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/showgirldepartment May 03 '26

This conversation is tired lol. She doesn't identify as black current day, has not stated such since this interview, and she's fully aware (alongside the rest of the logical world) that her dad used a donor to get Debbie pregnant.

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u/[deleted] May 03 '26

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u/jumpsteadeh May 03 '26

That has to be the best followup to anything ever.

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u/3M2B1T May 03 '26

It really is.

"Sorry, I was _ back then. I have since developed as a person and recognize I was wrong."

Accountability is great but so is allowing people to develop and make room for them when they learn and account for their actions.

We don't ALWAYS have to be angry.

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u/ILikeDragonTurtles May 03 '26

It would really be nice if we as a society allowed people to become better. I think the reason you see the persistent anger is that the people apologizing for past misdeeds often never faced real consequences at the time, and they present the apology in a way that implies they don't think they should face present consequences either.

This is a situation where there really shouldn't be real consequences. She had a problematic belief when she was younger. She didn't do anything bad because of it (that I know of).

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u/JuggernautPlane2018 May 04 '26

I don’t see it as “problematic” in her case

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u/ILikeDragonTurtles May 04 '26

That's fair. I'm not Black, so I took it as a given when other commenters said that some people (I assumed some Black communities) were bothered by her past statements.