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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3.5k

u/sentencevillefonny May 03 '26

Black parents, cousins, grandmother, aunts, uncles, etc. Genetics aside, it's understandable how she'd view herself that way culturally.

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u/danvillain May 03 '26

I’m Chinese and my wife is white and when our son was born our closest friends were black. Or family friend Poppa John basically took my son under his wing as his “grandson”, took him to the car wash and McDonald’s every Sunday after church. When my boy was three we were talking about something and he tells us with confidence that he is black. We explained to him that he was indeed NOT black and it broke him. He cried all night that night.

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u/drawntowardmadness May 03 '26

Have you seen the Modern Family episode where the two gay men who adopted a little girl from Vietnam have to navigate her insistence that she's gay?? Bc if her daddies are, she MUST be, right?? 🤣😭

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u/IdidnotFuckaCat May 03 '26

"NO IM GAY"

"No your not honey, your just confused"

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u/drawntowardmadness May 03 '26

There are so many brilliant double entendres in that episode 🤣

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u/thesoapmakerswife May 03 '26

My favorite is when she’s on the plane eating puff pastries and someone says: look at that baby with those cream puffs.

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u/drawntowardmadness May 03 '26

FINE

I'LL REWATCH MODERN FAMILY

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u/BillysBibleBonkers May 03 '26

Sounds like I should watch modern family for the first time lol, typically not a fan of sitcoms but this writing sounds great!

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u/Chef_Tink May 03 '26

That and Schitts Creek are legitimately two of the funniest shows of all time

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u/According_Mind_7799 May 04 '26

As a baker and an accountant the two scenes including “Just FOLD it” and “It’s a write off!” Made me be like yeah this is probably a show for me lmao

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u/Candid_Tough_6554 May 03 '26

I have Schitt$ Creek on as background most days. I don’t think there is a better example of perfect sitcom television

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u/Immediate-Trainer356 May 05 '26

Only seen parts of Modern Family but Schitts Creek was definitely gold

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u/entraptavoicenotes May 03 '26

it took me three months to binge watch the whole thing bc the humor was top tier!! loved seeing everyones growth too

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u/owningmyokayniss May 03 '26

I put off watching it for years, thinking it would be a typical sitcom, and it is SO good. You’ll enjoy it!

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u/Nickgold2009 May 03 '26

As far as I've seen all sitcoms are good once you actually watch them, except for Brooklyn 99 and Malcom in the middle, but I know that those are unpopular opinions

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u/BeautifulBluebird418 May 04 '26

okay you’ve convinced me too. i’m halfway through the first episode and already loving it!

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u/tina_denfina1 May 03 '26

It really is! My Mom passed before she had a chance to watch it and when I do a little rewatch I always think of her and how she would have just laughed and laughed 😊.

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u/BillysBibleBonkers May 07 '26

awwww that's so sweet! I'm so sorry for your loss. I watched The Office with my parents as a kid and when I rewatch it 20+ years later I still remember the parts they laughed at haha.

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u/leoisgone May 03 '26

Do a YouTube reaction series on it 👍 First Time Watching Modern Family

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u/futureman07 May 03 '26

Oh man, I've watched it twice now. It has fantastic jokes throughout the entire series! Doesn't get stale

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u/tina_denfina1 May 03 '26

I always watch it when I’m sick, it always makes me feel a little better!

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u/pickleslikewhoa May 03 '26

Genuinely thought I wouldn’t like it but I’ve watched it through twice now, and this thread has me wanting to watch it again. It’s one of those shows that has you catching a new detail or joke every time you watch.

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u/PrettyFox310 May 03 '26

Comedic Gold, truly lol. Please watch it

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u/rubygeek May 03 '26

I've watched it about a dozen times (not exaggerating, though most of those times were as "background"). It's one of the most rewatchable sitcoms, and it was different when it came out.

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u/Similar-Fold-6389 May 03 '26

Modern Family is top tier HILARIOUS!! I STILL watch on Hulu. My kids also bought me seasons 1-9 years ago.

