Edited by Azizi Powell
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
Most of the content of this post was published in July 2013 http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/07/what-afro-european-afropean-mean.html
That 2013 post has nine comments which might be of interest to readers of this post. One of those comments which I wrote is given as an Addendum to this post. This post also includes an excerpt about the 7th Biennial Afroeuropean Network Conference in Lisbon, Portugal on July 4-9, 2019.
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This pancocojams post provides information & commentary about the group referents "Afro-European" and "Afropean". Links to additional posts about this population & two videos that feature persons from this population are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, sociological, educational, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these videos on YouTube.
Disclaimer: As I am an African American living in the United States, I wouldn't dream of speaking for Afro-Europeans/Afropeans, although, according to my understanding of the definitions of "Afro-European" and "Afropean", if I were to move to Europe, I would be considered a member of that population.
Additions & corrections to the information & commentary in this post are very welcome.
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DEFINITIONS OF "AFRO-EUROPEAN" & "AFROPEAN"
"Afro-European" is a referent for persons of Black African descent who were born in or who live in European nations. A second definition of "Afro-European" is that it refers to mixed racial persons of Black African & White European ancestry.*
"Afropean" is a shortened form of that same referent.
The term "Afro-European" follows the same structure of such population referents as "Afro-American", "Afro-Cuban", and "Afro-Caribbean". Each of these terms are formed by combining the prefix "Afro" (meaning "African") with the word "European".
*I wrote "White European" because I think that the world is moving away from a time when the term "European" is a synonym for "White".
Some could maintain that "African American" could be a referent for a person of any race from Africa who now lives in the United States of America [notwithstanding the fact that "America" actually refers to much more than the USA]. Therefore, I suppose "Afro-European" could also refer to White people from Africa who now live in Europe. (Or maybe the referent for White Africans would be "Euro-Africans". However, I've never seen "Euro-African" used & I'm not promoting its use.)
But defining "Afro-European" as a person of any race from Africa now living in Europe" doesn't appear to be the usual meaning of the term "Afro-European". However, it's the reason why in the definition above I added the word "Black" before the phrase "African descent".
And would "Asian Africans" be a generalized referent for Asians living in Africa or who were born in Africa? There are, after all, White people and other People of Color besides Black people living in or who were born in most African nations. I wonder if there are any generalized, pan-African referents for that population which includes those who are racially mixed and/or who aren't racially mixed. Given the rising number of Chinese in Africa, it seems to me that such a racial referent may be needed now or in the immediate future.
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Here are two definitions of "Afropean" from urbandictionary.com :
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=afropean (Note: These examples are presented in chronological order with the oldest date first.)
1. Afropean
Person who relates both to Africa and Europe. Usually a person of African descent who lives in Europe and has European tastes and tendencies. Also children of both African and European parentage.
"English is your first language and you don't speak an African language, not even your mother tongue? You're so Afropean!"
"Khaki pants? This is a city not the bush - you're not African anymore. You're Afropean."
"His father's Dutch and his mother's Namibian, the boy's Afropean."
by Mutaleni Nadimi Aug 9, 2006
2. Afropean:
Term to describe the trans-cultural influences of (..usually...) mixed race individuals, or members of the black diaspora living in Europe. First coined by Talking Heads singer David Byrne, to describe the music of Belgo-Congolese group 'Zap Mama'.* Later popularized by Afro-French sister duo Les Nubians.
"They burst onto the international music scene more than a decade ago, with a blend of European and African styles they call "Afropean."**
-An Afropean, Feb 25, 2012
*Read more about Zap Mama & David Byrne in the online examples section below. I'm not certain whether Zap Mama or David Byrne coined the album title "Afropea" or if that form of the referent "Afropean" was used prior to the involvement of Zap Mama with David Byrne's record company. Also, click http://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2013/07/zap-mama-erykah-badu-bandy-bandy.html to find an example of a later Zap Mama song entitled "Bandy Bandy".
**This is a quote from a 2011 NPR program about the duo
“Les Nubians”. http://www.npr.org/2011/03/24/134822770/Afropean-Soul-Sisters-Bring-A-Nu-Revolution
A video of "Les Nubians" is found below.
Additional definitions of "Afro-European:/"Afropean" are found throughout this post.
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A FEW ONLINE EXAMPLES OF THESE REFERENTS
Note: My sincere thanks to the editors & authors of these blogs, websites, facebook page, and other online examples.
The first use of a form of the referent “Afropean” that I found was from 3/1991 (the title of a Zap Mama album). "Zap Mama" is a Belgium neo-soul singing group & also the stage name of its lead singer Marie Daulne who is of Belgium/Congolese ancestry:
EXCERPT #1
"....In 1989, she [Marie Dauline] founded the group Zap Mama to merge the African and European aspects of her identity.[15] Daulne auditioned scores of female singers looking for the right combination of voices for an a cappella ensemble.[16] "When I did my first album, I was looking for girls that were the same mix as me--African and European," she says.[10] "I wanted to put these two sounds together to prove that to have blood from white and black was perfect harmony on the inside."
In 1992, Zap Mama came to the United States for the first time to perform at New Music Seminar in New York. There, they met David Byrne and agreed to let him reissue Zap Mama's first recordings as Adventures in Afropea 1[9] on Luaka Bop Records.[17] By the end of the year, Billboard announced it was the top seller for "world music."-From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zap_Mama
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EXCERPT #2:
http://www.caar-web.org/fileadmin/user_upload/files/call_for_contributions_encyclodedia_of_afro-european_studies.pdf
“The project Afroeurope@ans: Black cultures and identities in Europe funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science & Technology, is pleased to circulate this call for contributions to its exciting new project – the creation of the first online multilingual Encyclopedia of Afro-European Studies. The Encyclopedia constitutes a seminal step in a series of activities undertaken by the Afroeurope@ans Project since 2004, including the organization of biannual conferences, the publication of the e-journal AFROEUROPA: Journal of Afroeuropean Studies and a collection of essays Afroeurope@ans: Culture and Identities (Cambridge Scholars, 2009) and expanding the network of scholars, artists, and activists through academic exchange and cultural events.
The Encyclopedia will cover a range of topics related to the presence of Africans or people of African descent throughout Europe from the shores of the Atlantic to the Ural mountains including Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Russia, the Nordic countries, etc".
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EXCERPT #3
http://afroeuropeansistersnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/10/2010-conference-about-women-and-control.html
“Welcome to the Afro European Sisters Network (AESN). A site that focuses on networking black women in and outside of Europe. As women tell their stories it allows others to learn lessons from their lives. Sharing this knowledge will also empower women with the ability to become one.”
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EXCERPT #4
http://afroeurope.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-afroeurope-who-are.html "What is Afro-Europe? Who are the Afro-Europeans or black Europeans?"
Tuesday, September 1, 2009 by Sibo Kano*
*Pancocojams Editor's Note: Sibo Kano is Afro-Flemish [from Belgium]
"...The central question is what a Nigerian in Italy, an Angolan in Sweden, a Jamaican in the UK and a mixed race Congolese in France or Germany have in common. Europe is not even united so how would black people coming from different nations feel united within Europe? We don’t even have a common language. Below I will give my opinion on this issue.
...What we have in common is the western and European experience, and the way we are categorized within Europe as a certain kind of people. Whether you are in France, Germany, Italy or any other European country, the majority white people of Europe perceive people of African ancestry in quite the same way. This categorization isn’t entrenched in the laws of European nations, but for centuries in the past it was. It isn’t something we can easily describe nor can we demonstrate it through clear facts and figures. However, through a history of relations between Europe and the darker peoples of the planet, the ‘black man’ has received a certain place. Although racial slavery has been abolished, and racist laws eradicated from law books, the concepts and ideas inherited from more than 5 centuries of African-European relationships are still there. Whatever the colour of our skin, we are part of this history...An anomaly
Black people in Europe, whether with brown or black skin, whether born there or not, whether having a white parent or not, whether adopted or not, whether they speak the national language or not, whether integrated or not, ...are all perceived as a certain kind of foreigners. They are not supposed to be there. But in reality most black people in Europe have built their homes in Europe, have adopted European cultures as their own and are perfectly integrated. If not the first generation, then certainly their children...
This experience; being perceived as foreigners from a common continent (whether being really a foreigner or not), is central in the creation of our identity. Identity is based on the relationship you have with others. I do think that most Europeans of African ancestry, i.e culturally integrated black people, would prefer just to be seen as part of the country where they are living, fully accepted as members of that society. In reality it is not so. Even when they have actually forgotten the cultures and languages of their ancestors and only know the Western world as their world, they will still be seen as an anomaly within the Western world, even after generations...
The presence of black people in Europe is a logic consequence of the African-European history. Europe seems not to accept this logic."...
-snip-
Sibo Kano wrote me in 2013 that he "meant the African Diaspora as a whole".
Unfortunately, the afroeurope.blogspot is no longer active.
I'm glad that I happened upon that afro-europe blog in 2012. My first comment on that blog was in response to a 2009 post by Sibo Kano about being Afro-European. Excerpts of that post are found in this pancocojams post and that comment that I wrote is found in the Addendum to this post.
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EXCERPT #5
http://afroeurope.blogspot.nl/2010/12/break-blogging-black-from-netherlands.html "The break: Blogging Black from the Netherlands and how I became an Afro-European" by Erik K. [lead editor of Afro-Europe International Blog]
"...my Afro-European element what I perhaps share with other Afro-Europeans is that I want to have a piece of the country where I was born and raised in. It’s position I don’t even have to defend. Being black and European means that I also have an Afro-European connection on issues like race, black success and other specific black issues. But there is one issue that I consider very important, I don’t only have connection with Afro-Europe, but also with Africa."
-snip-
Note from Pancocojams editor:
In the one year that I started blogging on afro-europe.com, I've noticed that there have been some other African American commenters on that site, as well as some South American commenters. For that reason, I think that Erik K would probably now amend his comment above to write "I don't only have connections with Afro-Europe, but also with Africa and the rest of the African Diaspora". That's certainly how I feel.
Update: Afroeurope blog editor Erik K. confirmed my guess in a comment that he added to this post on July 4, 2013.
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EXCERPT #6
http://afroeurope.blogspot.com/2013/07/photo-book-afropean-odyssey-black.html July 1, 2013 Photo book: "An Afropean Odyssey" - A Black European Travel Narrative
This post includes selected photographs and a video of photographs from award winning writer, photographer, and London television host Johny Pitts.
"Video: A photo-montage from my travels around Europe looking at Afropean/ Black European culture with Joy Denalane's 'Vier Frauen' (Sara Tavares, Chiwoniso, Déborah, Joy Denalane) as a the soundtrack.
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EXCERPT #7
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Afro-European-Sisters-Network/112233385459365
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EXCERPT #8
http://blog.blackwomenineurope.com
"English - Blackwomenineurope, Afroeuropeans, Expatriates
A place to celebrate women of the African Diaspora living in Europe."
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FEATURED VIDEOS
Example #1: Faces of Afro-European people
AfroPrideTV, Uploaded on Jan 14, 2012
Here's the words that are found on the screen in the beginning of this video:
“Black people in Europe (Sometimes referred to as Afro-Europeans), although this term is also used to describe people of mixed African and European descent, especially in the former European colonies, are black people who are residents or citizens of European countries. They include immigrants as well as European-born people of Black African descent.
A council of European parliamentary assembly report on immigration from sub-Saharan Africa gives the number of sub-Saharan African migrants to Europe as between 3.5 and 8 million concentrated mainly in Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. The report also notes that these figures are likely underestimated because of illegal migration.”
Notes:
This video features photographs of famous movie stars, athletes, singers and other famous Afro-Europeans. Most of the examples are from the United Kingdom. This video also includes people of African descent from Turkey.
As one might expect from a YouTube viewer comment thread of a video of this subject, many of the comments about this video are argumentative & racist. Nevertheless, there are some interesting comments on that comment thread: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVHHQOikZpY
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Warning for public school use: There's a very brief photograph of topless women in this video. Pancocojams usually doesn't include videos of such scenes.
Example #2: Les Nubians- Sugar Cane (What is Black Beauty?)
Nina513, Uploaded on Aug 8, 2010
A video dedicated to the beauty that is Les Nubians has been LONG overdue on youtube. This video is dedicated two these two sisters and the African ancestors who shine through them. They inspire so many people around the world through their music, style and honesty.
This song is off of their debut album "Princesses Nubiennes" and happens to be one of my favorites from them. Play close attention to the meaning of this song and the pictures included.
God bless!
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EXCERPT FROM THE May 2018 NOTICE: "CALL: “AFROEUROPEANS: BLACK IN/VISIBILITIES CONTESTED”
"7th Biennial Network Conference, Lisbon (4-7 July 2019)
The 7th Biennial Network Conference: “Afroeuropeans: Black In/Visibilities Contested” is an important platform for the production of knowledge in the pertinent field of transdisciplinary research on racism, black cultures and identities in Europe. It also offers the opportunity to strengthen and widen networks between scholars, activists and artists that question structural racism and are critically engaged with the production of postcolonial knowledge on european blackness and the african diaspora. This dialogue and networking is promoted through keynotes and panels, round-tables, individual speakers and artistic and cultural activities.
The title of the conference incorporates the tensions, ambiguities and paradoxes of Blackness in Europe. At the same time as black histories, cultures and social conditions are made invisible in hegemonic accounts on Europe, there is a hypervisibility and presence of black stereotyping in European popular culture. Also, while the concept of race has largely disappeared from political, sociological and administrative discourses (in continental Europe), and while the disengagement with institutional and structural racism has been reframed in new capitalist post racial rhetorics, racial markers still have currency, and black bodies continue to be invoked as either tolerated guests at best, or threatening intruders at worst. The consequence is the practice of “embodying an identity that is declared impossible even though lived by millions”, namely as non-white Europeans, and specifically as Black Europeans. This identity has become even more conditioned by a new mainstreaming of right-wing discourses and the tightening immigrant and refugee policies that affect people of African descent.
The conference addresses not only these relations of domination, and racial modes of exclusion, but engages primarily with the continuous contestations and resistance these in/visibilites have gone by. We turn our gaze to the disregarded histories and cultures, and inquire past, new and continuous forms of Afroeuropean political, social, cultural and artistic interventions and resistance. This implies taking into account the different positionalities within European Blackness, linked for instance to diasporic origins, language, gender, social class, citizenship status, sexuality, dis/abilities, as well as the varying geo-spatial and post-colonial historical formations.
