Thanks Sophia for your comment. I agree with you... God has the last words on the matter...
Check out the video that reference #12 points to... the link points to... a video.
On the reading links and references topic, I'd like to quote Anil Dash, on his post Learning from Experience
Since I hate to complain without offering a solution, what I'd like to do is propose a new model for responding to the blogosphere's frequent and characteristic calls to action against Stuff That Sucks. First, read the link. Don't go being a slashdot flameboy. Read the thing that's being linked to. Second, we're good at collectively ferreting out information, so let's find the person responsible. There can't be that many people responsible for a terms of service document at a publishing company, and it's easier to get a revision made if we know who's going to do it.
rockynoggin
· 4 years ago
Thanks for the trackback. Not sure that there'll be one "brown" human race 300 years from now, but I guess that's one possibility.
From my perspective, and yes it is biased due to my American (unitedstatsian) background; the Mexican population doesn't have to contend with the rich mixture of cultures that we have in los Estados Unidos. Given the dynamics of our culture, there's bound to be discontent but such is the nature of a true open society.
Further, the great majority of responses from Mexicans have been very (almost identically) similar to those I heard as a youth from US southerners objecting to equal rights for blacks. To wit - "This is our culture, and everything works well, it has been like this for generations and nobody is unhappy so why don't you outsiders mind your own business?"
But the truth is, as we all know, blacks were being oppressed.
As to the argument of American seperatism ("african americans" "latino americans" etc) I don't know what to say about that. It pains me, as an American, to see people divide themselves so. But in the end, when it really matters, you see ALL of us come together (as after 9/11) and everyone feels the kinship that you Mexicans claim to have at all times.
My guess (again, my bias) is that you folks are fooling yourselves in thinking that you have a great society. There is no middle class in Mexico that I'm aware of. And since so many of your citizens are seeking to enter the US, I would assume that despite our "racial problems" and "moral superiority complexe" a great many of your own citizens would rather be American and not Mexican.
Jorge A. Sivilla
· 4 years ago
OK everubody. I don't see why we have to fight over this matter here, the fact is that we are different countries with different points of view. Now, as a middle class Mexican, I can tell you rockynoggin that many people make mistakes by not knowing what they are talking about, and I am sorry but I have to tell the truth as it is, THERE IS a middle class in Mexico, sometimes even more educated than middle class in other countries, I don't want to mention not to make this any more difficult to be understood, but take for instance, the city I live in, it is a city of around 5 million people, Monterrey, not as in Monterey, California, but with a double R. Ok, only in the area where I live, we have a concentration of 1 million upper middle class people, that is one of the 7 different counties that make the Greater Monterrey area, ok, I know there is poverty in my country, but this country is growing every day, through our hard work and education, we may not have Harvad or an MIT, but we do have the best university in Latin America in this city, now, you are saying I don't exist?... and this is just this city, now count for Mexico City, Guadalajara, etc, there are many middle size cities in this country with a rather large middle class population of educated people, and we DO EXIST, and we also can think and make ourselves heard, just to give you an example, half of my classroom in high school spoke English as a second language and around 20% of us spoke at least a third language besides English and Spanish, and all that in a middle class school in Southern Mexico where I lived at that time, by the way, the Mexican South is one of the least developed areas of the country, but the Government focuses more on that area to try to bring it up to the pace of the rest of the Country.
Now, our middle class is different from the US typical middle class in terms of income, as most of the rest of the countries of the world are, it would be unfair to try to compare the rest of the world with the largest and most powerful economy in the world, don't you think?... we all have our own problems, but we all work everyday to try to solve them. Of course I make much less than a middle class American, but in terms of my own country this is our middle class, each country should be analized from an individual point of view and through its own facts, and then we would be able to comare. Just as an example, the friends I have in Ecuador and Bolivia, who came to study in Mexico look at us like we have nothing to complain about as compared to them and they call us rich and spoiled, always asking for more, yes, we want more, because there is more to be done, but then again, I can not criticize my friends from Ecuador for not having the same standards of living we have here, nor under the current circumstances could I expect to be as well as a middle class American, but I can and we all are here trying to develop and get to a better stage.
