AB...the only thing about "good v bad" that is in my post is: "i think that the percentage would be higher if you only look at 100% black people. why? because the majority of black people are not financially in a position to prioritize things of this sort. those that are mixed tend to have "good hair" (i hate that phrase, btw) because it's mixed with a thinner grade of hair, thus making it lighter (weight wise)." i said that i hate that phrase because it does infer that one type of hair is "good" and another is "bad". i personally do not agree. hell, cassandra wilson, imo, has absolutely beautiful hair. same for maxwell. it's just a label that society has placed on thin, straight, less dense hair versus thick, kinky hair.
oh, and let me be the one to state the unpopular: stereotypes are usually based on some truth! all lot of black people do like watermelon!! OMG!!! the shock and horror! and most white women do have flat asses!!! what is offensive to people (myself included) is being classified (or pigeonholed) into a set of characteristics without intimate knowledge of my likes/dislikes. it's assuming you know a person without taking the time to do so. so, yea, AB, i understand your dislike of generalizations and stereotypes. it's not fair. but, don't deny the fact that many of those stereotypes are true. the only true solution is to get to know the facts before you state them as the truth.
Heath, I seriously don't know anyone who doesn't like tacos. Very astute observation. AB, I don't know about you, but don't you hate when people say "good hair", that just demeans your heritage, logically you would be saying most black people have "bad hair" and its not good or bad, just different. I personally would love to where corn rows if I didn't have a corporate job, and worse, I'm going bald. This makes me think about the movie School Daze by Spike Lee. Everyone who thinks Spike is some sort of racist should see this movie, because its his second feature film and you know after viewing it, that Spike is just as critical of his own people as he is of others. Anyway if you wonder why I bring up this movie if you haven't seen it, it addresses some issues in the Black community about "light skinned" vs. "dark skinned" and "good hair" vs. "nappy hair". Its a little outdated but in the eighties it was a very topical movie.
Pg You hit the sentiment on the head. "Good" hair or "Bad" is an observation about our heritage that we should be beyond. Hell, I had the lousiest afro in elementary because when I would have my hair braided it would make my straight hair curly, which is the opposite of what should have been happening! I watched Ellen DeGeneres last night on her HBO special and she performed for an hour without having to resort to any sort of racial putdown or even a racial obseration. I think we should work harder trying not to offend on that level, whether acceptable or not, why take the chance.
AB, I think you are overestimating the power of phonetics. The word "nappy" for many is a pleasure to hear and speak, separate even from the meaning. I'm not kidding for once. It's a ****ing cool word. I used it the other day in some non-hair context, and one of my coworkers said I couldn't use that word, since I was white, and I got kind of mad. (Then I busted out my Native American blood on her with a string of words I never wanted her to use again, like "Utah." No wonder I have no friends). And as for hair, doesn't everybody's hair get made fun of? That's one of the only good parts of being a human: making fun of other people's hair. Should I forbid you from using the words "bowl cut," "mullet," "tennessee tophat," or "ape drape?" Maybe I should go read your remarks in that other thread (duh, B-Bob), but that would mean putting my toe in a basketball forum.
Well, I am willing to say I don't have a good enough historical appreciation for the word we're discussing here. But I am also willing to say dicksweat in almost any context.
Yeah, but that's making fun of how some people choose to where their hair. Calling a black person's hair nappy is like making fun of their skin color something they were born with and furthermore part of what make them black. Usually when someone mentions nappy hair, it is a reference to their race, in a derogatory sense as much as their hair. I'm not saying you were trying to be degrading, but I most people use it in an offensive way. Its like saying, "I'm tired of Kelvin's lazy black a$$". What's the purpose of pointing out the color of Kelvin's a$$ in that statement. What was that poster's point of pointing out Moochie's hair texture.
Well, I'll take your word for this, and I'm sadly going to quit using the word. I have had my hair called nappy many times by friends, (straight black-hair but prone to bedhead, moss, etc.) but I think we are just kind of ignorant. We are people who like words and aren't usually insensitive (except to people who attempt to jump over the great wall of china on a bicycle). Anyway, like I said, I'm learning a little something here. "Unkempt" is kind of nice word, I guess, unless someone thinks I'm saying "un-Kemp."
dic*sweat ???? Thats not a funny dic* word. Try these... Dictaphone ( Dic-ta-phone ) sounds like a strap on cell phone. dictator ( dic-tator ) something gross from Idaho.
you know, the more i think about this, the more i realize how utterly ridiculous it is. pardon the upcoming frankness.... who gives a good *** damn if someone says you have nappy hair? so freaking what! you know what, maybe that person is cooking a lot of sh*t in their kitchen. but, maybe, just maybe, that person is happy about it. is there a difference between saying that because someone is black they are a big d*ck bandit? no, not really. but does it matter? it's all a matter of how you feel about yourself...not how someone else feels about you! if it truly upsets you that society assesses negative connotations with things like "nappy" or "black" or whatever, you're going to be one unhappy individual for the rest of your life. am i saying it's right? no. but you shouldn't allow such things to change your mood...especially when that person doesn't even know you.
When I read that thread, before AB posted, I thought it was a negative comment but I didn't respond because I didn't think the poster was trying to be negative towards blacks. But I have no problem with A.B. responding because if it was meant as derogatory it shouldn't have been posted and if it wasn't meant to be derogatory, its an interesting discussion. A.B. mentioning shouldn't make you any more upset than that poster writing it.
Duly noted. If I called you a black assed ni**er ape, would you mind? After all it doesn't matter how other people feel about you...
