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HelpRe: Ok, but ETA
in reply to a message by queenv
Haha, yeah, I'm definitely thinking about it. I think what I'm stuck on is mainly what I get stuck on when it comes to a lot of things I disagree with socially and politically - the question of "if we deem this to be unacceptable, where do we draw the line?"
Question: Do you feel differently about my having an opinion on this to know that I am biracial (I am not African-American, though)? Is that different to you than me being purely white, or do you think that only people from a certain culture should form opinions about names from that culture?
ETA: One more question. Would you feel different if it was a Japanese celebrity giving her child a Japanese name, knowing that they faced oppression in America as well?
I'm not trying to be rude or harsh here. I just honestly want to know, because I'm open to the fact that I'm wrong here. It's totally possible that I'm being a jackass. So I want to have this conversation purely because I'm opening my mind to this.
"She dances to the songs in her head, speaks to the rhythm of her heart, and loves from the depth of her soul." - Dean Jackson
Question: Do you feel differently about my having an opinion on this to know that I am biracial (I am not African-American, though)? Is that different to you than me being purely white, or do you think that only people from a certain culture should form opinions about names from that culture?
ETA: One more question. Would you feel different if it was a Japanese celebrity giving her child a Japanese name, knowing that they faced oppression in America as well?
I'm not trying to be rude or harsh here. I just honestly want to know, because I'm open to the fact that I'm wrong here. It's totally possible that I'm being a jackass. So I want to have this conversation purely because I'm opening my mind to this.
"She dances to the songs in her head, speaks to the rhythm of her heart, and loves from the depth of her soul." - Dean Jackson
This message was edited 7/17/2017, 8:51 PM
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I did already know that you are biracial, but not part African-American. I think you said your father is Indian?
The only way that I would feel differently about it is if you were African-American or biracial, being half African-American. I think that they, and only they, can judge the names of their culture. I do not feel this way about other cultures. The African-American culture is singular. It has a singular origin and a singular history. You can't draw any conclusions on how I feel about other cultures from the way that I feel about African-American culture. Of course, all cultures have their own origins and history, but what I mean is that there are things about African-American culture origin and history that set it apart from the rest.
ETA: Not exactly. The Japanese did not, and no other group has, suffered the same level of oppression and discrimination in the US that blacks have. OTOH, it would be annoying to see people saying, "That name is ugly" about a Japanese name. I don't think one can really appreciate Japanese names without being part of or very familiar with their culture.
The only way that I would feel differently about it is if you were African-American or biracial, being half African-American. I think that they, and only they, can judge the names of their culture. I do not feel this way about other cultures. The African-American culture is singular. It has a singular origin and a singular history. You can't draw any conclusions on how I feel about other cultures from the way that I feel about African-American culture. Of course, all cultures have their own origins and history, but what I mean is that there are things about African-American culture origin and history that set it apart from the rest.
ETA: Not exactly. The Japanese did not, and no other group has, suffered the same level of oppression and discrimination in the US that blacks have. OTOH, it would be annoying to see people saying, "That name is ugly" about a Japanese name. I don't think one can really appreciate Japanese names without being part of or very familiar with their culture.
This message was edited 7/17/2017, 9:00 PM
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Yes, my father is from India! :)
I can understand that. I'm assuming the reason you hold different opinions about opinions on African-American culture versus any other is because they faced the worst oppression. I have to ruminate on this some more, so I might edit this tomorrow after I've fully processed it. The one thing I'm not positive about is black people facing the worst oppression, though you're probably right; I just don't know enough about racial oppression to be sure. I'll do some more research.
I have to admit, I am now wishing I was closer with my half-black cousins so I could ask them how they feel about this. Until I moved to Charlotte, I'd met maybe 10 African-Americans in my life, so I've never actually really seen racism and how it affects people. I've heard my father's stories, being Indian, and that's it. Where I used to live, people were very quietly racist (so much so that I didn't realize they were at all until recently) and not open about it.
Okay, it's taken me so long to type this that I've thought about it more. When I think of "Sir" as being a black culture name, I feel very differently about it. Because I was thinking about how much I hate it when people laugh at my father's name, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I would be horrified if I saw someone mocking a Mexican or Russian name, so why is this different? I think it's an example of severe internalized racism, especially for someone who has been passionately against racism for as long as she can remember. I still think it's fine to have a gut reaction of "I like/do not like this name" but not fine to think "this is a bad name/foolish name/etc", purely because one is based on simple, reactive, aesthetic style and another is based on judgement. Good job, you got me thinking and got me to change my opinions. This has been a really interesting discussion so far.
I can understand that. I'm assuming the reason you hold different opinions about opinions on African-American culture versus any other is because they faced the worst oppression. I have to ruminate on this some more, so I might edit this tomorrow after I've fully processed it. The one thing I'm not positive about is black people facing the worst oppression, though you're probably right; I just don't know enough about racial oppression to be sure. I'll do some more research.
I have to admit, I am now wishing I was closer with my half-black cousins so I could ask them how they feel about this. Until I moved to Charlotte, I'd met maybe 10 African-Americans in my life, so I've never actually really seen racism and how it affects people. I've heard my father's stories, being Indian, and that's it. Where I used to live, people were very quietly racist (so much so that I didn't realize they were at all until recently) and not open about it.
Okay, it's taken me so long to type this that I've thought about it more. When I think of "Sir" as being a black culture name, I feel very differently about it. Because I was thinking about how much I hate it when people laugh at my father's name, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I would be horrified if I saw someone mocking a Mexican or Russian name, so why is this different? I think it's an example of severe internalized racism, especially for someone who has been passionately against racism for as long as she can remember. I still think it's fine to have a gut reaction of "I like/do not like this name" but not fine to think "this is a bad name/foolish name/etc", purely because one is based on simple, reactive, aesthetic style and another is based on judgement. Good job, you got me thinking and got me to change my opinions. This has been a really interesting discussion so far.
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