Colorism & Racism

I am very sorry and rather surprised that White Hispanics are regarded in this light. I am assuming this is how you were perceived by Trinidadians? (I hope you don't mind me asking.) I am very curious LDS. I know that you have dismissed all these "labels" as nonsense. But if I may ask, how do you feel to be judged by your race, before you have the opportunity to speak? This is how people of African descent feel. It is hard being born with dark skin when society refuses to acknowledge that dark skinned people are beautiful and competent human beings too. People of African descent are forced to fight for everything in life. And I am not talking about only in America but all over the world.

While pursuing a course in Sociology, I distinctly remember a case that captured my interest. A sociologist conducted an experiment involving a group of nine year old girls of African descent. The girls were placed in a play room and were invited to choose any Barbie doll to play with. On one table, there were dark skinned Barbie dolls and on another table, there were fair skinned (or Caucasian) Barbie dolls. Interestingly enough, all the girls chose the Caucasian Barbie dolls. Each child was individually interviewed by the sociologist and questioned about her choice. The responses were all the same. The girls claimed that the blonde hair, blue eyed, Caucasian Barbie dolls were prettier than the dark skinned Barbie dolls. Some of the girls even stated that they wanted to be "pretty just like the Caucasian Barbie dolls" when they grow up. So you see LDS, children are socialized to believe from an early age that, "black is not beautiful" and already, they are exposed to stereotyping. As they grow older, they will learn that this stereotyping is reinforced by wider society.

At universities, people of African descent are "singled out" as the criminals. If there is a crime committed on the campus, the students of African descent are usually blamed. In the workplace, individuals of African descent are working industriously in low level positions. When management decides to promote employees, the Caucasians are selected over those of African descent. The interesting part about this is, in some cases, the Africans are more qualified and worked harder than the others. But they never get the position because management must maintain the "status quo." And then you wonder why people of African descent become offended by remarks made by Caucasians? It is because they are tired of being ridiculed and not respected as human beings.

Yes I agree with you there. I will also admit that people of African descent are not proud of their race and need to love themselves more. However, if you are constantly being treated differently from others, it is only natural for you to become weary of it and hence the self fulfilling prophecy begins. You begin to see your race as unworthy and behave accordingly.

I am very disappointed to have learnt that Beyonce recently had plastic surgery done to her nose. I always believed that she was a very attractive lady who sings very well. But I suppose plastic surgery is a personal choice. In the entertainment industry, "looks will determine the level of your success" which is so unfortunate! The stereotypical view of a beautiful lady is projected as blonde hair, blue eyes and fair skin (Caucasian); this is why so many individuals of African descent choose to straighten their hair, buy blue contact lens or even lighten their skin. They go through all this trouble in hope of receiving acceptance by the majority. How sad!

May I bring your attention, the famous Sports Illustrated magazine. We are bombarded by pictures of women mainly Caucasian of course, on the covers of this magazine. Tyra Banks was the first model of African descent, to be selected for the cover of Sports Illustrated (not sure what year this was). Why is that LDS? Because the perception of the majority is "fair skinned people are far more attractive than those with darker skin." Beyonce recently modelled for the cover of Sports Illustrated (I think it was earlier on this year or the latter part of last year) and the magazine itself was criticized for "lightening Beyonce's skin" on the cover of the magazine. And then you wonder why people of African descent are trying to look more "European?" It is because the majority chooses to stereotype the view that being "Caucasian" is far more beautiful than those of African descent.

Of course Chris Rocke is raising awareness when he makes jokes about it. The audience hears the joke, laughs and then at the end of the show, they go home and think about it. The following day, these same people will share this information with others and will discuss the real issues behind these jokes.

I will concede that there are double standards all over the world LDS. I consider this to be a flaw in mankind.

Message Edited... Edited by LDS: Hi Geenie. I decided to edit and move your message here since is dealing specifically with Racism/Colorism issues. Thanks.

I was putting myself as an example of other White Hispanics but I never had major problems in Trinidad concerning my ethnicity, just comments here and there but nothing worth remembering. I did had a couple of unpleasant experiences while I was living in the US. But I was mainly trying to explain how certain races or ethnicities are perceived by different groups.

You mean by my ethnicity. Hispanic is not a race. We have a thread located here:

Hispanic Not a Race?

Anyhow, I know what you are saying and is true. Certain races seem to have it "better" than others.

I remember this study being done many times. As a matter of fact we also have a thread about it with a Youtube video:

A Girl Like Me

You are right in a lot of points but let's understand why some people (wrongly) assume for instance that a good Black person could be a criminal. Let's look at some statistics:

https://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/usa/incarceration/

I am NOT justifying the discrimination but there is a huge percentage of African Americans in the jail system.

It was not done recently, she just kind of fixed her nose (the widest top part, unique to a lot of African Americans). Yes, she obviously did not wanted a "Black" nose. She also had a lip reduction (another unique feature of Blacks). Here is a link:

https://www.celebrityplasticpics.com/beyonce.htm

Look at her before and after pics, and you can well see how "European" she is trying to look.

Interesting you mention that because Tyra is NOT your typical African American woman. She is obviously mixed so is Beyonce. The beautiful African American actresses and singers (if you notice) are clearly mixed and these are the people the African American community define as beautiful.

Listen to me, that is not excuse for someone to deny their heritage and try to be someone else. It's silly. In Trinidad for instance, it's amazing to me how people who are obviously Afro-Trinidadians (hair, features, everything) always try to say they are "mixed" with this or with that (maybe they are but the mix is so little almost unnoticeable) why to even bring it up? It is almost like they are embarrassed to say they are just "Black" or "East Indian" and they need to bring another race in play. Although I understand the diversity of races in the country, we need to have some sort of common sense. It is like me trying to say I am mixed with Russian or German, people will laugh. This is what I am trying to say. Even the so called "Reds" do not see themselves as "Black" at all. I am shocked at this because really race has little or nothing to do with skin color.

East Indians are an absolutely different topic in itself because they are obsessed to what exact shade they are and who is fair and who is not. I am not sure if Trinidadians perceive these things but those are my perceptions as an outsider.

Racism is a worldwide issue that will never stop due to man's ignorance. The same way some ignorant white people perceive African Americans or Blacks is the same way THEY (Blacks) perceive white people. It goes both ways.

How many people you know in Trinidad are keen about local whites or syrians? They describe them as the worst set of people. Here is a thread if you want to reply:

https://www.bordeglobal.com/foruminv/index....showtopic=20309

So really, every race around the world gets a taste of what racism is. It's not only the Black community.