There are so many people that don’t understand the meaning of colorism and how it may have affected someones view on themselves as an individual. Many of the students at Communication & Media Arts high either did not know or were not too clear on the true meaning of colorism. “
Colorism? Never heard of it," said senior Alan James.
Colorism is the discrimination against a person of a darker complexion. It isn't necessarily just in the black community, but it also happens within other races as well, for example with Indians and Dominicans. Blacks are usually categorized by color; light skins, brown skins, and dark skin.
There are stereotypes that have been made within the black community about the typical personality of light and dark skinned people; light skins are usually more self absorbed, cocky, and are looked at as “better looking," dark skins are looked at as more aggressive, angry, rude, less attractive.
We all joke around with our friends, but sometimes we don't stop to think about how the person who has been targeted with the joke may take it. I believe almost, if not, everyone has had a time where they've made a joke about someone's skin color.
“Yea I have made jokes. I've never really stopped to think about it though. You know how people make jokes but they never really stop to think about how it would make people feel,” said senior Elizabeth White.
“I didn't really care that much, it never really crossed my mind," said Jaai Brodie. “Yeah I make jokes, that's only because they said something about me, so I retaliated back.”
It is clear that colorism is a huge problem around the world, especially with black teens. Social media has become a place where people, teens especially, go to express themselves freely, but they fail to realize that some things that are put on the internet are there to brain wash you into believing certain things are acceptable. Everyone has had some type of insecurity about the way that they look at some point in their lives, especially in grade school.
“Middle schoolers don't know how to differentiate between them hurting someone or it being a joke,” senior Dawsyn Collister said.
It's clear that as the older you get the less concerned you are with the things others have to say about you.
"Of course I'm comfortable in my skin, I've been in it for 17 years," White said. "When you deal with it for so long, of course you gotta get comfortable with it.”