In regards to all this racism thing, I guess that there is not much success in the USA trying to transmit this humanitarian point of view and respect amongst all of its citizens, just take as an example the Idaho Republican Candidate, who has repeatedly insulted Mexicans and Mexico itself, the funny thing about it?... his name is Robert Vasquez, does that sound familiar to you?... yes he descends from Mexican inmigrants, and recently aon the newspapers he said that being against Mexican inmigrants is not that he is betraying his country, because his people are the Americans, and he has the American flag hanging in his office and not the one with the CHICKEN and the WORM on it. Maybe to some of you that does not sound like nothing, but this politician was refering as a chicken to the Eagle in the Mexican Flag and the worm was for him the SNAKE that our national emblem has on it. Now, that is really insulting, and that came from an opinion leader in Idaho, a candidate who is not actually doing a good job on showing his people to be considerate or respectful, I wonder if all Americans think like that of its neighbouring country, because, personally I respect your country just as much as I expect you to respect mine.
And this whole thing about the Memin Pinguin stamps, well, maybe the African-Americans who are complaining about it don't know well, but this charachter made a lot of good work amongst its readers for a long time to see a nice black boy as part of their lives, he was never depicted as a gangster, or a criminal as many Holliwood movies show us the rest of the world whenever there is a scene from a black neighbourhood in the USA, everyone has a gun, knife or drugs, I personally hate Hollywood movies for creating such stereotype in the rest of the world's minds about how African Americans live in America, wouldn't we have to complain first about that???... and ask Holliwood filmmakers to really show how the African Americans work hard every day for the good of the USA and they are not only criminals?... because if I was not educated enough as to know how Holliwood can stereotype people, then I would say that most of the AfricanAmericans in the USA live in horrible neighbourhoods, deal drugs and kill people on every corner, at least from what Holliwood shows on most of its best selling action movies.
Jorge A. Sivilla
· 4 years ago
Oh, by the way, did any body sue Taco Bell for his Chihuachua dog campaign with a Sombrero and acting very Mexican, where they doing it on purpose to make us Mexicans feel like dogs?... or was it just funny and successful campaign?...
Rolando Garza
· 4 years ago
Hello, and thanks for your comment, rockynoggin and Jorge.
rockynoggin: True, our responses have been like the white-headed (sic) southerners ... then again, I don't think our society is fine as it is... we do have discrimination, but it is in between classes, and not races.
I'm glad the US gets to feel the kinship we claim to have (but we don't always keep that in mind)... but the USA should know better that it's people shouldn't come together only when a bunch of terrorists attacks it.
Mexican kinship still remains dormant amongst its people. That's what I don't like about this country. Everyone looks for his own good, and seldom is willing to give back to the community.
That is the reason why the mexican peso is floundering.
So, what is keeping us down? Is it bad presidential leadership? Although Fox has had some ups and downs, I think his intentions are good... but his hands are tied down. And there are always more people that are quick to point out what is wrong, instead of offer help, advice.
Perhaps, on the long run, inconstant directions (both economic and managerial) have not allowed my mexican brothers and sisters to rise in what could be a self-reformation of Mexico's society.
The high price of education, and the significant difference between private and public schools also seem to make a dent in Mexico's literacy.
Jorge: Wow, I can't beleive such an ignorant fool could reach candidacy, insult his predecessors like that, and not get murdered. I think he must've been an attention whore... I can't find a logical explanation other than that.
On the other hand, I'm glad he's not a goodpropagandist.
I also agree that the Mexican middle class is and always will be different than any other country's. So trying to compare is pointless, unless a good study can be made, taking into account appropiate hystorical and demographical background.
Ahh, and about all the hollywood depictions of black people, ... well, what did you expect? I think the USA is the cinematic land of the stereotypes... but, true to the treacherous nature of stereotypes, there will always be more to a particular culture than what is depicted by stereotypes by movies, music, books, magazines, blogs, etc.
Oh well, you bring a good point about the Taco Bell Chihuahua... the thought of suing didn't even cross my mind. Then again, us mexicans don't think that Taco Bell's quesa-crappy quesadillas are cool. For me, the chihuahua commercials were just funny... not insulting. I would expect american black people to conceive Memin Pinguin likewise: an funny, innocent character.
rockynoggin
· 4 years ago
By the way, Rolandog, I'm impressed by the work you put into your posts - I've never seen a blogger cite as in an academic paper like you do here. Good work.
