"Black is the dominant color"

[Delvo]

It sounds like just a sloppy way of expressing the fact that if you're visibly mixed, like Obama is, then you're clearly not a part of the majority, so you and others are likely to culturally think of you as a part of the nearest minority.

Fair enough, thanks for correcting me. I imagine that those people would still have a dark skin colour though, since the climate would be pretty similar in terms of temperature/sunlight. Or maybe not, I'm really not sure.

Black people originally come from a fairly small pocket of Africa right on the equator. They only started expanding from there a few thousand years ago, and about half of that expansion, particularly southward and thus farther from the equator, occurred in a second wave hardly over half a thousand years ago. Their present territory's previous inhabitants were presumably relatives of the Khoi and San, which are now relatively small groups of non-black native Africans living in areas where the relatively recent black immigrants' agriculture wouldn't work. They were and are native to Africa, but not the part of it that's right on the equator, and, among other physical differences, they aren't as dark. They're more like the shade of someone who's part white but about three fourths or four fifths black (which is about average in the American so-called "black" population, culturally identified that way because anything that's not white is still a minority).

Also, the caucasoids who dominate northern Africa and the Middle East have been there longer than the time it took for the caucasoids of Europe, particularly northern Europe, to get as light as they are, so their color can safely be considered to have had time to adapt to the northern African & Middle Eastern environment. And they're even lighter than the Khoi-San.

Overall, although a certain part of Africa does lead to evolution of extremely dark, essentially black, skin, most of it seems to lead to medium/dark brownish skin instead, so that's most likely what the universal ancestors had.

 

[blutoski]

people who are 1/2 black, are considered black, in the USA.

Interesting enough, there are even sub-categories within the black community that have formed over the centuries.

'brown' people of blended heritage fostered some respect and jealousy, for a variety of reasons. If nothing else, very black women still can be a little envious of the wavy hair that some brown women have. Lower maintenance, more styling options. Halle Berry as an example. See: [Good Hair] for recent light discussion of this topic.

There was until recently a relevant category of people with a small percentage of black ancestry who were 'pass for white' and lived somewhat nervous existences in fear of exposure - the same way that European Jews did until quite recently. Really today, this demographic has evaporated as nobody cares about black ancestry if it's not visible anymore. But that's evolved over just the most recent generation. I can't even think of an example right now.

 

[Praktik]

..he said. I am not American, I never resided in the USA. Today I was talking to an Afro-American from New York city. He said that Obama is the first black President of the United States. I asked why black if Obama is as black as white- 50%. The guy said: "Black is the dominant color. It doesn't matter if it is 50% or 5%. If you have black %, you are black because it is the dominant color."
What does it mean? I am not really familiar with the concept. Is that guy's opinion is a standard one in Afro-American or just American community? Or he is a typical black racist? Or what? I am not sure I understood what he meant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octaroon

 

[casebro]

If 1/4 = quadroon,
and 1/8 = Octaroon,
Is 1/16 a hexadecimaroon?

And is a pico-ninny a 1/1,000,000,000,000'th black child ?

 

[Juniversal]

It is racist but the other way around. Since it was a black person that said it then they are very proud of the fact that a black man is top dog of the U.S.
Free at last, free at last, free at last.

So they over look Obamas white momma and only see the black because that is what is important to them. Saying that black is the dominant color is telling me that black person who said this does not like white people.

That is just as racist as a white person saying that Aaron blood is pure or some such crap.
Anyways, in another 100 years their won't be any more white people left to kick around no how.

Nonesense. It has nothing to do with "domination" as you imply. Others in this thread have summed it up well but to reiterate it's simply a matter of history. Historically (and to this day) someone who is half black or mixed is typically considered "black" in addition to the fact the majority of American blacks are mixed to some degree. Most white Americans would consider Obama black. Saying he's black doesn't mean he's not half white and it doesn't mean he's not mixed.

I consider your point very accurate, but I am having a hard time interpreting "black is dominant" in this way.

When someone says "black is dominant" they're likely speaking in terms of phenotype. Not totally true but that's what most people believe. There are folks who are considered black that have more prominent caucasion features then african (Leona Lewis for example) but most people use "divergence from typical white phenotype" as the measuring stick and not the other way around. Put simply, the bi-racial phenotype is considered "black" in this country.

