That Post On Psychology Today? Is Gone Now. More Thoughts…
There are, of course, screen caps and repostings of the heinousness because, no matter what PT thinks, folks don’t intend to forget this so easy. I mean, did they really think that would work?
Anyway, I had a couple more thoughts on this mess.
1. According to Karnythia, before I saw that post it had a different, even more terrible title: Why Are Black Women Ugly? Dudes.
2. This is ironic because just this morning I was thinking about Karnythia and the post she did a long time ago about the dark side of being pretty. I remember how there were a lot of commenters up in arms about that post because the woman dared to announce to people that she knew she was attractive.
I’ve often picked apart the many things that go into such reactions. For one, it’s somehow considered gosh gauche to admit that you think you’re pretty if you’re a woman. You’re supposed to be modest about it or something. But we all know that shit gets old fast, especially when certain people use that false modesty in manipulative ways.
Even that is a coping method that our society teaches is good. Don’t outright ask for or go after what you want, manipulate people into giving it to you or doing what you want. Especially if you’re conventionally pretty.
And some women are conditioned to actively hate other women who they perceive as being more beautiful, no matter what the circumstance.
But beyond the general distaste for people announcing how they’re attractive, I think it was doubly disturbing for some because Karnythia is black. Black women aren’t allowed to think of themselves as pretty and to discuss the downside of being attractive to men.
The fact that the PT blogger really thought he could get away with saying “Black Women Are Ugly” lays it all out. It’s not as if it’s not something we hear everyday, explicitly or implicitly. And even if we choose to be vocal and say the opposite, there are always those who will come along and try their hardest to smack us back into thinking we’re wrong.
One of the reasons I was thinking about that post this morning is because I often have a hard time accepting it when people tell me I’m attractive. A few months ago there was anonymous love meme, and I got a thread, and there are a bunch of people who expressed the opinion that I am hot. My immediate thought was: No, I’m not. And you know what? That is a fucked up first thought to have.
So screw that shit: I am hot. :P
How about you?
From The Angry Black Tumblr | Comment below or Reblog @ Tumblr
I’d be hot if I exercised. I’m terribly out of shape. I don’t mind my weight but I mind my heavy breathing (in the context of running for a bus, anyway). I know I could be hot; I know I have been in the past. Right now I’m not.
But I’m mostly commenting about something I wouldn’t normally, because (I think) there’s a spelling error in your post that was difficult enough for me to interpret that I had to reread several times to get the intended meaning, which was distracting from your point.
Mostly I don’t correct people who haven’t asked me to but (yes, I know, I know) if I were a writer I’d want someone to tell me about something egregious enough that it got in the way of readability.
I think you mean gauche,and the reason I didn’t get it immediately is that gauche is pronounced with a long o, and gosh is pronounced with a short o, and because I read aloud to myself in my head, which a lot of people do, they sound different and it’s difficult to interpret. If you’d typed, say, “allowed” instead of “aloud” I might not have even noticed the error.
If it is, in fact, an error, and not just a slang term or regionalism I haven’t heard before.
I don’t actually know whether this comment is acceptable for your blog or not. I apologize if I crossed a boundary line. In my circle this is normal, but I know in others it’s rude, and I don’t know what the attitude is here.
ahaha, I have never bothered to look up how that word is spelled because I’ve had so rare a need to use it in print. So thank you.
Also, I bet you are hot even if you’re not in your ideal shape. I’m not, either. Yet somehow anonymous people on the webs are pining after me. woot.
Ridiculous article… but just wondering… any word from the so called ‘anti -racist allies’?
Or is this just another case of, well we can’t argue with a physchological opinion whilst smirking behond their keyboards?
I think you’re hot too. :P
Ab, I would really like to see everyone rally around this, and get that bozo fired. So repeating myself from the other thread:
Here’s a helpful page, if anybody hasn’t yet complained about Satoshi Kanazawa or request that they hire more Black scientists:
https://my.psychologytoday.com/feedback
Good to see that there’s pressure on LSE to do something about the guy: http://www.voice-online.co.uk/content.php?show=19692
I wanted to submit one of the beauitful black women in my life for recognition. Her name is Dr. Sharon Gilbert. I’ve been activly following your blog for several months now and enjoying everything. Your posts on the Psychology Today article had me specifically every instance of black beauty i came across today.
I was in Dr. Gilbert’s office waiting to talk to her and I noticed a plaque on her wall honoring her and several other beautiful black women. I asked her if I could sumbit her and she gave her permission.
So here she is. Dr. Sharon Gilbert: http://www.d-mars.com/html/businessjournal/pdf/BJ_26.pdf
I hope you can highlight her on your site. She’s a wonderful friend.
Keep up the great writing.
Best Regards,
Aaron deOliveira
fb.me/aarondeoliveira