Call for panels
The organizing committee of the 7th Biennial Network Conference seeks panel contributions that speak to one or more of the following agendas:
[...]
> Black Cities: Public Space, Racism, Urban Cultures and Segregation: We invite panel proposals that address black racialization in urban life and the experiences (and insertions) of people of African descent. We are interested in broadening the debate both on the problems that affect black people in the contemporary cities – segregation, racism, subalternity, stigmatization, ghetto –, as well as analyzing the Afroeuropean interventions into the public space: lifestyle, artistic expressions, urban cultures and identities.
[...]
> Theorizing Blackness and Racial Europe: Panels in this thematic area address the theoretical questions that shape the whole of social relations and the social experience of Afroeuropeans, discussing the very definition(s) of Race, Racism, Blackness as well as Whiteness and how this co-produces Europe as a spatial-temporal formation.
Deadline for submission of proposals: 30.09.2018 (extended)
Further information: Afroeuropeans209: https://afroeuropeans2019.wixsite.com/afroeuropeans2019"
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ADDENDUM: Republished comment that I wrote in 2009 and posted to the comment section of the 2012 pancocojams post on this topic (whose link is given)
"Here's a comment that I wrote to http://afroeurope.blogspot.com/2009/09/what-is-afroeurope-who-are.html about the "Afro-European" referent:
"Greetings!
I've just read this 2009 post & the comments and want to commend most of those who have written thus far, but particularly you, Sibo Kano. Your January 20, 2010 11:49 AM post was so on point. It should be required reading and processing for all those people trying to understand the transition Europe and other places in the world are going through with regard to race/ethnicity.
I'm African American and grew up in the 1950s when "White" and "European" were considered to be synonymous referents. Even in that decade there were Europeans who were People of Color (mixed White/non-White or otherwise). But now as you wrote, Sibo, as a "logical consequence of Western history" and as a natural result of globilization, there are even more People of Color in Europe, some born there and some immigrated there.
As an outsider looking in, I suppose that those persons who live in Europe (and elsewhere) who are biologically White/non-White could advocate for a change in the definition of who is "White". But even if that was the path that one wanted to take, it seems to me (again as an outsider), that given the realities of racism in the world, it would be pyschologically healthier and more realistic for those persons in Europe to consider themselves as Black or Brown and as part of the larger referent of "African Europeans" or "Afro-European", with the specific applicable referent such as "Afro-Belgium"; "Afro-Italian", "Afro-British" etc.
In my lifetime we African Americans went through a number of self-referents before "African Americans" became our largely accepted formal group & individual referent (with "Black American" still being used as an informal referent for the same population, and more people of African descent who live in the USA- not to mention more people of African descent who live in the Americas apart from the USA).
In the USA, over time, the hyphens are usually dropped in group names so African-American is almost always written as "African American".
In my lifetime (around the 1970s), the term "Afro-American" was used but was later rejected. I think that was in part because "afro" didn't reference any geographical place like "African" does, and in part because an "afro" was a hair style. That said, if "Afro-European" is the accepted general term for people of African descent in Europe - which it appears to have become - then that referent is the one I will use.
As was and is the case in the USA, people have "the right and the responsibility to name themselves and speak for themselves rather than to be named and spoken for by others". [That quote is from the "Kawaida" philosophy of Maulana Karenga, the founder of the Black holiday, Kwanzaa.]
Thanks for what you are doing to make the world a better place for Black people, for Brown people, and for all people."
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Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Four Examples Of The Song "Stagger Lee" (Wikipedia excerpt, and song lyrics as sung by Mississippi John Hurt & as sung by Lloyd Price)
Edited by Azizi Powell
[Most of the content of this post was published on pancocojams on November 30, 2012. Additional content in this post: song lyrics and one comment under Example #1]
This pancocojams post showcases sound files or videos of Mississippi John Hurt, Lloyd Price, Taj Mahal, and Wilson Pickett singing versions of the Blues/R&B classic "Stagger Lee".
Information about this song are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All rights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song. Thanks also to the vocalists, and musicians featured in these sound files and this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these sound files & video on YouTube.
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "STAGGER LEE"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagger_Lee_(song)
" "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee", "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stack-a-Lee" and several other variants, is a popular folk song based on the murder of William "Billy" Lyons by Stagger Lee Shelton...
The first published version of the song was by folklorist John Lomax in 1910. The song was well known in African American communities along the lower Mississippi River by the 1910s.
Before World War II, it was commonly known as "Stack O'Lee"... In Mississippi John Hurt's version, as in all such pieces, there are many (sometimes anachronistic) variants on the lyrics. Several older versions give Billy's last name as "De Lyons" or "Deslile".
-snip-
Warning: That Wikipedia page includes profanity.
-snip-
From http://reocities.com/SunsetStrip/stage/8376/stagger_lee_1.html
"The legend of Stagger Lee is one of the most important and enduring stories from American folklore. Although it has had some popularity with the white community, it is a story that comes from the African-American oral tradition. There are many different versions of the tale, but here is the general storyline. Stagger Lee (also known as Stagolee, Stackerlee, Stackalee etc.) gets into a dispute with a man named Billy DeLyon (also known as Billy the Lion or Billy Lyons) after losing his Stetson hat to Billy while gambling. Stagger Lee pulls a gun (sometimes identified as a .45, other times as a "smokeless .44") on Billy who then pleads to be spared for the sake of his wife and children. Showing no compassion at all, Stagger Lee cold-bloodedly shoots and kills his opponent."...
-snip-
Click http://www.planetslade.com/stagger-lee2.html for multiple pages of information about Stagger Lee Shelton, including the following theory:
"Shelton may have taken his 'Stack Lee' nickname from a white man called Stacker Lee, whose father owned the famous Lee Steam Line of riverboats...Travelling up and down the Mississippi between St Louis and New Orleans, he became well-known as a gambler, a hell-raiser and a ladies' man. He made a habit of fathering illegitimate children wherever his boat put in, often by black or mixed-race women.
It's very unlikely that Shelton was really Stacker Lee's son - the dates and locations are all wrong for that - but he may well have adopted his nickname to hint at that possibility. Shelton's light skin, described by Jefferson Penitentiary as a “mulatto complexion”, would have made it easy for people to believe he had a white father. Who could blame him for hinting that father was the glamorous son of a powerful, rich family?"
-snip-
Also, click http://www.stackolee.net/ for a list of hundreds of recordings of "Stagger Lee" ("Stack O Lee").
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EXCERPT FROM WIKIPEDIA [added September 18, 2018]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagger_Lee
" "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton in St. Louis, Missouri at Christmas, 1895. The song was first published in 1911, and was first recorded in 1923 by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. A version by Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959.
Background
The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given: he was given the nickname because he "went stag", meaning he was without friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called Stack Lee; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution.[2] He was well known locally as one of the Macks, a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance.[3] In addition to these activities, he was the captain of a black Four Hundred Club, a social club with a dubious reputation.[4]
On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William "Billy" Lyons were drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. Lyons was also a member of St. Louis' underworld, and may have been a political and business rival to Shelton. Eventually, the two men got into a dispute, during which Lyons took Shelton's Stetson hat.[5] Subsequently, Shelton shot Lyons, recovered his hat, and left.[6] Lyons died of his injuries, and Shelton was charged, tried and convicted of the murder in 1897. He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery. He died in incarceration in 1912.[7]
The crime quickly entered into American folklore and became the subject of song as well as folktales and toasts. The song's title comes from Shelton's nickname—Stag Lee or Stack Lee.[8] The name was quickly corrupted in the folk tradition; early versions were called "Stack-a-Lee" and "Stacker Lee"; "Stagolee" and "Stagger Lee" also became common. Other recorded variants include "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stackolee", "Stackalee", "Stagerlee", and "Stagalee".[9]
Early versions
A song called "Stack-a-Lee" was first mentioned in 1897, in the Kansas City Leavenworth Herald, as being performed by "Prof. Charlie Lee, the piano thumper."[10] The earliest versions were likely field hollers and other work songs performed by African-American laborers, and were well known along the lower Mississippi River by 1910. That year, musicologist John Lomax received a partial transcription of the song,[11] and in 1911 two versions were published in the Journal of American Folklore by the sociologist and historian Howard W. Odum.[12]
The song was first recorded by Waring's Pennsylvanians in 1923, and became a hit. Another version was recorded later that year by Frank Westphal & His Regal Novelty Orchestra, and Herb Wiedoeft and his band recorded the song in 1924.[13] Also in 1924, the first version with lyrics was recorded, as "Skeeg-a-Lee Blues", by Lovie Austin. Ma Rainey recorded the song the following year, with Louis Armstrong on cornet, and a version was recorded by Frank Hutchison in 1927.[10]
Before World War II, it was commonly known as "Stack O'Lee". W.C. Handy wrote that this probably was a nickname for a tall person, comparing him to the tall smokestack of the large steamboat Robert E. Lee.[14] By the time W.C. Handy wrote that explanation in the 1920s, "Stack O' Lee" was already familiar in United States popular culture, with recordings of the song made by such pop singers of the day as Cliff Edwards.
The version by Mississippi John Hurt, recorded in 1928, is regarded as definitive.[10] In his version, as in all such pieces, there are many (sometimes anachronistic) variants on the lyrics. Several older versions give Billy's last name as "De Lyons" or "Deslile". Other notable pre-war versions were by Duke Ellington (1927), Cab Calloway (1931), and Woody Guthrie (1941).[10]
Post-war versions
In 1950, a version of "Stack-a-Lee" by New Orleans pianist Archibald reached number 10 on the Billboard R&B chart.[15] Lloyd Price recorded the song as "Stagger Lee" in 1958, and it rose to the top of both the R&B and US pop charts in early 1959.[15] His version was ranked number 456 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and also reached number 7 on the UK singles chart. Price also recorded a toned-down version of the song that changed the shooting to an argument between two friends for his appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand."...
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LYRICS: STACK O' LEE
[as sung by Mississippi John Hurt]
Police officer, how can it be?
You can 'rest everybody but cruel Stack O' Lee
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
Billy de Lyon told Stack O' Lee, "Please don't take my life
I got two little babies, and a darlin' lovin' wife"
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
"What I care about you little babies, your darlin' lovin' wife?
You done stole my Stetson1 hat, I'm bound to take your life"
That bad man, cruel Stack O' Lee
With the forty-four
When I spied Billy de Lyon, he was lyin' down on the floor
That bad man, oh cruel Stack O' Lee
"Gentleman's of the jury, what do you think of that?
Stack O' Lee killed Billy de Lyon about a five-dollar Stetson hat"
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
And all they gathered, hands way up high
At twelve o'clock they killed him, they's all glad to see him die
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
Source: https://genius.com/Mississippi-john-hurt-stack-o-lee-lyrics
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LYRICS: STAGGER LEE
[as written {?) and sung by Lloyd Price]
The night was clear
And the moon was yellow
And the leaves came tumbling down
I was standing on the corner
When I heard my bulldog bark
He was barking at the two men
Who were gambling in the dark
It was Stagger Lee and Billy
Two men who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw seven
Billy swore that he threw eight
Stagger Lee told Billy
"I can't let you go with that
You have won all my money
And my brand new Stetson hat."
Stagger Lee started off
Goin down that railroad track
He said, I can't get you Billy
But don't be here when I come back
Go on, Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee went home
And he got his .44
Said, "I'm going to the bar room
Just to pay that debt I owe."
Stagger Lee went to the bar room
And he stood across the bar room door
Said, "Now nobody move."
And he pulled his .44
"Stagger Lee," cried Billy
"Oh, please don't take my life
I got three little children
And a very sickly wife."
Stagger Lee shot Billy
Oh he shot that poor boy so bad
Till the bullet came through Billy
And it broke the bartender's glass
Now look out, Stagg, come on
https://genius.com/Lloyd-price-stagger-lee-lyrics
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Mississippi John Hurt - The Ballad Of Stagger Lee
Uploaded by JTgrimteam on Jul 20, 2010
In My Opinion ; One Of the Best And Most Genuine Musical Pieces Ever Recorded. Mississippi John Was an Amazing Musician And Human Being.
-snip-
Here's a comment from this sound file's discussion thread:
Garett Russ, 2018
"It blows my mind how many racially-charged posts are derived from this music as I look through the comments.... The only thing that comes to mind is that if the shoe fits check yourself... You need to sit back take a deep breath and realize that you are smaller than what this man has done... Stop trying to build this imaginary Fortress of theology with your comments... And rather embrace the fact that amazing music came from a time of suffering.... bust the guitar out... try to jam along... and stop being a b** that is drowning in a time that wasn't even yours to drown in because you feel the need to be a voice for them.... Guess what!! These men and women were so strong they didn't need you... They use the strings (lightning Hopkins)... And they use their voice (Etta James)... Go ahead and pick up your pout box and take a walk home.... 😎"
-snip-
This comment is given as it was found in that discussion thread.
****
Example #2: Lloyd Price - Stagger Lee
Uploaded by RoverTCB on Apr 29, 2008
The first censored rock n roll record to be a n°1 hit
-snip-
The Wikipedia page whose link is given above includes information about how Dick Clark, the host of the television program "American Bandstand" made Lloyd Price change the lyrics of this song for that show's performance.
****
Example #3: STAGGER LEE (1969) by Taj Mahal
Uploaded by wilsonmcphert on Nov 5, 2009
...I have done a slideshow video for this song and to try and help tell the story.
****
Example #4: stagger lee - wilson picket
youknowstone, Uploaded on Mar 19, 2008
wicked live
-snip-
This singer's nickname was "The Wicked Wilson Pickett".
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
[Most of the content of this post was published on pancocojams on November 30, 2012. Additional content in this post: song lyrics and one comment under Example #1]
This pancocojams post showcases sound files or videos of Mississippi John Hurt, Lloyd Price, Taj Mahal, and Wilson Pickett singing versions of the Blues/R&B classic "Stagger Lee".
Information about this song are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for historical, folkloric, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All rights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the composer/s of this song. Thanks also to the vocalists, and musicians featured in these sound files and this video. Thanks also to all those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publishers of these sound files & video on YouTube.
****
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "STAGGER LEE"
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagger_Lee_(song)
" "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee", "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stack-a-Lee" and several other variants, is a popular folk song based on the murder of William "Billy" Lyons by Stagger Lee Shelton...
The first published version of the song was by folklorist John Lomax in 1910. The song was well known in African American communities along the lower Mississippi River by the 1910s.