Rolando Garza
· 4 years ago
Ahh, I feel flattered, rockynoggin, but these few recent papers are the ones I really have put some effort while writing... I'm trying to be part of the 9rules network.
Jorge A. Sivilla
· 4 years ago
Hi everybody, just to let you know that the Memin Pinguin stamps issue will be over soon, I don't think that any stamp will ever reach the USA or other countries, at least stamped on to a letter, I read the newspapers today and at least here in Monterrey, there were lines of people that reached up to two blocks around the central post office and by noon the general administrator went out to the street to tell everyone in line they had run out of stamps, now people will have to wait for the reprint, since this was not a regular print, but just a limited print to celebrate the 50 years of the comic being on the market, so collectors are now the owners of these stamps, and unless they make a reprint, there are no more left, at least in this city.
Rolando Garza
· 4 years ago
Ha! That's nice to know Jorge... but I'm willing to bet that the only persons in the world those people would be willing to send the stamp to, is to both Rev. Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, and that would be just to piss them off.
luis de la torre
· 4 years ago
I think that the black community in the united states have taken this issue way to far and out of context, Mexico has been a country that welcomes people from every part of the world without prejudice against culture, religion or color of skin,we have even learned to make fun of some terms that at one point in our past were considered derogatory, that is how we deal with our present. I can undertand to a point the disapproval of the stamp if it was issued in a country like sudafrica were there are still beaches for white only visitor but to call mexican people racist is a bit exagerated. I know that the people in this country still has a lot to learn when it comes to tolerating and accepting people for who they are but lets not forget were we need to spend our energy and efforts to make this big blue ball a happy place for every one. (by the way..one of may best friends from my childhood nickname is "el negro" and he is black and he is ok with it)
Global Voices Online
· 4 years ago
Americas Thursday Blog Roundup
Altered Argentina has begun a three part series on Debt for Education swaps in Latin America.
Planetablog asks if Haiti and the Dominican Republic could ever form one single nation [es].
Argenuatas links to the Argentinian version of Post Secret [...]
Global Voices Online
· 4 years ago
Cross-Border Conversation on Race
The 1940's creation of famed Mexican writer, Yolanda Vargas Dulché and comic book illustrator, Alberto Cabrera, Memín Pinguín was an unlikely candidate at the time to spark a 21st century international debate on racism in Mexico and the United Stat [...]
Ricardo
· 4 years ago
I remember that black people made fun and laugh specially at the chihuahua, and yes I believe some blacks are racists and arrogant and some dislike to work too. I believe they dislike latinos and the like. I believe this will never end.
Rolando Garza
· 4 years ago
Interesting point, Ricardo. As you say, racists aren't only white folks. But I feel that one day, ... when we all turn beige, this will end. =)
puglet
· 4 years ago
Great piece. I have to admit, being a white American living in a racially and culturally diverse neighborhood, when thinking about racisim and zenophobia, I usually wonder how "I" am percieved by "them", or how "they" percieve "me". It's good to step outside of your bubble sometimes and think about how those of a certain race or nationality view the differences in each other.
globetrotter
· 4 years ago
I am saddened by the lack of understanding we all have in this world of complex issues. People of African descent and Indigenous peoples should have a lot to complain about given thier shared (though different) histories greatly affected by the scourge of RACISM and European hierarchy imposed on them culturally, socially, economically and politically.
Does anyone study history at all? We assume that culture some how exists in a vacuum and that we all evolve or develop in separate places without any outside influences. I think not! Even China cannot get away with saying that now. This region - the Americas and the Caribbean were changed FOREVER by conquest, colonialism and European domination. The dominant class shared notes and had international conferences and wars to divide the land and share best practices for getting the most riches and wealth out of their investment - THE NEW WORLD.
Cultures and peoples were destroyed and decimated. Folks didnt happily go marry whoever they wanted in those times. Sometimes due to the circumstances in which someone lived they would have to marry or (have children) with a person of a different color to stay alive. These days, we have been brainwashed to believe that if a darker person (African descendant or Indigenous or a mixture of many) marries a very light (or white) person with light eyes or straight hair that in this act of whitening we will "mejorar la raza" better the race. Shame on all of us!
