Comments on: I have no words http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/ ~ all shades of beautiful Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:38:11 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Letsbefair http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-171951 Letsbefair Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:05:21 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-171951 Come on everyone, let's be fair. You guys are ridiculous. Has anyone on this website EVER watched the Chappelle Show? Where Dave Chappelle dresses up as a "white" guy...white powder and all. And that was on national television. Now you guys want to get upset about a pimps and hoes party? All of you need to grow up and quit looking to have people feel sorry for African American's. I'm tired of having to tip-toe around minorities. They speak their mind about whites, so why can't we do the same? HOLLA BACK Come on everyone, let’s be fair. You guys are ridiculous. Has anyone on this website EVER watched the Chappelle Show? Where Dave Chappelle dresses up as a “white” guy…white powder and all. And that was on national television. Now you guys want to get upset about a pimps and hoes party? All of you need to grow up and quit looking to have people feel sorry for African American’s. I’m tired of having to tip-toe around minorities. They speak their mind about whites, so why can’t we do the same?

HOLLA BACK

]]> By: Ms.Tara http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-167612 Ms.Tara Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:38:27 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-167612 I am an african-american black sistah, and i am only 15 years old. I grew up in a very isolated town where racism was almost distinct... It was a small town in New Jersey, color didn't matter, neither did race. I never thought anything of color, because in my young mind i thought, 'It doesn't matter, it will never be looked at by another person in a negative way.' I found that to be true, untill my family and i moved out to Georgia for a cheeper housing market (at age 11). This is when i began to experience racist comments, that at first shocked me and still does to this very day. Yes, i know that racism has not died, and that as long as people raise their children to think racist-like than it will continue. I just wonder so often if it will ever change, we never know... I mean Obama, a black and white man was elected as president by Popular Sovereignty, which J. F. Kennedy, less than 60 years ago, said that he "doubted(a negroe man) would ever become president in another 50 years or so". So it may happen.I am against white and black supremacy, because no single race should be allowed power over another. God made us all equal. On top of that, i do believe that blacks do degrade other blacks, this is based upon the experiances i have gone through throughout my short 15 years of life. Most recently, i have been told by ones closest to me about how they dont like darker-toned blacks. This hurts me and makes me think "where do i lye?". Because i am a beautiful, darkskinned girl(a medium-dark tone)... and i question if i am looked on as worse or uglier than my fellow light-skinned friends, only because of my complextion(because i am prettier than most of them.) Yet i still feel looked down upon. Once i was in class and i was speaking with this one darkskinned guy who was about my complexion, a little darker, who to me was FINE/ and i'm picky. I was conversing with him and my former lightskinned friend and we were talking about his family, She then said... "UR NOT AS PRETTY AS YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER, BECAUSE YOUR NOT AS LIGHT" speaking to him. This comment left me in Aw, because his parents were not pretty (at all/ i dont know where he got his genes??) but he was gorgeous. With all that being said, i just find it sad that i am only 15 and i have experienced 11(and still counting) negative racial comments. And that at age 12 i had already experienced 9. I wonder HOW and IF this problem can be fixed, if it can, which i am praying for. I am an african-american black sistah, and i am only 15 years old. I grew up in a very isolated town where racism was almost distinct… It was a small town in New Jersey, color didn’t matter, neither did race. I never thought anything of color, because in my young mind i thought, ‘It doesn’t matter, it will never be looked at by another person in a negative way.’ I found that to be true, untill my family and i moved out to Georgia for a cheeper housing market (at age 11). This is when i began to experience racist comments, that at first shocked me and still does to this very day. Yes, i know that racism has not died, and that as long as people raise their children to think racist-like than it will continue. I just wonder so often if it will ever change, we never know… I mean Obama, a black and white man was elected as president by Popular Sovereignty, which J. F. Kennedy, less than 60 years ago, said that he “doubted(a negroe man) would ever become president in another 50 years or so”. So it may happen.I am against white and black supremacy, because no single race should be allowed power over another. God made us all equal. On top of that, i do believe that blacks do degrade other blacks, this is based upon the experiances i have gone through throughout my short 15 years of life. Most recently, i have been told by ones closest to me about how they dont like darker-toned blacks. This hurts me and makes me think “where do i lye?”. Because i am a beautiful, darkskinned girl(a medium-dark tone)… and i question if i am looked on as worse or uglier than my fellow light-skinned friends, only because of my complextion(because i am prettier than most of them.) Yet i still feel looked down upon. Once i was in class and i was speaking with this one darkskinned guy who was about my complexion, a little darker, who to me was FINE/ and i’m picky. I was conversing with him and my former lightskinned friend and we were talking about his family, She then said… “UR NOT AS PRETTY AS YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER, BECAUSE YOUR NOT AS LIGHT” speaking to him. This comment left me in Aw, because his parents were not pretty (at all/ i dont know where he got his genes??) but he was gorgeous. With all that being said, i just find it sad that i am only 15 and i have experienced 11(and still counting) negative racial comments. And that at age 12 i had already experienced 9. I wonder HOW and IF this problem can be fixed, if it can, which i am praying for.

