Ever see the movie Chameleon Street? It was about a black man that impersonated different people to make more money. I think that it was mostly out of a misguided sense of black rage. Very interesting movie.
here is more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101561/ On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 4:32 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > > > yeah, it's a complicated thing, alright. I sometimes thank God that I can > in no way, no how, pass as anything but black, and have therefore never > faced the fear/temptation of doing so. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Monday, February 1, 2010 5:30:17 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] OT: Alba Making Effort to Embrace Latina Heritage > > > > In California it is quite common to meet people of Mexican and or Central > and South American heritage that do not know how to speak Spanish. It always > bothered me that they would deny that part of themselves in order to "pass" > as white. They see all of the benefits that passing brings and quickly push > down that part of themselves if they have anglo features. One friend of mine > calls it the "banana effect." Brown on the outside, white on the inside. > > Its one of those topics that doesn't get discussed very often especially on > a large scale. > > On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 10:03 AM, Keith Johnson > <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > >> >> >> I guess that's the blessing and curse of living in a heterogeneous >> society: it's easy, perhaps even expected, to succeed without having to hold >> on to all aspects of one's cultural heritage. I went to school with a lot of >> Mexicans back in Texas, and many of them couldn't speak Spanish. (Typically >> at that time it was those who tried very hard to assimilate, only dating >> white people, mispronouncing their Spanish names with Anglicized >> pronounciations). Some even denied they were Mexican when asked. I can >> recall friends of both genders dealing with parents who insisted they not >> speak Spanish, and who pushed them toward marrying whites--or at the least, >> light-skinned Mexicans who also had left that part of their heritage behind. >> There was a clear schism between those Mexicans who embraced their heritage, >> and those who didn't, whom their fellows derided as trying to "be white". >> >> Whether they were or not, it's always made me a little sad at people who >> can no longer speak the language of their ancestors, or who know little >> about their non-white, non-American heritage when those things are there for >> the taking. I guess as a black man whose link to much of my history is >> severed, I've always had a feeling of "How could you *not* embrace your >> heritage?" I can recall many times in high school and college when whites >> would have long discussions about their ancestry, tracing their family lines >> back to England, Scotland, Ireland, etc. I used to hate when they'd turn to >> me for my genealogy. Far as I could get was Louisiana, and mutter some >> vagueness about the general part of West Africa that was my likely origin. >> How, i've always wondered, can people who have such wealth of knowledge >> right in front of them *not* pursue it? >> >> I guess some cynics will say Alba's only doing this for monetary gain: so >> she can access a new stream of movies and stuff, the same way some feel >> Jennifer Lopez started embracing her Latina heritage fully once Latin music >> became popular and lucrative in the States. (Some said the same about Racque >> Welch exploring her Latin roots in recent years). Hopefully she just >> genuinely wants to explore a part of her makeup that's heretofore been >> neglected. >> >> Maybe she can give Tiger Woods a call. :) >> >> ********************************* >> >> http://blog.taragana.com/e/2010/01/30/alba-gets-serious-about-spanish-85683/ >> >> JESSICA ALBA is taking Spanish lessons, so she can sign up for Latin >> movies and feel more confident when talking about her Mexican heritage. >> >> The actress admits she confused a lot of journalists when she first became >> a star - because she looked Latino but couldn’t speak the language. >> >> Her lack of Spanish led to criticism and suggestions she wasn’t a true >> Latina - something that really upset the Fantastic Four star. >> >> She tells Siempre Mujer magazine, “I didn’t want to misrepresent Latinos >> and I didn’t know how to defend myself. But I went to my room and I cried >> all night. Since then, I’ve preferred not to comment on the subject. >> >> “I tried to explain to them that, in this country (America), I’m >> considered Latina and, thus, I consider myself Latina as well. I grew up >> eating enchiladas… I identify with Mexicans. It’s in my blood whether or not >> I speak Spanish.” >> >> And now she’s a mum, she has decided to sign up for Spanish lessons, so >> she and her daughter Honor can become fluent. >> >> She adds, “I know the basics, but I just hired a professor that >> specialises in Hispanic studies to teach me and Honor. God knows that I wish >> I was raised bilingual. But it wasn’t to be. >> >> “I want to make movies in Spanish… There are so many interesting themes >> and stories that are worth sharing, like the lives of immigrants, for >> example. >> >> “There’s a whole world that hasn’t been sufficiently explored and I want >> to be part of it - the violence on the Mexican borders, the political >> upheaval in Venezuela and Bolivia and the drug trafficking in Colombia.” >> >> >> >> > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > > > > -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/
