Why I will never tick the "Black-African" box again and you shouldn't either

[Dwolf]

Very detailed explanation. I'm 5'7

Bah

 

[iBrowse]

You have to be more specific

Let me just say dwolf went to the school of

 

[Malik]

Black has negative connotations because of white people. That's the price we pay for living in a Western society dominated by another racial group. In Ancient Egypt, white or paleness meant death and sickness.

In some Asian and Slavic cultures, white is considered to be a color that represents death.[59] White also represented death in ancient Egypt, representing the lifeless desert that covered much of the country; black was held to be the color of life, representing the mud-covered fertile lands created by the flooding of the Nile and giving the country its name (Kemet, or "black land").

Black meant life

Too bad Ancient Egypt was conquered. It would have been the London or New York of Africa

 

[SunZoo]

resummarize what you are saying

Muscle testing how the nervous system reacts to words.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...n/201207/the-most-dangerous-word-in-the-world

African is an invented word.

black is invented.... But at least the equivalent of the word has always existed.

All words are invented, the intent, the context, the associations and the images that the brain reach for are more important.

 

[Blackout]

It has nothing to do with "white" people having power, it has to do with just how aware people are of their mental process. Sure "they" will use language and word play to their advantage but the power rests with the individual to expand their awareness of SELF. The problem is the majority of us are numb to how such things affect our energy and think there is some sort of strength in the "struggle".

Most of us have no identity away from the context of white supremacy and will shut down when given the opportunity to create our own because it's all we know. This so called search for "new" blackness is black america is going through a collective ego-death.

Surface level pride aside, there will always be subconscious associations that come along with the concept that have NOTHING to do with African heritage, culture or having brown skin. It's simply how the brain works. I say salt you'll say pepper, it's all based on association and conditioning.

It has to do with your mental state and how much power you give a word. You and her give words power and it will effect you.

Your focus is on words and such therefore thats what will matter to you. Simple semantics and meaning will mean a lot to you because thats where your focus is.

Words dont mean much to me other than communication, therefore racists whites painting black as a negative is just racists whites communicating to us that they dislike us in every way.

I see their message and I say whatever.

 

[HoloGraphic]

The origin of the word "nikka" was NGR or Neter meaning god. Pharoah means throne.

http://www.raceandhistory.com/cgi-bin/forum/webbbs_config.pl?md=read;id=127


http://www.willparfitt.com/neters.html

 

[ThaRealness]

What is this horse shyt.

Pilates class lessons applied to race

 

[KravenMorehead™]

 

[Adidacs]

_

 

[Figdcotton]

Damn thread was a 1 star from the start

Besides the cute bytch the whole article had me like

 

[Zero]

I thought this was about job applications....

Same

 

[Mac]

I've had a problem with the "black" label previously, it just seemed very dismissive of heritage but I shrugged it off and carried on.

But over this past weekend I have come to the conclusion that continued classification using this word, amongst other things, wilfully diminishes African sense of worth and self.

If you don't believe me do this:

You need one other person.

You will look into the distance then say these 3 words, loudly and like you mean it, you will put your arm out to the side parallel to the floor (dumbbell not necessary :p)

So say these words: "Strong. Powerful. Firm" say it loud like you mean it. Keep looking ahead and let the other person try to push your arm down while you resist.

Now do this, say the words with just as much strength and conviction, repeat it loud: "Weak. Miserable. Poor". Now let them try to push your arm down.

It will go down, you won't be able to resist their force. Trust me, if you don't believe me, try it. But before you do, remember not to leave it at that, repeat the Strong. Powerful. Firm. Never ever leave anyone in the weak position.

But that makes my point. Why oh Why, would we be classified as "black". Black by definition is the unknown, the dangerous, the dirty, the evil, it is language, it is linked with out emotion, it's natural even to use that word to mean those things.

We are African or of African descent. It is offensive to classify an entire people on a colour that creates and has the connotation of such negativity. It shouts at us constantly: Weak. Miserable. Poor.

From now and until I die I will tick "Other" and be what I have always been, African.

I actually understand this, I tried to explain this concept to a friend of mine..... She just had a blank face...

 

[concise]

I've had a problem with the "black" label previously, it just seemed very dismissive of heritage but I shrugged it off and carried on.

But over this past weekend I have come to the conclusion that continued classification using this word, amongst other things, wilfully diminishes African sense of worth and self.

If you don't believe me do this:

You need one other person.

You will look into the distance then say these 3 words, loudly and like you mean it, you will put your arm out to the side parallel to the floor (dumbbell not necessary :p)

So say these words: "Strong. Powerful. Firm" say it loud like you mean it. Keep looking ahead and let the other person try to push your arm down while you resist.

Now do this, say the words with just as much strength and conviction, repeat it loud: "Weak. Miserable. Poor". Now let them try to push your arm down.

It will go down, you won't be able to resist their force. Trust me, if you don't believe me, try it. But before you do, remember not to leave it at that, repeat the Strong. Powerful. Firm. Never ever leave anyone in the weak position.

But that makes my point. Why oh Why, would we be classified as "black". Black by definition is the unknown, the dangerous, the dirty, the evil, it is language, it is linked with out emotion, it's natural even to use that word to mean those things.

We are African or of African descent. It is offensive to classify an entire people on a colour that creates and has the connotation of such negativity. It shouts at us constantly: Weak. Miserable. Poor.

From now and until I die I will tick "Other" and be what I have always been, African.

This is not how things work in the real world.

 

[SunZoo]

This is not how things work in the real world.

Your brain works in the "real world" the same way that everybody else's does. Words can have a dynamic effect on the body-mind. Muscle testing is one way to gain an understanding of this.

It has to do with your mental state and how much power you give a word. You and her give words power and it will effect you. Your focus is on words and such therefore thats what will matter to you. Simple semantics and meaning will mean a lot to you because thats where your focus is.

My focus is not on words, it's on brain chemistry and psychology (something that is still stigmatized in the black community in my experience).

And unless you're an expert at meditation your brain responds to the same signals as the majority of the people on the planet. Everything from words, to colors, to scents can all trigger states of mind regardless of how self aware you are/aren't to notice. People invest billions of dollars into researching what colors and words evoke what emotions.

Just because you have developed a sense of apathy about the language you speak doesn't mean these don't affect you, it just means you have blocked them out of your conscious awareness.

Words dont mean much to me other than communication, therefore racists whites painting black as a negative is just racists whites communicating to us that they dislike us in every way.

I see their message and I say whatever.

The cowboy with the black hat being the bad guy in westerns has nothing to do with racism. There is a primal fear of darkness that goes beyond the social construct of race. This light/dark struggle pre-dates that silly shyt.

 

[Blackout]

My focus is not on words, it's on brain chemistry and psychology (something that is still stigmatized in the black community in my experience).

And unless you're an expert at meditation your brain responds to the same signals as the majority of the people on the planet. Everything from words, to colors, to scents can all trigger states of mind regardless of how self aware you are/aren't to notice. People invest billions of dollars into researching what colors and words evoke what emotions.

Just because you have developed a sense of apathy about the language you speak doesn't mean these don't affect you, it just means you have blocked them out of your conscious awareness.

It doesn't effect me.

I only see results and me stressing semantics doesn't lead me to a beneficial result so I don't care about it.