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Re: 'Colorism' is Alive and Well
Posted By: Ayinde In Response To: Re: 'Colorism' is Alive and Well *LINK* (Eja)
Date: Friday, 4 November 2005, at 8:24 a.m.
The article, in a way, is stating that the ideas behind racism have been internalized by Blacks too. This is an important point which we have made on this board before. It is not just light-skinned or White ones who harbour racist ideas today, but most people, including the blackest of people.
Black children were/are routinely told "Don't Play in the sun, you will get too black." Black children were/are being told this by there Black parents. Having witnessed the status quo for so long, many Blacks, without the benefit of recapturing history to see through racism, simply believed the racist notions about Blacks. There are dark-skinned Blacks, like people of other races and light-skinned Blacks, who do not feel that a dark-skinned Black person could be knowledgeable 'enough' in 'professional fields. They were conditioned to see Whites as the smart ones and light-skinned Blacks next in line.
"Don't play in the sun" should be a constant reminder to Blacks of the damning effect of Racism, and its direct descendant Colorism.
Always, ideas of one’s class status feed more delusions. The writer of that article, Debra Dickerson, comes over as another deluded light-skinned Black person. Apparently she built the illusion/delusion of her superiority along class lines so much so that she had a problem when the Black guy tried to identify with her. In an instant she was reminded of her physical Blackness and she reacted from that. Being light-skinned Black, she may experience a less brutal relationship with white police and the white system in general. She will not experience the extremities in the same way many dark-skinned Blacks do.
However, I know some deluded dark-skinned Blacks who talk just like her when they buy into being superior to other dark-skinned Blacks. When the color game does not work they would use ‘education’, differences in the texture of hair, money etc. to claim superiority over other dark-skinned Blacks.
Class today is not really different from the Slave plantation model.
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