Black People : Who Is Black?

[yaphet al-wynn]

If Black is NOT a social construct unless I imagined this in the Panafrican forum with a very lengthy thread called 'Are Latinos Black?' or something like it. One of our Latin American contributors hit us with this knowledge(that phrase is now old school,huh?) that either in Venezuela or Argentina(maybe the latter) that a Black(African descended) citizen of the country was stopped at the airport by police and was told repeatedly-'There are no Blacks in Argentina!' If Black is a social construct-both the English(US) and the Spanish are VERY different culturally, but how similar that they treat Blacks-even in Africa.

 

[DreamFunk]

If Black is NOT a social construct unless I imagined this in the Panafrican forum with a very lengthy thread called 'Are Latinos Black?' or something like it. One of our Latin American contributors hit us with this knowledge(that phrase is now old school,huh?) that either in Venezuela or Argentina(maybe the latter) that a Black(African descended) citizen of the country was stopped at the airport by police and was told repeatedly-'There are no Blacks in Argentina!' If Black is a social construct-both the English(US) and the Spanish are VERY different culturally, but how similar that they treat Blacks-even in Africa.

.....no offense, but although I know how Latin Americans generally feel about "blackness", your story sounds like a typical urban-legend.....but anyway, unless you look like a stereotypical black African, you won't be guaranteed a labeling of "black" in most Latin American counties.

...and you're speaking as if all people you label as "black" are the same....considering that they aren't, they won't always get treated the same way by those who don't hold your view as to what "black" is.....your definition of "black" is neither held by all nor written in stone as infallible truth.

 

[define]

Dreamfunk, I agree with you.

Race of any kind is a social construct that people accept as real.

And does anyone know of the White Racist Culture/White Supremacy ideology of the "One-Drop Rule"???? How does that compare to what you view your definition of blackness?

 

[yaphet al-wynn]

Dreamfunk,wished that I was making it up-it was brought forward by one of the Afro-Latino Spanish posters(may have been in an English translated article). If you want to say they are lying-go ahead.

 

[Sun Ship]

Intelligent people can do better than this...

We need to understand semiotics, semantics and symbolism as we delve into this subject of Blackness. There is also etymology as compare to folk etymology. Also annotation, cultural exegesis and interpretive colloquialisms should also be considered. And metaphysics and spiritually may not be far behind.

We were supposed to have embraced, venerated and reinvigorated this word Black, years ago. This is not an African term or a term invented by African people. Slave traders once used this term black and black at one time was a hue removed from the palettes of European artist, for it was not considered a valid or affective color.

Why aren’t white people debating the color white or the term European? Who really came from the Caucasus Mountains? And was America really named after Amerigo Vespucci? Why aren’t we debating these things?

How can the people who created mathematics, philosophy and religion be debating who is black or what the word Black (in the year 2004) mean to them?

This is a really silly and retrogressive thread.

Peace