So I need advice. I have a friend whose nice and sweet, quiet little girl. Her family's not perfect, no ones is. So anyway, she is african American, but hates her culture. With a burning passion, even to the point of denouncing it and all things associated with it(the food, language, traditions). She wants to be part of a new culture, something with more"belief and knowledge" so she said, she wants to bleach. White. Completely so she can mix in with a better people. Idk if it's racist, if she's just needy or what, but does her changing her tome really change what she was born into?:/ I personally think she wants attention but idk if it's serious or not......should I be worried?

Can't say, But I guess I would be worried abit, I've had the situation of when I was a tad angered about my race due to stereotypes. Otherwise I'm not sure what to do about it.

That sounds completely stupid.

What would changing her skin color have to do with adopting a new culture? And what exactly is "white culture," anyway, in her eyes? If it's really so color-centric, I question her judgement of what culture is in the first place.

Even if her reasons were legitimate, it would be a bid for attention under any circumstance. She's changing her outward appearance in order to fit into a different crowd. In what way is that not attention-seeking?

Yes, it is entirely racist. You need to let her know on no uncertain terms that she is being a ridiculous idiot. Bleaching her skin would do nothing but make her look odd towards everyone. She wouldn't suddenly blend in with others. That's entirely dependent upon her personality, which as previously stated, I call into question. All it would end up doing is alienating her from her own family, and from anyone who can clearly see how blatantly racist it is.

Depending on how old she is, she'll likely just grow out of the thought. Depending on how passive her parents are or how impulsive she is though, you may have to worry more. That's your call.

>>3 This.

I mean shit. There's not even a black culture. There's black heritage, though, which is completely different. Her "culture", I'm assuming would be the wannabe gangster shit, which all she has to do to get away from is find a new crowd to hang out with.

Yes, its really racist, and she's... No words can describe what I think reading this. She needs to be slapped, taken to the library so she can actually research her culture instead of paying attention to tbe stereotypical bull thats laid infront of her. She's just looking for attention in the worst of ways.

All you have to do is show her before (when he was black) and after (when he "became white") shots of Michael Jackson. That should help talk her out of it.

I would give a serious response, but >>3 summed the majority of my thoughts up.

She wants to bleach herself... white? No.

Look, bleaching isn't the answer. Not only is being black not a bad thing in the first place, but you'd look like a damn fool bleaching yourself to look white.

She probably hung around African culture her whole life, and the people who live with that culture. From people I have known they hate their own kind the most, since they know those kinds of people the most. I hate whites and Asians the most, but that is because I have a white and Asian family.

It could also be she thinks she will be looked down upon if she doesn't conform to the culture around her. My dad and grandma where always made fun of due to them retaining some of their Asian culture. So they stopped doing some of the things they used to back in Korea. It could be along the same lines of that, but she blows the whole thing out of proportion in her head thinking she needs to do away with all of it.

>>8 I know exactly how that feels; I've been around Pakistanis and Muslims my whole life, and frankly, I fucking hate them all. I really despise being bound to their rules, social etiquette and religious customs. And some of the time, I do think it would be better if I was born white.

But in the end, I am me. I know this has already been said, but the colour of my skin doesn't dictate my beliefs or personality, and this girl really needs to figure that out. If she hates her culture so much, she doesn't have to be a part of it. Bleaching her skin won't help her fit in, it'll make her... a freak, to put it bluntly. It sure as hell won't help her to mix in with "white culture," it'll ostracise her. And I'm sure she'll like that even less.

^ By the way, by "I fucking hate them all" I don't mean all Muslims and Pakistanis. I have met some nice ones. It's just that most of them refuse to tolerate me, so why should I them?

I think it is a remarkably stupid thought for her to have. If she honestly believes that by merely attempting to change the colour of her skin will make her a different person, then someone needs to fuck her up big time.

I personally view people as individuals, things like race and stuff doesn't really factor in to my viewpoint of others. I tend to judge people on the basis of whether or not they are worth my time and attention. Using schemas such as racial stereotypes is cognitively lazy thing to do and it really isn't that accurate when you're trying to form impressions on people anyways.

However, if she feels like she wants to "renounce all black culture from her personal identity", I wouldn't necessarily see it as a BAD thing, but it's going to be difficult for her to define herself without those existing catergories of "being a black person". But, I do feel like people should define themselves as individuals without using these crutches such as sexuality or race or religion as a measure of who they are as a person, because I tend to view them as mere background information.

After all, it doesn't matter what race you are or whatever if you're a moron. Stupidity has no boundaries.