Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Political Views on Skin Color

             Unfortunately, skin color issues are still alive and growing everyday. It's bad enough that sometimes African Americans are seen as "less worthy" because they don't have skin similar to Caucasians, but it's worse when African Americans have to split even more; between light and dark toned skin color. Dark skin is always associated with negative perceptions and stereotypical beliefs. For example, some people think that dark skin people are more likely to commit a crime. This is because dark toned people are also seen as being not smart, and capable of doing any wrong doings.


Dark-skinned African Americans also have less income and education than lighter skinned African Americans, or even Caucasians for that matter. They're less likely to be employed, yet African Americans of a lighter color could have jobs, own houses, and even get a more respectable experience in society than a dark toned person would. Going back to a couple blogs ago, light-skinned people better inherited opportunities and status. I stated how Willie Lynch believed that dark skinned African Americans should work outdoors and lighter skinned African Americans should work inside because they looked cleaner and  more appealing. Hence why lighter skinned people may think themselves that they are better than the opposite.




Martin Luther King stated, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." What does that mean to you? To me he's saying that he wanted equality. He wanted his children to grow up and have a fair chance in life because they're decent people. Not because they're skin is darker than that the "superior" one.




1 comment:

  1. I really enjoyed this post because I believe it is of much importance to address the underlying, prevalent issue of racism in today's society, which you displayed through the statistics of light skinned Africans Americans versus dark skinned. It's the elephant in the room that those of darker toned skinned are more negatively perceived by most people in 21st century America, but people don't usually sit down and take the time to think as to why this is. And you provided use with the fact that those who are racially mixed to any extent have inherited better opportunities and/or status simply from just having Caucasian in their blood. The question is, how will society get rid of these crippling connotations and provide a launching pad for dark skinned individuals to show that they are just as worthy and capable?

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