Before World War II, it was commonly known as "Stack O'Lee"... In Mississippi John Hurt's version, as in all such pieces, there are many (sometimes anachronistic) variants on the lyrics. Several older versions give Billy's last name as "De Lyons" or "Deslile".
-snip-
Warning: That Wikipedia page includes profanity.
-snip-
From http://reocities.com/SunsetStrip/stage/8376/stagger_lee_1.html
"The legend of Stagger Lee is one of the most important and enduring stories from American folklore. Although it has had some popularity with the white community, it is a story that comes from the African-American oral tradition. There are many different versions of the tale, but here is the general storyline. Stagger Lee (also known as Stagolee, Stackerlee, Stackalee etc.) gets into a dispute with a man named Billy DeLyon (also known as Billy the Lion or Billy Lyons) after losing his Stetson hat to Billy while gambling. Stagger Lee pulls a gun (sometimes identified as a .45, other times as a "smokeless .44") on Billy who then pleads to be spared for the sake of his wife and children. Showing no compassion at all, Stagger Lee cold-bloodedly shoots and kills his opponent."...
-snip-
Click http://www.planetslade.com/stagger-lee2.html for multiple pages of information about Stagger Lee Shelton, including the following theory:
"Shelton may have taken his 'Stack Lee' nickname from a white man called Stacker Lee, whose father owned the famous Lee Steam Line of riverboats...Travelling up and down the Mississippi between St Louis and New Orleans, he became well-known as a gambler, a hell-raiser and a ladies' man. He made a habit of fathering illegitimate children wherever his boat put in, often by black or mixed-race women.
It's very unlikely that Shelton was really Stacker Lee's son - the dates and locations are all wrong for that - but he may well have adopted his nickname to hint at that possibility. Shelton's light skin, described by Jefferson Penitentiary as a “mulatto complexion”, would have made it easy for people to believe he had a white father. Who could blame him for hinting that father was the glamorous son of a powerful, rich family?"
-snip-
Also, click http://www.stackolee.net/ for a list of hundreds of recordings of "Stagger Lee" ("Stack O Lee").
****
EXCERPT FROM WIKIPEDIA [added September 18, 2018]
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stagger_Lee
" "Stagger Lee", also known as "Stagolee" and other variants, is a popular American folk song about the murder of Billy Lyons by "Stag" Lee Shelton in St. Louis, Missouri at Christmas, 1895. The song was first published in 1911, and was first recorded in 1923 by Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians. A version by Lloyd Price reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959.
Background
The historical Stagger Lee was Lee Shelton, an African-American pimp living in St. Louis, Missouri in the late 19th century. He was nicknamed Stag Lee or Stack Lee, with a variety of explanations being given: he was given the nickname because he "went stag", meaning he was without friends; he took the nickname from a well-known riverboat captain called Stack Lee; or, according to John and Alan Lomax, he took the name from a riverboat owned by the Lee family of Memphis called the Stack Lee, which was known for its on-board prostitution.[2] He was well known locally as one of the Macks, a group of pimps who demanded attention through their flashy clothing and appearance.[3] In addition to these activities, he was the captain of a black Four Hundred Club, a social club with a dubious reputation.[4]
On Christmas night in 1895, Shelton and his acquaintance William "Billy" Lyons were drinking in the Bill Curtis Saloon. Lyons was also a member of St. Louis' underworld, and may have been a political and business rival to Shelton. Eventually, the two men got into a dispute, during which Lyons took Shelton's Stetson hat.[5] Subsequently, Shelton shot Lyons, recovered his hat, and left.[6] Lyons died of his injuries, and Shelton was charged, tried and convicted of the murder in 1897. He was paroled in 1909, but returned to prison in 1911 for assault and robbery. He died in incarceration in 1912.[7]
The crime quickly entered into American folklore and became the subject of song as well as folktales and toasts. The song's title comes from Shelton's nickname—Stag Lee or Stack Lee.[8] The name was quickly corrupted in the folk tradition; early versions were called "Stack-a-Lee" and "Stacker Lee"; "Stagolee" and "Stagger Lee" also became common. Other recorded variants include "Stackerlee", "Stack O'Lee", "Stackolee", "Stackalee", "Stagerlee", and "Stagalee".[9]
Early versions
A song called "Stack-a-Lee" was first mentioned in 1897, in the Kansas City Leavenworth Herald, as being performed by "Prof. Charlie Lee, the piano thumper."[10] The earliest versions were likely field hollers and other work songs performed by African-American laborers, and were well known along the lower Mississippi River by 1910. That year, musicologist John Lomax received a partial transcription of the song,[11] and in 1911 two versions were published in the Journal of American Folklore by the sociologist and historian Howard W. Odum.[12]
The song was first recorded by Waring's Pennsylvanians in 1923, and became a hit. Another version was recorded later that year by Frank Westphal & His Regal Novelty Orchestra, and Herb Wiedoeft and his band recorded the song in 1924.[13] Also in 1924, the first version with lyrics was recorded, as "Skeeg-a-Lee Blues", by Lovie Austin. Ma Rainey recorded the song the following year, with Louis Armstrong on cornet, and a version was recorded by Frank Hutchison in 1927.[10]
Before World War II, it was commonly known as "Stack O'Lee". W.C. Handy wrote that this probably was a nickname for a tall person, comparing him to the tall smokestack of the large steamboat Robert E. Lee.[14] By the time W.C. Handy wrote that explanation in the 1920s, "Stack O' Lee" was already familiar in United States popular culture, with recordings of the song made by such pop singers of the day as Cliff Edwards.
The version by Mississippi John Hurt, recorded in 1928, is regarded as definitive.[10] In his version, as in all such pieces, there are many (sometimes anachronistic) variants on the lyrics. Several older versions give Billy's last name as "De Lyons" or "Deslile". Other notable pre-war versions were by Duke Ellington (1927), Cab Calloway (1931), and Woody Guthrie (1941).[10]
Post-war versions
In 1950, a version of "Stack-a-Lee" by New Orleans pianist Archibald reached number 10 on the Billboard R&B chart.[15] Lloyd Price recorded the song as "Stagger Lee" in 1958, and it rose to the top of both the R&B and US pop charts in early 1959.[15] His version was ranked number 456 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and also reached number 7 on the UK singles chart. Price also recorded a toned-down version of the song that changed the shooting to an argument between two friends for his appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand."...
****
LYRICS: STACK O' LEE
[as sung by Mississippi John Hurt]
Police officer, how can it be?
You can 'rest everybody but cruel Stack O' Lee
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
Billy de Lyon told Stack O' Lee, "Please don't take my life
I got two little babies, and a darlin' lovin' wife"
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
"What I care about you little babies, your darlin' lovin' wife?
You done stole my Stetson1 hat, I'm bound to take your life"
That bad man, cruel Stack O' Lee
With the forty-four
When I spied Billy de Lyon, he was lyin' down on the floor
That bad man, oh cruel Stack O' Lee
"Gentleman's of the jury, what do you think of that?
Stack O' Lee killed Billy de Lyon about a five-dollar Stetson hat"
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
And all they gathered, hands way up high
At twelve o'clock they killed him, they's all glad to see him die
That bad man, oh, cruel Stack O' Lee
Source: https://genius.com/Mississippi-john-hurt-stack-o-lee-lyrics
****
LYRICS: STAGGER LEE
[as written {?) and sung by Lloyd Price]
The night was clear
And the moon was yellow
And the leaves came tumbling down
I was standing on the corner
When I heard my bulldog bark
He was barking at the two men
Who were gambling in the dark
It was Stagger Lee and Billy
Two men who gambled late
Stagger Lee threw seven
Billy swore that he threw eight
Stagger Lee told Billy
"I can't let you go with that
You have won all my money
And my brand new Stetson hat."
Stagger Lee started off
Goin down that railroad track
He said, I can't get you Billy
But don't be here when I come back
Go on, Stagger Lee
Stagger Lee went home
And he got his .44
Said, "I'm going to the bar room
Just to pay that debt I owe."
Stagger Lee went to the bar room
And he stood across the bar room door
Said, "Now nobody move."
And he pulled his .44
"Stagger Lee," cried Billy
"Oh, please don't take my life
I got three little children
And a very sickly wife."
Stagger Lee shot Billy
Oh he shot that poor boy so bad
Till the bullet came through Billy
And it broke the bartender's glass
Now look out, Stagg, come on
https://genius.com/Lloyd-price-stagger-lee-lyrics
****
SHOWCASE EXAMPLES
Example #1: Mississippi John Hurt - The Ballad Of Stagger Lee
Uploaded by JTgrimteam on Jul 20, 2010
In My Opinion ; One Of the Best And Most Genuine Musical Pieces Ever Recorded. Mississippi John Was an Amazing Musician And Human Being.
-snip-
Here's a comment from this sound file's discussion thread:
Garett Russ, 2018
"It blows my mind how many racially-charged posts are derived from this music as I look through the comments.... The only thing that comes to mind is that if the shoe fits check yourself... You need to sit back take a deep breath and realize that you are smaller than what this man has done... Stop trying to build this imaginary Fortress of theology with your comments... And rather embrace the fact that amazing music came from a time of suffering.... bust the guitar out... try to jam along... and stop being a b** that is drowning in a time that wasn't even yours to drown in because you feel the need to be a voice for them.... Guess what!! These men and women were so strong they didn't need you... They use the strings (lightning Hopkins)... And they use their voice (Etta James)... Go ahead and pick up your pout box and take a walk home.... 😎"
-snip-
This comment is given as it was found in that discussion thread.
****
Example #2: Lloyd Price - Stagger Lee
Uploaded by RoverTCB on Apr 29, 2008
The first censored rock n roll record to be a n°1 hit
-snip-
The Wikipedia page whose link is given above includes information about how Dick Clark, the host of the television program "American Bandstand" made Lloyd Price change the lyrics of this song for that show's performance.
****
Example #3: STAGGER LEE (1969) by Taj Mahal
Uploaded by wilsonmcphert on Nov 5, 2009
...I have done a slideshow video for this song and to try and help tell the story.
****
Example #4: stagger lee - wilson picket
youknowstone, Uploaded on Mar 19, 2008
wicked live
-snip-
This singer's nickname was "The Wicked Wilson Pickett".
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Selected Comments From The Discussion Thread For The YouTube Video "Dating as Half-Black in Japan (Blasian Farouq Interview)"
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is the fourth post is an multi-part pancocojams series about being mixed race in Asia. Particular attention in this series is given to people who are Blasian (Black/Asian).
The showcase video embedded in this post is the third YouTube video published in 2016 by That Japanese Man Yuta that features "Blasian Farouq".
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Farouq and "That Japanese Man Yuta", the producers of this film and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
Click the Blasian tag and the hafu tag below for more posts in this series.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Dating as Half-Black in Japan (Blasian Farouq Interview)
That Japanese Man Yuta, Published on Dec 8, 2016
-snip-
"Blasian Farouq" is the screen name for a young Japanese-Black man who was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan.
Farouq is the last person who was [apparently randomly] interviewed on the street by producer That Japanese Man Yuta [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpDF_uV_J1M "Actually Being Mixed-Race in Japan (interview with 'Half-Japanese' People ft Farouq)"] At the end of that interview, Yuta, gave his business card to Farouq - which was a good thing since almost all of the comments in that video's discussion thread were highly favorable regarding this young man. That probably prompted Yuta to publish a subsequent two part interview featuring "Blasian Faouq".
The second video in this "series" is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMO02xxX1g&t=183s "Growing Up Half-black in Japan (Blasian Farouq Interview)"
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE YOUTUBE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE "DATING AS HALF-BLACK IN JAPAN (BLASIAN FAROUQ) VIDEO
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
A number of comments in this video's discussion thread were about Farouq's response to the question about his dating preferences. Farouq indicated that he preferred a Japanese woman who is "neat and pure", or "half-Japanese" girls, or "blonde European girls".
In addition to the comments about dating, another topic that commenters focused on a lot was whether it's correct to refer to a person with one Black birth parent and one birth parent of another race or ethnicity as "Black".
These two groups of comments comprise the bulk of the selected comments in this pancocojams compilation.
-snip-
Numbers are added to these comments for referencing purposes only.
Some screen names may have been changed as certain names don't always match the names given in the replies.
WARNING: Some comments include profanity. I've used amended spelling for those words.
1. micah white, 2017
"I know he's Japanese but hearing him say he prefers white girls while he's black was disappointing to me but he was raised in Japan so."
**
2. DarkMatter11k, 2017
"I'd love to see a study done that dives into the impact that racism has on mating. It's unnatural, but understandable that he is admittedly more attracted to full Japanese women, describing them as "neat" and "pure" unlike himself, though his does indeed appear to be both neat and pure. He's attracted to European women with blonde hair as well. These two he was very excited about. Did anyone notice he wasn't particularly excited about half Japanese women, nor did he mention desiring to be with a fully "black" woman. Although he looks like a "black" man, his desire is not of the very image that he possesses, despite the fact that his image is beautiful. He mentioned that Japanese women call him handsome, but do not speak. I think the reality of being a minority causes feelings of inferiority and self rejection.
**
REPLY
3. TheKarret, 2018
"He didn't say he didn't think he was neat or pure, nor do I get the impression he was implying that. Plenty of white dudes talk about wanting a "pure" girl; like innocent and sweet and all that kind of sh&t*, not a troublemaker or "unladylike" so to speak, and I don't think white dudes are trying to say they themselves aren't pure when saying that. It is a curious thing to note that he'd single out European/blonde haired women, though Nevermind, no it's not; he expressed interest in dating a blonde European girl because he's never dated a girl like that, so it's very possible he's dated black girls before. Full Japanese women makes sense because that'd be the majority of what he's surrounded by - I don't think that's a red flag warning sign that he's ashamed of himself or being half black, but just a reflection of being in a predominantly Japanese environment.
Also, one's image doesn't mean anything - his own father was black and had at least one child with an Asian woman, what if he's most interested in full Japanese women as a result of a subconscious thing based on who his own parents are? Like father, like son, it could be, rather than he's ashamed of being black. I'll grant you, though; this is all based on two very brief clips/videos with him, but that seems"
like a very real possibility that shouldn't be discounted or diminished, either.
-snip-
*This word was fully spelled out in this comment.
This sentence was underlined in that original comment.
**
REPLY
4. ichnsn chgo, 2018
"He was born and raised in Japan, that's what they like."
**
5. Dwayne Whitted, 2017
"The indigenous Japanese were dark skin know your history"
**
REPLY
6. SkinnyFB, 2018
"Exactly! The AINU!!!"
