Comment from Diesel
Time: February 10, 2007, 12:33 pm

This is why we need to go to a completely objective system. There should be a sheet with color samples, like you get at the paint store. You could hold it up to the tv and say, “Wow, this guy could be the first Burnt Umber president!”

Comment from CE
Time: February 10, 2007, 11:23 pm

“Burnt Umber president!” I love it! I am laughing so damned hard I am crying!

Comment from Anita
Time: February 16, 2007, 3:18 pm

Refreshingly insightful …

Personally, I think Debra is ignorant and full of herself, she’s just looking for some publicity by making outlandish statements. I will call someone black as a way to describe them better, no different than if I say someone is short/tall/fat/redhead/bearded/asian/etc. To try to link descriptive qualifiers with cultural statements about them is far more racist than just saying “he’s a light-skinned black male with dark hair”.

Comment from Lil
Time: April 18, 2007, 9:14 pm

That’s why you guys are white. You don’t see anybody black being “confused”. They might dissagree, but they “get” the argument. A big part of the american black experience is being here against one’s will and living with a legacy of racism. This legacy left a community that strugles but can’t achieve equality in terms of education and oportunities. And being seen as “the other”. This is reflected in the way one act, one speaks and is part of our upbringing that unfortunately closes doors. Nothing in his background relates to this. He is very different from the rest of the african-american community and the message that the US would send to it’s black citizens is that someone can be elected as long as he (or she) is not like them….

Comment from Hammer
Time: April 19, 2007, 6:34 am

“A big part of the american black experience is being here against one’s will”

When black people pull this one out I just have to laugh and then ask them, why, if they feel that way, don’t they move back to Africa. Surely living in a third-world country where starvation is the norm and you’re covered with flies and disease must be preferable to living in a free country where you can achieve anything a white man can if you want to.

I actually offered to pay a black woman’s way back to Africa once when we had a similar argument. She refused and then got in her BMW and pulled out of the parking lot at the place where she worked making in excess of $60k a year as an executive’s assistant.

Comment from BrooklynNYC
Time: July 27, 2007, 5:26 pm

Hammer i can pay your way back to Europe if your not pleased with America and the contributions African Americans made to this country. And im speaking of a time period from the James town colony until Hillary and Obama wins the presidency as running mates. Just let me know where to send the ticket

Comment from Hammer
Time: July 27, 2007, 5:48 pm

BrooklyNYC - Somehow you missed the entire point of my post and decided instead to read something into it I never said. I have no problem with African Americans. I can only guess you didn’t read the post and just commented based on the title. The post is about how idiotic it seems to me for someone to claim that blacks can’t be called African Americans if they can’t trace their ancestry back to African slaves.

Comment from luvtosurf
Time: November 3, 2007, 3:46 pm

You seemed to really have fun with this article. Your frustration was quite apparent with “These People” as you called them. And, for your information, not all Black (African-Americans) have “nappy” hair. Some even have straight hair. That’s why they are called African-Americans, not Africans. Most African-Americans are mixed with Caucasian ancestry. That is why they are of many hues, hair textures, eye colors, etc. Now, the young lady that said that Obama can not be Black because his father came here willingly is just plain wrong. But, if we were to accept her reasoning, then Tiger Woods would be Black, not white. His Black ancestors were not Free Negroes. And Blacks did not choose to be called “Colored,” “Negro,” or any of those other names. But, they did choose to be called Black and African-American. I don’t think you will have to worry about Obama being Hillary’s running mate. I’m sure he understands the ‘Party’s needs… after all, he is a politician. You have a great writing style but your words were grossly misplaced.

Comment from Hammer
Time: November 3, 2007, 4:47 pm

Thanks and you’re entitled to your opinion. But, I have never met or seen a black person with straight hair unless they had it straighted, ala Halle Berry or Beyonce.

Also, you seem to have missed my point about African-Americans completely. Considering very few black people in any country other than Africa are truly Africans, are they all African Americans? Is a black man that lives in the U.K. whose parents did not come from Africa an African-American or do we call him an African-Brit? Is a black man in Canada an African-American or an African-Canadian?

Of course, according to this lady, unless they can trace their ancestry back to a slave, they can’t even call themselves black. And if Tiger Woods isn’t black, would you and Ms. Dickerson be so kind as to tell me what he is? Is he an African/Asian-American?

Personally I think you let the fact that you felt my remarks were racist color your opinion.

Comment from boodaman
Time: November 17, 2007, 4:32 pm

In fact, anyone who says Obama is “black” is a racist. Because one of his parents was “white”, anyone who calls Obama black is implicitly agreeing with the argument that “anyone with a drop of black blood is black”. Blacks claim that anyone who thinks a drop of black blood makes you black is a racist. Therefore, anyone who calls Obama “black” (including blacks or African Americans or whatever we’re supposed to call them now) is a racist.

Technically, Obama is “mixed” though you could argue that we’re all “mixed”. I don’t understand why people need to be categorized at all…I’m “white” (technically Irish-American if anyone who’s black is an African-American) and I always check the “other” box when filling out forms. Just to spam up the works, so to speak.

