#nbdni

Ofc there are Black People who aren't from the states capable of harming our representation. My criticisms were concentrated on the kind of self and communal destruction I've both grown up experiencing and being witness to myself that is unique to the way we live as Black Americans, though (which was more than specified for parts of the diaspora I took care to omit so that I wasn't generalizing literally everyone Black from any given part of the world).

Yeah, there's internal antiblackness all over the diaspora, but I feel like we really need to stop negating how Black Americans are by far the modern faces and voices of the worst of it on such a global scale and regular (normalized) basis. I'm also aware that being Black in the self proclaimed "freest and most opportunistic country in the world" itfp, is what makes it so easy to damage the representation of Black people at large; so we unfortunately tend to saturate visibility in general for that reason alone. I also know that in a lot of ways it is thee wedge between how Black culture is perceived in other parts of the world, as well as how Black culture is prevalently defined or associated within the US.

While I do get where you're coming from, I cannot (and did not) speak on how antiblackness among Black people from Trinidad or, say, Mozambique or Somalia works, bc those are qualities of life I haven't experienced and frankly don't think I have the range to speak on as a Black American. I spoke on the state of the Black community in the US specifically and exclusively since, as plenty diasporans can vouch for, we dominate visibility here. I went out of my way to not lump everyone together; I know what I was saying and was absolute about what I meant, just to be clear.

The anecdotal bit about the video of the underage boy dancing w the grown woman, is unfortunately nothing out of the ordinary (and p great example of what I'm talking about) when it comes to the kind of cringy behavior among Black American adults that shape the experiences, values, upbringing and development of Black children — and harm our image. Esp in the US?? You've never seen anything like that here??? Consider yourself lucky to have never been witness to something relatively commonplace to see on social media and pretty humiliating secondhand. Beats me why literally anyone thinks watching or posting content like that is cute. Or why the caliber of Black adults this too often pertains to (in most contexts) find it amusing to put Black kids in situations where their representation as actual children is totally compromised or overridden, but. Those who find this kind of stuff entertaining usually aren't the brightest individuals themselves, but this definitely does happen in the US.

You're right that we have a lot of visibility here as Black Americans that eclipses the relevance of other parts of the diaspora; you're right that this particular part of the diaspora is riddled with unpacked, inherited trauma and internalized antiblackness through, at least originally, no fault of our own — but I seriously worry we've gotten suuuuuuuuuuuuper comfortable with that. At our own expense to absolve accountability on our part for any of it. I think we've gotten accustomed to making excuses and justifications for white supremacy being to blame for the antiblackness we perpetuate ourselves, to avoid actually resolving anything plaguing our communities because of us.

I'ma just be frank: Our ancestors put in work we're too divided and self absorbed as modern Black Americans to actually replicate; esp considering the trajectory we're on now. We just do not have what it takes, esp while an increasing number of us are finding it more "lucrative" to reduce our numbers through community violence — or for a belonging or identity among people more apt to fetishize us through our own willingness. And we'll call that "freedom" or a quality of life as opposed to learning how contrary it is in the face of actual antiblack American history.

What I find myself questioning and struggling to understand more and more, is when it boils down to it, on a personal as well as community level — exactly how much of our plight as modern Black Americans isn't our fault, though. How much of what stagnance and toxicity we actively normalize, perpetuate or do nothing to change within our own communities (whether collectively or as individuals) is not our fault? How much of this do we just not "know any better" or "know enough about" to actually fight for or invest in securing a quality of life actually worth living for future generations of Black people?

How much conscious internal encouragement and investment in abandoning or outright destroying our lineage, is not our fault? There's no togetherness, no real connectivity or bonds, no real values, no real livelihood, no sustainable resources, no wealth in health, no real traditions, no real protection or safety, no real immersion in our own diaspora, no closure on the grounds of slavery or reparations for it, no real community — in being Black in America. That's no generalization; this is a straight up testament plenty of Black Americans can, have and do vouch for. And even then I have a healthy understanding that not every Black American feels this way. I hear those who do, though; because everyone isn't unreasonable or biased or self-hating about it. There's validity in being ashamed of this kind of stuff. And it's getting scary how irrefutable and insurmountable the inner discourse, as well as the external judgement for it, is becoming.

We're not responsible for any of this? We don't perpetuate any of this garbage ourselves? We're not doing ourselves and our children the biggest disservice doing the arguable minimum about antiblack propaganda and behavior? Esp among each other?? The only people who even really speak on antiblackness are Black Women — and we're torn apart or gaslit for it all day all year both on and offline even by the community. There's a lot unique to how we move and what we normalize as Black Americans that we simply do not actually address, work to reverse or resolve, or even think is problematic:

The ways we're too comfortable outright or lowkey mistreating each other; the lack of sensitivity in how too many of us raise our children; the generational affects from rampant teen pregnancy and teen fatherhood rates; the baby daddy/mama culture that has become a community staple for all the wrongest reasons; promiscuity and infidelity; low marriage rates; single parenthood; low home ownership rates; our lack of connection to or real knowledge of Black culture that isn't African American (and that being fragmented as is); our lack of awareness of anything remotely positive or economically significant about Africa (esp w/ aaaaall the modern means to research); the prevalence of colorism in our communities as well as discrimination and hate-crimes that target fully Black Women in general; "divestment" movements and antiblack eugenic intent among Black people (we can call this one straight up coonery if it's simpler); texturism; featurism; lack of real accumulative or generational wealth to pass on; lack of real investment in ourselves or avenues to sustain our survival; literally zero community leadership; the ways we masculinize Black children as Black parents; the differences in the standards and expectations we have for our Black daughters and how much more lenient we are with our Black sons in comparison; Black on Black crime; gang violence/affiliation among Black youths; drug and sex trafficking of our own people by our own people; and the educational brainrot among Black youths hinged on the glamorized behavior of Black adults (esp celebrities), for instance.

How much of that is not our fault? The list is too damn long at this point; with common denominators spanning generations. The issues are too unique in how they're not as prevalent among other races of people. This isn't a white supremacy thing in it's larger entirety anymore the way it used to be, is what I was getting at. Antiblackness has definitely been absorbed and propagandized by modern Black Americans too, and we could do a lot better at actually taking the time to look inward at the things we've conformed to and perpetuate about ourselves and each other. But that's always asking for too much or it's too expectational. To use our minds as Black People for something conducive for us as opposed to harmful lol. Use them together for our actual benefit in the long-term, at that.

I guess I say all that to emphasize that I am becoming truly embarrassed by what modern Black Americans perceive as social progress and worth fighting as well as living for — even as a Black Woman who at this point only has the energy to esteem and push other Black Women anymore. But it hurts so much worse being constantly, inescapably snared in all the noise, shiftlessness and unchanging discourse here among us that does absolutely nothing for anyone.