Last year Paula Zahn did a report called “Skin-Deep: racism in America”. In the show there were several interviews with “race experts” and political figures. A test was given that told you if you had the penchant towards a particular race. Well, I found the test on-line and took it. The results surprised me at first, then it made me wonder if… I could be a racist?
Hey this is Leticia. I should first start out by saying that the test doesn’t determine whether or not you are a racist definitively…it tells you if you have a strong, moderate or little or no preference for a particular race. In this Harvard study, the two groups tested were blacks and whites.
The test was a series of pictures and words. You have to hit the “e” and the “i” on the keyboard to show that you can first tell the difference between the two races. Then a series of words flash on the screen and you must again hit the right letter to determine where they go. They are words like love, joy, happiness, and evil, nasty and bad. Then you link the good words with either race and likewise with the bad words. In about five minute’s time, you learn if you respond faster when European American faces and Good words were linked together or African American faces and Good words. Based on how quickly you choose each picture and words are how your preference is determined.
My test “suggests a moderate automatic preference for European American compared to African American”. Imagine this black girl’s surprise. I was so shocked in fact that I had to take the test again, and again. Around test #3, I started to question myself. Do I like white people more?! Well, I guess that would explain why I’m on an interracial dating site. But, that can’t be. I love my people. I love our passion, creativity, endurance, strength, courage and…okay, I know I’m starting to sound like an India Arie song. You get the picture. I love me some black people.
Right about now, I’m starting to feel like the little girl in the doll test. I’ve let down my whole race by picking the wrong side. Jessie, Al and even Condoleezza will be knocking on my door any minute to make me turn in my “black and I’m proud” card. I’m thinking “this would be the perfect time to get someone else to take the test,” then, maybe I won’t feel so bad. So, I get my best friend to take it. He and I are so much alike in our ideologies, values and goals. Great idea…right?
Wrong. He takes the test and now I feel worse. He ranked in the 2% that actually has a “strong automatic preference for African American compared to European American”. As I was about to get all sad about his ability to keep his card, a sad thought came over me. Why is the percentage of strong automatic preference for African American’s only 2%?
How many black people have actually taken this test? I know that originally on the television show it was only given to Whites and Asians. What does it mean that “I” have an automatic preference for another race? Was I too a victim to all the societal influences that for generations has told me that black is bad and dirty and white represents good and pure?
My best friend points out that he’s not surprised by my “preference”. According to him, I’ve always been nicer to white folks than black. I disagree. However, my own thoughts take me back to less than a week ago I mentioned that there were a lot of new black people all around the complex so it “must be time to move”. I’d love to say that I was joking, but I wasn’t. I’d love to believe that it’s just my preference, just like dating interracially is yours, however, there is a part of me that is really afraid that some of my feelings could be related to that self-hate that we’ve heard so much about. I don’t think that on a conscience level. But, I also didn’t think that I’d take a test that would make me start believing that I could be prejudice…against my own race either.
I intentionally use the word prejudice instead of racist, because to quote Michael Eric Dyson, author of “Debating Race”, “…racism suggests that you have political power in a society to reinforce your viewpoints as the status quo”. Black people, by far, have not had that”. Prejudice…we got!
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Flamebait!!!
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Hey UNME, looks like we’re on the good list!!
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great comments to read.
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Hey UNME & MOSSIMO you are both on the good list.
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Unme and Mossimo are good guys???
Damn, we’re in trouble!
LOL
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Mossimo, you guys are always on the good list. We girls just know a fraud when we see one
We call a spade a spade. Lot more than we can say about someone else here!
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u know u love me fala!!!
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You are too sweet Coco!! Kisses to you! lol
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wow I can see that this article is bringing on a lot of heat in here. the article is very interested and im impressed with everyone’s open-ended responses.
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Of course I do Unme!
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sounds like somebody made cocos bad list.
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all I can say is wow….not surprised at the comments on here…I don’t think we will ever unite.
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Subtle prejudice are overt predudice which is the worst?
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Sad to say Legs, but I have to agree with you.
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Leticia, I’m not surprised by your preference, I could tell from your writing! Don’t worry, there are many people like you, they just can’t come to terms with it because it’s too uncomfortable. At least you can tackle it now that you are aware, if you wish to.
I think that the majority of black people prefer whites, because they are our main influence. I see a lot of this in the UK, particularly London, because we are 1% of the population, and most prefer to date other nationalites (they will easily overlook the attitudes of those like Sean, or pander to them, as does his woman). In Europe, we are an endangered species! It’s strange, but I don’t bat an eyelid when I see an ‘interracial’ couple, but I can’t help staring when I see a black couple, especially if they are young. Weird, isn’t it?
It’s funny that people say the test was too ‘narrow’. Why? Because you didn’t like the result? Would it have been better if you could have been told that you prefer brown? What would that say about you?
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Oh my God! I cannot believe the comments I read aimed at Sean. It seems black people can say whatever they like about others but when a white person tries to say it, it is wrong. I am black.
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Purdy: “I think that the majority of black people prefer whites, because they are our main influence.”
JL: This has nothing to do with “influecne” BUT with how people are CONDITIONED by the media to either fear one group or to prefer another group.
In the context of the fact that “whites get deep tans, add collagen to their lips, and padding to their hips,” your comments are absurd.
“Prefer whites?!”
Puhleeze!
John L.
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First I would question the validity of this test. I mean how in the hell can you tell if something is “black/white” in the first place? Makes the test sound like it was created by racists LOL
Second, preference does not = racism, never has. I like dark hair better than red, but there are people of all ethnicities with both. Not wanting to date bald men, again, lots in every culture.
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I had a preference for lighter skinned people. I have always preferred light skin men. Some of our preferenc may not be racial,but class and cultural. Middle class vs low income.
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The question of how a black person could have a preference for whites over blacks has an easy answer. In the United States we have been culturally conditioned to prefer whites over blacks.
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Admit it People
Blacks have more fun, more flavors, more tastes, so much, that is the reason you hear them play loud music, they do everything big, you know when you have too much of something in your blood it will just popped up everywhere that’s the reason the white teen-agers kept immitating blacks with loud music and cool spectacular’s cars because it simply the best instead of living the boring every day’s life, same old, same old, same old hair style per example the white fox always have. And you know I am right!
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i do agree with sean lydon in that there is some truth in all stereotyping. albeit a wide brushing stroke of generalization but it is what it is. there are things in everyday life that people as a general rule see as specific race things.
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