Black People : The color of oppression 1986

[Alkebulantaazar]

Hello Kings and Queens (to say nothing of the princesses and court jesters LOL)

You all know that I love friendly respectful banter and as someone who loves a good volley of OPINION, SARCASM, and down and dirty FACTS check this out and tell me your thoughts.

Internalized racism seeps deep into the psyche of Alkebulanites and our understanding of ourselves. Nowhere is this phenomenon more evident than in our obsession with the various hues in our skin color which many of us mistakenly use as a measure of attractiveness, imtelligence, sophistication, class, and racial identity. The teasing tans, coco browns, high yellas, red bones, and chocolates!!! LOL


As I observed in my dissertation the simple matter of the color of ones skin so profoundly affects the way one is treated, so radically shapes what one is allowed to think and feel about this society, that the decision to generalize from that division is valid. What I wish to articulate is a black self -identity not independently chosen but rather thrust upon us by the treatment we receive from non-alkebulanite people.

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For our people, (I do not call us BLACK) internalized racism encourages conformity of appearance, which leads some of our people to lighten thier skin or STRAIGHTEN* thier hair so that they can pass as white, just as internalized low self esteem encourages men and women to enter into extra-marital affairs thus pretending that there are no relationships which would prevent them from entering such an affair.

Any person or group that respects itself(themselves) and its uniqueness will not need to define its status based on its assumed similarity to another race. However, my own parent, with natural unrelaxed hair once confided in me her reluctance to join other family members for a winter holiday because she knew that the other women in the family woul;d chide her about her hair. " quote" Girl, when you gonna git rid of dem tight curls? Those messages were meant to reinforce eurocentric images of beatye internalized racism suffered by many of my fellow Trinidadians even though they were proud Afrakans.

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The fact that Afrakan desc divide themselves along colour linbes suggests two things:

1. Skin colour is not benign

2. internalized racism stigmatizes not only individuals but whole groups as well.

Also with group based internalized prejudice, a whole group or its leaders attempt to define themselves by drawing lines that include what they are (or percieve themselves to be) and exclude what they are not(or believe they are not) often borrowing the definitions of thier oppressors.
On slave plantations in the old south, lighter skinned people were often selected to perfom the masters duties, while darker skinned people were left to work the fields.( we all know this)
Because white was the highest standard, the lighter slaves were considered more refined by our people as well as by whites.
This mentality still exists today as we know it and even when we were in the BPP some of our men were always more prone to look on the white! or light side of the moon?
Though white slavemasters probably? never held either light or dark skinned chattel anywhere close to the white level, in the heirarchy among slaves the lighter skinned slaves could claim some pride and superiority over thier darker brothers and sisters.

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One of the most enduring qualities of oppression is not only that it teaches the oppressed to hate themselves but also that it teaches them to hate one another, pitting minority against minority in a senseless contest to replicate the oppressor.
In my dissertation *The Color of oppression* I stated that the oppressed absorb and accept the values of the oppressor. The external oppression directed at minority groups from outsiders becomes internalized both in the culture of the minority and in the individuals self-esteem which can and never will be obliviated without conscious reprogramming of thier self image.


My family> It has been a pleasure being here and I thank you all for allowing me to voice my opinions (which would have been impossible to stop LOL). However, i will be away for awhile but not too long. There is much work to do and when get back to the land of good and plenty work will begin again

You will find me in the whirlwind with Harriet!!

Natukae na ndugu

 

[A007]

Alke--

Even though I know you will be away for a while I will pose this question(s) to you for when you get back......and for others whom are willing to reply now.

What do you believe was the root reason for slavery and the subsequent racism associated with it?

 

[rymjack5]

