Fnet, very informative post. Very interesting note re Jamaicans and other West Indians. Based on census and other demographic sources, among blacks in America, this subgroup [along with immigrants directly out of continental Africa] tend to do better in terms of income mobility. Maybe this is owing to the fact that they immigrated to the US [excepting Mexican/Central American immigrants--their percentage of working class/unskilled labor is higher because of the proximity of the border as opposed to boarding a plane and qualifying for a visa] and had middle class values/skills when they came in? Or is this due to the fact that in the West Indies, slaves so vastly outnumbered whites that they were allowed to own some property and engage in business?
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Originally posted by fnet
Both are obviously disrespectful.
This is a question of history and of a new people trying to emerge as collectively powerful, despite having had their respective cultures cuisinarted. Black people who are the descendants of slaves have a tangled cultural lineage. This and historical racism leave a gap that makes racial identification stronger. Justice isn't the issue.
You can call a Kenyan a ******, and he may look at you like you called him a long necked polka-dotted sneezleberry- i.e., what the fuck is wrong with you? He could also be puzzled and alienated when American blacks call him brotha.
A weirder thing is that Jamaican blacks usually don't mesh with American black solidarity even though they have a slave history.
Clean integration says a lot about what's going on. In that respect, we failed here. Chain gangs, private prison labor, and the urban planning of two generations back shout ****** like nothing else.
That said, I'm not black, nor do I particularly care about American black people any more than I care anybody else. Every people in history has gotten raped, murdered, sacked and sold by somebody else. That's the cycle.
For a stronger taste of the same idea you're sensing, try living on Oahu for a few months.
Fuckin' haole.
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