okay.
I’m trying to understand what happened on tumblr in the last few days, regarding the shit that’s been going down with color-blinding and what it says about building coalitions between Asian and Black people of color.
I’m going to make a genuine effort to understand where cosmopolitan-fascism (aka of-praxis) and color-blinding are coming from, here.
Because some of their critiques do ring true, to me. Specifically: the dangers in generalizing the Asian-American experience to the most privileged within that umbrella. And because I come from such a place of privilege, because I am someone who quite firmly is in the upper middle class, someone who is the damn definition of a model minority, I wonder how much my inherent biases have played a part in how I’ve seen Asian participation in antiracist movements.
I missed most of this shitstorm, so if anyone knows of any posts or critiques that could add context or clarification to this situation, hook me up.
While I agree very heavily about pretending that all Asians have the same experience (I usually specifically differentiate between pale Asians and dark Asians because I’d argue that dark skinned Asians are treated closer to the shittier side of the spectrum). Even amongst Asians, there is a hierarchy. However, compared to black people, that hierarchy also becomes a bit moot, and I think that’s an important thing to consider when discussion Asian-Black solidarity. In general, I find that Black people will not discuss the Asian-specific hierarchy because it doesn’t apply, just like non-Black people should not be discussing the Black specific colorism hierarchy because it does not apply to them. So when it’s said that “Asians have more privilege overall”…WRT black people, that is a fact, and as anti-dark skin and anti-African Black sentiments are all over the Asian communities (which may be the ONLY thing they have steadily in common with each other), it might be best to start understanding it in that way.
this. i feel like in these convos/clusterfucks, and i felt the same thing when almost this exact same shit went down with creatrixtiara last year (oh yes i hang onto my receipts), black people - and specifically, black AMERICANS - are expected to be really knowledgeable and aware of these intra-community dynamics w/r/t asians communities………that we don’t really have a reason to be aware of?
ok, reason is the wrong word. reason, in the sense of………for example, colorism in the Desi community is a thing i theoretically get, as a darker skinned black american. but it’s still different. there’s a history there of colonialism, ethnic relations, religion, etc. that inform the way colorism plays out amongst Desis that’s simply not there when it comes to colorism in african american communties. so one, i’m not going to comment on in extensively cause i don’t like to talk like i know what i’m talking about when i don’t indeed know, and two, in all of my interactions with desi folks colorism has never had any kind of impact on our interactions. and i’m using colorism as an example, but my point is, like Riley is saying the intra-community dynamics of Asian communities don’t really (in my experience at least) shape black-asian relations like that,
EXCEPT when it comes to antiblackness. so black folks should be super aware of these interdynamics automatically how exactly? especially when we’re apparently not allowed to talk to asians about anything related to being asian? *waits*
(Source: anedumacationisnomore, via crackerhell)
