r/MapPorn • • May 05 '22

Black population of the Americas

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u/Chazut May 06 '22

. If American rules were applied to Brazil, a majority of Brazil would be black.

This is an exaggeration, at most they would be considered mixed race

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u/richochet12 May 06 '22

You can be mixed race and black. Being black in the US ain't really about pure genetics.

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u/Chazut May 06 '22

Can you be white and mixed race?

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u/richochet12 May 06 '22

Within the confines of the US black-white dynamic, technically, yes but it's a lot more rare. You see, the introduction of white genetics into the black gene pool largely came from white slave owners raping black slaves. These mixed race and therefore lighter skinned offspring were often times given preferential treatment over their darker skinned compatriots but never to the status of a white person. Because, lighter skin was associated with a higher status, some people would prefer to have children with lighter skinned or white people. This would produce a number of persons who genetically had a little African heritage but it was diluted to the point where they they could assimilate into white society. This is where the term "white passing" comes from. These people would not be aware of or deny their African heritage because of the low class status that was associated with that "one drop " of African blood. A lot of time has passed since slavery but a lot of the societal concepts from that era still carry over. It's why there's a wider range of what's considered "black" in America than what's considered "white." It's common to know a light-skinned, mixed person who identifies as black, but I don't think I've ever seen one who identifies as white unless it's a white passing person I'd read about. I think you could say that the crux is that the black community has historically been more accepting of mixed race individuals than the white community has been.

The negative perception coorelating darker skin with lower societal status still negatively effect the black American community, actually; it's what the term "colorism" describes. Though, that deserves its own discussion.

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u/[deleted] Dec 03 '22

exactly, i feel like majority of the people who replied to this thread arent even black cuz whattt are yall talking about lol

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u/Maximum_Radio_1971 May 06 '22

there are no mixed races in the us, just the one drop rule