**
7. SONNY da CUSE, 2017
"its always the black father and Japanese mother.....why???"
**
REPLY
8. GUY MAD, 2017
"Do you mean why 'no black woman and Japanese man?'"
**
REPLY
9. Sharon !, 2017
"Sonny S ,, Military Bases !"
**
REPLY
10. SHARE H!S V!S!0N, 2017
"Agree with the military comment, plus, if it were a black women she wouldve brought the kid back with her, plenty of people like that in the US black mom, russian dad, or I knew a guy once whos father was from Monaco, mother was a sales rep, black."
**
REPLY
11. Miguel Lewis, 2018
"Here are a bunch of African women with Japanese husbands.
http://asianblackcouples.com/japanese-and-black-couples-in-committed-love/
**
REPLY
12. Justinian21c, 2018
"There's a lot more men than women in the U.S. military, hence more American fathers of half-Japanese kids. Secondly, blacks are a disproportionately large percentage in the U.S. military compared to the overall U.S. population."
**
REPLY
13. Lonelyeco, 2017
"I understand why he would say white, blonde girl when thinking of foreigners, since us Black Americans usually don't have enough to travel. Oh well. Keep the fine brothas in Japan on their toes. Peace."
**
REPLY
14. StarRoseAngelic, 2017
"What? I lived in both Japan and Korea and there were plenty of Black foreigners. Please remove yourself from whatever bubble you're living in."
**
REPLY
15. Ahido Mikaro, 2017
"+StarRoseAngelic Maybe you haven't really "lived" much in them or don't know what "plenty" means. Half a percent of Japan is not Japanese, Chinese or Korean. And that still doesn't mean just black, which are a minority in the minority. Ultimately you are not proving much by talking about the exception to the exception to the rule."
**
REPLY
16. StarRoseAngelic, 2017
"+Ahido Mikaro Did you even read the original comment? No one is speaking on Japanese natives, we are talking about foreigners. Specifically black foreigners. The OP's claim that this young man only references "white blonde girls" because many Black Americans don't travel is founded in ignorance, not facts."
**
REPLY
17. kelkel5169, 2018
"Ahido Mikaro his african=black genes phenotype dominated he's a Blackman (it don't matter if he's biracial his culture mayb different from mines but if he gets pulled over or apply for a job or go missing you know what they gonna check on that box) I've dated one for 2yrs he's a blasian 2 born overseas 2 but he calls his self a african/black man & identified as a African but his skin light as asian(Full African daddy!)But he sides with Africans more)"
**
REPLY
18. IG georgio24, 2018
"kelkel5169 full African daddy! Lol where are you from"
**
REPLY
19. Ke ke G, 2018
"IG georgio24 amerikka roots from Haiti and Louisiana"
**
REPLY
20. Lonelyeco, 2017
"StarRoseAngelic to you and the other. When you say you've seen many blacks where was that? Tokyo? And we black Americans do not travel much. Look at the quotas. Also, another factor of him thinking this way is media. When America is advertised overseas White Males and White Females are majority of the time used to represent America. It is not ignorance, but research from many sources. So check your attitude before acting a fool to look superior. I am not the one. Can't even post a relaxed friendly post on here anymore. Dang!"
**
REPLY
21. Jon, 2017
"I'd say that's definitely just because of things like film because I stayed in Seoul for a few years and I definitely saw plenty of nonwhite foreigners. More so than I expected. It's like it's just been beaten into the minds of people in other countries but yea, you'd probably be surprised to see first hand blacks and middle eastern folk in places like Korea."
**
REPLY
22. StarRoseAngelic, 2017
"+Lonelyeco Sad that you think that way. You should note that media portrayal and actual statistics are two different things. Please join and follow the social media accounts of TravelNoire, BlackTravelHackers, and other groups. There are many traveling communities of hundreds of thousands of Black Americans who travel annually. If you or your family are having financial issues traveling, check those groups out for tips. God bless."
**
REPLY
23. Prince Asim, 2017
"He did say that he tends to date "half-Japanese" girls, so that probably includes half-Black/half-Japanese girls too. He said he had never dated, "blonde European girls" before."
**
REPLY
24. xenotypos, 2017
"Lonelyeco-> Maybe yes, maybe no, who knows we all never met him. Don't assume the reason of his statement, to have personal preference isn't a sin.
I don't see the issue people always have everywhere all the time about (hypothetical) personal taste."
**
REPLY
25. Fauzril Lukman, 2017
"this is funny cuz his thoughts is just the same as most of Indonesian who if they heard "foreigner", their thoughts is always a white men/women, rich, and smart."
**
REPLY
26. ALL Star, 2017
"growing up in an Asain culture, he got imprinted with the Asains custom of having light skin in best and thinking Europeans are the standards of beauty, all Asains I met. They even draw all their heroes in anime white, and would kill to meet someone with blonde hair, example Sailor Moon white and blonde with blue eyes , Goku white and blonde with blue eyes, Naruto white and blonde with blue eyes. I bet he doesn't even know the reason he is so good at sports and getting so popular is because everyone think that his dark skin is super hot and his athletic genes he got from his dark skin father, gave him that awesome body but hey to each his own hopefully he finds his pale beauty.
**
27. kelkel5169, 2018
"Lonelyeco issa lie 😂😂😂 I travel all the time I'm going to Africa and Korea,Haiti this year & some of us work hard & save,why dont u catch them sales online because they're always having a great sales on Japan ,try income tax time or picking up extra hours!It's plenty of blacks/Africans that come visit their 7-8yrs in a row and I may take a break but I always travel plus all my family 2"
**
28. Leila, 2017
"Seems like a nice guy, and these interviews just go to show how much where a person grows up can influence them. I was surprised when he said he likes Japanese girls that are "pure and neat" and gave an example of a Japanese model who is gorgeous but not voluptuous in the slightest, and then said he likes girls with booty lol. I think this guy needs to travel the world more and broaden his horizons a bit."
**
REPLY
29. Leila, 2017
"He dresses like someone's who's into "black" culture as well, like hip hop or rap etc. This guy is an enigma lol, it's interesting though"
**
REPLY
30. Hadi Nu'man. 2017
"because hip-hop culture is big in japan and korea. that's why he wears that kind of outfit."
**
31. Ttheway2 life, 2017
"Well i don't think he should be called Half Japanese. he is full Japanese with some american ancestry. But, only if he have a duel citizenship. He is Japanese with american ancestry."
**
32. Jasmine Adachi, 2017
"aw hes cute! too bad he dont like his own kind 😒 we black women dont need a self hating black man anyway 👋🏼"
**
REPLY
33. Marwuan, 2017
"Jasmine Adachi he likes half of his kind"
**
REPLY
34. Lonelyeco, 2017
"That doesn't mean he hates himself or his own kind. He does not see his ethnicity often. Also, like in the U.S., media plays a huge part in your selection of the opposite sex."
**
REPLY
35. Anton Ekstrand, 2017
"Lonelyeco I'd really like to know what you base your assertion that "media" somehow plays a big role in your personal sexual preference on. I don't know any method you could use to accurately measure that and it just sounds like something you would like to be true.
**
REPLY
36. Lonelyeco, 2017
"Psychology. The mind subconsciously receives messages through media (television, art, music). If you were born somewhere and the majority you see are black women on makeup commercials and Black women and Asian men are always together whether, through the female the damsel or hero, you would gain the assumption that that is the norm. The same as in a test with girls that showed black girls that played with dolls were more likely to dislike their self because they were not the same ethnicity as the majority of the dolls. Since the majority of dolls were white. Look it up. This is not a theory, which if it were science you would probably take as truth."
**
REPLY
37. AfroBoricuaSamurai, 2017
"Well he's Japanese & the majority of Japanese people, half black or not, have a fascination with White people; it's not because he's a "self hating black man." 😒👋🏾"
**
REPLY
38. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"He is not a "black man". He is mixed..."
**
REPLY
39. FixedAlgorithm, 2017
"+TonyRedgrave1501
Are you black?"
**
REPLY
40. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama Mixed too but with east european. I wouldn't call myself black nor white."
**
REPLY
41. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama I mean mixed east-european and african bro'. And with east-european I mean minority groups in caucasus region of russia. So not really typical east-european more like caucasus europeans (armenians, georgians, ossetians, aserbaidchanians and more...). I have 4 different ethnic groups in me. And by the way not all east-europeans are "anti-black". Just racist motherf&&kers* every country has."
-snip-
This word is fully spelled out in this comment.
**
REPLY
42. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama It's always hard to tag the caucasus region because it's not really east-europe nor middle-east/arabia. It's inbetween and culturally really diverse. It's like between tables and in the beginning of asia."
**
REPLY
43. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama What is "Blackness"? I just said he is mixed and that's true since he is half Japanese so he isn't "Black" which is a stupid term anyway. Why call yourself or other people "Black"? It's African you idiot! Black is a color! You seem to be too stupid to read I guess because I wrote I'm half African and half Caucasus-european. I made comments about this stupid term "Black" in the first place because it's stupid to call African people like that and since I'm half African myself I don't want to be called "Black" because it's a term for a color not a ethnicity. White, Black, Yellow, Red only Americans use color terms for ethnicity. Stupid!"
**
REPLY
44. Life with Dante, 2017
"He's just as much Japanese as he is black. The "one drop" rule is over, dude."
-snip-
Read my comments below about "the one drop of black blood" rule.
**
45. L
"Hopefully this doesnt sound racist, but tbh it's kinda weird for me to see a "black" man speaking japanese fluently."
**
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46. Terasets, 2017
"Honestly african languages/accents are closer to japanese than other english speaking/european countries imo so i dont think it looks weird."
**
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47. Joelthedon22, 2017
"Well he's a Japanese man, so..."
**
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48. Language Learning Lounge, 2017
"A while back there was a video of a black man in China and these two girls cut him in line. He told them not to cut in Chinese.... the pretended not to speak that dialect. He went through three dialects before they gave up and left. It was amazing. Moral of the story: don't be surprised at all. People from all backgrounds speak all sorts of different languages! (Natively or learned. =])"
**
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49. Leandro Ribeiro, 2017
"Actually it is weirder to see native English speakers being able to do so since the pronunciation is so different. I live in Brazil, the country with second largest black population in the world (only behind Nigeria) and it's also the country where Japanese is most spoken outside Japan and also the country with the largest Japanese population outside Japan. I can speak at an intermediate level and I'm pretty sure that I'll become fluent in no time. Most foreigners in Japan that can speak Japanese are not from Europe or US, they are Koreans, Chinese, Brazilians..."
**
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50. Kany Diabate, 2017
"if you are a person that dont travel and knowledge is narrow then yes it will be weird to you, im a "dark skin black" lol female born and raised in paris , origin from west africa , and speaks fluently japanese english, german and african dialects and currently live in LA (plus of course mother tongue french) i travelled a lot so it looks "normal" to me, you should just open and look around youll discover many diversities ;) ;) ( no worries i didnt take it as "racist" , just out of your knowledges zones)"
**
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51. Blacktattedgaijin, 2017
"+Kany Diabate Preach !"
**
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52. Kany Diabate, 2017
"+Blacktattedgaijin ;*!!"
**
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53. Blacktattedgaijin, 2017
"+Kany Diabate Back at you ;*..."
**
54. LilyLaya, 2017
"Out of curiosity, why do you keep putting black in quotation marks? The man in this video is black. He is also Japanese. Why are you tip-toeing over his race?"
-snip-
I believe this question was directed to "L".
**
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55. Queen S, 2017
"But he's not black he's biracial"
**
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56. LilyLaya, 2017
"+Shamara Morgan And one of his two racial backgrounds is black. Therefore, he is black. Why do you think biracial and black are mutually exclusive?"
**
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57. Queen S, 2017
"Are you an idiot? Biracial is biracial black is black how much sense does that even make black children come from two black parents not one you modern day slave the one drop rule is a slave rule your master gave you he's BIRACIAL I bet he doesn't even identify as "black" "
**
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58. Blacktattedgaijin, 2017
"All of you ignorant mothaf&&kas* commenting about biracial people and what we identify our selves as PLEASE STFU! I am Black and Mexican. Father is black, Mother is Mexican. I am both, case closed. Crazy how the people who aren't even "biracial" have the biggest mouth on the subject."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment,
The bold font was used in this original comment.
**
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59. tyra, 2017
"L lmao why did you put black i quotations he is black"
**
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60. Joel Kotto, 2017
"He's biracial and it's pretty obvious when you look at his face and skin tone..."
**
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61. Senpaitama, 2017
"Joel Kotto skin tone?? lol my sister is wayy lighter than him but she not mixed...."
**
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62. SHARE H!S V!S!0N, 2017
"hes dark skinned japanese. Not black. Black is an american thing, and a way for people in America to identify other blacks around the world. But he is so far from black its not even a joke.He dont know anything about our bullshyte over here in the states and I am glad for him."
**
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63. Linda L, 2017
"+SHARE H!S V!S!0N he is half Japanese half black, just because he was born and grew up in Japan does not change the fact that he still has some black descent, one of his parents is African"
**
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64. Linda L, 2017
"+SHARE H!S V!S!0N you don't represent society mate, no matter how you feel, society will still continue to see this man as half black and half Asian, nothing you can do to change that."
**
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65. Joel Kotto, 2017
"Maybe my argument isn't that relevant, yet he's a biracial and Black Americans' rules giving in to the American racist way of thinking inherited from slavery times shouldn't apply to him. If you're biracial, you're not Black, you're biracial and should be proud of everything making you up as who you are. Period. (ain't mad, just os you know)."
**
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66. tyra, 2017
"+Joel Kotto So you're saying he's not black???¿"
**
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67. nekrataal7, 2017
"Let's just go with Obama's example: for all intents and purposes, this half-black, half-japanese guy is pretty much black."
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68. Joel Kotto, 2017
"Don't project your low American racist ways of thinking to this guy. If Obama was willing to really define himself according to White supremacist rules, good for him but if this guy doesn't, it's even better."
**
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69. nekrataal7, 2017
"+Lance Fernandez Good luck convincing the rest of America that former U.S. President Barack Obama was biracial/mixed and not just black."
**
70. poloko collen, 2017
"ppl say he is black and really he is not...just blasian....no hate."
