Do you believe society views light skinned blacks differently than darker skinned blacks?
603980
Yes they are you know why? because dark skin black in TV role are what we call a "Black" person or "Black film." Whereas a light skin Black like Will Smith is a Black guy but not a "black"(dark or relating to African) guy. A black guy like will Smith is more acceptted in society and being a Black person without being a Black movie. If Will Smith was very dark he would have not got the roles he have, because they would appear to the "Black" audience or a black film. Light skin blacks can relate to "Blacks" and white people. Whereas a Dark Black person in a role Will be seen as a African type of black that others will think of as a "Black picture"
189834
We all have different amounts of melanin in our skin. If we have less, our skin is lighter. If we have more, our skin is darker.
714501
I think it's fine.  Skincolor doesn't make a person, it's said person's mind and heart that do.
730017
I do believe that there are cultural differences but I don't think they are limited to skin color. It is true that certain cultural circles are dominated by a certain skin color, but the behavior is the same. A white kid grows up in the ghetto, just because he is white doesn't mean he acts any different than the black kid and the Mexican kid sitting next to him. Same goes for upper society. If there is a Mexican family or black family living in the Hamptons that doesn't mean he will act the same as the Mexican kid from the ghetto just because he is Mexican.\n\nIn the end it does come down to the difference just being skin color and stereotypes. It all depends on how and where you were raised. But, there are always exceptions to the rule on all sides and with all colors.
537022
That is what it implies to me.\nI never refer to people by their complexion unless I'm at a loss, and then I use light complected, medium complected or dark complected. Never colored or black or even African American. They are American. I am American. I am not pale or Irish/German American and would hate to be categorized like that. I feel using the word "complected" refers solely to the fact that people have different skin tones, rather than being an ethnic or racial term.
843407
I see what you're saying.  I've thought the same thing.  If you have light skin, you'll stay cooler in the hot climate than if you had darker skin, so why would you want to get your skin darker if you'd only feel hotter the darker you got?  Right? \n\nTherefore if evolution were really working like it should, people who live up in colder climates like Norway and Sweden would have dark skin to absorb the most of the sun's rays and stay warmer and the people down in Africa would have lighter skin to repel most of sun's rays to keep them cooler.\n\nSeems like that would make sense to me.
1063145
Yes, they do, but they don't turn red like us pale skins do. I have many black or dark friends that have spent too much time in the sun (mostly in sports) and they do get burned.
602820
The color you see is that light that reflects back to your eye.  People with darker skin absorb more of the light that comes their way.
626058
Since it is believed that people are originally from Africa, dark colored skin would have been the norm.  However, as people migrated north they weren't getting as much sun because they had to cover up to keep warm.  However, black people who get very little sun develope vitamin D deficiency because your body requires sunlight to make the last step of the synthesis go.  So, their skin needed to let more light in and it was beneficial to them to evolve lighter colored skin.  \nHave you noticed (part of it is interbreeding with white people, of course) that American blacks, who have been in the US about 200 years, are not nearly as dark black as native Africans anymore?
803015
i'm not black... but i think deep dark skin can be very sexy.  look at naomi campbell
309268
Yes it is true.  Melanin is a wonderful thing when it comes to aging.  That an the fact that black people don't subject their skin to the harshness of the sunlight in the way that some do.
583461
Unfortunately, there are still ignorant people who judge people by color. People are people, regardless of skin pigmentation, good, bad and in between.
643647
yes i do the double take thing sometimes. the most ironic part for me is that i myself am the product of a mixed marriage. my mother is white my father is black. but still i'll see a light skinned child go to his/her dark skinned mother and i'm shocked, or a dark skinned child going to a light skinned father. i try not to stare sometimes i compliment them on such a lovely looking child and explain my situation and background.
403355
No, it is not necessarily prejudice. Prejudice is just a preconceived preference. Just because you see differences in different races doesn't mean you are being prejudiced. You could embrace different cultures when you know the differences between them and your own.
172765
Wasn't that show interesting! I could look at henry's parents and tell that he wasn't all black even his great great grand mother looked like she was german! but i am not that surprised by Oprah she looks asian to me! So does mae jamison. honestly the fact that there are a lot of white people that could have black in them did not surprise me at all. there were alot of blacks that passed and went into society with out being discovered that went on to procreate children. So it is very possible for that to happen. i think henry's family wanted to stay 'above " the colour line that is why he was on a crusade to prove his black ness I found it ironic that he wasn't as black as he thought he was.
193854
Well, I have been discrminiated against and racially profiled. I am a militray wife and been just about every where and because of my fair skin I have been assumed to be Everything but, black. Because they say I "sound" white. Many people are under the assumption that all black people are "brown skinned". NOT TRUE. we come in different shades. I am mixed with Seminole Indian, African American, German and Irish. Despite of my many mixed nationalities I am abdominatly "Black". But, it's ashame to see that people still use the "N" word even within the black community. But, as soon as a person of a different race says it, it's offending. So, why call eachother that. It is a sticky discussion and can go on for years to come.
165459
we label others based on the differences we see.  People have different colors, different cultures, and different facial features.  Because of this, labeling is thought to provide security within yourself.  You feel more safe "knowning" than not knowning.  However, some labels are sterotypical and are racist.  For example, some people might label Blacks to be drug dealers... so for that reason, parents of another race might try to keep their kids away from them for safety.  However, not all blacks are drug dealers, and there is no correlation between blacks and drug dealing, but unfortunately some people think that way.  We label people to draw conclusions about someone.  We try to assess what we know about them by looking.