Why do some darker skin blacks think they have it tougher than blacks who are lighter?

Question

I have co-workers at my job who are dark and they made some comments today about how i get treated better in society than them because i'm "light-skin" I told them that at the end of the day we're all black so skin tone doesn't matter. We argued for about 10 minutes before i just realized that you can't argue with ignorance and i just walked away. This wasn't the first time i've heard this said and it hurts because i don't feel privileged at all. I'm struggling just like everybody else! Has anybody else has this problem?

Hey lacedout....i always wanted to take off those glasses anyway! lol just never got around to it

Answer 1

I hate to sound like your co-workers, but let's face it, light-skinned black people are considered universally more acceptable than dark-skinned black people. This idea has been around for centuries. It's just something that always existed and something that will never go away.

I think someone mentioned the media coverage. The black people who are shown on movies and television are almost ALWAYS light-skinned, especially the women. This is sort of a slap in the face of dark-skinned black women, as if the world is saying that our dark skin makes us less attractive than women with lighter skin. Speaking as a dark-skinned black woman I will say that this mindset did injure me in my teen years. I was fed up with looking in the mirror and thinking that I wasn't as pretty just because I wasn't light-skinned. Thankfully, that phase is over and I've learned to appreciate my skin-color, but there are many black women who have yet to have such an ephiphany.

As far as relations with whites go, it's a well-known fact that white people were more comfortable around lighter-skinned blacks than darker-skinned blacks, hence the whole house slave and field slave references. The lighter you were, the higher in society you were allowed to be. The darker you were, the lower in society you were forced to live. Today's world is similar, unfortunately.

I am in no way saying that these people have the right to say mean things about you just because of how you look. I am merely relating to you where this argument has originated from and why it is such a huge issue in our community today.

Very good question. I hope I helped.

Answer 2

We do have it tougher. Especailly if you're really dark and a female. Even out own people make fun of us and reject us. You know how that feels to be the darkest one in you're fmaily and being called ugly? Do you know how it feels to be told that men won't want you because you're skin is the color of feces? You have no idea...It's tough being black all together but if you have the wrong skin tone people would critizice you everywhere you go. Blakc or white. Just look on TV. You never see really dark skinned women(i'm talking about dark like Wesley Snipes) being the love interest ot let alone the pretty girl.

Answer 3

well I think it is partly true, I am brown skin and I have noticed at times that people will act differently towards me than a darker person ... I am not saying it happens all the time but it does happen, and then I believe that sometimes some darker people automatically think that everything in your life is easier because you are not dark it is like they don't realize that most people see us all as black no matter the shade

Answer 4

There was a report on 20/20 in 2006 about this very subject. They did some surveys and studies in black high schools and neighborhoods and found that the darker the skin, the more discrimination, even from other black folks.
I do not remember the reasons they gave, but it seems that even in the black community, there is serious discrimination concerning skin color.

Answer 5

This is true among some blacks. My friend is light skinned black as is her family. At one point she was a dating a very dark man and her parents would make constant reference to how dark he was and make comments about how dark their children would be if she ever got pregnant. I've heard of similar occurrences as well.

Answer 6

Because they do have it tougher. Just flip on a the TV. It doesn't matter what channel it's on. Count how many black people you see. Then count how many of those have dark skin? Not alot. That's because a lot of people are dumb and look down on people with darker skin. Also alot of kids in school get made fun of for having dark skin. Have you been made fun of and laughed at for having light skin? I doubt it.

Answer 7

You are right, if you aint white, you are struggling. But to be honest, mexicans are the new black people in this Country. The media told the nation to look down upon anyone who is tan and short becuase they don't belong here and its working.

Answer 8

i get where your coming from i feel the same way too im ligth skinned and sometimes my darker skinned friends say that i should hangout with whites (not that i find that offensive)
they also sometimes call me a lame exuse for a black person because whites will treat me way better. its just dumb comments. i was racially insulted more than most of them but they dont realize it. its just ignorance and it shows that even blacks are judging themselves by color not just whites

Answer 9

well you arent more privelliged- thats bull

but i do understand the darker black thing- they get called "burnt", "blick", are told they are the colour of sh!t and are likened to gorillas sometimes- people just like light-skinned blacks more

plus some lighter black people have indian, chinese or latino in their blood, so theyre thought to be more exotic- and if you dont, you can just lie and say you are lol, but really dark people dont have a hope of getting away with that kind of lie

for darker women their hair tends to be tougher, and so when black hair is washed it shrinks sometimes if its REALLY bushy and they end up with like a crop style so they can never really grow their hair long naturally- they have to use extentions

also the countries in africa which are failing like somalia and liberian and all thoses places have darker skinned blacks, so lightness of skin is asocciated with higher social status, wealth and so on

also balck celebrities tend to be light skinned in videos and stuff, even if they are darker in real life

and it may have something to do with the fact that lighter skinned blacks were sometimes given authority over the darker skinned blacks during the slave trade thing- so the darker ones would be working on te feilds while the lighter ones supervised
im in the middle of the two- im a sort of chocolately colour like this

http://health.discovery.com/centers/healthbeauty/ethnicskin/gallery/blackskin_175.jpg

(and im glad too- you should see the way darker blacks are treated and the way people laugh at them- NOT v. nice at ALL), but my mums really fair with hazel-green eyes, and when she was younger guys used to holler at her from their cars on the road lol because she was fair (and pretty lol)

Answer 10

it's actually true dude. especially in showbiz and modeling industry. i'm light skinned and i don't feel priviliged either but at the same time it's the little things that made me notice it. light skinned black people do have it better sometimes. but that's only in a really racist situation. and we know there's tons of racism in showbiz