**
71. Qris 6O6, 2017
"im full black i live in guam if your from japan you know alot of japanese from nagoya tokyo,narita etc come here for tourism and as far as i can tell from everyone i meet theyre super friendly and idk how else to say it but they love the fact that im black but sometimes tehy say i look like will smith or eddie murphy haha but i love the japanese theyre super cool"
**
72. Sam Y, 2017
"I knew the name Farouq was quite Arabic/Islamic!!! I was genuinely surprised to learn thats his name. I know many African Americans who are not muslim have names that have islamic origins, like Jamal, I know a guy calles Hussein but he isnt muslim either which I thought it was very interesting!"
**
73. Gantz akira, 2017
1 year ago
farouq is an islamic name , that is one that knows right from wrong.
my nephew has that name tooo.
**
REPLY
74. Sabah Alkhair31, 2018
"Farrouk is muslim name. In arabic language it means different between good and bad. And it means very honest person."
-snip-
A commenter in this discussion thread or one of the other discussion threads of "Blasian Farouq" videos indicated that Farouq said he had gotten his name from his uncle on his father's side. He also said that he wasn't Muslim and neither was his father or his uncle.
**
75. Ijacqueline forbes, 2017
"After this interview you will very famous all over the world. The face of the world is changing. Its a fusion of cultures....Get use to it!!!"
**
76. Benji Talima, 2017
"I enjoyed this vlog/interview and i look forward to more. However i find it disturbing that some people have failed to understand culture and race till 2017. Black-Asian, why should it puzzle feeble minds. We live in a global society and those that do not travel only read from one page, however thank God we gat the internet, this shouldn't be any harder. Read, explore and learn."
**
77. thatOne, 2018
"I wonder what it was like for his mom raising a black kid in Japan and how it affected her.?"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is the fourth post is an multi-part pancocojams series about being mixed race in Asia. Particular attention in this series is given to people who are Blasian (Black/Asian).
The showcase video embedded in this post is the third YouTube video published in 2016 by That Japanese Man Yuta that features "Blasian Farouq".
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to Farouq and "That Japanese Man Yuta", the producers of this film and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
Click the Blasian tag and the hafu tag below for more posts in this series.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: Dating as Half-Black in Japan (Blasian Farouq Interview)
That Japanese Man Yuta, Published on Dec 8, 2016
-snip-
"Blasian Farouq" is the screen name for a young Japanese-Black man who was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan.
Farouq is the last person who was [apparently randomly] interviewed on the street by producer That Japanese Man Yuta [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpDF_uV_J1M "Actually Being Mixed-Race in Japan (interview with 'Half-Japanese' People ft Farouq)"] At the end of that interview, Yuta, gave his business card to Farouq - which was a good thing since almost all of the comments in that video's discussion thread were highly favorable regarding this young man. That probably prompted Yuta to publish a subsequent two part interview featuring "Blasian Faouq".
The second video in this "series" is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KMO02xxX1g&t=183s "Growing Up Half-black in Japan (Blasian Farouq Interview)"
****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THE YOUTUBE DISCUSSION THREAD FOR THE "DATING AS HALF-BLACK IN JAPAN (BLASIAN FAROUQ) VIDEO
Pancocojams Editor's Note:
A number of comments in this video's discussion thread were about Farouq's response to the question about his dating preferences. Farouq indicated that he preferred a Japanese woman who is "neat and pure", or "half-Japanese" girls, or "blonde European girls".
In addition to the comments about dating, another topic that commenters focused on a lot was whether it's correct to refer to a person with one Black birth parent and one birth parent of another race or ethnicity as "Black".
These two groups of comments comprise the bulk of the selected comments in this pancocojams compilation.
-snip-
Numbers are added to these comments for referencing purposes only.
Some screen names may have been changed as certain names don't always match the names given in the replies.
WARNING: Some comments include profanity. I've used amended spelling for those words.
1. micah white, 2017
"I know he's Japanese but hearing him say he prefers white girls while he's black was disappointing to me but he was raised in Japan so."
**
2. DarkMatter11k, 2017
"I'd love to see a study done that dives into the impact that racism has on mating. It's unnatural, but understandable that he is admittedly more attracted to full Japanese women, describing them as "neat" and "pure" unlike himself, though his does indeed appear to be both neat and pure. He's attracted to European women with blonde hair as well. These two he was very excited about. Did anyone notice he wasn't particularly excited about half Japanese women, nor did he mention desiring to be with a fully "black" woman. Although he looks like a "black" man, his desire is not of the very image that he possesses, despite the fact that his image is beautiful. He mentioned that Japanese women call him handsome, but do not speak. I think the reality of being a minority causes feelings of inferiority and self rejection.
**
REPLY
3. TheKarret, 2018
"He didn't say he didn't think he was neat or pure, nor do I get the impression he was implying that. Plenty of white dudes talk about wanting a "pure" girl; like innocent and sweet and all that kind of sh&t*, not a troublemaker or "unladylike" so to speak, and I don't think white dudes are trying to say they themselves aren't pure when saying that. It is a curious thing to note that he'd single out European/blonde haired women, though Nevermind, no it's not; he expressed interest in dating a blonde European girl because he's never dated a girl like that, so it's very possible he's dated black girls before. Full Japanese women makes sense because that'd be the majority of what he's surrounded by - I don't think that's a red flag warning sign that he's ashamed of himself or being half black, but just a reflection of being in a predominantly Japanese environment.
Also, one's image doesn't mean anything - his own father was black and had at least one child with an Asian woman, what if he's most interested in full Japanese women as a result of a subconscious thing based on who his own parents are? Like father, like son, it could be, rather than he's ashamed of being black. I'll grant you, though; this is all based on two very brief clips/videos with him, but that seems"
like a very real possibility that shouldn't be discounted or diminished, either.
-snip-
*This word was fully spelled out in this comment.
This sentence was underlined in that original comment.
**
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4. ichnsn chgo, 2018
"He was born and raised in Japan, that's what they like."
**
5. Dwayne Whitted, 2017
"The indigenous Japanese were dark skin know your history"
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6. SkinnyFB, 2018
"Exactly! The AINU!!!"
**
7. SONNY da CUSE, 2017
"its always the black father and Japanese mother.....why???"
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8. GUY MAD, 2017
"Do you mean why 'no black woman and Japanese man?'"
**
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9. Sharon !, 2017
"Sonny S ,, Military Bases !"
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10. SHARE H!S V!S!0N, 2017
"Agree with the military comment, plus, if it were a black women she wouldve brought the kid back with her, plenty of people like that in the US black mom, russian dad, or I knew a guy once whos father was from Monaco, mother was a sales rep, black."
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11. Miguel Lewis, 2018
"Here are a bunch of African women with Japanese husbands.
http://asianblackcouples.com/japanese-and-black-couples-in-committed-love/
**
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12. Justinian21c, 2018
"There's a lot more men than women in the U.S. military, hence more American fathers of half-Japanese kids. Secondly, blacks are a disproportionately large percentage in the U.S. military compared to the overall U.S. population."
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13. Lonelyeco, 2017
"I understand why he would say white, blonde girl when thinking of foreigners, since us Black Americans usually don't have enough to travel. Oh well. Keep the fine brothas in Japan on their toes. Peace."
**
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14. StarRoseAngelic, 2017
"What? I lived in both Japan and Korea and there were plenty of Black foreigners. Please remove yourself from whatever bubble you're living in."
**
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15. Ahido Mikaro, 2017
"+StarRoseAngelic Maybe you haven't really "lived" much in them or don't know what "plenty" means. Half a percent of Japan is not Japanese, Chinese or Korean. And that still doesn't mean just black, which are a minority in the minority. Ultimately you are not proving much by talking about the exception to the exception to the rule."
**
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16. StarRoseAngelic, 2017
"+Ahido Mikaro Did you even read the original comment? No one is speaking on Japanese natives, we are talking about foreigners. Specifically black foreigners. The OP's claim that this young man only references "white blonde girls" because many Black Americans don't travel is founded in ignorance, not facts."
**
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17. kelkel5169, 2018
"Ahido Mikaro his african=black genes phenotype dominated he's a Blackman (it don't matter if he's biracial his culture mayb different from mines but if he gets pulled over or apply for a job or go missing you know what they gonna check on that box) I've dated one for 2yrs he's a blasian 2 born overseas 2 but he calls his self a african/black man & identified as a African but his skin light as asian(Full African daddy!)But he sides with Africans more)"
**
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18. IG georgio24, 2018
"kelkel5169 full African daddy! Lol where are you from"
**
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19. Ke ke G, 2018
"IG georgio24 amerikka roots from Haiti and Louisiana"
**
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20. Lonelyeco, 2017
"StarRoseAngelic to you and the other. When you say you've seen many blacks where was that? Tokyo? And we black Americans do not travel much. Look at the quotas. Also, another factor of him thinking this way is media. When America is advertised overseas White Males and White Females are majority of the time used to represent America. It is not ignorance, but research from many sources. So check your attitude before acting a fool to look superior. I am not the one. Can't even post a relaxed friendly post on here anymore. Dang!"
**
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21. Jon, 2017
"I'd say that's definitely just because of things like film because I stayed in Seoul for a few years and I definitely saw plenty of nonwhite foreigners. More so than I expected. It's like it's just been beaten into the minds of people in other countries but yea, you'd probably be surprised to see first hand blacks and middle eastern folk in places like Korea."
**
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22. StarRoseAngelic, 2017
"+Lonelyeco Sad that you think that way. You should note that media portrayal and actual statistics are two different things. Please join and follow the social media accounts of TravelNoire, BlackTravelHackers, and other groups. There are many traveling communities of hundreds of thousands of Black Americans who travel annually. If you or your family are having financial issues traveling, check those groups out for tips. God bless."
**
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23. Prince Asim, 2017
"He did say that he tends to date "half-Japanese" girls, so that probably includes half-Black/half-Japanese girls too. He said he had never dated, "blonde European girls" before."
**
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24. xenotypos, 2017
"Lonelyeco-> Maybe yes, maybe no, who knows we all never met him. Don't assume the reason of his statement, to have personal preference isn't a sin.
I don't see the issue people always have everywhere all the time about (hypothetical) personal taste."
**
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25. Fauzril Lukman, 2017
"this is funny cuz his thoughts is just the same as most of Indonesian who if they heard "foreigner", their thoughts is always a white men/women, rich, and smart."
**
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26. ALL Star, 2017
"growing up in an Asain culture, he got imprinted with the Asains custom of having light skin in best and thinking Europeans are the standards of beauty, all Asains I met. They even draw all their heroes in anime white, and would kill to meet someone with blonde hair, example Sailor Moon white and blonde with blue eyes , Goku white and blonde with blue eyes, Naruto white and blonde with blue eyes. I bet he doesn't even know the reason he is so good at sports and getting so popular is because everyone think that his dark skin is super hot and his athletic genes he got from his dark skin father, gave him that awesome body but hey to each his own hopefully he finds his pale beauty.
**
27. kelkel5169, 2018
"Lonelyeco issa lie 😂😂😂 I travel all the time I'm going to Africa and Korea,Haiti this year & some of us work hard & save,why dont u catch them sales online because they're always having a great sales on Japan ,try income tax time or picking up extra hours!It's plenty of blacks/Africans that come visit their 7-8yrs in a row and I may take a break but I always travel plus all my family 2"
**
28. Leila, 2017
"Seems like a nice guy, and these interviews just go to show how much where a person grows up can influence them. I was surprised when he said he likes Japanese girls that are "pure and neat" and gave an example of a Japanese model who is gorgeous but not voluptuous in the slightest, and then said he likes girls with booty lol. I think this guy needs to travel the world more and broaden his horizons a bit."
**
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29. Leila, 2017
"He dresses like someone's who's into "black" culture as well, like hip hop or rap etc. This guy is an enigma lol, it's interesting though"
**
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30. Hadi Nu'man. 2017
"because hip-hop culture is big in japan and korea. that's why he wears that kind of outfit."
**
31. Ttheway2 life, 2017
"Well i don't think he should be called Half Japanese. he is full Japanese with some american ancestry. But, only if he have a duel citizenship. He is Japanese with american ancestry."
**
32. Jasmine Adachi, 2017
"aw hes cute! too bad he dont like his own kind 😒 we black women dont need a self hating black man anyway 👋🏼"
**
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33. Marwuan, 2017
"Jasmine Adachi he likes half of his kind"
**
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34. Lonelyeco, 2017
"That doesn't mean he hates himself or his own kind. He does not see his ethnicity often. Also, like in the U.S., media plays a huge part in your selection of the opposite sex."
**
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35. Anton Ekstrand, 2017
"Lonelyeco I'd really like to know what you base your assertion that "media" somehow plays a big role in your personal sexual preference on. I don't know any method you could use to accurately measure that and it just sounds like something you would like to be true.
**
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36. Lonelyeco, 2017
"Psychology. The mind subconsciously receives messages through media (television, art, music). If you were born somewhere and the majority you see are black women on makeup commercials and Black women and Asian men are always together whether, through the female the damsel or hero, you would gain the assumption that that is the norm. The same as in a test with girls that showed black girls that played with dolls were more likely to dislike their self because they were not the same ethnicity as the majority of the dolls. Since the majority of dolls were white. Look it up. This is not a theory, which if it were science you would probably take as truth."
**
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37. AfroBoricuaSamurai, 2017
"Well he's Japanese & the majority of Japanese people, half black or not, have a fascination with White people; it's not because he's a "self hating black man." 😒👋🏾"
**
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38. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"He is not a "black man". He is mixed..."
**
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39. FixedAlgorithm, 2017
"+TonyRedgrave1501
Are you black?"
**
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40. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama Mixed too but with east european. I wouldn't call myself black nor white."
**
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41. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama I mean mixed east-european and african bro'. And with east-european I mean minority groups in caucasus region of russia. So not really typical east-european more like caucasus europeans (armenians, georgians, ossetians, aserbaidchanians and more...). I have 4 different ethnic groups in me. And by the way not all east-europeans are "anti-black". Just racist motherf&&kers* every country has."
-snip-
This word is fully spelled out in this comment.
**
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42. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama It's always hard to tag the caucasus region because it's not really east-europe nor middle-east/arabia. It's inbetween and culturally really diverse. It's like between tables and in the beginning of asia."
**
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43. TonyRedgrave1501, 2017
"+Kodama What is "Blackness"? I just said he is mixed and that's true since he is half Japanese so he isn't "Black" which is a stupid term anyway. Why call yourself or other people "Black"? It's African you idiot! Black is a color! You seem to be too stupid to read I guess because I wrote I'm half African and half Caucasus-european. I made comments about this stupid term "Black" in the first place because it's stupid to call African people like that and since I'm half African myself I don't want to be called "Black" because it's a term for a color not a ethnicity. White, Black, Yellow, Red only Americans use color terms for ethnicity. Stupid!"