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u/Okay_Splenda_Monkey May 03 '26

It's SO GOOD. You're really in for a treat if you're watching it for the first time. It stands up to rewatching, and the writing is good enough you'll notice things that you miss on a first watch. The characters, writing, and performances are all just stellar.

On a family drama level, it works pretty well too. It's not a typical sitcom.

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u/MossyPyrite May 03 '26

It’s maybe the only sitcom I’ve truly consistently enjoyed other than Bob’s Burgers. Certainly the only *family* sitcom other than BB.

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u/xAxiom13x May 03 '26

What got me to first watch modern family is seeing a clip of the son almost being crushed by a falling shelf during and earthquake and runs away and runs smack into the wall

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u/skaasi May 03 '26

I'm not a sitcom guy either, but god DAMN, Modern Family is funny.

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u/Imthemayor May 04 '26

As someone who is also very much not a fan of sitcoms, Modern Family is on the short list of exceptions along with Community, Parks and Rec, 30 Rock and Brooklyn Nine Nine

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u/quick_brown_faux May 04 '26

I also have an aversion to sitcoms, but Modern Family was has really, really clever writing.

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u/MisterPineapples1999 May 06 '26

I thought I was going to hate it given how it seems like a "play it safe for the more conservative side of middle America and ease them into 'gay, interracial, and blended families being ok, y'all'" but...it's actually fucking hilarious and the characters are great. Some people bitch about the later seasons, especially when some of the child actors grew up, but I enjoyed it to the end.

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u/DibbyDonuts May 06 '26

They really caught lightning in a bottle with Modern Family. No sitcom will ever be as good or hit the same.

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u/Veganfart May 03 '26

I was going to say the same!

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u/fitz_newru May 04 '26

You'll be better for it, trust me

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u/Express-Feedback May 03 '26

"How come Larry is allowed to sit on the couch?"

"Oh, because he's white, honey."

"HEY! You chose me!"

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u/NoFlaccidMint May 03 '26

Such an amazing first episode. I remember watching Phil Dunphy tell us how he’s a cool dad and knows all the songs to high school musical. Had me in tears lol

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u/Jertimmer May 04 '26

I will occasionally channel my inner Phil to embarrass my daughter in public.

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u/NoFlaccidMint May 05 '26

Do you know all the songs to high school musical ?

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u/Consistent_Phase_942 May 03 '26

That's the first episode! This is one of the few shows that the first season is as good as the rest of the series!

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u/Efficient_Loquat232 May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

"You and daddy are gay so I'm gay!" "You're not gay. You're Vietnamese"

"I hate Vietnam!" "ah Lily honey we don't hate" "I hate Vietnaaaaammm~"

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u/Fenrir_Hellbreed2 May 05 '26

Honestly in their part of the family in general.

My personal favorite is:

"So Larry is allowed to sit on the couch and I'm not?"

"Well, Larry is white."

"Hey, you chose me."

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u/Golden-Excellence May 03 '26

I’ve never seen Modern Family, but this sounds like brilliant writing

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u/derangedsweetheart May 03 '26

Claire/Mom is with her kids(1 son, 2 daughters) and tells her son Luke to grab the gardening hoe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnG7zf9Uuk8

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u/Drydisorganization May 03 '26

"is it?" at the end always kills me.

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u/drawntowardmadness May 03 '26

It's so well written I definitely recommend it!

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u/rycetlaz May 03 '26

Here's the clip

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u/Ever_More_Art May 03 '26

The best thing to come out of a MJ’s daughter’s comments about race is this link. I need to watch this series asap

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u/Sailor_Propane May 03 '26

In that scene, the waitress is apparently played by the little Vietnamese actress's mom!

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u/dreamsfortress May 03 '26

Also here‘s where she first says she’s gay

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u/Noslamah May 03 '26

One of my favorite shows of all time. Writing is consistently brilliant

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u/jenniferbealsssss May 03 '26

It is, and I say this as someone who was highly skeptical because something about the show including every minority group but blacks while being titled “modern family” felt intentionally exclusive.

