Hello Meltingpot Community,
Can Brown people be racist? I don’t have a definitive answer for you, but I sure would like to take a moment to discuss. In the last week, I’ve seen two Brown people get dragged for their anti-Black antics.
First, it was Latina actress, Gina Rodriguez, who posted a video of herself singing a song with the N-word. She gave a lukewarm apology and people weren’t having it. For those who don’t know Rodriguez, she is most well-known for her role on the series, Jane the Virgin. She plays the titular virgin.
Then it was Lilly Singh, the Indian-Canadian host of the new NBC talk show, A Little Late with Lilly Singh. Singh is accused of “performing Blackness” (or as some people call her act, “a modern-day-minstrel show,” )to achieve fame without any acknowledgement of her obvious cultural appropriation.
For the record, the Gina Rodriguez incident did happen last week, but the Lilly Singh complaint has been ongoing. I just happen to be late to the Lilly Singh party and only started reading about her detractors recently.
Is it Sharing or Stealing?
Here’s the opener for Lilly Singh’s debut episode. What do you think? Cultural appropriation? Yes or No?
Culture Conversations
Do you think Brown people can be racist in a society where all people of color are oppressed? Does this very discussion simply uphold a racial hierarchy which only stands to inhibit unity amongst the colorful masses? Should other people of color get a pass to use the N-Word and borrow traditionally Black cultural norms? Like our hairstyles, for example? Like I said, I don’t have any definitive answers, but this conversation is worth having and necessary. What do you think?
Talk amongst yourselves, Meltingpot community. I’m totally listening.
Peace!
Comments
2 responses to “Can Brown People be Racist?”
Yes. I am black & have heard black people make all kinds of racists remarks. About all kinds of people. The difference is black people seldom,if ever, have the power to enforce their racism. Other people of color do though. They are heads of large companies & have important positions in them. A few blacks do too. I’m sorry to say the human race – all humans- do bad & very terrible thigs to each other.
Hi Jane,
I wish I could disagree, but I can’t. *sigh* The problem is the anti-Black discrimination seems to be everybody’s default form of discrimination and yet, when other cultures perform Blackness, they are rewarded for it. That is the hypocritical nature of this behavior that just kills me.