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Post by AngloMess on Jan 13, 2005 15:54:08 GMT -5
While visiting the African east coast I saw many, many different types of people and came to a realization. I am attracted to alot of African American women - Christine Milian, Beyonce Knowles, Halle Berry, Janet Jackson {10 years ago anyway} but very few Africans. This is not to say that they are ugly, just unattractive to me. I am not attracted to super tall skinny blondes either. Anyway I was somewhat racist for most of my childhood because I assumed that there was one single monolithic 'Black race'.
My grandfather, an American who spent his life in Kenya, pointed out the various peoples. Somalis, Oromo, and Swahili seemed to have light skin and Caucasian features. These people also seemed to be waaay more religious than everyone else. My question: Are their differences an issue and are they racist towards darker skinned peoples? Do they see themselves as Black or something else? My gramps sometimes seems to be taken with Muslim peoples and romanticizes them but even he admits that there is some sort of loose apartheid practiced on Zanzibar.
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Post by ulvesang on Jan 13, 2005 17:53:02 GMT -5
I don't know the situation too well myself, but there is SEVERE racism throughout Africa between the various genetic pools. I knew a man from Uganda who worked at my school who explained to me a little of the "tribal issues" of Africa. Like of course the horrid genocides in Uganda, which he left it for. He himself was very tall, thin, with lighter skin and sharp facial features.
The differences are distinct because the racism causes geographic separation... in certain areas of Africa you will see the thinner, lighter blacks with much narrower, more "Europeanised" faces, and in others you will see those with broader features, darker skin, etc. If they began to coexist, then the differences would dissipate as populations mix.
In fact, I'd have to say that the racial tensions among the Negroid peoples are far, far worse than those between the IE people in history. Africa makes Teutons, Normans, Vikings, Celts,etc. look like a playhouse.
As for the differences between black Americans and Africans, health comes into play (Africa has NO healthcare, so even the USA's terrible private system is better than that), as well as intermixing with other people. Finally, he told me the main reason for the differences (as well as the black physical superiority) was the good ol' slave trade. Simply put, they were selectively-bred, and the undesirable ones couldn't reproduce...
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Post by Melnorme on Jan 13, 2005 19:41:46 GMT -5
Don't forget short, broad-faced, light-skinned pygmies and ultra-dark-skinned, long and linear Masai types.
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