MovieChat Forums > America's Next Top Model (2003) Discussion > Kind of off-topic, but not really

Kind of off-topic, but not really

posted 8 years ago by Ole_Sassy_One
8 replies | jump to latest

The argument about whether or not the black women have roots in Africa...what did you think about that?

It escalated so quickly that I had to go back and watch it to see what started it.

[–] Crazygreen1127 8 years ago

There is some truth to that. Binta may have been abrasive, but she was right.

And that being said, I agree with her about black on black crime and victimization needing to be taken care of first. I am firm believer in BLM, however, you can't solve the problem with racism outside the community, without solving it inside first.

[–] stefanheikel 8 years ago

I agreed with her, but I felt like she should've also mentioned how all humans originate from Africa.

[–] b73142 8 years ago

From a black American that was born from an African mother and a black American father I have come across black Americans that don't want to be associated with Africa. Some think that they are too good & better and some others don't want to learn their history. Not sure what the contestants reasons were for saying that their history wasn't from there.

[–] dora-tonks 8 years ago

I understood Binta's point, but I also understood the issue that black Americans have, too. Yes, they may know that their ancestors came from the continent Africa, but there are so many diverse cultures and the way that black people were brought to America meant that they were totally cut off from their cultures and most black Americans have no idea which countries they came from, just a general idea of Africa. It's hard to identify with the label "African" when it doesn't mean much to you, whereas Binta knows where she came from and has ties to her own culture. She can form her identity and view of herself by calling herself African in a way that black Americans can't.

I hope that made sense? It's a very tricky thing to explain.

[–] b73142 8 years ago

What you said makes sense, but one of them said that their history wasn't from Africa at all. Like I said above, I'm 1/2 African, but I was born and raised here with an American father. There are some blacks that don't want to be associated or even learn their history.

[–] dora-tonks 8 years ago

I just assumed that she was inarticulately saying what I was tbh. Like her history isn't "we came from Africa and now we're in America", but "we were stolen from Africa, sold off, forced to assimilate, and now exist here as second class citizens".

But you could be right, too. I do know black people who want nothing to do with their ancestry, or are only willing to go back one or two generations (like, I know a lot of people with family from the Caribbean who refuse to acknowledge Africa).

[–] theLastResortt 8 years ago

I have 2 friends from the Caribbean who say they are not from Africa and chose to come live here. One has had issues with racism but she still loves it here. She always thinks people are ignorant when they assume she is from Africa. She speaks French Creole and Spanish and has a slight accent but was only in her teens when she moved here. Which renders it somewhat obvious she is not from Africa recently. I never asked about her ancestors.

I get there are opportunities here but Africa and their Islands are so beautiful. One even says he hates our Ocean and I think, duh. That's why people go to Trinidad and Tobago to vacation.

I am Italian and wish people assumed I was from Italy. I have green eyes, light brown hair and pale skin and wish I could have my country of origin assumed of me. I just feel like we should all be proud of our heritage. Maybe even moreso if you were forced to leave your country under horrific circumstances.

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[–] zildjian_x 8 years ago

I understand what the other girls meant. They may have had ancestors that originated in Africa but that doesn't mean they know anything about their background to identify with it. Many black people who have been here for several generations now have a mix of many different things.
I'm a white American and obviously my roots come from Europe, but I don't identify myself as European, so why should they identify themselves as African? I think calling black people African Americans is dumb for that very reason in the first place, unless they actually came here from Africa. White people aren't called European Americans.