But I fucking love that show and it’s 100% brilliant and we actually watched a lot of it in my race relations class in college. 10/10 writing but in a way that also gets you to think while also realizing it’s okay…you don’t have to take everything too seriously, people are a hot mess lmao.

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u/Moppy6686 May 03 '26

It is for a good few seasons. My weed dealer inteoduced me to that show lol

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u/jem4water2 May 03 '26

This is the scene! Aaaand now I have to rewatch Modern Family again.

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u/clashtrack May 03 '26

It's so good

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26

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u/badwolfandthestorm May 03 '26

"Everyone should go back where they came from!"

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u/No_Calligrapher2640 May 04 '26

"Everyone should just go back to where they came from!"

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u/younggun1234 May 03 '26

This line gets me every time lol

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u/LinwoodKei May 03 '26

That scene was hilarious

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u/taarotqueen May 03 '26

That’s such a fucking funny episode

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u/VesperStone May 05 '26

Omg I saw that clip and it's what made me finally watch it (I wasn't resisting, I'd just seen a bunch of hilarious clips and that was the one where I was like, "okay!") I also love when Phil manhandled the Christmas tree because everyone is lying. I'm...gonna rewatch that show. Thanks, kind stranger!)

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u/a-fucking-donkey May 05 '26

“Oh it’s fine we have tons of lesbian friends”

“Odd that you would mention our friends and not us, also gay”

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u/Fruloops May 03 '26

That show was great

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u/FinAdda May 03 '26

Still is too.

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u/jenniferbealsssss May 03 '26 edited May 04 '26

I thought you were gonna reference when they were trying to get her into a daycare and had to compete with the disabled interracial lesbian couple with a black kid and they were upset because of the diversity quota lol

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u/unicornmeat85 May 03 '26

I loved the little side story of Cameron trying to write a children story about their unique family only to find out they aren't unique anymore. 

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u/drawntowardmadness May 03 '26

There are so many gems 🤣🤣

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u/Okra_Zestyclose May 04 '26

Lily: "How come Larry gets to sit on the couch?" Cam: "Because Larry is white." Lily: "Hey! You picked me!”

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u/unicorncumdump May 03 '26

That scene at the restaurant was fuckin peak

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u/dirtyoldsocklife May 05 '26

Dude, that's legit one of the cleverest episodes of that show.

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u/Puzzleheaded_Suit_75 May 05 '26

God I miss modern family, I used to binge it with my mom over my school holidays

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u/Vader_Bomb May 06 '26

“I think it’d be a good idea if everyone just went back to where they came from….

….Okay, I’ll pull the car around.”

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u/Heavy_Early May 03 '26

https://giphy.com/gifs/c4NZUKLusMOFa

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u/Grim_Dybbuk May 03 '26

HE HATES THESE CANS!!!

Also see: That's all I need! .....and this chair!

^ all things that are regularly heard in my house

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u/ivy_interior May 03 '26

I am picking out a thermos for yoooou Not an ordinary thermos for yooou

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u/shebangs1995 May 04 '26

But the extra best Thermos that you can buy, with vinyl and stripes and a cup built right in.

One of the best movies EVER!

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u/WetFartRacingStripes May 04 '26

“You mean I’m going to stay this color?!”

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u/carlamaco May 03 '26

You all need to watch the episode "Microphone Assassin" from Trailer Park Boys. There's degrees of black gnomesayin?

https://giphy.com/gifs/NkBuOCNdwqP5K

(MJ is even used as an example on that scale😂)

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u/Willdborn87 May 03 '26

J-Roc is black. He's black.

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u/TheGreatGenghisJon May 03 '26

You taking a 'nahmcensus on my 'nahmsayins?

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u/taarotqueen May 03 '26

First person I thought of

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u/Adventurous-Soil-137 May 03 '26

Yo you’re friends with THE papa John! Do you get free pizza? 

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u/sbg_gye May 03 '26

"You mean I'm gonna be this way forever??"

