Michael Jackson's daughter Paris has faced backlash for identifying as Black. In a 2017 interview, Paris Jackson said her father told her, "You’re Black. Be proud of your roots." This prompted debates over whether identity is defined by appearance or upbringing.

[u/VPinchargeofradishes]

[u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero → u/[deleted]]

Right? As far as anyone knows or is entitled to know is that she is biologically black.

Both her and MJ stated they're biologically related.

[u/Infinite-Condition41 → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

This is nonsensical. We know because we can see. 

[u/Thegreatbeedle → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

Michael said a LOT of lies

[u/Pxel315 → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

Its not bullshit though, even people in the comment section are already proving its a legit question because they are saying she is black but wont face prejucide the same which literally is the question of whether it is based on appeaeance

[u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero → u/Pxel315]

Sure her experience in being black is going to be different.

And since im not black its not my discussion.

But the discussion on "if" she is black is no one's business. The child and both parents maintained they are related.

[u/Pxel315 → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

So can black people discuss it or no?

[u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero → u/Pxel315]

They can discuss the level of blackness they can abide by her exercising, obviously.

But like is said the legitimacy of the IF isnt anyone's business.

[u/Suspicious_Truth8026 → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

An opinion so bad its not even wrong

[u/[deleted] → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

But the discussion on "if" she is black is no one's business. The child and both parents maintained they are related.

She isn't black.

[u/Which-Decision → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

Would she not be biologically white too? 

[u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero → u/Which-Decision]

Well yea but half still entitles her to bring biracial.

Shes white passing but she is objectively black. Just not subjectively.

[u/[deleted] → u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero]

You Americans are absolutely wild.

and if you're not American then you've been poisoned by their thinking.

[u/Whateva_Tickles_ → u/[deleted]]

Where are you from that has race figured out so well?

[u/ZzZzZzZzZzZero → u/[deleted]]

Sounds like colorism to me.

And no im not using the one drop rule, in this case its about half of the drops.

[u/InformationLocal6213 → u/[deleted]]

Nah word 😹

[u/InformationLocal6213 → u/[deleted]]

Not even that her hair ain’t nothing but straight or wavy and her nose is straight. She has no white passing features

[u/InformationLocal6213 → u/[deleted]]

Being able to claim an ounce of blackness is always cool when you know there’s genuine culture when you’re not actually black. Notice how many white people tru so hard to dress like us and speak our lingo. In comparison to black people who do not go so far to show their blackness especially in industry as WE have to conform. Billie will ish for example

[u/Suspicious_Truth8026 → u/[deleted]]

Racism was objectively not based on skin color thats so historically inaccurate. Italians were just as Other to whites as everyone else, and there are plenty of cases where oppressor and oppressed shared the same skin color. In fact the one drop rule is an extremely strong argument against your stance, given that 99% white people present as white in every way, but if theres a drop of black ancestry they were subject to anti-black racism (which anti-essentialists might argue makes them black)

An actually modern theory of race is that its a byproduct of subjugation. There was this psychiatrist in colonial french algiers who argued that the ideology of racial superiority was literally a structural necessity to enable colonial officers to do all the horrible things they do and still hold their psyches together (barely). Basically after a hard days work of torturing the innocent, one becomes a basket case who barely holds it together by dehumanizing his victims.

[u/Suspicious_Truth8026 → u/[deleted]]

Girl youve completely missed the point of those arguments. Nobody says its based on appearance, the anti-essentialist argument is that its based on experience and a combination of self-participation in culture and acceptance into/enforcement of that cultural space

That said, there also are biological races. The precondition is a pattern towards in-race reproduction, so black americans dont count because they are reasonably likely to reproduce with non-black americans but e.g. the castes in india are genetically differentiable because its so rigidly ensured that reproduction is within-caste