**
REPLY
44. Life with Dante, 2017
"He's just as much Japanese as he is black. The "one drop" rule is over, dude."
-snip-
Read my comments below about "the one drop of black blood" rule.
**
45. L
"Hopefully this doesnt sound racist, but tbh it's kinda weird for me to see a "black" man speaking japanese fluently."
**
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46. Terasets, 2017
"Honestly african languages/accents are closer to japanese than other english speaking/european countries imo so i dont think it looks weird."
**
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47. Joelthedon22, 2017
"Well he's a Japanese man, so..."
**
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48. Language Learning Lounge, 2017
"A while back there was a video of a black man in China and these two girls cut him in line. He told them not to cut in Chinese.... the pretended not to speak that dialect. He went through three dialects before they gave up and left. It was amazing. Moral of the story: don't be surprised at all. People from all backgrounds speak all sorts of different languages! (Natively or learned. =])"
**
REPLY
49. Leandro Ribeiro, 2017
"Actually it is weirder to see native English speakers being able to do so since the pronunciation is so different. I live in Brazil, the country with second largest black population in the world (only behind Nigeria) and it's also the country where Japanese is most spoken outside Japan and also the country with the largest Japanese population outside Japan. I can speak at an intermediate level and I'm pretty sure that I'll become fluent in no time. Most foreigners in Japan that can speak Japanese are not from Europe or US, they are Koreans, Chinese, Brazilians..."
**
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50. Kany Diabate, 2017
"if you are a person that dont travel and knowledge is narrow then yes it will be weird to you, im a "dark skin black" lol female born and raised in paris , origin from west africa , and speaks fluently japanese english, german and african dialects and currently live in LA (plus of course mother tongue french) i travelled a lot so it looks "normal" to me, you should just open and look around youll discover many diversities ;) ;) ( no worries i didnt take it as "racist" , just out of your knowledges zones)"
**
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51. Blacktattedgaijin, 2017
"+Kany Diabate Preach !"
**
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52. Kany Diabate, 2017
"+Blacktattedgaijin ;*!!"
**
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53. Blacktattedgaijin, 2017
"+Kany Diabate Back at you ;*..."
**
54. LilyLaya, 2017
"Out of curiosity, why do you keep putting black in quotation marks? The man in this video is black. He is also Japanese. Why are you tip-toeing over his race?"
-snip-
I believe this question was directed to "L".
**
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55. Queen S, 2017
"But he's not black he's biracial"
**
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56. LilyLaya, 2017
"+Shamara Morgan And one of his two racial backgrounds is black. Therefore, he is black. Why do you think biracial and black are mutually exclusive?"
**
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57. Queen S, 2017
"Are you an idiot? Biracial is biracial black is black how much sense does that even make black children come from two black parents not one you modern day slave the one drop rule is a slave rule your master gave you he's BIRACIAL I bet he doesn't even identify as "black" "
**
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58. Blacktattedgaijin, 2017
"All of you ignorant mothaf&&kas* commenting about biracial people and what we identify our selves as PLEASE STFU! I am Black and Mexican. Father is black, Mother is Mexican. I am both, case closed. Crazy how the people who aren't even "biracial" have the biggest mouth on the subject."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment,
The bold font was used in this original comment.
**
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59. tyra, 2017
"L lmao why did you put black i quotations he is black"
**
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60. Joel Kotto, 2017
"He's biracial and it's pretty obvious when you look at his face and skin tone..."
**
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61. Senpaitama, 2017
"Joel Kotto skin tone?? lol my sister is wayy lighter than him but she not mixed...."
**
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62. SHARE H!S V!S!0N, 2017
"hes dark skinned japanese. Not black. Black is an american thing, and a way for people in America to identify other blacks around the world. But he is so far from black its not even a joke.He dont know anything about our bullshyte over here in the states and I am glad for him."
**
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63. Linda L, 2017
"+SHARE H!S V!S!0N he is half Japanese half black, just because he was born and grew up in Japan does not change the fact that he still has some black descent, one of his parents is African"
**
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64. Linda L, 2017
"+SHARE H!S V!S!0N you don't represent society mate, no matter how you feel, society will still continue to see this man as half black and half Asian, nothing you can do to change that."
**
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65. Joel Kotto, 2017
"Maybe my argument isn't that relevant, yet he's a biracial and Black Americans' rules giving in to the American racist way of thinking inherited from slavery times shouldn't apply to him. If you're biracial, you're not Black, you're biracial and should be proud of everything making you up as who you are. Period. (ain't mad, just os you know)."
**
REPLY
66. tyra, 2017
"+Joel Kotto So you're saying he's not black???¿"
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REPLY
67. nekrataal7, 2017
"Let's just go with Obama's example: for all intents and purposes, this half-black, half-japanese guy is pretty much black."
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REPLY
68. Joel Kotto, 2017
"Don't project your low American racist ways of thinking to this guy. If Obama was willing to really define himself according to White supremacist rules, good for him but if this guy doesn't, it's even better."
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69. nekrataal7, 2017
"+Lance Fernandez Good luck convincing the rest of America that former U.S. President Barack Obama was biracial/mixed and not just black."
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70. poloko collen, 2017
"ppl say he is black and really he is not...just blasian....no hate."
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71. Qris 6O6, 2017
"im full black i live in guam if your from japan you know alot of japanese from nagoya tokyo,narita etc come here for tourism and as far as i can tell from everyone i meet theyre super friendly and idk how else to say it but they love the fact that im black but sometimes tehy say i look like will smith or eddie murphy haha but i love the japanese theyre super cool"
**
72. Sam Y, 2017
"I knew the name Farouq was quite Arabic/Islamic!!! I was genuinely surprised to learn thats his name. I know many African Americans who are not muslim have names that have islamic origins, like Jamal, I know a guy calles Hussein but he isnt muslim either which I thought it was very interesting!"
**
73. Gantz akira, 2017
1 year ago
farouq is an islamic name , that is one that knows right from wrong.
my nephew has that name tooo.
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REPLY
74. Sabah Alkhair31, 2018
"Farrouk is muslim name. In arabic language it means different between good and bad. And it means very honest person."
-snip-
A commenter in this discussion thread or one of the other discussion threads of "Blasian Farouq" videos indicated that Farouq said he had gotten his name from his uncle on his father's side. He also said that he wasn't Muslim and neither was his father or his uncle.
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75. Ijacqueline forbes, 2017
"After this interview you will very famous all over the world. The face of the world is changing. Its a fusion of cultures....Get use to it!!!"
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76. Benji Talima, 2017
"I enjoyed this vlog/interview and i look forward to more. However i find it disturbing that some people have failed to understand culture and race till 2017. Black-Asian, why should it puzzle feeble minds. We live in a global society and those that do not travel only read from one page, however thank God we gat the internet, this shouldn't be any harder. Read, explore and learn."
**
77. thatOne, 2018
"I wonder what it was like for his mom raising a black kid in Japan and how it affected her.?"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
YouTube Official Trailer Of "Hafu: The Mixed-Race Experience In Japan" (with selected comments from mixed race people who posted on that video's discussion thread)
Edited by Azizi Powell
This is the third post is an multi-part pancocojams series about being mixed race in Asia. Particular attention in this series is given to people who are Blasian (Black/Asian).
Click the Blasian tag and the hafu tag below for more posts in this series.
This post showcases a 2013 YouTube trailer for a film entitled Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are also included in this post. Most of these comments are from people who self-identify as being mixed race.
Note that in a comment from that discussion thread, the producers identify themselves as being hafu.
"Hafu" is a Japanese term that means "half Japanese" (a person who has one ethnic Japanese birth parent and one birth parent of another race or ethnicity).
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the producers of this film and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT COMPILING SELECTED COMMENTS FROM A YOUTUBE VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREADS:
I believe that a number of YouTube video discussion threads contain content that should be archived and disseminated for informational purposes, and as a way of documenting some of the attitudes and opinions that are at least partly reflective of those times and populations. In addition to the content itself, I'm interested in documenting examples of the ways that people communicate on YouTube discussion thread- i.e. screen names, the use of internet lingo, the lack of attention to punctuation and capitalization, the use of run-on sentences, etc.
That said, I recognize that the selected YouTube discussion thread comments that I feature in these pancocojams posts reflect my interests and biases. For example, initially, when I began culling through YouTube discussion threads (for my no longer active website called jambalayah), I presented edited YouTube comment threads in part so readers could read what I considered "comment gems" without reading the numerous comments in those threads that contained profanity, salacious material, and/or were racist.
As a means of compiling these discussion thread examples, I almost always read the entire discussion thread for a showcased video, selecting the sample comments as I read. The selected comments are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest dated comments given first, except for replies. Because some comments may be missing from particular exchanges, these selected comments may not be in consecutive order.
Once these compilations are posted on this pancocojams blog, I rarely go back and update these compilations with more recently published comments from that video's discussion threads.
The comments selected by me for these YouTube discussion threads aren't necessarily meant to be representative of all of the comments in those featured discussion threads.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: 映画『ハーフ』予告編 Hafu: the mixed-race experience in Japan [Official Trailer]
Hafu Film, Published on Aug 13, 2013
DVDの販売が始まりました！DVDs are now on sale. http://hafufilm.com/en/buyandrent/
ストリーミング レンタルは Watch the film online https://vimeo.com/ondemand/hafufilm
-snip-
Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only). Note that after reading this video's entire discussion thread, it appears to me that a number of the replies in that video's discussion thread are from commenters whose screen names may have changed or whose comments are no longer shown in that discussion thread.
1. Hlynb93, 2013
"This movie should be screened all over Japan, and shown in schools all over the country.
The older generations can't do much now, but children and teenagers are the future of Japan, they need to be able to see this movie as a way to prepare them for the future of their country, so that they can grow into understanding and open minded adults who can one day lead the country towards a brighter future."
**
REPLY
2. Hafu Film, 2013
"We are working on it! One step at a time!"
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3. NadiiDK, 2013
"I'm also a half or a "hafu" living in a very homogeneous country. Even though i'm not half japanese, i can relate to these people. thank you for making this."
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4. Tabbylover55, 2013
"I hope that some day all of humanity will become one. It doesn't matter where you come from, it matters WHO you are and what we can learn from each others' cultures. Racism and intolerance are just wrong and don't accomplish anything but war and hatred. The guy who is half Japanese-half Ghana from the trailer is super hot, call me ;)"
**
5. Kiyotaka Izumi, 2013
"Not living in Japan but I can understand how all of these people felt. Half Japanese half Arab."
**
6. Tanaie, 2013
"This look really interesting! Waah~ I really wanna watch it.
I'm a ハーフ, well a German x Jamaican mixed. And I can definitely relate to these people!"
**
7. Jay Cunningham, 2014
"Half Blacks and japanese are actually one of the most common mixed hybrids in Japan, I'm also Black/Japanese btw"
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8. Sammy Chill, 2014
"Why focus only on mixed race kids? In fact, they have it much better than "non-Japanese" kids such as the Brazilians or kids from the Phillipines. When I taught at the junior high, the other kids didn't even _speak_ to those kids. The so-called "half" kids are also often the recipients of the stereotype "half kids are so beautiful!". The foreign kids were either bullied or left alone entirely. This movie looks like someone wanted their kid to be in a movie."
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REPLY
11. Hafu Film, 2014
"Hi Sammy- There certainly should be other films made about the non Japanese kids in Japan. We highly encourage and support anyone who seeks to make such films! We, the filmmakers, are hafu ourselves. We think its best if we try to tell our own story first before telling other people's stories for them."
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12. SailorJupi, 2014
"How dare you complain about people sharing their personal stories and undermine their hurt just because some find mixed kids beautiful, as if that gives mixed kids an overwhelming amount of special privilege. Aside from the ignorance of that, let me say as a mixed person, people telling me my hair or what have you looks nice could never make up for the feeling of not thinking I belonged to any race just because I belonged to two or being categorized by those that don't know me."
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13. smallpond808, 2014
"this is great! hopefully it'll be available to a bigger audience.
It'll also be interesting to make a film about Japanese-American, Japanese-Brazilian, 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Japanese of different countries, and their lives(identity, culture, etc) in their home country and/or those who have returned to japan."
**
14. Weirdo, 2014
"なぜ"Hafu?"それだとハーフじゃなくて「ハフ」じゃん・・・HāfuかHaafuじゃダメだったの？"
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English
"Why is it "Hafu?" That is not a half but "Huff" ... Haafu or Haafu was not it?"
**
15. stakisolo, 2014
"well im a half or double neither is ok
well good thing i was not raised in japan
i like being different and a good thing i look like a japanese and can speak japanese
i live in aomori which is rural and conservative
embrace both your culture never forget one of them
love your family and believe on them thats one thing we have that alot of japanese kids dont "
**
16. Leanna Jackman, 2014
"As a half Japanese, half English person, I am so glad that I was raised in Britain. If you are born in Britain, you are classed as British, no matter what your original ethnicity. I took that for granted because now living in Japan, it makes me sad to see hafu's treated like this. In Britain, I am British, in Japan, I will always be Gaijin...End of!! Japan will slowly change, but for me, I was glad to have missed such discrimination growing up like the people who have suffered in this movie."
**
17. Kurone Shizuhi, 2014
"It's not so bad for the Half-Japan and Half-(insert Asian country name that excludes the darker skin people, but not being racist or anything here) people.
It's the Westerners that really stand out. Which is really sad. I bet most of them get this "Oh! You speak Japanese so well~!" remark wherever they go...
**
18. Dan Weese, 2014
"I never allow Japanese people outside of my 内の者 to realise I speak it. Nihonjin will say the most appallingly stupid things in front of me, as if I wasn't there at all."
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REPLY
19. Kurone Shizuhi, 2014
"Ah yes. It's amusing at times."
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20. K J, 2014
"It's like the USA 100 years ago. Maybe 50 or so, but none the less, xenophobia."
