The Study of Racialism

mymulatto · Experienced User Joined: 06 Jul 2005 {Posts: 137 }

light skinned black/biracials historical figures ,why do they get dark skinned people to play light skined black/biracial historical figures ?

why can`t light skined black/biracials play other light skined black/biracials.

Salsassin · Suspended Joined: 04 Apr 2005 {Posts: 3508 }

triguy · Superuser Joined: 27 Apr 2005 {Posts: 878 }

Salsassin · Suspended Joined: 04 Apr 2005 {Posts: 3508 }

Not when the character was light skinned black held in high regard in the Black community. Both Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks were portrayed by people darker than them.
http://www.backintyme.com/odr/viewtopic.php?p=15559

Creole GAL · Experienced User Joined: 12 Mar 2007 {Posts: 183 }

I agree with triguy.

I think it is basically Hollyweird. The actor (tress) having a name has much to do with casting in a biopic.
Vanessa Williams , who is a popular and big name, pretty, black, but bluehazeled-eyed, etc. played in the tv biopic of Heneritte DeLille. One big problem there is that Heneritte DeLille was a free woman of color, and I think she was a guadroon or octoroon and looked white. Vanessa Williams looks black and is black. It would have been a more interesting story and controverisal and ratings getter if the lead was casted by a white actress with dark hair. It also would have been more true if a white actress was casted in this part.

sagascend · Moderator Joined: 17 Jun 2006 {Posts: 2112 }

sagascend · Moderator Joined: 17 Jun 2006 {Posts: 2112 }

ImBack · Wizard Joined: 28 Jun 2006 {Posts: 587 }

Because afroamericans predicate their identity on racial blackness, with the axis centered on pure african ancestry. What this means, is that anybody who is Black can be afroamerican, but the darker and more african one is, the more authentic they are. Consequently, people who are mulatto afroamericans usually have a hard time defending their identity from other afroamericans who are jealous and resentful of them.

Painting colored afroamerican historical figures as black afroamericans avoids this debacle by maximally authenticating them. A second reason is to promote afroamerican unity by asserting that coloreds and blacks are fundamentally identical in nature and therefore interchangeable. Yet another lessor reason is that white supremacism implies that black afroamericans are inferior to colored afroamericans. Falsely attributing the accomplishments of colored people to Black people reaffirms blacks that they are indeed capable of making acheivements.

Kid

triguy · Superuser Joined: 27 Apr 2005 {Posts: 878 }

sagascend · Moderator Joined: 17 Jun 2006 {Posts: 2112 }

ImBack · Wizard Joined: 28 Jun 2006 {Posts: 587 }

Sag, I said...

"Falsely attributing the accomplishments of colored people to Black people reaffirms blacks that they are indeed capable of making acheivements."

You know exactly what i mean by that, why are you acting otherwise? There is a lot of anxiety among Blacks that they can't perform in society, and there is fear that only partial blacks are capable. You know this is true, dont you?

Kid

sagascend · Moderator Joined: 17 Jun 2006 {Posts: 2112 }

Salsassin · Suspended Joined: 04 Apr 2005 {Posts: 3508 }

oevega · Posted: Tue 24 Apr 2007 19:26 Post subject:

Well, I believe the worst case of change of pigmentation it was the movie Jim West.

I remember than in the 60s the actor was white. It was so strange to see the new movie Laughing

Salsassin · Suspended Joined: 04 Apr 2005 {Posts: 3508 }

anonymouse · Wizard Joined: 09 Oct 2007 {Posts: 608 }

anonymouse · Wizard Joined: 09 Oct 2007 {Posts: 608 }

@ mymulatto

I know this is slightly off topic buy why do you consistently group biracial and lightskinned people together? The two terms are not synonymous.

For example some of my brother's children are light skinned yet they are in no way shape or form biracial. Conversely I went to school with a jamaican kid whose father was chinese and mother was black. He was darker skinned (about the complexion of Condi Rice). He was biracial but was in no way shape or form light skinned. Would you group my nieces/nephews and my classmate together?

Powell · Guru Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2179 }

gemini072 · Moderator Joined: 27 Nov 2004 {Posts: 2695 }

anonymouse · Wizard Joined: 09 Oct 2007 {Posts: 608 }