You’re either a good citizen and productive member of society, or you aren’t. What color you are is irrelevant in my mind…an asshole is an asshole.

Comment from Melanie
Time: December 29, 2007, 1:48 am

You: “Thanks and you’re entitled to your opinion. But, I have never met or seen a black person with straight hair unless they had it straighted, ala Halle Berry or Beyonce.”

So, because you have never seen it, it doesn’t exist?
Really?

I find your articles generally to be well-written, but when it comes down to responding to comments, you tend to get stupid. Please stop misrepresenting your ideas, Hammer, so I can keep on respecting you.

Comment from Brian O’Reilly
Time: January 1, 2008, 8:25 pm

Give over whities me is black

Comment from J. Smith
Time: January 7, 2008, 9:33 am

Tell me Hammer is U.S. Rep Charles B. Rangel an African American? Check out his hair and tell me if you think he had it straighted or it is natural. Since you are from NYC I’m sure you know who he is.

Comment from Hammer
Time: January 7, 2008, 12:15 pm

Well, I’m not from New York, but I do know who Charles Rangel is. Like Ms. Dickerson says, her criteria is based on whether or not the person can trace their roots back to slaves that were brought to America. If Mr. Rangel has any slaves in his family tree, it doesn’t matter if he straightens his hair or not, he’s an African American… according to Ms. Dickerson anyway.

Comment from Ross Mayhew
Time: January 27, 2008, 10:55 pm

I think you are missing the point here…. why the heck should anyone at all refer to out-dated concepts such as “race” in this day and age??? Scientific investigation has pretty conclusively demolished the notion that the earth’s population is divided into a small, distinct number of “racial groups”: a pygmy or Dravidian has about as much in common as a Masai as a Brit has in common with an Incan or Aztec!! There is so much more variation within any random selection of members of any particular “race” than there is between the “races”, that the concept is useless. Culturally, however, i guess there is still some validity…. the “African American” culture is a distinct reality in some ways, especially in the inner cities. ANYWAY, i would opine that any discussion which takes the concept of “race” seriously, is hopelessly out of date and counterproductive.

Cheers,
Ross Mayhew.

Comment from Gus
Time: May 7, 2008, 5:18 pm

The only connection Obama has with slavery is that his White Mama’s ancestors OWNED slaves!

Comment from Pete brown
Time: June 25, 2008, 8:59 am

word up homie

Comment from Lydia
Time: August 25, 2008, 12:12 am

You Americans are very sick! This is pathetic and proves to the world that you are really retarded, as that puppet president you elected. From Europe, you sound like neanderthal men. You do not fit in the 21th century.

Comment from Cheikh Anta Diop
Time: August 25, 2008, 12:26 am

Sorry …21st century, English is not my mother tongue. 但是，我觉得说这个余元不值得! I am not Chinese, just a Black European who really gives a damn about colours. God created us all different because this was the best thing to do if humanity was to survive under different climates. So, no superiority, we all fitted the places we first appeared in and then travelled the world. Some did not, they were happy in wealthy Africa and poor, hungry Slaves (name of the first slaves in Egypt: White people from the Slave ethnia:Russia, Germany, Poland …) lookoing for wealth and culture arrived in Africa and stole gold, gems, Black people, knowledge, etc. Open your history books. All humanity comes from Africa, the oldest man comes from Tchad (discovered recently. Before, the oldest ws from Ethiopia, Lucy) … So … You are lucky that the African people is not full of hatred against you… We are a great people that was blessed until you came to Africa. We never wanted to come to your cold, sterile lands. YOU came, because you were empty and had nothing. The Greeks were thankful to the Black Egyptians for the culture they gave them. But you, were ashamed and wanted to hurt us because you could not admit you owed us so much! We are a creative part of humanity and u do not like it. So many things (the elevator, for ex.) were invented by Black Americans. All this stolen. Nature is mathematic. And all what you stole will be taken from you. It already started.

Comment from Hammer
Time: August 25, 2008, 10:37 am

To Cheikh. Are you familiar with a writing technique called “sarcasm”?

When you say “you” do you mean all white people? Because the fact is I’ve never been to Africa as have very few other Americans and none of us had anything to do with slavery and most of us can’t even trace our ancestry back to anyone that had anything to do with slavery. I, for example, was born in Belgium to a French father and a German mother.

Maybe if you knocked the chip off your shoulder and reread my article you’d realize it was written to point out how ridiculous Debra Dickerson’s opinion is. The reason I wrote this post in the first place was because of her assertion that black people cannot call themselves “black” unless they can trace their ancestry directly to a slave. Can you? Can most of the blacks living in the world? I doubt it. So according to her, you cannot call yourselves “black” men and women.

Comment from Hammer
Time: August 25, 2008, 10:43 am

Just out of curiosity, but are you aware that Debra Dickerson is a BLACK woman and that therein lies the irony?

Comment from Hammer
Time: August 25, 2008, 10:50 am

Sorry for another comment but you made so many points that need to be responded to.