The sad part is you all think that we are all equal as long as the voices of our "distinct" sub-communities are not heard. We dont travel outside of our countries of origin, if our images are exported the images are negative. No one asks an Afro-Mexican or Afro-Brazilian or an Afro-Dominican how we feel. Most times we ourselves are ashamed of our own color and society helps to promote that shame by showing us the limitations of who or what we could be.
Have you seen a good novela lately? What are all the protagonistas white, rich women or men with blond hair when most of Latin America doesnt look that way? Why is it that the maids or nannys are usually darker, less educated and if there is a role for a Black woman - that is it!?
Have you seen our text books which lack current or accurate data about our communities and how we arrived in these countries of the NEW WORLD? Most of us were brought here as enslaved Africans and or colonialized Indigenous Peoples. YEs, many of us are mixed but that doesnt solve any of our problems. We are still considered marginal and we are excluded in our societies. We are different from the US experience but it isnt better than there experience either and we have a lot in common. Does anyone know that at one time Vera Cruz, Mexico was the largest port of entry for enslaved AFricans in the New World? That is how we got here! We didnt come on a cruise ship! We were chattel to buy and sell. Then after the slave trade ended we continued to be oppressed and many of us lived in miserable conditions
It hurts to be us. If you really want to know. I am sad for us. And for you people to believe that the Gringos are the ones importing their imperialist thoughts on us, look in the mirror. Ask our fellow Latin Americans of African and Indigenous descent and you will see that they too are tired of the racism and lack of oportunities and rights afforded our brothers and sisters.
In Mexico we installed a new anti-discrimination legislation in 2003. That legislation discusses gender discrimination and some discrimination against the disabled and certain ethnic groups it does not really address racism itself. But it is a law! How does the promotion of a caricature of a Black boy on a stamp respect this law? They believe that if there is no KKK or people keeping you from going to the same schools that that is racism. People in power believe our problems are only of classism and not discrimination based on the color of your skin. But when a job is looking for a receptionist or executive they are also looking for "buena aparencia" which means good appearance. Unfortunately, my look is not good for most - I am a black woman.
Fortunately, I love myself and I will teach my children the value of our culture - which is distinct sometimes from my national culture. We have a valiant history too but most of the time it is lost in the promotion of a false European superiority. Our national images are tainted with the promotion of a united identity but not one of pluriethnicidad (multi-ethnic) but one of singularity in look, power, culture. Vicente Fox doesnt look like anyone I know personally at home but he is the President. I dont see people like me on television or in the Newspaper for positive things or in positions of power. Por que?
WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO...VIVA los hermanos y hermanas Afroamericanas de los Estados Unidos. Que unimos mas y peleamos menos. Un abrazo!
abw
· 2 years ago
People thought that we would interbreed out 100 years ago. It did not happen. Everybody is racist. Black,Latino,Native American,Asian and White. The whole Western world has divisions because it never tried to fully reconcile with Black or Native Americans anywhere. The perspectives of other groups must be considered because they have more people,money, and power but black issues are still serious.
Rolando Garza
· 2 years ago
Hi abw. Thanks for your comment.
Indeed, everyone is racist. Some white people are still racist (Michael Richards' recent racist rant). And even some black people are even racist to themselves... like 50 cent accusing Oprah of being an 'Oreo' (when in reality, people of any color can choose to do whatever they want).
Marvin Jones
· 2 years ago
Racism is HUMAN PROBLEM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melvin Johnson
· 2 years ago
I agree that their may not be any white people at some future date, but Africa will always be "black" and continue to produce millions and millions of "black" people into the future.
Rolando Garza
· 2 years ago
I agree with you, Marvin, our limited understanding of the human anatomy certainly contributed to the problem... My personal belief is that ignorance fuels fear. In this case, fear of people of different color.
Melvin, thanks for your comment. You inspired me to post all the comments that had been previously lost when a tragic database accident occurred sometime in August 2005.