Interesting enough, there are even sub-categories within the black community that have formed over the centuries.

'brown' people of blended heritage fostered some respect and jealousy, for a variety of reasons. If nothing else, very black women still can be a little envious of the wavy hair that some brown women have. Lower maintenance, more styling options. Halle Berry as an example. See: [Good Hair] for recent light discussion of this topic.

There was until recently a relevant category of people with a small percentage of black ancestry who were 'pass for white' and lived somewhat nervous existences in fear of exposure - the same way that European Jews did until quite recently. Really today, this demographic has evaporated as nobody cares about black ancestry if it's not visible anymore. But that's evolved over just the most recent generation. I can't even think of an example right now.

I'm dark skinned and have dark and light skinned relatives. I wouldn't say there's a pervasive conflict between light skinned/mixed blacks and dark skinned blacks (not to mention one can be dark as night and still be mixed to some degree). No doubt there is a perception that wavy hair is "good hair" and there are hints of jealousy and conflict from some but nothing I would consider persistent. But maybe you would get an entirely different story from a woman. *shrugs*

 

[Didaktylos]

If 1/4 = quadroon,
and 1/8 = Octaroon,
Is 1/16 a hexadecimaroon?

I think that 1/16 or less was "able to pass" - I think that the 1/32 referred to above was one documented black thrice great-grandparent.

 

[CaptainManacles]

The whole concept of race is so flimsy anyway that it's debatable whether it's a real thing at all. Certainly it's not significant in any genetic manner. Europeans have more genetically in common with West Africans then west Africans do with east Africans.

 

[blutoski]

I'm dark skinned and have dark and light skinned relatives. I wouldn't say there's a pervasive conflict between light skinned/mixed blacks and dark skinned blacks (not to mention one can be dark as night and still be mixed to some degree). No doubt there is a perception that wavy hair is "good hair" and there are hints of jealousy and conflict from some but nothing I would consider persistent. But maybe you would get an entirely different story from a woman. *shrugs*

I'm mostly speaking historically.

The stratification within black communities was complex, and did vary regionally. My wife's family is from an island the Caribbean where they stratified with the blended Carib/Blacks/Indians at the bottom, pure Caribs/Blacks/Indians next, blended Caribs/Whites and Indians/Whites above that, blended Blacks/Whites next - the more European ones socially above the more Africanny ones, and finally Whites. However, the neighbouring island didn't have any Caribs or Indians (it had been a French colony instead of British), so the stratification was strictly Black/White. It's very sensitive to the local situation.

Wikipedia is not an authority on any topic, but the article on [Passing] is consistent with my experience and learning.

Stratification by appearance is of course different than stratification by behavior, ie: [House Negro] or [Uncle Tom] or [Acting White].

 

[blutoski]

The whole concept of race is so flimsy anyway that it's debatable whether it's a real thing at all.

I always say it's as real as planets. Is pluto a planet? Depends on what people decide. But it's hard to say that human classification debates mean there's nothing real to discuss.

Certainly it's not significant in any genetic manner. Europeans have more genetically in common with West Africans then west Africans do with east Africans.

It's not very meaningful, biologically, no. Maybe some slight use for medical differential diagnosis, but really slight at that.

 

[Doc Daneeka]

I have had the experience of listening to someone rant about this to me, actually. Her reasoning was much more bizarre than anything I had expected, and appeared to be a variant of this [rule 10].

Not saying there's any relevance, but it's interesting nonetheless.

 

[Juniversal]

I'm mostly speaking historically.

The stratification within black communities was complex, and did vary regionally. My wife's family is from an island the Caribbean where they stratified with the blended Carib/Blacks/Indians at the bottom, pure Caribs/Blacks/Indians next, blended Caribs/Whites and Indians/Whites above that, blended Blacks/Whites next - the more European ones socially above the more Africanny ones, and finally Whites. However, the neighbouring island didn't have any Caribs or Indians (it had been a French colony instead of British), so the stratification was strictly Black/White. It's very sensitive to the local situation.

Wikipedia is not an authority on any topic, but the article on [Passing] is consistent with my experience and learning.

Stratification by appearance is of course different than stratification by behavior, ie: [House Negro] or [Uncle Tom] or [Acting White].

