Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too

         If you’re a black man or woman and you use the words “light skinned” or “dark skinned” in a manner as if the two should be in competition with one another, I have no time for your twisted brainwashed bullshit.
        If you’re a black man or woman and you use the term “redbones” as a compliment and think that the lighter the skin an individual has makes them superior over everyone else, I have no time for your twisted brainwashed bullshit.
        If you are a black man or black woman and you think a black woman should only be praised if she has a big ass and/or long hair (or weave) and nothing else, I have no time for your twisted brainwashed bullshit.
        If you are a black man or black woman and you think that the only thing a black man can do to truly succeed is to rap or play sports, I have no time for your twisted brainwashed bullshit.
        If you’re a black man or black woman and you use the words “ugly”, “nappy”, or “African” to describe someone who is natural, I have no time for your twisted brainwashed bullshit.
        I am so sick and tired of seeing us put one another down in the black community. I have seen too many black men disrespect black women because they aren’t a certain complexion or body type. It’s even sicker when you see black women jump on the bashing train. We have come too far as a people for this crap. The strangest thing that I’ve found is that the people who spout this self hatred are the first ones to holler “Black lives matter” when someone gets killed. Maybe that’s a motto you should live by daily. How in the hell do you expect other races to acknowledge that our lives matter when we don’t show each other that our lives, our feelings, our accomplishments, and our minds hold value?
        Wake the hell up. You have been brainwashed by a society that constantly tells you that black folks ain’t shit and the darker they are the worse they are. You have been brainwashed into believing that the only thing of value a black woman has is her body and that she’d better twerk or men won’t love her. You have been brainwashed into believing that the only thing black men can do is rap or play basketball. Black women shouldn’t feel like they have to show off their body to get an attractive brotha’s attention and black men shouldn’t have to sell themselves short and only go after occupations that society tells them they’re only good at doing. We can do anything our hearts set out to do. I don’t care how cliche that sounds. It’s true. The goals we could reach are limitless, but we cut ourselves and others short.
        Show your brothers and sisters some love instead of telling them that only petty things matter. We should be pushing each other to succeed. It just gives me heartburn every time I see black folks talk about each other in this way. If you want to live in your little bubble of petty brainwashed bliss then fine, just please keep it to yourself and for the love of God do not breed. The last thing we need is another generation of fuck boys and bitches. Leave the breeding to the black folk who are determined to raised leaders.

-Asia Aneka Anderson