]]> By: PTM http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-12150 PTM Mon, 09 Apr 2007 17:46:25 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-12150 Oh, stop being all updity and crap. Oh, stop being all updity and crap.

]]> By: Ancient Astronaut http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-7453 Ancient Astronaut Mon, 19 Feb 2007 17:24:25 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-7453 Aww come on people, this is just their way of wanting to come back home. They do this: KKK dressing up like the Perfect Black, Osiris, The Vatican kissing the Black feet of the Black Madonna, botox, lips, buttocks injections and heated curls, Justin and Britannyisms, excessive tribal and other kinds of tattoos (synthetic melanin??)and rap music...all because they desire to come back home. Their just our lost children and we really have to show them how to act. But we can't do that until we show ourselves how to act. This is a negative representation, popular...but negative. They are just showing us how we act on TV and in the malls, schools and clubs. Don't get mad, it's true. Somewhere there are negroes who look like that. So why get mad?? Why continuously be shocked?? Come, come now. The media loves it when we get like this. It gives them an excuse to call themselves the "N" word, so then 50 years down the line that term will be static and grey, and will not evoke any unease within the Black mind. So all you can really do is prepare your offspring for a rough ride baby, cause it ain't goin' nowhere (exuse the double negative there), unless of course there's some revolution...of the mind, more than of the matter, which leads to that saying, "MIND OVER MATTER..IF YOU DON"T MIND, THEN IT DON'T MATTER". Now go and finish celebrating Black History weeks before you get too angry. Aww come on people, this is just their way of wanting to come back home. They do this: KKK dressing up like the Perfect Black, Osiris, The Vatican kissing the Black feet of the Black Madonna, botox, lips, buttocks injections and heated curls, Justin and Britannyisms, excessive tribal and other kinds of tattoos (synthetic melanin??)and rap music…all because they desire to come back home. Their just our lost children and we really have to show them how to act. But we can’t do that until we show ourselves how to act. This is a negative representation, popular…but negative. They are just showing us how we act on TV and in the malls, schools and clubs. Don’t get mad, it’s true. Somewhere there are negroes who look like that. So why get mad?? Why continuously be shocked?? Come, come now. The media loves it when we get like this. It gives them an excuse to call themselves the “N” word, so then 50 years down the line that term will be static and grey, and will not evoke any unease within the Black mind. So all you can really do is prepare your offspring for a rough ride baby, cause it ain’t goin’ nowhere (exuse the double negative there), unless of course there’s some revolution…of the mind, more than of the matter, which leads to that saying, “MIND OVER MATTER..IF YOU DON”T MIND, THEN IT DON’T MATTER”. Now go and finish celebrating Black History weeks before you get too angry.

]]> By: Coffy http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-6841 Coffy Mon, 12 Feb 2007 18:15:02 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-6841 i agree Teri, there needs to be a balance in the images that we put out into society. i agree Teri, there needs to be a balance in the images that we put out into society.

]]> By: Teri http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-6694 Teri Sun, 11 Feb 2007 01:40:38 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-6694 I was just invited to a "white-trash" party that was being hosted by a bunch of predominantly white students and I gladly declined the offer. I immediately thought of this post and thought about how wrong it is to mock any group of persons from any culture. I read the CNN article and I have to agree that some African Americans in the media (musicians, comedians, entertainers) do in fact perpetuate these images and stereotypes. By openly ridiculing certain, less admirable persons of the culture, the dirty laundry has been aired. In a country whose history is steeped in racism, African Americans must be careful about how they speak about themselves, even if in jest. I am from the Caribbean, so I cannot speak in the first person, but I can say that I sympathize with the African Americans that do not emulate or lead the stereotypical lives portrayed in the media. And, I try to help others to understand that these stereotypes do not reign throughout African American homes. I think that all black people (myself included)need to continue to defy these portrayals of ourselves as babbling buffoons (yes, West Indians too), because not only are our silence and tolerance permitting outsiders to perceive us in a negative way, but our complacency is also permitting our children to process and internalize these images. Black children are internalizing these images of black men who only care about cars, money and female genitalia and of black women who need only to shake their half-naked butts to get attention. Our children are defining themselves based on these images. For a second, put aside what's been said about and done to us, and talk to a sister or brother about how we can break the cycle within the family circle. Know what I mean? Thanks for posting this Afrobella..it's created quite a dialogue...and who doesn't love dialogue? Peace and hair grease. I was just invited to a “white-trash” party that was being hosted by a bunch of predominantly white students and I gladly declined the offer. I immediately thought of this post and thought about how wrong it is to mock any group of persons from any culture. I read the CNN article and I have to agree that some African Americans in the media (musicians, comedians, entertainers) do in fact perpetuate these images and stereotypes. By openly ridiculing certain, less admirable persons of the culture, the dirty laundry has been aired. In a country whose history is steeped in racism, African Americans must be careful about how they speak about themselves, even if in jest. I am from the Caribbean, so I cannot speak in the first person, but I can say that I sympathize with the African Americans that do not emulate or lead the stereotypical lives portrayed in the media. And, I try to help others to understand that these stereotypes do not reign throughout African American homes. I think that all black people (myself included)need to continue to defy these portrayals of ourselves as babbling buffoons (yes, West Indians too), because not only are our silence and tolerance permitting outsiders to perceive us in a negative way, but our complacency is also permitting our children to process and internalize these images. Black children are internalizing these images of black men who only care about cars, money and female genitalia and of black women who need only to shake their half-naked butts to get attention. Our children are defining themselves based on these images. For a second, put aside what’s been said about and done to us, and talk to a sister or brother about how we can break the cycle within the family circle. Know what I mean? Thanks for posting this Afrobella..it’s created quite a dialogue…and who doesn’t love dialogue? Peace and hair grease.