Googling for 'millenia skin dark africa evolution' I found this PDF called 'Skin Deep'. It gave me a different view on the purpose of skin color -- not just to 'protect from skin cancer' but in a more elaborate way.
atomic
· 1 year ago
Well...whether you like them or not...the REALITY is that white people (european or american) are responsible for 90% of all the major inventions and discoveries that the human race enjoy here in the 21st century. Whether it has to do with science, medicine or technology (including computers and the internet)a white person invented it! automobiles, airplanes (flight), electricity, practically ALL modern medicines and medical treatments, western style democracy and the U.S. constitution, practically ALL modern science knowledge, etc... etc... i could go on and on! White people have DEFINITELY made some serious mistakes (wars..slavery etc..)But we as black and brown people MUST start taking education as seriously as white folks do!!
delbert
· 1 year ago
what do you classify as white? Most countries in Europe have invented nothing. These inventions came from a few places. What has Italy invented recently, or Spain, or Germany. What we are talking about is not white, but Anglo capitalist culture. What has a greasy italian invented in the past 400 years???? yet they are considered white.
myzuri
· 1 year ago
you know all you people on this site need to stop .especially the latin race because your people to have racism in your own race.And not all of you loike each other.The people from mexico that coem here are the dark ones ,who have never been by ablack person and only knows what they have seen on tv. TRust me there are alot more educated black people then latin people .the media just doesn't show it.Rap music can be bad or good it changes it up every other years. Its so funny that alot of people talk about african americans but try to talk like them, dress like them, sing like them ,dance like them everything like them whether people admit it or not. We made possible for every other race to have freedom .
All Comments
Check out the video that reference #12 points to... the link points to... a video.
On the reading links and references topic, I'd like to quote Anil Dash, on his post Learning from Experience
From my perspective, and yes it is biased due to my American (unitedstatsian) background; the Mexican population doesn't have to contend with the rich mixture of cultures that we have in los Estados Unidos. Given the dynamics of our culture, there's bound to be discontent but such is the nature of a true open society.
Further, the great majority of responses from Mexicans have been very (almost identically) similar to those I heard as a youth from US southerners objecting to equal rights for blacks. To wit - "This is our culture, and everything works well, it has been like this for generations and nobody is unhappy so why don't you outsiders mind your own business?"
But the truth is, as we all know, blacks were being oppressed.
As to the argument of American seperatism ("african americans" "latino americans" etc) I don't know what to say about that. It pains me, as an American, to see people divide themselves so. But in the end, when it really matters, you see ALL of us come together (as after 9/11) and everyone feels the kinship that you Mexicans claim to have at all times.
My guess (again, my bias) is that you folks are fooling yourselves in thinking that you have a great society. There is no middle class in Mexico that I'm aware of. And since so many of your citizens are seeking to enter the US, I would assume that despite our "racial problems" and "moral superiority complexe" a great many of your own citizens would rather be American and not Mexican.
Now, our middle class is different from the US typical middle class in terms of income, as most of the rest of the countries of the world are, it would be unfair to try to compare the rest of the world with the largest and most powerful economy in the world, don't you think?... we all have our own problems, but we all work everyday to try to solve them. Of course I make much less than a middle class American, but in terms of my own country this is our middle class, each country should be analized from an individual point of view and through its own facts, and then we would be able to comare. Just as an example, the friends I have in Ecuador and Bolivia, who came to study in Mexico look at us like we have nothing to complain about as compared to them and they call us rich and spoiled, always asking for more, yes, we want more, because there is more to be done, but then again, I can not criticize my friends from Ecuador for not having the same standards of living we have here, nor under the current circumstances could I expect to be as well as a middle class American, but I can and we all are here trying to develop and get to a better stage.
In regards to all this racism thing, I guess that there is not much success in the USA trying to transmit this humanitarian point of view and respect amongst all of its citizens, just take as an example the Idaho Republican Candidate, who has repeatedly insulted Mexicans and Mexico itself, the funny thing about it?... his name is Robert Vasquez, does that sound familiar to you?... yes he descends from Mexican inmigrants, and recently aon the newspapers he said that being against Mexican inmigrants is not that he is betraying his country, because his people are the Americans, and he has the American flag hanging in his office and not the one with the CHICKEN and the WORM on it. Maybe to some of you that does not sound like nothing, but this politician was refering as a chicken to the Eagle in the Mexican Flag and the worm was for him the SNAKE that our national emblem has on it. Now, that is really insulting, and that came from an opinion leader in Idaho, a candidate who is not actually doing a good job on showing his people to be considerate or respectful, I wonder if all Americans think like that of its neighbouring country, because, personally I respect your country just as much as I expect you to respect mine.
