Jul

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Black or White

July 2, 2008 |

Michael Jackson (MJ) released his music video “Black or White” as part of the Dangerous album in 1991. It was a huge hit.

I would choose rock over pop anyday. So MJ was never at the top on my list of performers, but this song (with a mixture of rock, pop, and rap style) did strike a chord with me with its lyrics. It evokes visions of the confluence of globalization and basic human instinct.


It’s A Turf War
On A Global Scale
I’d Rather Hear Both Sides
Of The Tale
See, It’s Not About Races
Just Places
Faces
Where Your Blood
Comes From
Is Where Your Space Is
I’ve Seen The Bright
Get Duller
I’m Not Going To Spend
My Life Being A Color

Identities are often chosen and labels are callously given in an attempt to control wealth or power (or both). Black, White or the myriad shades in between, there is bias and such stereotyping is active in every realm, no more so in politics.

Black or White?

Is Barack Obama Black or White? His mother (and her ancestry) is Caucasian and his father (and his ancestry) is African. If we peel back a few generations and throw in few random sprinkles in the gene pool here and there, Barack Obama would still be 50+/-5% Black or White. To me (and many others), he is neither Black nor White. He is a mixed race person.

But the media hails him as the first African-American presidential nominee from a major party. So, does dilution of color happen only one way? This seems absurd. Some might say that it is not the genetic composition, rather the upbringing that determines who you are. Excuse me, that argument holds no water in the case of Barack Obama. He was not raised in traditional Black circumstances.

Don’t get me wrong. Barack Obama probably uses this perception to his advantage whenever it is expedient. But what is at issue is the very characterization of Black or White and the larger question of identity itself. When will we move beyond race? And color? And some day nationality?

As the Implicit association test from Harvard shows, not anytime soon. Take the test. You will learn a lot about yourself.

-Jai

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SPEAK YOUR MIND

14 Comments so far

  1. manggy on July 2, 2008 9:20 am

    I took the IAT, and the results were consistent with my political leanings– not that I am an American! I’m not exactly sure what I learned on the IAT– I was so psyched playing a game of quick fingers :P (ugh, I sound so shallow…)
    I know that song very well (listened to the Dangerous album when it was released on loop). That was the part “rapped” by McCaulay Culkin on the video, another can of worms. But the message I have always agreed with :)

    Try the traditional IATs - not the presidential one -j

  2. OhioMom on July 2, 2008 10:04 am

    Jai

    Another good, thought-provoking post. Once, when I was much younger I believed that we Americans would move beyond race, color and nationality … but in my old age I have become much more cynical.

    Peace

  3. jai bee on July 2, 2008 10:19 am

    it is not possible to move beyond race, colour or nationality. it is part of who we are. we are political animals and move instinctively towards the herd when it is expedient. it is a survival strategy.

    we also talk about “everyone being One and equal” when it is expedient. theoretically it’s a nice concept. in reality, it does not work.

    - bee

  4. Asha on July 2, 2008 10:36 am

    And they call him elitist too! His mom was a single mother for a while, he was raised in a middle class family mostly in Hawaii,got scholarships and worked hard for where he is now. That is not what I call “elite” childhood life style!:D

    Well.. atleast he is running for US presidency. Whatever happens, it is history which is great!:)

    A has that CD, whole MJ enchilada!:P

  5. Manisha on July 2, 2008 12:31 pm

    does dilution of color happen only one way?
    Yes, it does. Your skin can only get darker, it can’t get lighter. It’s been like that from the days of slavery.

    Halle Berry: “After having many talks with my mother about the issue, she reinforced what she had always taught me. She said that even though you are half black and half white, you will be discriminated against in this country as a black person. People will not know when they see you that you have a white mother unless you wear a sign on your forehead. And, even if they did, so many people believe that you have an ounce of black blood in you then you are black. So, therefore, I decided to let folks categorize me however they needed to.”

    Incidentally, it is not just the media who has categorized Obama thus. His web site states that he was “the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.”

    Race? Nationality? Are you kidding me? Have you seen Indians get beyond the region they hail from or the caste they belong to?!

  6. jai bee on July 2, 2008 2:01 pm

    response to bee and manisha:
    i am under no illusions regarding race, region etc.

    also, i am not saying that we can or should do away with group labels such as race or religion. they are useful in their own right. i.e. for describing groups. but when it comes to describing individuals, a group tag in my mind only distracts and its often a disservice. In this day of warp speed, labels are thrown around to give a “quick snapshot”. Its a lazy approach.

