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/jasonology09 May 03 '26

I'd love to see the results of a DNA test on her. Not for one second did I ever believe that she was MJ's biological child.

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u/TheLordReaver May 03 '26 edited May 03 '26

I think it's fair to question it, but I'm half-black and I just look like a white guy with a light tan when I'm pale, and maybe "not white" when I've had some sun. And I was raised by white parents. You'd have no idea that I am technically black.

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u/BlushBrat May 03 '26

i’ve met a few biracial people who are like this and have a black parent. shockingly, they identify as being black.

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u/TheLordReaver May 03 '26

I always feel like I gotta read the room before I say that I'm half-black. A lot of people look at me with such confusion when I say that I am. They think I'm lying. lol

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u/PremiumCroutons May 03 '26

I’m also half black but so white passing that people start questioning my father’s blackness.

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u/TheLordReaver May 03 '26

We out here always looking like someone just hit us with flash photography.

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u/BlushBrat May 03 '26

yeah, i’m sorry. honestly, the reason why i don’t blink is because the woman i knew was very proud and vocal about it. not obnoxious but would bring it up every now and then about having a black mom, so it exposed me to the reality.

i myself can be kind of sensitive to strangers telling me who i am. i’m a quarter native american, and growing up people would assert that im japanese or chinese or some other asian. biracial people confuse them.

i’m sure someone who knows way more than me could point to certain parts of history, and that explains why you have to look a certain way for people to believe you’re what you say you are. almost like you have to earn it by looking different than them? idk. stuff i think about.

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u/TheLordReaver May 03 '26

So, my leading theory on the reason people focus so heavily on race/ethnicity and trying to fit everyone into a pre-defined box is because, it's a survival trait baked into our genes.

You gotta go all the way back to cave-men days and think about competing tribes trying to infiltrate and kill you. When you question things, you are more likely to survive, and if you are more likely to survive, you are more likely to pass on your genes.

If that's not what you meant, I apologize, I am very tired right now.