

Note from BW of Brazil: It always amazes me how often people spew quick, knee-jerk reactions when a topic arises that they disagree with. Often times, in these debates, said persons will completely ignore the depths of analysis made in original comments or positions and instead delve into personal aspects of the issue while totally disregarding the often well-thought out conclusions that initiated the debate. In recent years, the question of influential factors involved in the formation of interracial unions has become one of those push button issues.
This writer has has seen the same thing happen in too many debates on the topic. When persons or groups question the rise in such unions or the idea that black/interracial couplings being directly connected to the complex issue of black identity, said persons/groups are immediately labeled “Nazis”, “segregationists”, “racists” or “Hitler”.What I often notice is that in these debates, these emotional reactions immediately descend into accusations of things that were never stated in the original opinion. “I’m white, my wife’s black/mixed, what’s wrong with that?”, “you’re saying that whites should be with whites and blacks with blacks, that’s racist”, “we are all equal“, “love has no color“, “so whites are the racist ones, right?”, etc.
But when one goes deeper into the question, there is often silence. No one wants to deal with the facts and often can’t go much beyond the reactionary response. Today’s post is simply another in a series of analyses on the topic. So, I advise, if you’re willing to check your emotions at the door and consider what the author is saying from a more critical perspective, please proceed. If you cannot, perhaps this post is not for you. But again, it is simply not possible to get a full understanding of racial issues, black identity and the historical quest for a whiter population in Brazil without approaching this issue.
The post below was inspired by the text “28 QUESTIONS FOR BLACK MEN WHO ONLY DATE WHITE MEN” by Viktor Kerney on the site Mused Mag Online. The article approached the trend of African-American gay males who seem to only date white men. The article was subsequently translated into Portuguese (“28 QUESTÕES PARA NEGROS QUE SÓ SE RELACIONAM COM BRANCOS”) and posted on the Revista Fórum website. Leopoldo Duarte approached the issue from the Brazilian perspective without any particular focus on sexual orientation thus bringing an Afro-Diasporic dynamic to an issue that can be applied to numerous black populations throughout the world.
Do blacks prefer blond people?
By Leopoldo Duarte
Sunday before last I published here a text whose author, a Yankee brother and gay, problematized regarding the discriminatory attitude of other black gays who, reportedly, only have relationships with white men. No Indians (Native Americans), Asians, Indians or other melaninated groups as well. “Whites only”! And as might be expected, the text was not attacked in its content but in its alleged attack on white men. White and some black gay commentators, in the absence of counter arguments, label the questions raised by the author as impositions and harmful to the individual tastes of those who simply don’t find it possible that there is some black person – worldwide – interesting enough for any kind of involvement. Without prejudice, of course …
In addition to those comments as always, that allege being, yes, possible to find happiness in interracial relationships – something that no critical afrocentrada (African centered) person categorically denies – what else amazed me in this case, however, was the comment from a reader, theoretically black, who blamed his indifference to the fact that other black men are all equally unable to waken his desire. In other words, he summed up a plural group of individuals to their skin color and refused to recognize the inherent racism in this. Sad, to say the least…
Despite this stance not being anything new, it’s always shocking when a black person adopts a racist discourse in order not to let the white people around uncomfortable. It seems we keep trying to prove ourselves useful and faithful to the convenience of those who continue to oppress us. Even at the cost of self esteem itself. Even at the expense of their black sisters or their black gay brothers.
Although no one recognizes themselves as racist, in Brazil almost no one disagrees that we live in a country founded upon racism. Black children don’t simply decide to detest their hair and noses. The world teaches them to hate them. And not just to blacks, but also it teaches whites, Asians and Indians that the black body is inferior to the others. It’s enough to ascertain our view for us to identify the missing part of most of our cultural products. The media, as a whole, strives to represent more eurodescendant (European descendant) population than the actual tupiniquim (1) diversity. A reality that reflects itself well as even black adults become capable of seeing branques (white persons) as preferred candidates for emotional and sexual involvement.
