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Phoenixstorm t1_j0mtkad wrote

It's sad he didn't have family in his life to strengthen who he is. He can embrace all of his different sides: his black mother's culture, his father's japanese heritage, his stepfather's mexican culture. He can be all three at once. But lets be clear: America sees a black man.

america is a racist country.

I also get the sinking feeling he feels he must denigrate his black heritage to uplift his asian side. Gross. That's just as bad as when he hid is Asian roots. Just be who you are and live your truth. Yes it's hard but as a man in america who looks black you will be treated that way.

This country is designed to kill you in all sorts of ways white people don't even think about. Because it doesn't affect them.

I wish him well. It's hard to stand in your truth.

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Munnodol t1_j0plf65 wrote

For those who may not know: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-drop_rule

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Phoenixstorm t1_j0rjbw7 wrote

Yes we know this rule. It's archaic and racist. we know people who have passed and broken off contact with family because they could pass for white and felt they had no choice if they wanted a better life free from racism.

It's similar to women in the past who pretended to be men and lived their entire lives as men to escape sexism and just be who they wanted to be.

they only way to stop this evil is for people to step up say something that means white people that means men. Of course when a system of oppression benefits you its hard to stop it.

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Munnodol t1_j0safzm wrote

Those doesn’t necessarily imply you, many may not know about the lengths to which this country, both socially and legally, aimed to maintain a racial hierarchy.

A hierarchy so entrenched, it inspired the likes of Hitler and South Africa, who attempted to perfect the system.

I’d also hardly call this rule “archaic”. Considering it wasn’t repealed until Loving v. Virginia in 1967, that would mean that many people are still alive who lived under this rule.

When I say many, I mean our Parents and grandparents (at most, we are perhaps 3 generations off this rule, since Gen X would have come at the end of the law)

So the system you claim to be archaic has only become so legally within the past couple generations, but socially is still very much so in living memory.

Also, not sure if you is referring to me, cuz I’m Black, but the one drop rule manifests itself in the Black community as well.

We use it as a means of identification, we employed paper bag tests to determine whether one could “pass” as a white person (or to maintain a hierarchy that kept light skinned Black people at the top).

Many of our most prominent people advocated for a color based hierarchy, no doubt influenced by the larger racist rhetoric.

A portion of Madame CJ Walker’s fortune came from skin lightening creams.

Langston Hughs would regularly degrade dark skinned Black people in his works.

HBCUs use to control for the amount of dark skinned students they accepted.

These “archaic” policies shaped much of the 20th century, but also impacted the trajectory of future generations as those exposed to this rhetoric would then teach it to their children.

So while I commend you for your dedication to righting the wrongs of the past, you would do best to study how these wrongs manifested themselves, not only in the larger American society, but also within the very communities targeted.

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The3rdRepublic t1_j0rgkfn wrote

That's a black man, but not part of Black Americans culture

I make a huge distinction between blacks who are part of the black Americans heritage, and blacks who came from recently immigrants population who are almost never associated with crimes

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Phoenixstorm t1_j0rivgi wrote

Gross. Racism is gross. People all over the world commit crimes. White people commit crimes. Black people commit crimes. Asians commit crimes. Brown people commit crimes. Stop racializing everything.

And stop trying to pit black americans against black immigrants. My family has been black american in this country since the 1600's and we have doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers in our family for the last 200 years. So stfu.

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The3rdRepublic t1_j0rl6gp wrote

Of course all races commit crimes

I do understand why my statement can make you feel hurt. However, my statement is not about you, or the people u stated in family

However, the fact is Blacks population, descended from the slaves are more associated with crimes

Just because a population is associated with more crimes, doesn't mean the majority of that population are criminals. For example, let's say the frequency of left handedness in one population is 1%, and the left handedness in another population is 10%. The majority of the 2nd population are not left handed

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