COLOR COUNTRY

One  third of the country will be Hispanic   some 30 years or  so from now.

David Brooks a moderate conservative and commentator for New York Times (June 27, 2013) and PBS indicates that number could come even faster depending on immigration policy. As of July 2nd, The Fresno Bee indicated that there are now more Hispanics than Non-Hispanics (Black, Asian, White, and others) in California.  Further, all of us are “mutts.” That means many groups. Let’s imagine that I show you a picture of my mythical family taken 100 years ago. They all appear white. Take it today and they are all white. No? Well, beneath the surface are Africans, Hispanics and others. On Chris Matthews (7/2. 2013) 50,000 new Hispanics are born each month. So” white” may mean something in the future.

When kids marry, they marry for love which transcend color and ethnicity. We are in for an incredible change. Nearly every portion of our culture will be impacted by color. We are no longer chunks of huge groups, but smaller little springs of water each feeding into the bigger pond.

Location, location, location. For many cities are made up of small multiple nuclei of villages. If the villages reflect our ethnicity and race, there should be many. It may get down to this, we all look different so when it comes to race we talk in color. Colorism is often used in countries of many races and ethnicities. A brown paper bag often is the measuring point. If your lighter than the color of paper bag, you are white, tan, or  light brown. Darker, and you are  dark brown, black or blue black.

“So, if you are brown, stick around, and if your black stay back.” Lighter folks get lighter sentences in court. Other rewards fall in a long the same line of reasoning regarding complexion.  Light and white may come to mean 1)complexion 2) social class and 3) acceptance. How can a black man or a dark Hispanic (using new terminology) become lighter? They may not have the complexion by nature, but through cosmetics (bleach crème, light colored hair piece, blue tinted contacts and related, they “lighten up.” Further, straight Caucasians may use a bronzer to cover skin irritations. It will not be wrong to use a bronzer if you are male. Females have a vast array of cosmetics to choose.

Social class. The darker person may make so much money or so  much fame, that color no longer becomes an issue. They are white.

Acceptance means that the community recognizes you and have minimized in their mind your color.

Colorism is not a joyous term. It comes with racism  discrimination, but it is a fact of society. In describing a person, one may say something about their sex and then their color. So color is not just about color, but social achievement and societal  acceptance.

Thus, that is how black and brown become white or light.

Brooks, David  ( 2013) ” A Nation of Mutts,” New York: New York Times, 7/23

Graham, Lawrence Otis (1999) Our Kind of People, Inside America’s Black Elite, (New York, Perennial Books)

_________, (2013) “Latino’s to catch up with Whites in state’s Population) FresnoBee.com, 7/1

Mathews, Chris  (2013) “Hardball” MSNBC, 7/2

Prof. Joel Charles Snell

Emeritus

Kirkwood College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

52402

Apple wood Mesa

3105 Alleghany Dr. NE

Cedar Rapids, Iowa