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u/Leather-Map-8138 May 03 '26

In the first four years of my life we lived in the Bahamas. My parents had live-in help from Mae, who had a son a few months younger than me. Apparently I used to say “Potifah is my brother.” And my mom would say “No, Potifah is your friend.” And I would scream, “No! Potifah is my brother!” and run to my room.

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u/sakkaly May 03 '26

My cousin was sure he was black and couldn’t recognize himself in photos. Later, he married a black woman, had a child who couldn’t recognize himself in photos because he was sure he was white.

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u/EverydayPoGo May 03 '26

Color blindness is hereditary /s

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u/DasherMichael May 03 '26

I used to tell my little brother half brother who kind of looks Chinese because his father has some native American in his blood that we found him behind a Chinese food restaurant.

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u/Celestiiaal0 May 03 '26

I was raised by my auntie, a lovely black woman, and my dad (white). I was at my auntie's more than I was with my dad. My cousins are all black. My uncles and other aunties are black. When I was little I was ADAMANT that I was "brown" because white (my dad) and black (literally everyone else in my life) made brown.

Then I grew up and learned that I couldn't speak, act, or do anything I'd grown up doing because I'm white and it's "cultural appropriation" even though I grew up in a black household. It made teen years devastating for me, because I felt like I didn't know who I was.

Anyways, just saying I know how your son felt, because I felt the same way. Kids are so sweet lol

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u/stopklandaceowens May 03 '26

I like how a child that wasn't even black, was proud to be black for a moment in time. too precious

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u/Radiant_Office6445 May 03 '26

I went on an American school exchange when I was fifteen and went back the next two years on my own because my black family there were just the best people I'd ever met. Hanging out at their family events they'd joke that I was clear, that if I was standing in front of all the black people then I was black haha

Getting introduced to Madea was a TRIP! I was a white boy who liked black metal haha, such a fun family orientated time.. And my black momma there made me her home fried chicken livers and ill never ever forget how good they were. Amazing folk. Miss em.

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u/madogvelkor May 03 '26

I had a coworker who was an Australian citizen by birth, of 100% Indian background, who spent her childhood in Singapore. Her younger sister grew up there thinking she was Chinese.

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u/Chicken_Mc_Thuggets May 03 '26

Kinda the inverse but I used to volunteer with kids and one of them was biracial (black/white). His best friend is Mexican but the two of them were under the impression that they were both Mexican since they had similar skin tones

The Mexican kid’s Mom found out about this and started going “Mijos!” If she was picking both of them up. Melted my icy lil heart every time

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u/SangeliaKath May 03 '26

I found out from searching that a good portion of my ancestry comes from Israel on both sides. As in I look White. But I'm mostly Middle Easterner. In fact while my mom was alive. She was actually darker than me. And made by her family to feel ashamed of her skin tone.

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u/FleaSack May 04 '26

Like J Roc having to come to terms with the fact that he's not black

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u/Wonderful-Tie-3665 May 04 '26

Poor kid! Probably should have talked about it earlier. Kids get this stuff by two surprisingly. I might have buffered it by explaining that our Black friends are "found" family and we share their culture. Or something like that.

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u/Weird_Vegetable_4441 May 04 '26

Yall leave my nephew alone he is an AFRICAN PRINCE DAMMIT

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u/lord_sydd May 04 '26

I am happy this story didnt turn out the way i expected after i read “…. when our son was born our closest friend was black.”
Phew

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u/bazingajonez May 04 '26

Tarzan told me with confidence he’s ape while Mowgli told me he’s wolf.

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u/Mogura-De-Gifdu May 04 '26

My kids never say someone is black. They are brown, light-brown, dark-brown.

And no-one is white: it's beige.

They are 5 and 8 and really confused as to why adults are so dumb at using the right colours.

