Discussion 5
Discussion #5
Introduction
Colorism is the unequal treatment of people based on the color of their skin (Dixon). Skin color differences are crucial for stimulating differences in perceptions within conventional racial and religious defined groups such as "dark-skinned." This variability within cultures associated with skin texture has an ancient legacy, but only lately have scholars learned to consider what these discrepancies might imply. This paper will analyze Kendi's chapter 9, The Guardian's "Shades of Black" and "How the Camera Sees Colors" on their views about colorism.
Kendi’s Chapter 9
Kendi’s Chapter 9 addresses colorism, which refers to racist ideas and policies that result in inequity between light- and dark-skinned people. Kendi discusses his colorism hardships, from his honey prescription lenses to his vow to only hook up with dark-skinned women. As Kendi explains, "White people stand to gain from discriminatory policies, but not nearly as much as a racialized influence, and not well almost as much as they could personally profit from an egalitarian society," Kendi writes. Kendi's writing style reveals that he struggled with duelling consciousness experience while studying. The writer desired to be white since most people regarded it as a good thing and attractive. According to Kendi, to be antiracist means that wanting to be light-skinned is no longer considered the only way to be beautiful because we are all beautiful just the way we are.
How the Camera Sees Color
In the article “How the camera sees color," Black people eventually came up with ways to reward their skills and efforts. Some of the participants in the movie quit because of the discrimination, while others stayed up to the end of the film. They were coming up with films of race movies for and by African Americans within the early decade to supply a lot of complicated narratives and roles for black actors. In this way, African Americans were more responsible for creating films which documented their heritage. Till present days, African Americans are not being given the leading roles in American films due to racial discrimination. Black people are assigned roles of being injured or dead because discrimination practices are still there in creating these films. This psychological state caused several Black people to try to pass for white in public settings and to run for many opportunities, which led to accumulated tensions within the black community.
The Guardian’s “Shades of Black”
According to The Guardian's "Shades of Black," African Americans face many adverse situations due to the effects of their skin tone. According to the author, whites are given more job opportunities and positions regardless of their educational qualification. A black individual with a master's will not be accepted for certain positions, but a white person with a bachelor's degree will be given the same position. Racism relations in America are often considered the relationship between the blacks and the whites, but it's more (Snyder). Society considers being white with beauty, educated, hardworking, and classy, whereas it typically offers "a bad image" of those who are dark-skinned.
Works Cited
Martin, A. C. (2018). The use of film, literature, and music in becoming culturally competent in understanding African Americans. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the Media, 109.
Snyder, C. R. (2016). Navigating in murky waters: How multiracial Black individuals cope with racism. American journal of orthopsychiatry, 86(3), 265.