]]> By: Coffy http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-5975 Coffy Fri, 02 Feb 2007 02:50:33 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-5975 well the story finally made it to the mainstream media: http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/01/31/gangsta.parties.ap/index.html well the story finally made it to the mainstream media: http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/01/31/gangsta.parties.ap/index.html

]]> By: lulu http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-5870 lulu Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:31:56 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-5870 Kudos to Monica!!!! Community Service? Why on earth would we want these people to come into our neighborhoods and community? To teach them the way that they should go????/ I mean, we tend to waste sooooo much time trying to convert racist white people to respect us, yet we don't take NEARLY as much energy and time to focus on why we are not respecting ourselves to stop GIVING them these stereotypes(that are quitereal, unfortunately) to copycat... "This is who America dubs as the future of our country. We are in a whole lotta trouble!-anjol" These people are not the future of our country...they are the present state of our country...aka..the government, and too many more to list...and yes, we are in a state of a whole lot of trouble...this sort of action is nothing new...we are acting as if white people have never acted out in such atrocity. The change does NOT start with "reforming" white people or getting "non-racist" white people to respect us(what the He**), we have been asking for their respect for years now, and it has not gotten us anywhere, can we start asking ourselves to respect each other first?...it starts within our own communities...we need to come together again as a whole...thats the true answer...stop waiting for the great white hope boat..it's not coming!!!! A great book on racism is: The United Independent Compensatory Code / System / Concept: A textbook / workbook for thought, speech and/or action for victims of racism (white supremacy) by Neely Fuller and The Isis Papers by Francess Cress Welsing Kudos to Monica!!!!

Community Service? Why on earth would we want these people to come into our neighborhoods and community? To teach them the way that they should go????/ I mean, we tend to waste sooooo much time trying to convert racist white people to respect us, yet we don’t take NEARLY as much energy and time to focus on why we are not respecting ourselves to stop GIVING them these stereotypes(that are quitereal, unfortunately) to copycat…

“This is who America dubs as the future of our country. We are in a whole lotta trouble!-anjol”

These people are not the future of our country…they are the present state of our country…aka..the government, and too many more to list…and yes, we are in a state of a whole lot of trouble…this sort of action is nothing new…we are acting as if white people have never acted out in such atrocity. The change does NOT start with “reforming” white people or getting “non-racist” white people to respect us(what the He**), we have been asking for their respect for years now, and it has not gotten us anywhere, can we start asking ourselves to respect each other first?…it starts within our own communities…we need to come together again as a whole…thats the true answer…stop waiting for the great white hope boat..it’s not coming!!!!

A great book on racism is: The United Independent Compensatory Code / System / Concept: A textbook / workbook for thought, speech and/or action for victims of racism (white supremacy) by Neely Fuller

and

The Isis Papers by Francess Cress Welsing

]]> By: BlackHoney http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-5869 BlackHoney Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:21:57 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-5869 I don't think black people should have to change our popular image. 1) Some people are always going to be racist. They will find the most assimilated black person and find some reason to impersonate them. 2) When we criticize ourselves harshly and laugh and taut or look down oncertain aspects of African American life, we give others permission to do so as well. White people didn't invent the word ghetto-fabulous, we did. We don't always appreciate nappy hair, so others laugh at it. We criticize men who wear jerseys and grillz and caps, therefore other do also. I don’t think black people should have to change our popular image. 1) Some people are always going to be racist. They will find the most assimilated black person and find some reason to impersonate them. 2) When we criticize ourselves harshly and laugh and taut or look down oncertain aspects of African American life, we give others permission to do so as well. White people didn’t invent the word ghetto-fabulous, we did. We don’t always appreciate nappy hair, so others laugh at it. We criticize men who wear jerseys and grillz and caps, therefore other do also.

]]> By: anjol http://www.afrobella.com/2007/01/30/i-have-no-words/comment-page-1/#comment-5857 anjol Wed, 31 Jan 2007 13:24:18 +0000 http://afrobella.com/?p=155#comment-5857 What da h-? This is who America dubs as the future of our country. We are in a whole lotta trouble! What da h-? This is who America dubs as the future of our country. We are in a whole lotta trouble!

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