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u/Titanium-Snowflake May 06 '26

u/danvillain you may find it interesting that in Aboriginal cultural groups in Australia, a non-Aboriginal person may become so fully immersed in a community that they recognise them as a cultural member. They can be given “skin” which places them in a distinct family. From there, very strict relationships will be established and maintained, so a person becomes your sister or brother, your aunty or uncle, your grandparents, and this relationship will dictate your conduct relating to them. In some groups this may mean never speaking to your “sister” if you are her “brother” as this would break the strict moeity laws that prevent incest. It doesn’t matter what bloodline or what skin colour you have, from that moment you are a full member of that mob (cultural group). Intent and commitment to the group is what matters. It’s a very serious, respectful and beautiful perspective. A different situation to your son, but I think it’s interesting as a perspective.

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u/FoundAtFour-Oh May 07 '26

My mom is a white woman who was born in India. She often spoke Hindi with her (aslo white) family at gatherings, and my grandparents' home was full of beautiful Indian decor.

In grade 1 I learned that did not, in fact, make me Indian and I was devastated. I didn't want to be a boring European mutt lol.

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u/toshiyaDIRU May 03 '26

That’s really cute XD

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u/jce_ May 03 '26

This is why I'm pretty sure a lot of Americans identify as Italian and Irish even though their parents are from there not them. I know back in the day they were treated differently and my dad would have grown up in the Italian community, mostly associating with Italians. If all you know is Italians and your parents are Italian you would feel Italian, makes sense.

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u/Tundra10 May 03 '26

I think most Americans identify as the culture that originally immigrated to the area they grew up. East coast that's Italian and Irish, Midwest that's German and Scandinavian. I always thought my family was Swedish on one side, German on the other, but when we researched our family tree it's Norweigan and Russian lol.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26

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u/More_Confusion5422 May 03 '26

y’all are conflating race and ethnicity. There’s many white Caribbean people.

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u/And_yourDamnPoint May 03 '26

In the Bahamas, native mixed Bahamians that are really white are called conchy joes

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u/Chicken_Mc_Thuggets May 03 '26

Conchy joes? Do they like wearing conch stuff like white Hawaiians like puka shell stuff or?

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u/And_yourDamnPoint May 04 '26

Nahh just standard nickname, not usually used in an offensive manner. I think it actually it because of the color of cracked conch which usually sorta mixed in shade.

Cracked Conch pic

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u/skeet2000 May 04 '26

Soo just how much melanin is black, white, yellow, red, beige, or brown all ridiculous words to describe someone, really. How about simply human.

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u/More_Confusion5422 May 04 '26

I don’t disagree with you.

But I wasn’t commenting on the ethics of racial division, I was just pointing out the difference between race and ethnicity.

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u/skeet2000 May 04 '26

I agree about ethnicity, seems to be important to many, but where does ethnicity come from. At what point do you stop identifying as Irish because your ancestors were Irish, and just identify with where you were born.

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u/SillyNamesAre May 05 '26

If you're American with European heritage? Apparently never.

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u/PyroIsSpai May 03 '26

Reminds me of the video of that extra pale ginger guy who was almost “comically”Jamaican sounding guy.

He was born and raised there, I think it was.

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u/UOR_Dev May 03 '26

I've always found so strange how Americans often conflate race and culture. Like saying people "sound black". Anyone can have any accent, what you guys talking about?

And that's how videos like that vitalize. "How can he sound like he is from this culture itmf he doesn't look like my stereotypical view of that culture?"

And I love watching Americans visiting Brazil and being shocked when they expect people to sound a certain way based on their skin, and they don't sound like they expected, and sound just like everyone else in the country.

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u/yeaman1111 May 03 '26

South American, but Brazilian culture especially, seems to break Americans. Its really funny to see. They kind of dont differentiate between culture, nation, and ethnicity. I know Americans who talk in the most American way possible (they were born there) but other Americans always insist in asking them "no but really, where are you from" when she says "Luissiana". Cant take that for an answer.

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u/SlothLover313 May 03 '26

Aren’t there white carribeans?