Unfortunately, many of the black men seem oblivious to the preponderance of the dominant aesthetic standard in the fashion industry, pornographic etc. Probably because, different from his irmãs negras (black sisters), after the abolition, they had as a choice someone that “amarra num negão” (tie up a big, black man) or “adora a mistura” (loves the mixture). But, even during slavery, there were always white people wanting the same beings whose humanity they subtracted. So the issue here is not what makes black men attractive to white people, but why so many black men choose to involve themselves with them.
Being a black man, I can exemplify this cultural influence citing the many times people I didn’t know and even friends demonstrated the tacit existence of some kind of imperative on the black male libido. There were many times when someone emphatically expressed surprise at my disinterest in white individuals. More specifically, with my usual apathy for the Nordic phenotype idealized around here: pele “branquinha”, cabelos loiros e olhos azuis (white skin, blond hair and blue eyes). Generally they argued that “opposites attract” or that mixture “is a pleasure to see,” but the fact is that only these three features never filled my eyes. However, I confess that, as many children, I had come to believe that this triad made any human being beautiful. One assumption I abandoned with puberty, when I identified that the streets and the internet offered more attractive specimens than those offered on TV and in magazines.
I bet at this point someone will say: “See?! Taste is a personal/innate/ biological question.” To which I respond, “Since when is preferring something the same as deleting the whole range of options?”. When someone says that they LOVE chocolate, no one will find it strange if one day this person comes up smearing himself with dulce de leche. Or will they?! Nor will they judge as incoherent if that same person says he prefers dark chocolate to white chocolate. Preferring never was synonymous with excluding other options. The word for this is discriminating – separating, establishing differences and treating in an unequal way. And when this discrimination uses racial criteria, there is no other word for it but racism. Is that so hard to understand?!
When black activists problematize interracial relationships, there is no intention of rejecting or condemning these couples. Those who forbade this kind of pairing was the white ruling class, so please don’t confuse it! What one intends to discuss addressing this issue are questions such as “Why are couples composed of two black people so uncommon?”; “If a black person is unable to consider another of the same color attractive, how can she expect anyone to consider them?”; “If the ideal romantic partner is a white person, should blacks wait for defective white traitors?”; “Because when a white person claims not to be attracted to a black person it’s a matter of taste, but when a black person decides to pass over his/her equals are they labeled as radical?”. Anyway, this topic is relevant for a multitude of issues that should be blackened by the black community itself as it deals directly with the individual and collective consciousness of this demoted minority even among its own.
We need to get rid of the romantic view that ennobles relations judged as prohibited and that generally revolve around a couple where one of the interested parties has more powers/privileges than his/her partner. So, before you slander this critical position, make sure that the shoe (that fits) wasn’t ordered.
Finally, It’s worth rectifying that when a black person decides to afrocentrar (afro-centralize) – give priority to other blacks – it doesn’t erase all the years of cultural incentives that lead them to deify whiteness, he/she simply chooses to follow the opposite tide. For to him it seems more sensible, since every white person is inevitably racist, and almost none of them is willing to rethink critically about this.
Source: Revista Fórum
Note
- Tupiniquim refers to indigenous peoples of Brazil. Historically, the Tupiniquim inhabited a large tract of land along Brazil’s coastline from approximately 200 km south of Salvador down to the São Mateus river. Their tribe was one of the first to meet Portuguese colonizers in April 1500 at Porto Seguro, Bahia. In Brazil, the term “Tupiniquim” has come to mean “Brazilian” or “national”. Source
I AM AN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE.I ACCEPT MYSELF AS BEING BLACK AND LOVE IT, I DON’T SEE MYSELF BEING LESS OF A HUMAN WHEN BEING CONFRONTED W/ RACISM. I SEE THE PERPERTRATORS AS, SIMPLY IGNORANT AND TOTALLY UNCIVILIZED.
This question always comes up on this blog…if black men prefer blondes…i think it has been long established that in brazil, yes – indeed black men prefer blondes. Now, that this has been long established and the problem has been long identified, I think any other articles henceforth that are posted on this blog should be solution oriented and discuss how we can value our skin color, and cleanse ourselves of white supremacy mindset this blog seems to speak of…At the end of the day, what good is discussion if it offer no viable solutions. All it becomes is one big continuous pity fest everyone tires of…
Thanks for your comment and let me confirm that YES, this topic DOES come up frequently on this blog and for very important reasons.