Are you aware that slavery exists in Africa today and that it’s black men that the slaves serve? Are you aware that the Egyptians achieved greatness on the backs of slaves and that Egyptians are not white? Slavery has existed for thousands of years and it wasn’t white people that started it.

Comment from KEN
Time: October 2, 2008, 8:35 am

AFRICAN AMERICAN DOES NOT MEAN SOMEONE WITH STRAIGHT HAIR OR HAS SOME FORM OF WHITE BLOOD.THE TERM WAS MEANT TO SAY BLACKS ARE FROM AFRICA AND BLACK AMERICAN CONNECTION TO THAT LAND.THAT IS WHAT AFRICAN MAERICAN MEANS.
I HOPE FOLKS STOP CHANGING THE MEANING OF THINGS.BY THE WAY EVERYBODY IS NOT MIXED IF YOU ARE TALKING RACIALLY AND MOST BLACKS IN AFRICA ARE UNMIXED BUT ALOT HAVE MIXED WITH OTHER BLACK UNMIXED GROUPS IN AFRICA.EVERYONE IS NOT MIXED OR HAVE IN AMERICA EITHER.

CHECK OUT EGYPTSEARCH.COM.
WE TALK ABOUT STUFF LIKE THIS AND OTHER TOPICS.

Comment from KEN
Time: October 2, 2008, 8:47 am

BY THE WAY THERE ARE FEW BLACKS IN AFRICA WITH STRAIGHT HAIR AND THEY ARE AFRICANS,AND THERE ARE BLACKS WITH STRAIGHT NOSES IN AFRICA TOO AND SOME ARE UNMIXED BLACKS AND SOME ARE MIXED AND SOME HAVE SOME FORM OF MIXTURE.

THERE ARE SOME BLACKS IN INDIA WITH STRAIGHT HAIR AND ARE UNMIXED.SO IN OTHERS THERE ARE BLACKS THAT COULD BE LIGHT,MEDIUM ETC WITH OUT ANY WHITE OR ANY OR BLOOD.

WE FOUND REMAINS OF BLACKS BLACKS WITH STRAIGHT HAIR AND STRAIGHT NOSES IN EUROPE FOR AN EXAMPLE BEFORE THERE WERE ANY WHITE FOLKS LIVING IN EUROPE. LOOK UP THE VIDEO JOURNEY OF MAN.IT EXPLAINS HOW A FEW BLACK AFRICAN FOLKS LEFT AFRICA AND HOW OTHER RACES COME FROM THEM BECAUSE OF CLIMATE. REMEMBER THE WHITE RACE IS RECENT TO THE EARTH.

CHECK OUT PBS OR GOOGLE THE JOURNEY OF MAN.

Comment from KEN
Time: October 2, 2008, 8:49 am

THAT’S-

SO IN OTHERS WORDS THERE ARE BLACKS THAT COULD BE LIGHT SKIN,MEDIUM SKIN ETC WITH OUT ANY WHITE OR ANY OTHER BLOOD IN AMERICA,IN AFRICA OR ANY OTHER PLACE AS WELL.

Comment from Hammer
Time: October 2, 2008, 10:43 am

Well, Ken, you missed the entire point of the article and it had nothing to do with black with straight hair or white parents.

Comment from mickey
Time: October 16, 2008, 10:41 am

Black people are only living under a veil of oppression because the democratic “leadership” has kept them in a world of “just give them enough so they”ll need more. The one party with of course some help from some republicans, and anyone else who plays the game, democrats have long been the champions of what they would like to make you think is helping minorities. The fact is so obvious that they would like most “oppressed minorities” to feel they will help them, when what they need to do is help themselves and not take anything from the gov’t. Hispanics are the new minority to be courted. Give them all this social b.s. and remind them of who gave it to them so they’ll vote for you. Dems are simply masterful enablers, hell bent on staying in power by getting any group to vote for them by reminding them of the things they gave them. After all if the economy fails, they are totally insulated as they write their own salaries essentially, have their own healthcare set up and retirement is in the bag as they decided their own pensions and control them. It’s sick, that that creates more racial discourse and if you say this, you are labeled a racist by anyone who just wants to shut you up in case the enabled figure it out. Dumb them down and keep giving them the pooridge, because the Democrats (who were in power for 40 years) are eating the prime rib.

Comment from too bad mccain lost HONKIES
Time: November 5, 2008, 2:45 pm

SUCK DICK

Comment from CONFUSED
Time: November 5, 2008, 6:18 pm

To: too bad mccain lost HONKIES and then the words I won’t repeat:

Need I remind you Obama’s mother is a “HONKY”? Do you need to be reminded that Obama was raised by his “HONKY” grandparents? Is this how it’s going to be amoung the black and white races now that Obama won? Ignore the white blood in Obama because he “appears” to be completely black? Funny, I have seen throughout my entire life black people calling mixed people racial slurs if they had more white traits then black. When did it become okay with the black population to drop the racial slurs toward the mixed races? When they look completely black? It’s confusing. NOT ONCE have I heard that Obama has now the first
Black/White man to become president. All of a sudden, everyone has seemed to forgotten that Obama is part white.