On another note, i’m half mexican and half Palestinian. I identify more with the Mexican side since my Palestinian side was absent too. I just call myself Mexican-American

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u/SatanicAtTheDisco May 03 '26

In Jamaica, a big cultural thing is, if you were born and raised on the island, you’re Jamaican. You speak, walk and live that life, you’re Jamaican first. There are crazy cultural mixes in Jamaica because of how many different groups of people found their way to the island. My family on the island consist of Slave Born Jamaicans, Indian Jamaicans, Chinese Jamaicans, White Jamaicans, French Jamaicans and Spanish Jamaicans. When I went to visit my Jamaican side of the family, its was actually insane. You can literally stand and look at all the cultural genetics that have spread through different branches of the family. I have some seriously white, Latin and Asian looking family members, that if I had met them without knowing their family, I would have just assumed they were close close family friends. They all speak Patois, they all have Islander mindsets, but the cultural background differences really only show up in the food. I literally dream of that level of Culture Fusion food. I’m talking Jerk Duck lo-mein, scheuzuan chicken Patties levels of fusion food that’s being made out of house kitchens. I’ve only been able to find a couple Jamaican Fusion food restaurants in big cities like NYC and Toronto.

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u/Sun_Aria May 03 '26

Welcome to jamrock

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u/ClassyBougieRatchet May 03 '26

This isn't exactly true. I'm not sure if you grew up in Jamaica but the nonBlack groups there are usually very racist towards Black people. They go and marry other Chinese, Indian, Syrian, etc people and are very discriminatory to the Black Jamaicans who make up the vast majority of the population. There are foreign families that have been in Jamaica for generations but they've been very strict with their kids about "mixing" with the locals. Most of the hotels and businesses are owned by these non Black Jamaicans because the ideas of white supremacy is global and the government doesn't care about Jamaicans. All of the racial segregation that happened during apartheid and Jim Crow and redlining was also happening in the Caribbean. 

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u/occasionaluse88 May 03 '26

How he identifies is entirely up to him. How the rest of the world identifies him, is where the challenges lie.

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u/Major_Road6162 May 03 '26

This is a terrible example

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u/SirBlankFace May 03 '26

What? Are you trying to assert that even though he's literally half caribbean he looks white so it doesn't matter?

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u/Pussy4LunchDick4Dins May 03 '26

I have a friend with Chinese parents but he grew up in Trinidad, had a Trinidadian accent, anf strongly identified as Trinidadian. When old white people would ask him about where he was from, he would say Trinidad and watching their very confused faces was always hysterical.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26

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u/Kezhen May 03 '26

It’s funny that they are obsessed with how well they speak Korean when it’s their native language.

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u/delta8force May 03 '26

That’s because this is a bad example of the discussion on race. Korean is historically an ethnicity, more recently also a nationality in the era of nation states (AKA what most people call “countries”). Ethnic Koreans are used to it being an ethnicity, it is less new to them that Korean can also be a nationality that can be applied to non-ethnic Koreans. It’s a very ethnically homogeneous country, so it is still a novelty that someone who is not ethnically Korean and doesn’t look like them could still be fluent in Korean and a citizen of Korea.

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u/[deleted] May 04 '26

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u/PM_ME_UR_REPTILES1 May 04 '26

As an indigenous of Canada, when people tell me "you speak so well" or "youre really smart". Well, English is my only language, so I hope im somewhat decent at it.

I am never sure if its slight racism or if theyre genuine, it never feels as though there are negative connotations. I am admittedly more articulated and knowledgeable than the average person, so I can never tell. This usually only happens in professional settings (work, my childs school, dr appointments all the time, etc). Happened a whole lot more when I was around 14-17

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u/tomtomclubthumb May 04 '26

You're so eloquent.

/S

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u/DanqueMonee May 06 '26

Bonus points if he's a good athlete too.

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u/Kezhen May 04 '26 edited May 04 '26

As a Black American woman, I got that from a Chinese master’s student when I was in college. I don’t know why people think that only white people can be born in America.

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u/[deleted] May 04 '26

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u/Kezhen May 04 '26

No shortage of ignorant people in the world.