1) In the past it was just sort of an accepted fact that no one really mentioned or critiqued. 2) This topic, like others that have been frequently approached on this blog, is something that a number of bloggers, writers and social networking groups are discussing nowadays. 3) I agree with your point about being “solution oriented” but it is not as simple as saying, “Hey, I’ve got the solution!” and BAM, the problem is solved.
Before there can be a solution, people have to accept that something is in fact a problem. Even with a number of people discussing the issue nowadays, most people still see the issue as “love has no color”, or in questioning the issue, YOU are in fact the racist. Some of these opinions were mentioned in the opening of this piece.
How many problems do we have in the world that need solutions? If they were simple to solve, they wouldn’t still exist.
Everyone believed having a black president in South Africa would solve the country’s racial disparities. It has not.
African-Americans believed having a black president would solve their problems. It has not and in some ways, they are worse off than before Obama.
Now these discussions that are taking place are bringing the issue to the forefront, which is the first step. The acceptance of whiteness as the standard for everything has been deeply entrenched in the soul of the nation and, as such, with no media control, this issue will perhaps never be solved or even sufficiently introduced to those who have never even the discussion.
The purpose of this blog is simply to bring racial issues from Brazil to the English-speaking world. The activities that are behind the scenes addressing the issues are ongoing and as this blog IS in English, the vast majority of Brazilians aren’t reading it anyway.
As long as people are discussing racism, the genocide of black Brazilians, the acceptance/rejection of natural black hair, black identity, black immigration to Brazil, the under-representation of blacks in the media, politics, advertising and, yes, interracial relationships, the topic will continue to be presented on this blog.
Love…I think that’s the fundamental mistake people make when regarding and speaking about marriage.
In the past marriage was seen as this business contract between two parties ( most likely male and female) where one party (the male) gave the other party ( the female) protection, resources and take care of her quid pro quo she provide him with access to sex and children.
Present day people are so caught up in this intangible esoteric Concept love that discussing marriage as a business proposition or contract is completely dismissed for fear of being seen as unromantic but in actuality that is what all marriage is – a contract where each party hold up their end… In Brazil, I don’t even think black males necessarily value blondes on the basis of love but rather they are willing to give blonde women their resources and protection while the blonde women can provide them with a status and lighter colored offsprings which could both make the lives of the black male and their children easier… So blondes can offer children and access to a continuous supply of sex in addition to the other things I mentioned…Something that unfortunately black women can’t provide them with…the same logic can be applied to black women and white men… So when they say amor has no cor… They are right cause they are not treating marriage like something based off of love but rather like a business proposition in its truest sense where blondes (due to their skin) offer more than black women. So they are making the rational decision To marry blondes not because of love but rather it’s just business
I’m black Brazilian and I definitely prefer blondes. This is probably because my mother is white from Santa Catarina and my father is black from Sergipe. But also and most importantly because black women never treated me with any respect and only wanted me after being rejected by white men. So, f. them. Blondes see us as some exotic sexual animal, but that is actually not bad for most of us men. Differently from women, being used is a plus for us.
No,
I am an American I just want to know how is it down in Brazil.whats the relationship There’s a Facebook group called afro American male vs afro brazil female Would you date? You should join you could help us understand brazil . A lot of black American males would like to hook up with brazillian sistas.
Good evening! Question: exactly what do you mean by “hook up”? Because of the recent quasi-documentary, “Frustrated” some black Brazilian women are a little hesitant with intentions.
Max Joseph: Have you had a chance to read this? http://wp.me/p1XDuf-4Bb
All these interracial couples are hypocritical!
YOU CANNOT BE PRO BLACK AND DATE INTERRACIALLY!!!!! Isn’t funny how love seems to only see no color when it is interracial? Last time I checked the criminal justice system, police, employers, school system, and financial institutions all seem to see color!
Totally agreed. But it’s quite amazing how this logic doesn’t enter into the thought process of many. In Brazil, very few see a contradiction being advocating for black equality but dating, marrying and procreating with non-blacks.
Non-blacks in Brazil are difficult to define. You can define white. You can define black. You can even define non-black (which are not = white). But define non-white… that is the real issue.
Muito bem escrito. Very well wrote!