And this whole thing about the Memin Pinguin stamps, well, maybe the African-Americans who are complaining about it don't know well, but this charachter made a lot of good work amongst its readers for a long time to see a nice black boy as part of their lives, he was never depicted as a gangster, or a criminal as many Holliwood movies show us the rest of the world whenever there is a scene from a black neighbourhood in the USA, everyone has a gun, knife or drugs, I personally hate Hollywood movies for creating such stereotype in the rest of the world's minds about how African Americans live in America, wouldn't we have to complain first about that???... and ask Holliwood filmmakers to really show how the African Americans work hard every day for the good of the USA and they are not only criminals?... because if I was not educated enough as to know how Holliwood can stereotype people, then I would say that most of the AfricanAmericans in the USA live in horrible neighbourhoods, deal drugs and kill people on every corner, at least from what Holliwood shows on most of its best selling action movies.
rockynoggin:
True, our responses have been like the white-headed (sic) southerners ... then again, I don't think our society is fine as it is... we do have discrimination, but it is in between classes, and not races.
I'm glad the US gets to feel the kinship we claim to have (but we don't always keep that in mind)... but the USA should know better that it's people shouldn't come together only when a bunch of terrorists attacks it.
Mexican kinship still remains dormant amongst its people. That's what I don't like about this country. Everyone looks for his own good, and seldom is willing to give back to the community.
That is the reason why the mexican peso is floundering.
Now, lets take a look at some numbers. Also, consider Mexico's Age Structure and the United States' Age Structure Setting literacy rates aside, Mexico and the US have very similar ratios...
So, what is keeping us down? Is it bad presidential leadership? Although Fox has had some ups and downs, I think his intentions are good... but his hands are tied down. And there are always more people that are quick to point out what is wrong, instead of offer help, advice.
Perhaps, on the long run, inconstant directions (both economic and managerial) have not allowed my mexican brothers and sisters to rise in what could be a self-reformation of Mexico's society.
The high price of education, and the significant difference between private and public schools also seem to make a dent in Mexico's literacy.
Jorge:
Wow, I can't beleive such an ignorant fool could reach candidacy, insult his predecessors like that, and not get murdered. I think he must've been an attention whore... I can't find a logical explanation other than that.
On the other hand, I'm glad he's not a goodpropagandist.
I also agree that the Mexican middle class is and always will be different than any other country's. So trying to compare is pointless, unless a good study can be made, taking into account appropiate hystorical and demographical background.
Ahh, and about all the hollywood depictions of black people, ... well, what did you expect? I think the USA is the cinematic land of the stereotypes... but, true to the treacherous nature of stereotypes, there will always be more to a particular culture than what is depicted by stereotypes by movies, music, books, magazines, blogs, etc.
Oh well, you bring a good point about the Taco Bell Chihuahua... the thought of suing didn't even cross my mind. Then again, us mexicans don't think that Taco Bell's quesa-crappy quesadillas are cool. For me, the chihuahua commercials were just funny... not insulting. I would expect american black people to conceive Memin Pinguin likewise: an funny, innocent character.
without prejudice against culture, religion or color of skin,we have even learned to make fun of some terms that at one point in our past were considered derogatory, that is how we deal with our present.
I can undertand to a point the disapproval of the stamp if it was issued in a country like sudafrica were there are still beaches for white only visitor but to call mexican people racist is a bit exagerated. I know that the people in this country still has a lot to learn when it comes to tolerating and accepting people for who they are but lets not forget were we need to spend our energy and efforts to make this big blue ball a happy place for every one.
(by the way..one of may best friends from my childhood nickname is "el negro" and he is black and he is ok with it)
Altered Argentina has begun a three part series on Debt for Education swaps in Latin America.
Planetablog asks if Haiti and the Dominican Republic could ever form one single nation [es].
Argenuatas links to the Argentinian version of Post Secret [...]
The 1940's creation of famed Mexican writer, Yolanda Vargas Dulché and comic book illustrator, Alberto Cabrera, Memín Pinguín was an unlikely candidate at the time to spark a 21st century international debate on racism in Mexico and the United Stat [...]
