A crash course in black hair

**jah_yout** · 06-18-2012, 11:08 AM

Re: A crash course in black hair

very heartbreaking stuff...

we have allowed our physical features to become "political"...

imagine a network tv piece called "the politics of white skin" where a "white"(european descent) guy explains all the little quirks and misunderstandings of pale skin...

imagine a piece called "the politics of yellow eyes"...where some ppl of asian descent take some time out to explain why their eyes are the way they are...

as long as we continue to play poppishow for media consumption is as long as it will take us to get respect...

who will love or respect us if we can't do it for ourselves?

Blackstar* · 06-18-2012, 12:33 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">as long as we continue to play poppishow for media consumption is as long as it will take us to get respect... </div></div>I agree.

**SandiF** · 06-18-2012, 12:49 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

Why and how is it heartbreaking for you?

The reporter left some wise words for you...<span style="font-style: italic">"The best course of action is to understand a black woman is by what's in her head and not what's on it."</span>

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: jah_yout</div><div class="ubbcode-body">very heartbreaking stuff...

we have allowed our physical features to become "political"...

imagine a network tv piece called "the politics of white skin" where a "white"(european descent) guy explains all the little quirks and misunderstandings of pale skin...

imagine a piece called "the politics of yellow eyes"...where some ppl of asian descent take some time out to explain why their eyes are the way they are...

as long as we continue to play poppishow for media consumption is as long as it will take us to get respect...

who will love or respect us if we can't do it for ourselves? </div></div>

**jah_yout** · 06-18-2012, 02:49 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why and how is it heartbreaking for you?</div></div>

i thought i explained in the previous post...

my thought is;

we are always trying to justify or explain our natural god-given traits to others....why?

i don't see any white ppl on network tv having to explain why their hair or skin or eyes are the way they are...
i don't see any yellow people having to explain their eyes or any other physical characteristic...\
why do we so-called blacks feel the need to explain to the world why "god" "made" us the way we were made...
i think the segment is an abomination as we are no more nor no less human than anyone on the globe, but apparently we think we are less, hence the constant need to justify our existence...
mi naw play dem game deh...

imagine if instead of <span style="font-weight: bold">A crash course in black hair</span>...it was called <span style="font-weight: bold">A crash course in white skin</span>...<span style="font-weight: bold">A crash course in yellow eyes</span>....a<span style="font-weight: bold"> crash course in brown lips</span>

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-weight: bold">The reporter left some wise words for you<span style="font-style: italic">..."The best course of action is to understand a black woman is by what's in her head and not what's on it."</span></span></div></div>

the reporter left absolutely nothing for me...

i have a lot of experience trying to understand women, especially black women, who i am surrounded by and was born into earth by...

i never needed a network tv show to help me understand my own women...
that type of knowledge is best gained by on-the-ground experience & research...

her report must be geared toward non-black men who wish to date or marry black women... otherwise what is its purpose?
and is this the best forum for it if it is NOT directed to others?
and if it IS directed to others...why do we need to help the world understand us?
are we not human like they are?
are they using network tv to help us understand them?
if not, why?

who has decided that our hair, the way it grows out of our scalp naturally, is somehow something POLITICAL...and what form of mental slavery would make us accept this premise to the point where people feel the need to make movies ("good hair&quot

and network tv programs trying to explain our hair? or color? or size? or whatever?..

i don't ever need to explain or justify to anyone like some sort of training manual why the almighty fashioned me in the way i was fashioned

**kia027** · 06-18-2012, 03:16 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

as a black women surrounded by a lot of white women I hear a lot of questions about hair that they have always been curious to ask. I find Melissa Harris-Perrys comments spot on because 1) she has chosen to wear her hair in many different styles and non whites are curious 2) She got tired of being asked. 3) her last line is spot on!

**SandiF** · 06-18-2012, 11:43 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

jah-yout, thanks for responding...

Maybe I am not getting the vested interest in anyone's hair... black or white. A woman choose to style her hair whichever way that is fitting for her. You won't find me being at angst because some black women choose to either perm or braid or weave or do something else with their hair that is different from my own. As for the reporter's explanation, I think it is good.. If some people have a need to know or having a curiosity about black women's hair, there is not a thing wrong with a little educating.

Why do you think the woman is being a poppy show? Should she remain mum on a topic she apparently has been asked on several occasions? Maybe you may not need a network tv show to help you "understand black women" but there are people out there, and apparently there are, who need someone to educate them just a bit about black women. Hey, we are women and no different from a white woman, except for the colour of our skin.

I viewed the reporters explanation as she's just a little tired of being asked and decided to do a quick segment that would help. Now here comes a black man to say she is playing to the masses. We can't win huh? You need to settle a bit with your angst-ridden rhetorics towards black women and specifically towards how we choose to style our hair. I do not think you understand black women. Show some love and support to your sisters, brother.