That was a very informative and enlightening post. I don't disagree with any of the points you made. When reading this posting and contemplating its TRUTHS I looked inside myself to relate your TRUTHS to my experience. First of all some of the statements struck me because just the other evening I was watching t.v. and I observed that most of us who are considered to be "attractive" in mainstream(white)society are those with lighter-skin. Of course, I already knew this was the case but on that occasion I found myself feeling disgusted at the sight of those lighter-skinned Family Members. Then I read your post and it caused me to think deeper into the issue because I have a lighter color. So I had to ask myself was my disgust with others who have a lighter shade the result of my own self-hatred? Or was it something else? Looking back over my life I realize that I have always harbored a mistrust for those with lighter skin and felt closer to the darker-skinned members of the Family. Maybe it is because the people who had the greatest influence on me growing up were very dark and I've had some bad experiences with those with light skin. Maybe it's because I relate light-skin to mainstream(white) society and I have always been taught to distrust mainstream(white) society. When I look in the mirror I don't feel any hatred toward myself, I don't feel ashamed of my lighter hue...no maybe that's not true. Because during the winter months when I'm not getting as much sun I am self-conscious. I don't feel as attractive because I feel "too light" during those months. It took me a minute to catch on to that as it is summer now. I know that being born and raised under that u.s. banner automatically imbibes me with some degree of self-hatred whether I am actively conscious of it or not.
So I guess the question your post caused me to ask myself is do I dislike and distrust other light-skinned Family Members as result of self-hatred? I know that has to at least be a cause in part. Or is it because I dislike and distrust whites plus I know that some light-skinned Family Members have a history of playing for the other side? I believe and practice TOLERANCE in my dealings with other members of the Family. The only times I tend to fall short of that is in my dealings with others who have lighter skin. Honestly, sometimes I wish to do violence to others with lighter-skin while I have managed to train my mind not to entertain violent thoughts against those of a darker hue. And yes I do see the evidence of self-hatred in the first half of that last sentence. And as I look inside my self part of me wants to say that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe it's that I feel that too many with light-skin have betrayed the People. And I might feel that I want to compensate for that betrayal. Honestly I harbor a very great resentment toward this society and white people. A resentment that borders on hatred. And to the core of my being I refuse to apologize for that resentment and possible hatred. So maybe my feelings are very natural considering the circumstances. I dislike and distrust anyone who is considered "acceptable" by this society. I scorn their "acceptance" and the only way I could ever see myself falling under that category is if I was anything less than alive. Because if I ever was "accepted" I would feel less than human. And that just shed some light on why I felt such disgust at the sight those people I saw on television the other evening. Writing this helped me to understand why sometimes I feel that violent urge that I mentioned above.
I hope I didn't make this too long or dilute your subject with my personal experience. But I thank you. Thank you for providing a post that apparently was exactly what I needed to read. Responding to it helped me to gain a clearer understanding of things by molding my thoughts and feelings into words.

 

[happy69]

wolves...

I agree with all the arguments posted. Everything is truth... but we have to face facts. As, it was noted by Zora Neale Hurston, so many years ago, "All My Skin Folk, Ain't My Kin Folk."

I still believe though, that we are still more together than apart as a people-- we have just not networked to the point that we could and should.

We have Blacks who want nothing to do with blackness; and by that I mean, culture, aspirations, and whathaveyou; although they have literally used it, and used up all of it's resources... We all know who they are... and we have to come to realize that although we are a rainbow people.... and we all know that we have people with all kinds of mixes and all kinds of hues... some of those mixes are racists; especially a certain element of the black/white dichotomy, who in my own opinion, hate their relation to "Blacks" so much that they are virulent--ignorant racists against other Blacks. But, even in this we have to take into consideration that most even in this group do espouse and respect being Black... and a great majority and rightfully so espouse all of their ingredients...

As is reflected by the recent sue against a Lighter - Skinned Black, by a Darker -Skinned Black (both espouses Blackness)... and new data that says that the number of similiar cases is rising...this becomes all too clear. And I for 1 think that it is a good thing.

But, as in life, I think that we should not worry ourselves or our lives with racists of any race or hue-- it is a waste to try and understand the mental disease of others--- again, we have other more important fish to fry.

 

[Alkebulantaazar]

education is Never a waste

it is a waste to try and understand the mental disease of others--- again, we have other more important fish to fry.


With all due respect..It is never too late nor is it a waste of time to try to come to grips with racism and our own MENTAL ILLNESS* because unless and until we do the ills in the alkebulite community will continue to fester and rot!

There is a deep mental illness within our communities which only education and self confrontation can eradicate and to this end i will continue to strike out at every level.

When i taught at an independant Afrikan centered school in the 70's I used 3 dolls to assess what was being taught at home and in society about what was beauty, and of the 3 dolls one Afrikan, one native amerikkan and one euro..the majority of my 4th graders picked the blond! Now this was not surprising based on the fact that we as a people were still 3nd class(behind spanish speaking people). Moreover, what is learned at that age stays with a person for yrs to come and no amout of Afrakan exposure can change it unless and until self is confronted as our scribes have.
I know that my threads are read and athough i do not gt response to all i do know that a bit of self exam is taken into consideration before the response comes forth.

So basically we must continue to rid ourselves of the monkeys on our skin until we can accept who we are light or dark and advacing that we have much more to be concerned about is a fallacy until we deal with the *MAN OR WOMAN IN THE MIRROR*.

Thanks a lot people!! Great job