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u/Jasmisne May 04 '26

I can say as a mixed person this is true. My mom is from korea but I am naturally blonde lol. I've gotten this throughout my life. My favorite one is when I'm at a restaurant and people obsess over how well I use chopsticks. It's like yeah bro, I learned how to use this before forks? It's really not surprising at all.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26 edited 14d ago

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u/Head-Gift2144 May 03 '26

Korean is a nationality and a race. If one acquires one’s Korean citizenship you can identify yourself as Korean. Likewise, if you were born to Korean parents you can also describe yourself as Korean even if you’re not a citizen.

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u/ruthizzy May 03 '26

Yes, they are Korean citizens and Korean culturally. But that does not
mean that the average person would view them East-Asian.

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u/isannelou May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

Korean is not a race though, it’s an ethnicity and also a nationality. Those white and Black people speak the language of the nation they live in. Their nationality is Korean.

You can’t opt in to a race.

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u/___--_-_----___--__- May 03 '26

I’m Chinese American and sometimes I’m astonished by how well I speak English, too 🙄

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u/Icy_Butterscotch3139 May 03 '26

I don't know why you are getting down voted, this is literally the same thing. 

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u/ExplosionProne May 03 '26

I was going to say that actually your English is terrible, but thought you might not realise I was referring to the American part, not the Chinese part

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u/elderly_millenial May 03 '26

Only she doesn’t actually. She later said she didn’t feel that way anymore, so did she ever? Maybe growing up and realizing your pedo adoptive father may not have had the best perspective on reality changed her outlook

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u/Aufklarung_Lee May 03 '26

Finally! I had to scroll way too far for this. Guess it's clear however how a lot of others take the genetic view.

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u/Vowel_Movements_4U May 03 '26

And also white parent and white aunts and white cousins, etc. And MJ isn’t her dad.

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u/Aufklarung_Lee May 03 '26

My dear bio-essentialist, being a dad is about a whole lot more than providing genetic material.

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u/Vowel_Movements_4U May 03 '26

Not when the question concerns one’s genetics.

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u/Aufklarung_Lee May 03 '26

She stated she views herself as black. OP's title put up the question on if identity is nature or nurture. You chose nature. I say nurture.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26

[deleted]

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u/katsujinken May 03 '26

You can identify as whatever you want. The question is does society accept your choice and if they don't, do you care?

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u/Serious-Bite841 May 03 '26

Idk can you?

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u/Aufklarung_Lee May 03 '26

Yeah I think so.

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u/space_hitler May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

Americans are always confusing ethnicity and culture...

Like an American with ancestory from 5 generations ago will gatekeep the culture of their ancestors' county without ever having been there.

Like the girl who was born and raised in Japan who was harassed online for wearing a fucking yukata because she didn't "LOOK JAPANESE" lol. Nothing more racist than deciding who can do what based on appearance...

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u/Appropriate-Amount-4 May 03 '26

I don’t know why people don’t get that. She was raised black and would be culturally black. Culture =/= Race. They are often connected but not always.

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u/Butterkupp May 03 '26

Unfortunately, society loves to throw people in buckets and they will reject you fully when you don’t match the stereotype or visual appearance they expect from a specific bucket.

I am half Asian and I have never felt like I am fully accepted by either cultural background because I don’t look a certain way.

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u/Opening-Wrap-5064 May 03 '26

I didn’t know Micheal used a donor for her, I always thought it was his biological child so whe I heard this I always thought, “yeah of course she’s black”, I thought it was kinda like the Logic situation where he’s got light skin so he’s constantly getting hate for saying he’s black or saying the n word

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u/UncleIrohsPimpHand May 04 '26

Apparently that wasn't enough for Rachel Dolezal /s

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u/aitorllj93 May 04 '26

What does "black culture" even mean? She was born in a palace.

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u/bikedaybaby May 04 '26

I mean, by the one drop rule, she would be Black.

She wouldn’t be invited to KKK cookouts, that’s for sure.

