. We have been influenced by the ideas of slavery historic views of “The White Man” , making lighter skinned people feel that they can be more privileged. Lighter skinned females are always asked “Are you mixed” in most cases associating that with a compliment. Or in even in media saying “Light skin is the right skin,”as in a song by rapper Consequence. This generates a feeling of disadvantage for females or males with darker skin tone.
There has been several cases where people of lighter skin tones feel that their authenticity has lacked. Meaning that in the African American community we have come up with the assumption that “The darker you are the more pure you are.” Inferences that if you are light skin life if some much easier, and many more opportunities. Not to forget the feelings of lighter men. Statements like “Like skin men are soft”. Trying to paint an idea that all men of a lighter skin tone are sweet, making assumptions that men of a darker skin tone are “thug.”
-Joie