**
21. Ivan Miyashiro, 2014
"My father was born in Japan, my grandfather fought for Japan on WW2, lost his wife and kid, my grandmother as a nurce, lost her husband too, fortunetly, they've meet and got maried again, there they've adopted 2 other orphans of friends, reised them until they complete 18, after that, island of Okinawa was a desaster, abandoned by japan during the war. So they came to brazil with my father and other 4 childrens, losing one of them on the ship for the desease. Those who got back to Japan first allways told us here: "don't come, they look at you like if you wore not japonese, you're going to work as a slave on the factorys, that's they're gratitude for us". Knowing that, my family and many other worked hard to develop Brazil, there is a lot of half-japoneses here, 6% of the population, but 95% of them now live amog the 30% richest. If they want to get back to Japan? Just forget about Japan! Brazilians respect more the japoneses here, than the japoneses respect themselfs."
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Carmichael Caudron, 2014
"I applaud the effort of trying to make people of mixed race feel belonged. I think even though virtually everyone claims they like being different, they really just want to be like everyone else, it doesn't feel good being treated differently than the masses. I've been there and have felt confusion,anger but my childhood thankfully was colorblind, I was fortunate there.With that said, my advise to those struggling with borderline racism because you are dark or of mixed race, I still don't have the answers but who does? just if u want to belong, be yourself. love who u want, male or female or both, white or black or both because through your struggle, a community acceptive of you that u also in turn like, will embrace u just for who u are. if u change that's when problems occur, people somehow can smell self hatred a mile away no matter how hard u hide it. be yourself, be free and through the ignorance u will find an acceptance."
**
2. Holmes Ink, 2014
"I ain't no ハーフ I tell that I'm double
人の倍気持ち込めた言葉を
何卒ご理解いただきたい
差別すること自体が間違い
預けな期待、俺等照らすライト
人の道歩みゃ、外れはしないと
気付いててくりゃまだ遅くない
共に築こう新たな時代"
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English"
"I ain't no Half I tell that I 'm double
Happy words that people twice
Thank you for your understanding
Discrimination itself is a mistake
Expectations of deposit, lights that illuminate us etc.
People's way of walking, you have to come off
It is not too late if you are aware
Let's build a new era"
**
3. GJMSLF, 2014
"The Half-Japanese persons who was born and living in Europe or North America,
They are called "ching chang chong" … Why???"
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REPLY
4. dhrcat, 2015
"That's racism in those countries. I live in North America and stupid kids will call any Asian with such name. It's making fun of how Asian language (mainly Chinese) sounds like to them."
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5. Sam .Raby, 2015
"Half English, quarter Bengali, quarter Indian here. I'll never be the same as most of my native UK but I come close to forgetting that in London. I never turn heads in the street, every friend I have is from a different background: Arab, mixed, Indian, Chinese, Serbian, Irish etc. and we talk simply because we live near and like the same things. The way it should be I think. I tentatively hope that the world will move more in this direction in the future."
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6. Pandaジエイダ, 2015
"I love mixed race people. They are the least racist in this world I believe. That's because they learn to accept diversity, unlike people I see here who don't want other races to mix with Japanese people. Please just hide under a rock if all you care about is your country turning multi-racial/cultural."
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7. rcmp09, 2015
"I'm in an interracial marriage and my children will eventually be mixed race, however, people tend to want their descendent to look like them. There is nothing wrong with people who think that races should be kept pure, as long as they don't stop others from wanting something different."
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REPLY
8. Joost Kralt, 2015
"Actually, there is something wrong with believing races should be kept pure, first of all because it originates from the assuption that there is something like a 'pure race' to begin with. Race only mattters to people because they are raised to believe it matters by society, not because of the practically non-existent biological and genetic differences."
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9. rcmp09, 2015
"I will agree with the fact that technically none of us are probably "pure."
However, saying race only matters to people because they are raised to believe it matters is completely false. It is literally the opposite. In a primitive sense, we only generally care about our family, and the further our genetic differences, the less we will attempt to work together. However, cooperation as a culture proved very effective, and as civilizations have grown larger, we have been trying to bring larger and larger groups of people together. Culture brought us together, not apart, it just takes longer when it's not just about cooperating with a neighboring village/tribe, but with people on the other side of the planet.
Also, saying that there are practically non-existent biological and genetic differences is completely false. Different climates, prey, predators, and pathogens forced each race to evolve slightly differently. We are each specialized to be slightly more suited to a different environment. It's these differences that make us interesting."
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10. Joost Kralt, 2015
"Yes, the fact that humans tend to care more about those regarded as close to them may be primitive, but that a biologically falacious concept of race is used only underlines the fact that this is socially constructed.
I have yet to read conclusive proof of the biological validity of race. Yes, there are superficial deviations caused by different envitonments, but these are rendered insignificant in the face of the overwhelming similarities caused by common ancestry.
These differences may be interesting, yes, but the notion of keeping something 'pure' along the lines of a concept that is unable to provide a scientifically grounded delineation beyond superficial differences is, I believe, fundamentally mistaken."
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11. rcmp09, 2015
"It is not. Something that is primitive is innate and the stronger desire to protect and work with those that are genetically similar is a universal trait within every single species. Social constructs are what have gotten us to attempt to move past our primitive nature.
Everything is relative, however. We are all human, so all our DNA is extremely similar. However, if we share 50% of our DNA with bananas, and 99% of our DNA with apes, how small of a difference in DNA do you think there is between a wolf and a chihuahua. However, the differences between these two animals is significant. So when you talk about individuals differences within humans, .0001% is the difference between being slow, and being an olympic sprinter, or being in the bottom 5% of the SAT and the top 5% of the SAT.
Those "superficial differences" are important though. While race may be arbitrary to you, genetically, differences in races represent the larges differences between individuals within the human species. An Irish person from purely a primitive sense, is more likely to work together someone that is also of Irish descent compared to someone of Italian descent and even more so compared to someone of African descent. Primitively, groups naturally form towards people who LOOK most similar. With the introduction of culture, people tend to form groups with those who ACT more similar to them."
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12. Lao Jiang, 2015
"To be fair i'm a half White American-Japanese and i stayed longer in Japan but i never felt being accepted in Japan and i rather stay here in Chicago than staying in there. Japanese are racist, specially to all half race. Just sayin'."
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13. Pandaジエイダ, 2015
"+69glazer Wow, that's new to me. Because I heard that they actually liked half white half Japanese people... They even have a name for it and a makeup look to look half japanese."
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14. Lao Jiang, 2015
"+ジェイダ White They love female halfs because mostly they're cute but if you're a guy they will hate you for some reason specially those Japanese men. I don't know maybe i have something in me that they hate but i don't feel any hate coming from Japanese females (actually they're quite friendly) except for the elders of course (Elders there hates Gaijins regardless of where you're from) . Take note if you're a half be careful of those Gaijin hunters specially if you're a guy."
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15. Bryce Antony Franco da Silva, 2015
"I feel the same living in Korea! My dad is black-American and my mom is a Korean. Younger I was called names like hybrid, mutt, half breed and some that a worse like monkey and dog! But things are also changing in Korea to! Lots of half Korean children are being born by Whites, blacks, Arabs and Latinos! Hopefully those kids will have a better childhood than my generation of mixed Koreans"
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16. HalfThaiKorean1990, 2015
"u forgot half east asians with south east asians ,bcs u have the same problems with people for still being something else then korean or japanese. im thai and japanese and had the same experiences"
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17. saver vionetta, 2015
"japan is changing? i am pretty skeptical about that"
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18. HalfThaiKorean1990, 2015
"it does change , but quite slowly and most likely more with the younger generation"
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19. saver vionetta, 2015
"i hope so"
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20. ečnasaufuqt, 2016
"+HalfThaiKorean1990 The older generation in Japan is actually much more accepting because the way others were treated in world war 2 has left their eyes open"
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21. Ambre Badipi [bold commenters are hafu], 2015
"I am not mixed with Japanese but being biracial/mixed myself I know what it is not being fully accepted on either sides of your heritage and feeling kind of alienated. I am Belgian with Greek and Congolese(African) heritage and this trailer got me teary-eyed."
-snip-
This screen name is given as it was found in that discussion thread.
**
22. Kytota [bold comments aren’t hafu], 2015
"I am a Malaysian born Australian of Hungarian, Serbian and Chinese heritage. When I was young, I get flack from all sides. Asians calling me 'impure' (actually got insulted like that a few times) and whites calling me 'foreigner' and I should go back where I came from. They made me believe I can never be a part of anything.
When I got older and wiser, I really began to appreciate who I am and my heritage. I realized my parents overcame race AND religion to have me. Being mixed also makes me more open-minded and more willing to interact with people from any background because I finally understood in a world as large and diverse as this, we are all same and different no matter the color of our skin or where we came from. "
-snip-
This screen name is given as it was found in that discussion thread.
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23. DeadPurpleStar, 2015
"+Kytota \U are amazing let me tell u that !! People get suicidal but u overcame it all. Congrats ^^ .P.S. I am from Serbia haha and I look asian so I was bullied as well, but in Serbia, we don't have a specific look to us like for ex the Asians do . U have an awesome mix wow duude :3"
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24. Kytota, 2015
"+WMeMyselfAndI001 Well, thanks. If there's one thing I learned, it is to stop feeling bad about yourself just because others want to. You are who you are, nothing can ever change that. And if people can't accept who you are, it's not your problem."
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25. Kytota, 2015
"+Bloke Poppy All kinds, unfortunately. Being the one and only Caucasian-looking guy in a Malaysian high-school where people can be mean like hell and visiting my Asian relatives in my family's rural hometown was where I got it the most. My friends do joke about me being mixed but not in a mean-spirited way though. As for the whites calling me 'foreigner' thing, this happens when I visit Western countries. I think Americans for example, are pretty nice but the morons among them keep thinking I am invading their country to steal their jobs when I am only there on vacation.
It all comes down to how different people look at me. Asians think I'm a white, Westerners think I'm Asian. My mixed heritage gives me a unique look. Never had these problems when I moved to Australia, though. In fact, can't even remember the last time I was insulted about my heritage."
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26. MrRebuttal, 2015
"HUGE VICTORY FOR BLASIANS: Ariana Miyamoto Half-Black\Half-Japanese contestant wins Miss Japan 2015!!!"
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27. ken dutchess, 2015
"I have lived in Japan, on and off for the last 27 years, and love it here. My great Grandmother was Japanese, and though I speak Japanese fluently, I almost never bring the fact up that I have Japanese ancestry, as the few times I revealed that I was part Japanese, even 1/8, I was told, Uso bakari, Which means, you are telling a lie. How could that be, as I don't even look Asian. I keep it to myself. I love living here but I agree, it can be very difficult for mixed race kids here, especially if they are sensitive. I hope that this attitude changes.
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28. S S
"Sounds weird. If you live in the UK or USA people would love you. Mixed race kids with especially with at least a bit of black heritage are more likely to be good looking and therefore popular. Trust me, every mixed race kid I know is good looking and popular."
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29. Ambre Badipi, 2015
"It's not that i'm unpopular. it's not that I have no friends. It's not that I am unloved. It's that your White side constantly reminds you that you are not white (we are mixed so we are obviously not white that's fair enough !) and your black side constantly reminds you that you are not black either so you are left in between and more often than not, you develop an identity crisis because you are not considered black yet you face all the struggles and issues of being black (because you are person of color) in a white supremacy society. You know what I mean ? +dark side :)"
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30. +Ambre Badipi Well, I know that you will never feel completely white or black, and not accepted by both but the thing is mixed race people do not have to identify themselves as black or white. But I mean, have you ever actually experienced discrimination or did someone actually tell you something that made you upset? I know black people are more likely to accept mixed race kids so they are always hanging out together, but the new generation of white kids is becoming more open and accepting of other cultures.
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REPLY
31. Ambre Badipi, 2015
"+dark side omg dear sorry for the late reply !!!
I have already been discriminated against but usually what happens are "microagressions". What I mean by that is getting ignorant and prejudiced comments filled with backstabbed compliments.
So it's not racism,in the way that it's not in the explicit form and they don't do it on purpose to hurt me by feeling racially superior but it's unintended racism that is so deeply embedded that they don't even recognise it and it shows in comments and ways of thinking that are quite conservative and full of prejudices and stereotypes.
But then again, nothing major. It's not awful but rather annoying and frustrating you know what I mean.
Also, I am totally accepted by both parts of my origins because they accept me for who I am but I know that deep inside they won't ever consider me as a part of them if that makes any sense (which is comprehensive since I'm not either of them) I don't know if that made any sense to you. Anyway, have a good day mate ! "
**
33. ammie Bo, 2015
"I'm half Japanese and half Ghanaian and when I went to Japan, I realised that apart from my aunt and grandma, none of my family knew I was half black :/ But they were really accepting anyway :) I'm definitely going to watch this. woo go David!! #Twinning"
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34. Annette Caitlyn, 2015
"Where were you born?"
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35. ammie Bo, 2015
"+Annette Caitlyn London 😊"
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36. Tornado1994, 2015
"Interesting Fact: Did you know that the founder of Sega, David Rosen Iijima was half Japanese?Half French American? Rosen's mother was a French immigrant, his father was born in Saitama,Toyko. His parents migrated to NYC in 1929."
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37. Sean Goto, 2015
"Im Japanese/Irish,
in ireland im often mistaking as chinese
in japan iv been mistaking as an american, iranian, indian, brazillian, spanish, australian and other races but i cant remember lol.
tbh i experienced waaay more racism in ireland than i ever did in japan.
in ireland i was called a chink countless times and i got my ass kicked a lot by groups of people for simply being half japanese.
i never once in my life ever feel threatned by the japanese if anything their a bit scared of me. i think thier more xenophobic than racist (im not saying that racism doesn't exist here its a worldwide problem)
because it is a homogenous society of course thier gonna look at you as gaijin thats not gonna change but i dont feel bad about it, id rather be called a gaijin than a 'chink, 'dog eater' slanty eyes' anyday"
-snip-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaijin
"Gaijin (外人, [ɡaid͡ʑiɴ]; "outsider", "alien", "Non-Japanese") is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese. The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外, "outside") and jin (人, "person"). Similarly composed words that refer to foreign things include gaikoku (外国, "foreign country") and gaisha (外車, "foreign car"). The word can refer to nationality, race or ethnicity, concepts generally conflated in Japan.
Some feel the word has come to have a negative or pejorative connotation,[1][2][3][4][5][6] while other observers maintain it is neutral or even positive.[2][7][8][9][10] Gaikokujin (外国人 "foreign-country person") is a more neutral and somewhat more formal term widely used in the Japanese government and in media."
