friday afternoon fun: diddy is on some bull*ish (as usual)

08 May 2009 ~ 29 Comments

friday afternoon fun: diddy is on some bull*ish (as usual)

So, Lilone gave an update on her cousin Taj, an up and coming model with a dope head of hair who we recently voted on for Diddy’s “Face of the Future” campaign

“Apparently the contest is not as based on votes as it seemed. The top 10 is posted and people who had little to no votes yesterday are in it. I guess the voting was just for public participation???
Anyway, ladies thanks for the support, you did a great job! We had 7,000 votes yesterday and Taj has definitely been getting the exposure he deserves. Don’t worry it’s not over ;)”

Don’t worry Taj, Diddy hasn’t really helped anyone’s career since Biggie. (Just watch a few seasons of “Making the Band” and ponder to yourself where all those people are now…) But in all seriousness, all the best Taj! We know you’ll be awesome!

#2 Also, I got quite the interesting comment the other day, on one of my very first sunday retrospectives where I pondered how to explain my blog to people who aren’t black.

“Hi everyone! I love this blog and all the comments are honest and thought-provoking. Keep it up! I know this is after-the-fact, but just for the record: I am Latina, and I have nappy hair. Latinos are very racially diverse and a lot of us are black or mixed, so please don’t generalize. Thank you!”

That is so true! Any other Latinas out there wanna jump in?

29 Responses to “friday afternoon fun: diddy is on some bull*ish (as usual)”

Robby D 8 May 2009 at 3:12 pm Permalink

The whole contest seemed a bit confusing. My little brother also entered (see him on my blog).

Diddy oh Diddy … Ima let him make it. (today) =)

Taj is a cutie lol. He will do well, far beyond this contest. Love the blog, keep up the good work

xx

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Anonymous 8 May 2009 at 3:46 pm Permalink

The term Latina/o refers to culture, not race in the same way as Jamaican or South African or English. Latin people run the gamit racially. I’d actually love to know what her experience has been with black Americans, who (IMO) are the main ones guilty of keeping the race boxes small and closed to a select few with the “but you’re not really black though” kinda comments.

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Steph 8 May 2009 at 3:51 pm Permalink

a LOT of contest are that way, you have to always read the official rules. They will open up voting for the public and your votes are only a “suggestion”. The judges have final say. that’s why I hate those contests. I have seen it happen a lot.

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Mel 8 May 2009 at 3:57 pm Permalink

As for the Latina comment… I think the original post about explaining to “non-blacks” was geared towards a white, male co-worker (presumably with straight hair). I don’t think the term “non-black” applied to any person of African descent who embraces his/her heritage and (any variant of) textured hair-regardless of country of origin, or language spoken. I think Afro-Latins, African-Caribbeans, Afro-Arabs, African-Americans, continental Africans etc. (any member of the diaspora) are all considered black, and they certainly are within the context of this blog and the “sunday retrospective” post.
As for Diddy, all I can do is roll my eyes at that man. I don’t think I’ve liked him since the eighth or ninth grade.

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Mel 8 May 2009 at 3:58 pm Permalink

I would disagree with anonymous to some extent; I think Latinas can be pretty good about making the distinction themselves…it’s a two-way street

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Black girl with long hair 8 May 2009 at 4:05 pm Permalink

@ Mel… yeh, I think she might have misinterpreted the context of the original post which was about a white, male coworker who took an interest in my blog… at the same time, i think she did raise an interesting point. maybe we’ll get some ‘naturals from around the world’ from spanish-speaking countries. that would be cool.

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Karine 8 May 2009 at 4:08 pm Permalink

Black Rican checking in. Co-signing with everything Mel said.

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jenteel 8 May 2009 at 4:30 pm Permalink

i never trusted "diddy"…

yes l, the commenter did bring up a good point tho. i keep hearing nappies say "spanish girls don't have our problem" or "don't know what it's like" and similar phrases. i know many latinos/as with nappy hair. besides the us, slavery took place throughout the caribbean, central and south america. what i think makes things more confusing is the loose usage of the term "spanish". i only use spanish to describe someone from spain (european). to exacerbate the issue further is the fact that afro-latinos/as are shut out of most spanish-language programming as if they don't exist. and when they are included, they usually play subordinate roles.

living in new york and being a descendant of an island in the caribbean (hispaniola) where one part speaks french & creole (haiti) and the other spanish (dom.republic), i am very well aware of the existence of afro-latinos with curly/kinky hair. i know there is a lot of stigma in the latino community with nappy hair (makes you more "black looking"), so i'm always excited when i see a latina that is or is going natural :) matter of fact, i just found a fotki last night where the member created a wonderful album dedicated to famous afro-latinos. i would love to see more latinas get involved by sending us your pics!