**jah_yout** · 06-19-2012, 11:39 AM

Re: A crash course in black hair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">jah-yout, thanks for responding...</div></div>

respect due

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe I am not getting the vested interest in anyone's hair... black or white</div></div>.

i am also not getting it...
hence my amusement that a reporter would feel the need to do a network tv segment to explain a body part or physical characteristic common to a major human ethnic/racial group

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">You won't find me being at angst because some black women choose to either perm or braid or weave or do something else with their hair that is different from my own. </div></div>

that's good...but apparently not a sentiment shared by most of us since we seem to need to do movies and shows to help the wolrd understand how our hair grows...why we need to do that us extremely curious to me...
i am not interested in anyone's physical characteristics as i know different "races" have different physical characteristics so i don't need a lecture about any of those physical characteristics...especially from tv & hollyweird

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As for the reporter's explanation, I think it is good.. If some people have a need to know or having a curiosity about black women's hair, there is not a thing wrong with a little educating. </div></div>

why do some people have a burning need to know about "black" (africoid) hair?
it is hair...we are not some sort of curious animal that needs to get studied...it is simply hair and those people need to get over it...and we need to stop entertaining them with this foolishness about "let me tell you guys about black people"...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why do you think the woman is being a poppy show? Should she remain mum on a topic she apparently has been asked on several occasions?</div></div>

i'm not targeting her specifically as a poppishow...i am targeting us in general as a people...as poppishows...in other word putting ourselves out there for the entertainment or to solve the curiosity of others...
when i see whites doing movies explaining their skin color (or lack of it)...when i see chinese people do a movie about why their eyes are slanted, then i will retract the "poppishow" label...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Maybe you may not need a network tv show to help you "understand black women" but there are people out there, and apparently there are, who need someone to educate them just a bit about black women.</div></div>

here lies the problem for me...why do people need to get "educated" about black women?
are they not human like any other woman? why the need for education??

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Hey, we are women and no different from a white woman, except for the colour of our skin.</div></div>

and somehow we need to teach non-blacks that? by movies and tv?
<span style="font-style: italic">hey guys!! look!! we are human just like you except the color of our skin!!
will you accept us now?? pleeeasse accept us as humans</span>
if they (non-blacks) needed someone to teach them that then they are in bad trouble and maybe they need teaching on a lot more things than just the black woman's humanity...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I viewed the reporters explanation as she's just a little tired of being asked and decided to do a quick segment that would help</div></div>

i hear that...still have a problem with it, but i overstand

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Now here comes a black man to say she is playing to the masses. </div></div>

and she is not??
would she go on <span style="font-weight: bold">television</span> to explain to blacks about themselves? i think most blacks already know what their hair is like...
so yes-- i think she is on <span style="font-weight: bold">television</span> to play to the <span style="font-weight: bold">masses</span> indeed

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We can't win huh? You need to settle a bit with your angst-ridden rhetorics towards black women and specifically towards how we choose to style our hair.</div></div>

this is not so much about how black women style their hair (granted there is still a lot of straight-hair worship)...this is about why do blacks feel the need to explain their existence, including physical features...to a wider audience (i said the same thing about chris rock's "good hair" )

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I do not think you understand black women</div></div>

i understand enough to know when i'm seeing phuggery...
and going on tv to explain our physical features in my eyes is phuggery...
i don't see any other race doing it...but then again no other race was bombarded with mis-education telling them they are inferior beings in every way;

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Show some love and support to your sisters, brother. </div></div>

i will not support this...
i also have daughters--- and i will teach them don't let anyone come question you or pet you like a puppy dog because they are curious about your hair...
if they ask you why your hair is like that, ask them why <span style="font-weight: bold">theirs</span> is like <span style="font-weight: bold">that</span>...if they ask you to touch it, tell them only <span style="font-weight: bold">after</span> you touch theirs to see what their strange texture is like also...

in other words, you are not their display dolly to come study like you are anything strange...
it is they who are strange with such a primitive attitude...
they (non-blacks) have also been mis-educated but we do them no favors by feeding into this madness...
full time they grow up and realize that people are just people, whatever their god-given physical characteristics are...
enough with the movies & shows explaining things which need no explanation

**SandiF** · 06-19-2012, 12:21 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

Your points are well taken jah_yout and we do look at it differently thus our reactions are different. I have no daughters (or children, for that matter) but if I did, I would open their mind towards being diverse and not passive; not to be challenged by questions in regards to their ethnicity or other and to be able to respond in a manner that is open minded and true to themselves. I have no doubt you are a great father to your children.

