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06-17-2009, 05:58 PM
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And I'm not sure what your getting at about the fair skin being a sign of good and tan or darker skin a sign of bad. I'm pretty sure st. Thomas is the same as here, most people I know want to get tan. I don't know many people who want to stay pale ( I am one who wishes to get little sun). Why are tanning salons so popular if everyone is trying so hard to stay pale? I don't know how you can use this as an argument here in the US at least. I have never once heard someone compare tanning to becoming more African American or vice versa for people wanting to stay pale. Sorry for this rant, I jumped around a lot mostly because I kept thinking of different things to say. And I do not intend to offend anyone, sorry if I did. And lastly St. Thomas is an awesome place. |
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06-17-2009, 06:10 PM
Guys, all of you relax..
If you have a Japanese friend, ask him or her the question, and paste the repsonse. Some people like white skin, some people are naturally white, some olive, some darker, other's couldn't care either way, etc. It all comes down to preference.. Personally, I like a bit of a tan. Cheers - Oz |
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06-17-2009, 06:32 PM
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"Our perception of beauty did not evolve from the idea of "hey, lets exclude those black people from our society" It eveolved from the idea of finding the partner that could best carry our child.Status (from here the pale idea came from) and body shape (which has been and indicator of health, example: a curved body has a greater chance of a successful carriage. Fact by the way, and so on)" It's fine to rant. Those are your opinions. I've been saying my opinions all along, it would be dumb of me to say "You're not allowed to rant!" However, I think you're crossing the line juuuuust a little bit when you say, "Are you insane? I think you're ignorant." I don't think you're ignorant because your opinions differ from mine. I just want to suggest that you figure out where my opinions come from before saying I'm ignorant, because you don't really know where I'm coming from, you know? A lot of people think that racism is only signs saying "NO COLOREDS ALLOWED." It's also internalized racism. To think that a race, any race, isn't attractive is racism. Let me for a second talk about my friend, who is a person of color. She isn't attracted to white men at all. She thinks white men are ugly. When I asked her why, she said that white men are rude and don't know how to have sex. She assumed negative qualities about another race. That's racism - internalized racism, because it's an internal factor that's been shaped by the way she was raised. It's a subconscious thing. She's not going around to white men calling them crackers, but the way she thinks shows she suffers from internalized racism. I also suffer from internalized racism - everyone does. I'm challenging myself and others to think about these things. And that's why I asked all of those questions. I wanted to know if there are any assumed negative qualities that go along with brown skin for anyone who thinks brown skin is unattractive. I think it's a little interesting that no one has really answered those questions. I'm sorry if you think that I'm trying to play the victim. I am a victim of racism, I've experienced it many times. But on this thread, I'm not trying to say, "O WOE IS ME, ME AGAINST THE EVIL WORLD!" I agree with you when it comes to making race noticeable by arguing about racism. It's a catch 22. I don't want to bring up race because I want to think of everyone as a human being first. However, when racism comes up, I don't let it go. I will say something. I just want to challenge people and challenge racism. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Believe me, outside of racism, I don't go running around to people and scream in their faces, "I'M BLACK!" The fact is that there aren't nearly as many black actors/actresses in Hollywood movies. The media is a huge factor in the way people think. If you're constantly told that this woman is glamorous and beautiful, then you will most likely subconsciously look at her, pick her factors apart, and decide that there are different things that make her beautiful: she has blonde hair, she has blue eyes, she is rich, she is white. A sidenote: on the People's Magazine top 25 hottest celebrities, only three people with dark skin are on that list. That's not very equal, is it? As for white and black, I was talking about the use of vocabulary. When you look at a white person's skin, they're not actually white. White is a sheet of paper. Most white people have darker skin tones. Black people aren't actually black. Most black people have lighter skin tones. Yet society has chosen those words - words that already have associations. Black is usually associated with evil. "Black magic," for example. White is associated with purity and innocence. Wedding dresses are usually white for that reason. The vocabulary alone implies racism. That's all I'm saying. I'm not insane. A lot of people are learning about the same things, writing essays and books on the same thing. It's not mainstream because it makes people feel uncomfortable. |
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06-17-2009, 06:34 PM
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I have no bad feelings or annoyances. You are talking about your race, and that's fine, but what I am saying is this thread is NOT about your race. Quote:
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06-17-2009, 06:41 PM
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Seriously, I thought we were done with whatever conversation we were having - I don't even remember what we were talking about before. If it's really that important to you, I'll check it out later. You proved that you don't understand the feelings of alienation because you're not a person of color. If you did, you might be a little more sensitive. Oh, and Barone: Yes. St. Thomas is awesome. =) |
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06-17-2009, 07:17 PM
We all are prejudiced against something. It just takes a smart person to realize that this is a stupid way to think and look further into that person. The world is made up of many different races and cultures. What a boring place it would be if not. Black people gave us many things like music for example. How can anyone diminish this contribution? Yes, slavery was a bad thing. But think about there would be no Blues or Rock and Roll if ancestors of these slaves never came here to America. And Mercedesjin, for you, what if they never took slaves to the Caribbean? Not only would there be no Reggae or Calypso, there wouldn't be a you.
I'm sure you think you need to fight to change people's minds about racism, but truth is that racists minds are already closed and no amount of fighting or talking will change their minds. Try to change their minds through positive example. Most people on this forum are open minded already since they love Japanese culture, so I doubt you will find a lot of racism here. You sound like a beautiful lady and I understand what you are saying. Just go show the world how beautiful you are and change the minds of those who are willing to change by the example you set. To Hell with the rest of them. |
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06-17-2009, 07:20 PM
Ok sorry, I wasn't trying to personally attacking you and calling YOU insane.
Now just let me ask this simple question. I don't mean to derail this whole topic into another section. This is just something that I think is relevant to this topic but I don't want to start a whole other topic about gender. But as we were talking about attractiveness and racism. And how not physically being attracted to someone is racism. Now let me ask this, is it then sexism if your not attracted to a certain sex. Just because everyone is not Bi-sexual, does this mean they are all sexist. I feel that these have the same basic principles. again, I wish not to start a topic on gender (there is already one going at the moment) I just feel this specific question ties to this thread. |
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06-17-2009, 07:21 PM
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You don't remember what we were talking about before? Do you remember getting so upset you couldn't continue reading my posts? But it is becoming clear to me that the conversation we were having was never a conversation because obviously no communication was taking place. You spoke. I responded. You spoke. I responded. But you have yet to respond to anything I had to say with any substance, just accusations. How have I proven I don't understand the feeling of being alienated? I lived three years in a city of over 100,000 people and knew only two other people of my race who lived there. But maybe you are right. I actually didn't feel alienated there because that only would have slowed me down. I felt very much a part of my neighborhood and work community, even if not everyone around me felt the same way. |
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06-17-2009, 07:31 PM
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Maybe it's because it's the Internet, it's hard to get a joking tone across. I'll make sure to say I'm joking next time. Anyway. Like I said, I'll check it out later. When I'm ready. Because yes, I remember feeling upset. I still feel upset. I don't want to feel upset anymore. Reading your post will most likely make me feel upset, so I don't want to right now. Don't worry, I'll read it eventually. Your time of alienation sounds interesting. You should talk about it more often. |
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