On light skinned blacks passing for white in the olden days?....Do you think any of them came clean eventually to their families or anyone?...Do you know any truestories of people or families that passed?
2006-10-29 17:57:28 · 6 answers · asked by Direktor 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
I would pass too If I was in their shoes. Who can honestly blame them. The people who get mad at that should grow up because those people if they didn't pass would face discrimination from both races.
2006-10-30 02:59:27 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
People made a choice to do this for whatever reason. Most who did never returned to their families...until they gave birth to children who were obviously Black... and were rejected by the communities they became a part of...at least this is what I heard. I find it interesting that if these people chose to live their Black heritage, no issue was raised, but if they lived their White heritage, they were "passing." Why would anyone have to come clean as you say...for basically being who they are? I think this reinforces the fact that our society had a very strong tradition of racism and polarization.
2006-10-30 02:13:13 · answer #2 · answered by ValleyViolet 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they did what they had to in order to make a life for themselves and I absolutely do not make any judgements about that. That they had to hide their relationship with their families, lie to people and live in fear of being found out, I feel for them, but there is no way I could ever understand what they went thru.
I've never been able to understand why someone would judge someone else, or think less of them for their skin, hair, eyes, etc. You are talking about something they couldn't change *IF* they wanted to do so. So while it makes us all a l ittle more interesting to look at in a group if we are all a little different, it's not something to make your whole decision about who you are going to hire, have as a friend, or whatever. There are people of every ethnicity that are good, just like there are people of every ethnicity that are horrible, and everything in between. Just seems like a crappy thing to pick to put all that emphasis on to me.
2006-10-30 02:12:58 · answer #3 · answered by ntm 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Came clean about what? Being black? I think their families probably knew. Trying to pass as whites is something black people could do to better themselves and their families, if they passed, which I can't really imagine happened too often.
2006-10-30 02:13:20 · answer #4 · answered by Come on in, the water's lovely 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Me. I pass. And so have people in my family. I'm not really trying to pass, but people just assume that im white or some kind of european race. So I just let them "as-sume" what they want. And if they ask i tell them that i'm mixed, which i am.
Hmm maybe i shouldnt say that i "pass" so much as "dont really give a **** what people think of me"
yeah.
2006-10-30 02:35:13 · answer #5 · answered by mutant_enemy_girl 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It happened. Why should they come 'clean', they are not 'dirty' in the first place. I am white and regard that chapter of our history with pain and regret. Pain at what it has done to those of black ancestry and regret that we did not have the moral courage or conviction to abandon the practice of slavery long before it was abolished.
2006-10-30 02:00:45 · answer #6 · answered by waytooeasy67 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