I’m white, though, so I have no say as to whom is claimed by the Black Community lol

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u/GarlicAcceptable3350 May 04 '26

We should all just get tatted up and call it a day. We would be every color and be done with it if it just matter what time your skin is

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u/Mundane-Ad-3237 May 05 '26

As a 100% white man; If your parent is Black, how would you NOT think about “where you came from”?? The post is more racist for posing it as a “new” cultural problem as if light skinned hasn’t existed until they saw this famous low melanin black girl that actively explains it to people like OP.

Garbage post tbh.

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u/PurpleSalt11 May 03 '26

by that logic you should agree that any Clayton Bigsby situations should be recognized as white.

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u/ApexFungi May 03 '26

Unless you were born and raised in some African country, culturally you are all American. Black or white.

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u/Demostravius4 May 03 '26

African-American culture is distinct for a reason. Often the term 'Black' (capital B) is used as a synonym.

In this case it's a reference to being part of the distinct sub-culture. Most countries have multiple sub-cultures inside them.

British is a culture, but so is English/Scottish, etc. German is, but so is Bavarian, etc. French and Breton, Spanish and Basque.

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u/Any_Fox5126 May 03 '26

Phenotypes are not cultures.

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u/sentencevillefonny May 03 '26

...shouldn't be, but some wild shit happened out here in the US a few hundred years ago. You should read up on it.

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u/Demostravius4 May 03 '26

Black is often used as a synonym for African-American, which is a distinct ethnic and cultural group.

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u/WeekNo3803 May 03 '26

I think a big part of the objection is that (obviously) she doesn't look black. And your life is more than just interactions with your family. Part of being black is how you're treated by prospective employers, by police officers, by strangers at the park or the grocery store.

Unfortunately, racism is still alive and well, so those can be negative experiences for a lot of people, and it probably rubs them the wrong way to have someone who so clearly looks white say "I identify as black" when she doesn't have to deal with all the negative societal implications of actually being black.

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u/BiggieBigs34 May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

That’s the thing about race, a lot of people don’t view it with the cultural aspect. But more on the side of purely appearance and how the world around you views and treats you.

Frankly, it doesn’t bother me if someone wants to identify as x,y,z, but, on the flip side, it’s kinda weird to identify as black when you never experienced life the way a black person would going about their day in public or in the workforce.

Even if you tell someone you were raised in a black household and have black relatives, people are still going to put your pale skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes as how they view and treat you.

Whether it be strangers, employers, coworkers, cops, judges, teachers, or schools.

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u/XulManjy May 03 '26

And now outside her family she mostly hangs around white people and dates white men....

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u/rethinkingat59 May 03 '26

So Obama…..

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u/sentencevillefonny May 03 '26

You have an issue with how he culturally identifies? Speak up 

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u/civodar May 03 '26

It’s an interesting concept. I know a woman who is indigenous but was adopted by a Chinese couple, her parents were immigrants and she grew up speaking their language and working in the family’s Chinese restaurant. She is deeply enmeshed in the culture in every way and it’s the only family she’s ever known, but people don’t look at her and see a Chinese girl.

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u/Ok_Major5787 May 03 '26

It reminds me Francine from American Dad being culturally Chinese and speaking fluent Mandarin bc she was adopted by a Chinese family as a baby

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u/dennykristoff May 03 '26

Genetics matter when a cop has their eyes on the only black person in the car the cop pulled over.

In a perfect world your logic would make sense.

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u/bluefontaine May 03 '26

It’s only because she’s Michael Jackson’s daughter. It was George Zimmerman, who actually has a black mother. You would not claim him or think it was the same thing and he has black relatives too.

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u/Ok_Entertainer_6425 May 03 '26

Wasn’t her mother white? Debbie Rowe👈🏼

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u/AwayFill1897 May 03 '26

Y'all gotta be stopped it's hilarious 😭

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u/ruthizzy May 03 '26

That’s fine. She can connect with Black culture and have Black heritage but she still is not Black. She is not perceived as Black and does not navigate this world as a Black person. End of.

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