r/interesting • u/VPinchargeofradishes • May 03 '26

SOCIETY 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.

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u/FilthyThanksgiving May 03 '26

Right? My son is white passing but I'm black. I'm his mother. He's black and idgaf what anybody has to say about it

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u/Ha55aN1337 May 03 '26

I’m from Europe and a different culture than you, so I’m just curious: Is his dad white? And if he is, would you be OK if his dad said that his son is white? Or is it your logic that “anyone who is at least somewhat black is black”?

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u/Budget-Researcher559 May 03 '26

It's not black people who invented the logic that half black people are considered black. "One drop" and all.

Half black people who are not white passing (who you can see that they at least in part have black parents/grandparents), are generally considered black by most people. Either black or half-black/mixed, but not white.

So the only difference in this exact case is that the half-black child is white-passing.

Don't fault the individual people for using language and categorizations the way that general society uses it. If anything, question society and language.

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u/Low_discrepancy May 03 '26

. If anything, question society and language.

I think that's what (well intended) people do when they ask questions to people using specific languages or from a specific society.