**jah_yout** · 06-19-2012, 02:20 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

give thanks...

what you might call "angst", i call protecting my yute dem...

if i can help it they will not grow up accepting the white supremacy religion so prevalent out there;

they will know that they are beautiful and children of the most high therefore no need to mutilate or deny your physical in an attempt to mimic anyone else's physical characteristics;

the almighty made no mistakes in designing you and you are the original, so just satta;

and they won't need to explain that to anyone who doesn't already 'get it'

**Nunya** · 06-19-2012, 02:51 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

Loving the dialogue here and see merit in both sides of the discussion. Respect to Sandi & the yute

Question to jahyout: You said <div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">i also have daughters--- and i will teach them don't let anyone come question you or pet you like a puppy dog because they are curious about your hair...
if they ask you why your hair is like that, ask them why theirs is like that...if they ask you to touch it, tell them only after you touch theirs to see what their strange texture is like also...</div></div>

Likening someone touching your hair to 'pet(ting) you like a puppy dog' because they're curious is a very broad derogatory stroke, don't you think? Couldn't someone just be curious for the sake of being curious, without trying to denigrate you at the same time?

As a young'un I can recall seeing black Jamaicans wanting to touch the hair of white foreigners because they were curious as to the texture etc. I am sure they weren't trying to make the visitors feel like dogs...

And as to not questioning your daughters - why not? Or are you saying questions about their hair should be left only to females of a similar hue?

**Gen** · 06-19-2012, 03:45 PM

Re: A crash course in black hair

jamaica is the only place I have been, where people would just walk up to likklegen and touch her hair

mi stand up pan line and dem just walk up and start feel up, no "may I" or what not

\0/

**jah_yout** · 06-20-2012, 09:22 AM

Re: A crash course in black hair

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Likening someone touching your hair to 'pet(ting) you like a puppy dog' because they're curious is a very broad derogatory stroke, don't you think?</div></div>

true- but it depends on the context

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Couldn't someone just be curious for the sake of being curious, without trying to denigrate you at the same time?</div></div>

this is true...but it's not that they are trying to denigrate...it is a form of maturity to realize that ppl have physical differences...no group should accept having to constantly explain why they look the way they do, or to serve as a demo for people curious about them

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">As a young'un I can recall seeing black Jamaicans wanting to touch the hair of white foreigners because they were curious as to the texture etc. I am sure they weren't trying to make the visitors feel like dogs...</div></div>

i guess...but it's weird because as a yute in J-A i never had a desire to touch anyone's hair...and i came across white people quite a bit...maybe it's because i had indian-descent neighbors & friends who some had straight hair LOL

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">And as to not questioning your daughters - why not? Or are you saying questions about their hair should be left only to females of a similar hue? </div></div>

yea actually i would prefer people teach their kids that it is a bit weird to ask people if you can touch them...
that would prevent it before it started...children are very funny psychologically and who knows what kind of damage can be done to their psyche if people keep asking them to touch something on them...they might start feeling like a side-show and start crying to get their hair cremed (for instance if they were a black kid in a predominantly white school--- as i was when i first came to US-- so i speak from experience)

people in a diverse city have to teach their children (& adults) that people are physically different looking, to respect that & move on, instead of treating it like a day at the circus

**Nunya** · 06-20-2012, 09:49 AM

Re: A crash course in black hair

I think you're over playing your hand somewhat.

You expect people to be taught, or to learn that we are different, but you do not want you or yours to figure in the teaching...

I do think it annoying, sometimes, when people would ask me how did I get my hair like that (speaking of a specific style), but I find that my annoyance usually stems from me being tired or generally irritated at the time and not because of the question... (although, I did have a coworker who annoyed the shyte outta me, cause she'd ask me the same s_t <span style="text-decoration: underline">every day</span> and would attempt to touch my hair <span style="text-decoration: underline">every day</span>. I eventually just shut her down. She was an extreme exception...)

Years back I had some guy ask me if my skin was soft, cause he didn't think black skin was soft. Wanted to know if he could touch... some other idiot wanted to know what my lips felt like, cause black lips looked 'lumpy'...

I told them to go __ themselves...

But again, when you analyze the ratio of those who make outrageous statements and requests like that, to those who don't, you'll see that they are seriously a small percentage...

And yes, I do realize that though their number may be small, their actions aren't 'ok', but I chalk it up to ignorance and move on... I don't allow it to colour my perception of most folk who really mean no harm and are for the most part in awe of our hair, skin, lips... I mean, summer rolls around and they all want to be us...

**jah_yout** · 06-24-2012, 08:06 AM

Re: A crash course in black hair

check out starting at 33 seconds

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A crash course in black hair

A crash course in black hair

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