¡morenitas con el pelo frizado levántese!

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Anonymous 8 May 2009 at 4:37 pm Permalink

Can you post the link to the fotki you found last night. Thanks.

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Lita 8 May 2009 at 6:43 pm Permalink

more slaves went to South and Central America than US as far as I am aware. I am happy that you’re managing to reach everyone that needs you, BGLH. :-D

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Anonymous 8 May 2009 at 9:01 pm Permalink

Hi everyone! I am the person who left the comment on that first Sunday Retrospective. Please allow me to clarify: I understood what the blog was about. My comment was meant to address some of the user comments that, as Jenteel stated, used the “Spanish” term loosely. I can’t quote the text exactly bc I’m at work and quite frankly I shouldn’t be on here (but I can’t stay away!), but for example, someone said their cousin joked about getting with a Spanish girl so their kids could have good hair. One of my pet peeves is that many people think Latinas have one look because of what is portrayed on the media. Jenteel, you hit the nail right in the head.

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lilone 8 May 2009 at 11:36 pm Permalink

Diddy… *rolls eyes*

Taj is Black and Puerto Rican… weird coincidence in this post LOL

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serenissima 9 May 2009 at 1:21 am Permalink

at jenteel: co-sign! and its not just hispanics… i have seen white folks with naps too! hair type really does run the gamut, and i also agree with anonymous who stated that its african-americans who are doing a LOT of the racializing (racialization? is that a word? lol) of different hair types…

imo, it all boils down to the ‘its NOT just hair’ syndrome, and issues we still have with race and socialization, good hair vs bad hair, and cultural stereotypes

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? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
? 9 May 2009 at 5:46 pm Permalink

i like your blog. don’t for to use twitter, youtube videos, facebook, friendfeed, mybloglog to spread your message and for more traffic.

i’m on Twitter:

http://Twitter.com/SecretDiary
to get the link to my blogs, DM via Twitter.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Fly Vixen [?] 10 May 2009 at 1:32 pm Permalink

@Jenteel

Omg, you seriously took the words out of my mouth! I'm half Dominican & half Puerto Rican and I've always been told, "you don't LOOK Black…" I often felt I had to prove to my Black friends why I'm just as "Black" as they were. I felt trapped, I also felt I had to defend myself to my Latino friends. I had to prove that I am just as Latino as the next. I live in an area where Central/South American Mestizos are the most numerous and recognizable members of the Latin American community.

From my Black friends I'd always get the "You don't know what we had to go through" or "well, you're not really Black." Those words hurt more than anything. I got treated the same as any Black girl and I saw myself as Black and Latina. To me, these two cultures were one. I guess it was most painful because in my own culture I didn't exist.

In school they taught that more Africans were sent to Latin America, especially Brazil but they never spoke about the African influence on culture… or even brought up the topic again. From a young age in school I pretty much was taught by my American teachers that Latin Americans were Indigenous and White… I was a ghost in my own culture. Again, I didn't exist. It also didn't help that (like Jenteel so eloquently stated) that Latin American TV excludes those of African descent in their programming… unless they're to play a maid or some buckwheat looking character.

I'm Afro-Mestiza-Latina and very comfortable with that, but I so much more than just my ancestry. I'm me.

Reply
Anonymous 11 May 2009 at 12:50 pm Permalink

I dont think your generalizing. Latina’s are not a race latin is a language that was or is spoken by a variety of races that lived in Europe and Hispanics are people who were colonised or colonised under the spanish flag (they all spoke spanish) Now, this blogis forpeople with curly, natural hair and it teachers these people how to take care of their hair.Simple as that

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Anonymous 26 May 2009 at 6:05 am Permalink

@ FLY VIXEN i’m sorry you had to go through that
these days you really can’t rely on our history books. Living in America, they try to include SOME of our history but it is a very much incomplete collection
I hope you are able to do some research of your own to learn more, i’m also very interested in learning myself -I’m all for anything pan-african.
But I must add that I have gone to several Domincan hair salons and they talk all about me [not knowing i am fluent in Spanish] when my hair hits the water regardless of the fact that i *warn* them of my natural hair.

with that said, I disagree with the “blacks being the sole *racializers*”
In my experience we are the most accepting race of people so I just can’t agree with that

Lastly this is not my page lol
I’ve yet to create a blog, I’m on my sister’s. So if you’re wondering I’m an all natural girl since 05′ and a rising sophomore in college

ej

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