Blackness
 

I was inspired by the thread about Whiteness to make this one. Also it's been a topic that's come up a lot on this forum lately.

Who is a Black person? What does it mean to be Black? Who gets to decide? Does the one drop rule definite who's Black or not? Is Black a social group? Why do some people hate being black so much? Should Black only be equal to Negroid? Is a tamil Indian Black? Does someone changing the definition of black actually change what it means to be black? If someone practices "black culture" does it mean there black? What is "Black culture" is it only listening to Hip-Hop/RNB? Does an quadroon who practices "Black culture" Blacker than someone who is 100% Black and practices "white culture"? What if everyone was seen as Black or no one was? Would it change anything really? Is it really that bad to be Black? If so does the broadening of the term higher any of its perceived value? Just questions to get the topic going you don't necessary have to answers them it will be welcome if you did though.

To me Black in the New world context should be someone who is at least 70% SSA. For the old world some who is from West-Central Africa or Negroid parts of Africa.

Your opinions?

Black is anyone who looks pred Black in pheno, culturally black is anyone who practice SSA African culture and ways.

According to that logic Australoid's are black.

So if white persons practice a SSA culture he's black?http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/confused.gif

Not in the racial sense, but culturally, like a SSA man is culturally white if he practices Euro culture.
Australoids doesn't look like West Africans, so no.

In Slavic countries they describe MENA immigrants as black.

Black to me is more of an identity than a phenotype.If a pred SSA doesnt want to idenitify with being black, then I wouldnt consider them black but Other. But if a Biracial wants to.idenitfy with being Black, then.Ill consider them to be Black. Some of my relatives dont look pred SSA, but they will be flipping angry if you tell them they arent Black.

Your definition is narrow.

---------- Post added 2012-03-12 at 00:47 ----------

Before you can say that you first have to define what black is, http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/rolleyes.gif

Then gives us yours. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

To us they don't really look like West Africans but, to the majority of people in the world that aren't interested in Anthropology they will confuse them for blacks most of the time.

I understand us Afram have been taught to appreciate our Afro side more but, still the genetic and phentypical reality is there not.

How so?

70% SSA and from West-Central Africa? The first people to be called "blacks" weren't even from those areas and had mixture that was variable.

I stated my opinion, not the world's. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/wink.gif

Weren't the first people to be called black were Nilotes, cause I consider them black as well or Negroid if you like.

Anyone of African ancestry who identifies as such.

People have different definitions by experience, my definition of black for example is different to yours, as my experience is far different, to US blacks is a identity, to me is a race.

---------- Post added 2012-03-12 at 02:55 ----------

Exactly, different form mine, Black to me is not an identity.

That term Negroid is even worse.

---------- Post added 2012-03-12 at 00:57 ----------

Biological race doesn't exist, plus most people aren't familiar with African diversity, some people think that "black" people especially Africans all look one stereotypical way.

All of them including East Africans and excluding North Africansare Black, hence it is a race.Identity is a culture, traditionadn lifeway, not anything related to race, so anyone can have it.

How so?

If so then why do certain people always cluster genetically with the population or better the race they come form.

To give an example, no matter how you genetically cluster its the phenotypes in Africa tht are diverse. As far as genotypes some Africans are closer to the hypothetical root of humanity like Pygmies and San while other Africans are distant, nearly as distant from the latter Pygmies and San as they are Europeans. Don't get fooled by PCAs, they don't prove race.

Black is a Western social construct. Most Africans dont idenitify with being Black like us New Worlders, they identify with thier.tribes, and the label Black is given to them from the outside. For Aframs like me, being Black is a identity created from the One Drop definition of having visible SSA ancestry in various degrees. Blackness to me is a cultral identity.

And alot of times genotype doesnt match up with phenotype, ie Camille Pitanga whos parents were pred SSA but her pheno is pred.Euro and she proudly identfies with being Black despite not looking pred SSA

No it is not race, genetics don't prove race, lets not have that crazy argument again, it is possible for a person of so called "mixed race" to genetically plot with people who are not mixed.

---------- Post added 2012-03-12 at 01:24 ----------

If biological race existed all non-Africans would be an African "subrace" and would not occupy the same hierarchical position as Africans. In that scheme "Caucasoids" and Mongoloids would be "Negroid" subraces. There is no need for that type of nonsense.