Got you.

I have had the experience of listening to someone rant about this to me, actually. Her reasoning was much more bizarre than anything I had expected, and appeared to be a variant of this [rule 10].

Not saying there's any relevance, but it's interesting nonetheless.

I've actual stumbled across a video on youtube before where this argument was parroted and was stunned at just how dumb the argument was. If I can find the video i'll post it. Thankfully It only seems to be parroted by millitant afrocentrist types.

ETA:
This isn't the exact same video but it might be the same narrarator. Laughable self-aggrandizing theory. I'm black but the lengths some folks (of any race) will go to be "the annointed ones" is hillarious.

 

[UnrepentantSinner]

Interestingly "High Yellow" doesn't refer to Asians.

 

[followmycaravan]

yeah, the NY guy only paid attention to 2 minutes of his genetics class. even if one your grandparents is black and the other 3 are white you are not gonna be black, and thats 25%

 

[Delvo]

Europeans have more genetically in common with West Africans then west Africans do with east Africans.

You must be thinking of northern Africans, not western... in which case, that's no big deal because northern Africa is mostly populated by caucasoids anyway, not by black people.

 

[let`s talk]

Obama is referred to as "black" or "African American" because that is both the race most see him as being part of, based upon his visible features

His visible features also includes white blood, he will not be seen as African by Africans methinks. Still, why is he seen as black in the USA? Maybe it is the result of who-is-not-100%-white-is-not-white policy, the white policy that is being used or will be used by blacks for the favor of blacks. This stuff is pretty messed-up in the US. The only thing that I surely understood after talking to him is that the racism issues in the USA are not even near as bad as I orginally imagined.

 

[Emet]

His visible features also includes white blood...

Blood is red in color.

 

[Delvo]

Blood is red in color.

And not usually visible.

 

[casebro]

But taking the subject of the OP more literally, aren't there ummm, seven genes related to skin color? Is any one of them a dominant gene, meaning only one copy needed to have a darkening effect on skin color ?

Or do they all need one copy from each parent, making many possible gradients depending on the different combinations?

Remember the twins born in England, of black parents, yet one was snow white? No dominance of either meaning there.

 

[blutoski]

But taking the subject of the OP more literally, aren't there ummm, seven genes related to skin color? Is any one of them a dominant gene, meaning only one copy needed to have a darkening effect on skin color ?

Probably dozens of genes, actually. Not just pigmentation, but body morphology is a little different, too.

When we look at albino Africans, they look like Africans with white skin, but they're not mistaken for Europeans.

Or do they all need one copy from each parent, making many possible gradients depending on the different combinations?

That's almost certainly what happens. Some of the genes will have dominance/recessive interaction, but others have collaborative interaction. I would predict that black alleles are 'mostly' dominant, but some are codominant.

Remember the twins born in England, of black parents, yet one was snow white? No dominance of either meaning there.

That's unclear, actually. They could have been passing along white genes that were not visible in the parents because they were recessive, which would prove the point.

 

[Juniversal]

yeah, the NY guy only paid attention to 2 minutes of his genetics class. even if one your grandparents is black and the other 3 are white you are not gonna be black, and thats 25%

I'd be the first one to tell you there's nothing scientific about the racial designations in the U.S. ...

His visible features also includes white blood, he will not be seen as African by Africans methinks. Still, why is he seen as black in the USA? Maybe it is the result of who-is-not-100%-white-is-not-white policy, the white policy that is being used or will be used by blacks for the favor of blacks. This stuff is pretty messed-up in the US. The only thing that I surely understood after talking to him is that the racism issues in the USA are not even near as bad as I orginally imagined.

As I mentioned earlier, in America we tend to subconciously use "divergence from typical white phenotype" as the measuring stick and not the other way around. Not to mention unlike most Africans, most of us American blacks have sizable white admixture so there are many who don't look much different then Obama with more distant white ancestory. No doubt this system of categorizing is a product of our 1 drop rule that's become deeply ingrained into our culture.

There have been some very white looking blacks that have been revered as great and influential figures of the black community. Thurgood Marshall, Dorothy Dandridge off the top of my head. So there is a very broad spectrum of appearances that fit under the "black" umbrella in this country.