    Regarding having an ounce of black blood….well how far do we want to roll back the clock. if we go far enough then we all descended from sub saharan africa anyways.

    jai

  7. Manisha on July 2, 2008 2:35 pm

    The creationists will disagree with you. :-D

    Politics aside, race is required for medical purposes also.

  8. Maryann on July 2, 2008 9:10 pm

    Yes, to control wealth and power- you are dead on with that, Bee! The government has a blood quantum level you must pass to “prove” you are Native American and thereby reap a little benefit or compensation. There was no such test back in the day when they wanted to exterminate them. (My other grandmother was Lakota Sioux)Of course, they are not the only people to be “managed” in this way.
    Good post!

  9. sunshinemom on July 2, 2008 9:13 pm

    You just brought to my mind the quota system! Not all quota ppl are poor and need help - as one of my close frnds says - why should I not take advantage if the Govt gives it to me on a platter! That is politics:) When Sailaja gave me this award I knew who deserved it most - You! Do pick it up!

  10. sunita on July 3, 2008 2:01 am

    ‘When will we move beyond race? And color? And some day nationality?’…

    Well, Jai, I can’t see that, anywhere in the near future :-(…but, maybe someday…no harm in hoping :-P

  11. Priya on July 3, 2008 12:30 pm

    I was watching a news program a few days back, and it was specifically discussing this very thing for about an hr. They went into his family background, and then his wife’s and were discussing how she was strengthening his identity as a black and soo much more! It was soo irritating to see a whole panel discussing/arguing about it. Like the other’s have said, we might never move away from it all but it should atleast be limited to issues where it logistically matters. All news channels are irritating, soaps are better, they atleast don’t claim to be spreading the truth :X

  12. Cynthia on July 3, 2008 5:48 pm

    I read this So, does dilution of color happen only one way? and wondered about myself. I am bi-racial, my mother is of East Indian decent and dad of African decent, in terms of the actual colour of their skin, pretty much the same, so what am I? or better yet, which of my parents complexion should I cleave to? I always identify myself as mixed. In Guyana, as an adult, I am readily accepted by Africans as being one of them, not so by Indians, I am viewed as having tainted blood. Growing up, whenever I found myself in a predominantly Indian crowd or setting, something in me wanted to be accepted as a part of them and I always found a way of validating my presence by saying proudly that my mom is Indian. The expressions I got in return were that of incredulity. :D I mean, how could they be so shocked? How could there not be some intermingling of races when the damn country is made up of 5 races with the majority being Indian followed by African.

    Living in Barbados, I am indentified as Indian. Let me be clear, that is not how I identify myself but that is how Barbadians view me, as Indian. It’s the long eye lashes and perfectly arched eyebrows (lol).

    So, here (Barbados), I am not just an outsider because of my nationality but also because I look Indian. So the comfort I felt among blacks in Guyana, I don’t get here because I am not really one of them. Though Barbados has a growing population of Indian immigrants from the sub-continent as well as Guyana and Trinidad & Tabago, there is no way I can claim to be a part of their group either. So depending on the circumstances, the people I’m interacting with and the vibe in the atmosphere, I am black some days, I am Indian some days and I am mixed some days but I always try to stay true to who I am as a person.

  13. Pelicano on July 4, 2008 2:20 am

    Hmmm. Thought-provoking. How to get beyond race and color. Ethnicity. Culture. Much easier to deal with on a one-on-one basis. And then singular attitudes join and become collective which can move things. Swayed, diverted, and affected in general by the media, which could be manifested as something small and simple like a postage-stamp. Or a well-promoted fundraiser.

    I admit that I enjoy having my own preconceptions crumbled, just as I enjoy seeing the look of suprise when someone notices this white, midwestern boy blogging dishes from all over India with a certain flair. But gay men always have flair, don’t we? (If you think so, ask me about my ex…I’ll set the record straight)

    I think we all have a story to tell. Some people want to listen and some don’t. Not much can be done about that, but nowadays I am not so quick to be irritated when an acquaintence comes up to me with some cliche line or piece of news that they assume I know everything about because of my “persuasion”. Perhaps that person is just attempting to build a bridge the best way they know how. Reality follows. Blogging helps.

  14. jai bee on July 4, 2008 6:38 am

    thanks for your personal stories cynthia and pel.

    people who want to discriminate will do so anyway…hmm - if you are mixed race then you get to hear it from both sides when you feel that you belong to both.

    build bridges - that’s a positive, optimistic thought. maybe one should feel better that the conversation has not slipped to the weather yet :D

    media on the other hand is only intent on amplifying things that it wants to amplify. although they are not completed separated/independent from what the readership wants to hear.

    jai

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