Does anyone study history at all? We assume that culture some how exists in a vacuum and that we all evolve or develop in separate places without any outside influences. I think not! Even China cannot get away with saying that now. This region - the Americas and the Caribbean were changed FOREVER by conquest, colonialism and European domination. The dominant class shared notes and had international conferences and wars to divide the land and share best practices for getting the most riches and wealth out of their investment - THE NEW WORLD.
Cultures and peoples were destroyed and decimated. Folks didnt happily go marry whoever they wanted in those times. Sometimes due to the circumstances in which someone lived they would have to marry or (have children) with a person of a different color to stay alive. These days, we have been brainwashed to believe that if a darker person (African descendant or Indigenous or a mixture of many) marries a very light (or white) person with light eyes or straight hair that in this act of whitening we will "mejorar la raza" better the race. Shame on all of us!
The sad part is you all think that we are all equal as long as the voices of our "distinct" sub-communities are not heard. We dont travel outside of our countries of origin, if our images are exported the images are negative. No one asks an Afro-Mexican or Afro-Brazilian or an Afro-Dominican how we feel. Most times we ourselves are ashamed of our own color and society helps to promote that shame by showing us the limitations of who or what we could be.
Have you seen a good novela lately? What are all the protagonistas white, rich women or men with blond hair when most of Latin America doesnt look that way? Why is it that the maids or nannys are usually darker, less educated and if there is a role for a Black woman - that is it!?
Have you seen our text books which lack current or accurate data about our communities and how we arrived in these countries of the NEW WORLD? Most of us were brought here as enslaved Africans and or colonialized Indigenous Peoples. YEs, many of us are mixed but that doesnt solve any of our problems. We are still considered marginal and we are excluded in our societies. We are different from the US experience but it isnt better than there experience either and we have a lot in common. Does anyone know that at one time Vera Cruz, Mexico was the largest port of entry for enslaved AFricans in the New World? That is how we got here! We didnt come on a cruise ship! We were chattel to buy and sell. Then after the slave trade ended we continued to be oppressed and many of us lived in miserable conditions
It hurts to be us. If you really want to know. I am sad for us. And for you people to believe that the Gringos are the ones importing their imperialist thoughts on us, look in the mirror. Ask our fellow Latin Americans of African and Indigenous descent and you will see that they too are tired of the racism and lack of oportunities and rights afforded our brothers and sisters.
In Mexico we installed a new anti-discrimination legislation in 2003. That legislation discusses gender discrimination and some discrimination against the disabled and certain ethnic groups it does not really address racism itself. But it is a law! How does the promotion of a caricature of a Black boy on a stamp respect this law? They believe that if there is no KKK or people keeping you from going to the same schools that that is racism. People in power believe our problems are only of classism and not discrimination based on the color of your skin. But when a job is looking for a receptionist or executive they are also looking for "buena aparencia" which means good appearance. Unfortunately, my look is not good for most - I am a black woman.
Fortunately, I love myself and I will teach my children the value of our culture - which is distinct sometimes from my national culture. We have a valiant history too but most of the time it is lost in the promotion of a false European superiority. Our national images are tainted with the promotion of a united identity but not one of pluriethnicidad (multi-ethnic) but one of singularity in look, power, culture. Vicente Fox doesnt look like anyone I know personally at home but he is the President. I dont see people like me on television or in the Newspaper for positive things or in positions of power. Por que?
WE HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO...VIVA los hermanos y hermanas Afroamericanas de los Estados Unidos. Que unimos mas y peleamos menos.
Un abrazo!
Indeed, everyone is racist. Some white people are still racist (Michael Richards' recent racist rant). And even some black people are even racist to themselves... like 50 cent accusing Oprah of being an 'Oreo' (when in reality, people of any color can choose to do whatever they want).
Melvin, thanks for your comment. You inspired me to post all the comments that had been previously lost when a tragic database accident occurred sometime in August 2005.
Googling for 'millenia skin dark africa evolution' I found this PDF called 'Skin Deep'. It gave me a different view on the purpose of skin color -- not just to 'protect from skin cancer' but in a more elaborate way.