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38. Tornado1994, 2015
"+Okiku Ningyo Japan is a very centrist style country with conservative values. With the fact that its birthrate has been lackluster for decades, mixed race Japanese is both unique and fascinating. It's a breath of fresh air to the pure Japanese race that's been aging steadily. Gaijins like me(Black and Half Native American Cherokee/Saginaw), are eager to not only learn the culture,lifestyles and customs of Japan, but also learn to speak its language "Nippon" properly. Please bear with my fellow westerners and their ignorance."
**
39. chigasaki06, 2015
"I'm definitely gonna have to watch. I lived in Japan, and on occasion I saw mixed raced children and wondered what it was like for them growing up in such a homogeneous society. I'm black and at times I felt like an alien based on the attention I received, which was understandable. However, I can't imagine being raised in a country you call home and sticking out like other foreigners. The black/japanese children I saw stared at me and waved as if to say, "look, someone who looks like us." To some they will never truly be Japanese. That's why I have always said if I ever got married and have mixed black/japanese children, I would feel more comfortable for them to be raised in the states rather than Japan."
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40. 名無しのさくら, 2016
"I wanted to be hafu..."
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REPLY
41. 怜君の母Ray's mum, 2016
"お嬢さん、ハーフに一度生まれてみなよ。うちの息子は死にたいと云った事があるんだけど？貴方が同じ経験をしてみたら、そんな事は決して云えない。こんなとこに来てまで、幻想を云うのは止めて！！Hafu racial identity crisisについて一度、勉強した方が良いと思う。ハーフの息子を持つ母親として、心の底から云わせて貰うわ。キツイ事云って、ごめん。きっと、貴方はただ単に純粋なんだろうけど、そんなに楽しい事はないんだよ、ハーフ・レントじゃないんだから。
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English
"Rei's mother Ray's mum
Lady, try it once in half. My son says I'd like to die. If you try the same experience, you can never say such a thing. Stop talking about illusions until you come to such a place! ! About Hafu racial identity crisis I think that it is better to study once. As a mother with a half son, I will say from the bottom of my heart. Sorry to say that it is hard. I bet you are just pure, but it's not such fun, because it's not half-rent."
**
42. Mericasucks, 2016
"Japan has had the longest preserved heritage in the world with one of the most homogenous country in the world. Diversity is still yet to come in this country and many people isn't accepting the fact that other cultures is going to change Japan. Japan will be and always a country of one race. Japanese people"
**
REPLY
43. Areloe Fiezx, 2016
"That is highly unlikely. Unless humanity dies within a couple centuries."
**
44. cussigreen, 2016
"human are like, no different beetwen asian,white or black. We are all same worth✌✌"
**
45. Kim Wuhrer, 2016
"this is kinda sad.. my boyfriend is swiss/japanese and he happily never made bad experiences because of that even if you can see his swiss half. (brown hair and freckles).. i also never made any bad experiences even if I'm fully european (blonde hair, green eyes)
i think there are some racist a****les in every country.. even in western countries. i made the experience that european people were treating me worse because of my blonde hair (they say that blonde people cant be intelligent...)"
**
46. Tony Jackson, 2016
"Modern Japanese are "hafu's" themselves they're mixed with Chinese exiles and the Ainu people who are the original inhabitants of Japan."
**
REPLY
47. ojideagu, 2016
"Exactly, where do Japanese think they got their characters from? China. I'm sick of this myth that the Japanese themselves perpetuate that they are some pure race which is complete horse sh&t*."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.
**
48. Jasmine ジャズミン, 2017
"I'm half Japanese and half Canadian , and when people ask me are you Asian? I'm like yes... well kind of . One boy called me "mixed" and everyone else their actual race. I was okay with it I just didn't really know which section I fitted in with"
**
49. Lugztina, 2017
"I didn't know being half Korean and Half Japanese makes you considered mixed. I thought Japanese were descended from Koreans in some way."
**
REPLY
50. Hannah Flower, 2018
"That is completely wrong, sorry. It is scientifically proven that Japanese came from Malaysia and Indonesia - that area. Although we have "zainichi" Koreans who have lived in Japan and have inevitably mixed the blood together but Japanese people have not descended from Koreans."
**
REPLY
51. Chris Anderson, 2018
"Japanese and Korean isnt even mix since they are both from asia lol. You can definitely pass for a full japanese if your half korean, I mean you're still pure east asian. Its like half British half Irish, you're still white in the end lol.. Its the whites and blacks that stand out the most."
**
52. Dr BlackCoffee, 2017
"Oh Bugger I'm crying watching this..... I'm Anglo-Japanese and I have felt insecurities from both sides while growing up. I'll try and persuade my parents to buy this and watch it with me, so they can understand more about how I feel growing up as a mixed race person."
**
33. Heyoo, 2017
"im half persian and half japanese! im culturally more japanese, but i love both cultures! :))))"
**
34. Hannah Flower, 2018
"I am half Japanese half English, and although sometimes it makes me feel alienated - I love myself for who I am and I would never want to be anything else. I used to wish that I was fully Japanese, but now I appreciate the double culture that I have been able to experience. It has given me the right to choose for myself which I prefer and personally I prefer Japan. I would not know what to do, if I had not been able to speak Japanese fluently, or even been able to know how horrible fish and chips tastes in England ahaha. Even though I am not fully Japanese, 心は日本人ですし、心の底から日本を愛しています。"
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English: My heart is Japanese and I love Japan from the bottom of my heart.
**
35. Poseidon99Jeus, 2018
"I personally don't like it. Especially those hafus, when they get bullied and beat ups, still they like to stick to Japan and pure Japanese people. Why don't you go to your other half??"
**
36. FRIEND 711, 2018
"I hate the word half. to me its really insulting. Half? Half what?? I grew up here and god thats such a black spot word. So You know what? I Dont call myself Half. I call myself a "Hybrid" A mix of the best of both worlds, I have a point of view, the cultural background and heritage that cant be beat \^-^/ I`m not saying its bad to iddentify yourself as one, more power to you! but I must say, this was my way of fighting back, my way of finding my iddentity."
**
37. Mikal Velasco, 2018
"Spanish born with Latin American and Japanese blood 🙌🏼
I used to try to be just one thing... but I just felt incomplete, fake and sad all the time. I really wanted to be just one. I used to tell people: I’m confusing or I’m weird. Then I understood that I just needed to appreciate all the bits I am. See myself with love inside and outside. To like my eyes, my body and my soul. And right now I’m so proud to be me (in a good way) proud of all the bits I am :))"
****
Thanks for visiting pancocojams.
Visitor comments are welcome.
This is the third post is an multi-part pancocojams series about being mixed race in Asia. Particular attention in this series is given to people who are Blasian (Black/Asian).
Click the Blasian tag and the hafu tag below for more posts in this series.
This post showcases a 2013 YouTube trailer for a film entitled Selected comments from this video's discussion thread are also included in this post. Most of these comments are from people who self-identify as being mixed race.
Note that in a comment from that discussion thread, the producers identify themselves as being hafu.
"Hafu" is a Japanese term that means "half Japanese" (a person who has one ethnic Japanese birth parent and one birth parent of another race or ethnicity).
****
The content of this post is presented for cultural and educational purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owners.
Thanks to the producers of this film and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post.
****
PANCOCOJAMS EDITOR'S NOTE ABOUT COMPILING SELECTED COMMENTS FROM A YOUTUBE VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREADS:
I believe that a number of YouTube video discussion threads contain content that should be archived and disseminated for informational purposes, and as a way of documenting some of the attitudes and opinions that are at least partly reflective of those times and populations. In addition to the content itself, I'm interested in documenting examples of the ways that people communicate on YouTube discussion thread- i.e. screen names, the use of internet lingo, the lack of attention to punctuation and capitalization, the use of run-on sentences, etc.
That said, I recognize that the selected YouTube discussion thread comments that I feature in these pancocojams posts reflect my interests and biases. For example, initially, when I began culling through YouTube discussion threads (for my no longer active website called jambalayah), I presented edited YouTube comment threads in part so readers could read what I considered "comment gems" without reading the numerous comments in those threads that contained profanity, salacious material, and/or were racist.
As a means of compiling these discussion thread examples, I almost always read the entire discussion thread for a showcased video, selecting the sample comments as I read. The selected comments are presented in relative chronological order with the oldest dated comments given first, except for replies. Because some comments may be missing from particular exchanges, these selected comments may not be in consecutive order.
Once these compilations are posted on this pancocojams blog, I rarely go back and update these compilations with more recently published comments from that video's discussion threads.
The comments selected by me for these YouTube discussion threads aren't necessarily meant to be representative of all of the comments in those featured discussion threads.
****
SHOWCASE VIDEO: 映画『ハーフ』予告編 Hafu: the mixed-race experience in Japan [Official Trailer]
Hafu Film, Published on Aug 13, 2013
DVDの販売が始まりました！DVDs are now on sale. http://hafufilm.com/en/buyandrent/
ストリーミング レンタルは Watch the film online https://vimeo.com/ondemand/hafufilm
-snip-
Here are selected comments from that video's discussion thread (with numbers added for referencing purposes only). Note that after reading this video's entire discussion thread, it appears to me that a number of the replies in that video's discussion thread are from commenters whose screen names may have changed or whose comments are no longer shown in that discussion thread.
1. Hlynb93, 2013
"This movie should be screened all over Japan, and shown in schools all over the country.
The older generations can't do much now, but children and teenagers are the future of Japan, they need to be able to see this movie as a way to prepare them for the future of their country, so that they can grow into understanding and open minded adults who can one day lead the country towards a brighter future."
**
REPLY
2. Hafu Film, 2013
"We are working on it! One step at a time!"
**
3. NadiiDK, 2013
"I'm also a half or a "hafu" living in a very homogeneous country. Even though i'm not half japanese, i can relate to these people. thank you for making this."
**
4. Tabbylover55, 2013
"I hope that some day all of humanity will become one. It doesn't matter where you come from, it matters WHO you are and what we can learn from each others' cultures. Racism and intolerance are just wrong and don't accomplish anything but war and hatred. The guy who is half Japanese-half Ghana from the trailer is super hot, call me ;)"
**
5. Kiyotaka Izumi, 2013
"Not living in Japan but I can understand how all of these people felt. Half Japanese half Arab."
**
6. Tanaie, 2013
"This look really interesting! Waah~ I really wanna watch it.
I'm a ハーフ, well a German x Jamaican mixed. And I can definitely relate to these people!"
**
7. Jay Cunningham, 2014
"Half Blacks and japanese are actually one of the most common mixed hybrids in Japan, I'm also Black/Japanese btw"
**
8. Sammy Chill, 2014
"Why focus only on mixed race kids? In fact, they have it much better than "non-Japanese" kids such as the Brazilians or kids from the Phillipines. When I taught at the junior high, the other kids didn't even _speak_ to those kids. The so-called "half" kids are also often the recipients of the stereotype "half kids are so beautiful!". The foreign kids were either bullied or left alone entirely. This movie looks like someone wanted their kid to be in a movie."
**
REPLY
11. Hafu Film, 2014
"Hi Sammy- There certainly should be other films made about the non Japanese kids in Japan. We highly encourage and support anyone who seeks to make such films! We, the filmmakers, are hafu ourselves. We think its best if we try to tell our own story first before telling other people's stories for them."
**
12. SailorJupi, 2014
"How dare you complain about people sharing their personal stories and undermine their hurt just because some find mixed kids beautiful, as if that gives mixed kids an overwhelming amount of special privilege. Aside from the ignorance of that, let me say as a mixed person, people telling me my hair or what have you looks nice could never make up for the feeling of not thinking I belonged to any race just because I belonged to two or being categorized by those that don't know me."
**
13. smallpond808, 2014
"this is great! hopefully it'll be available to a bigger audience.
It'll also be interesting to make a film about Japanese-American, Japanese-Brazilian, 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation Japanese of different countries, and their lives(identity, culture, etc) in their home country and/or those who have returned to japan."
**
14. Weirdo, 2014
"なぜ"Hafu?"それだとハーフじゃなくて「ハフ」じゃん・・・HāfuかHaafuじゃダメだったの？"
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English
"Why is it "Hafu?" That is not a half but "Huff" ... Haafu or Haafu was not it?"
**
15. stakisolo, 2014
"well im a half or double neither is ok
well good thing i was not raised in japan
i like being different and a good thing i look like a japanese and can speak japanese
i live in aomori which is rural and conservative
embrace both your culture never forget one of them
love your family and believe on them thats one thing we have that alot of japanese kids dont "
**
16. Leanna Jackman, 2014
"As a half Japanese, half English person, I am so glad that I was raised in Britain. If you are born in Britain, you are classed as British, no matter what your original ethnicity. I took that for granted because now living in Japan, it makes me sad to see hafu's treated like this. In Britain, I am British, in Japan, I will always be Gaijin...End of!! Japan will slowly change, but for me, I was glad to have missed such discrimination growing up like the people who have suffered in this movie."
**
17. Kurone Shizuhi, 2014
"It's not so bad for the Half-Japan and Half-(insert Asian country name that excludes the darker skin people, but not being racist or anything here) people.
It's the Westerners that really stand out. Which is really sad. I bet most of them get this "Oh! You speak Japanese so well~!" remark wherever they go...
**
18. Dan Weese, 2014
"I never allow Japanese people outside of my 内の者 to realise I speak it. Nihonjin will say the most appallingly stupid things in front of me, as if I wasn't there at all."
**
REPLY
19. Kurone Shizuhi, 2014
"Ah yes. It's amusing at times."
**
20. K J, 2014
"It's like the USA 100 years ago. Maybe 50 or so, but none the less, xenophobia."
**
21. Ivan Miyashiro, 2014
"My father was born in Japan, my grandfather fought for Japan on WW2, lost his wife and kid, my grandmother as a nurce, lost her husband too, fortunetly, they've meet and got maried again, there they've adopted 2 other orphans of friends, reised them until they complete 18, after that, island of Okinawa was a desaster, abandoned by japan during the war. So they came to brazil with my father and other 4 childrens, losing one of them on the ship for the desease. Those who got back to Japan first allways told us here: "don't come, they look at you like if you wore not japonese, you're going to work as a slave on the factorys, that's they're gratitude for us". Knowing that, my family and many other worked hard to develop Brazil, there is a lot of half-japoneses here, 6% of the population, but 95% of them now live amog the 30% richest. If they want to get back to Japan? Just forget about Japan! Brazilians respect more the japoneses here, than the japoneses respect themselfs."
**
Carmichael Caudron, 2014
"I applaud the effort of trying to make people of mixed race feel belonged. I think even though virtually everyone claims they like being different, they really just want to be like everyone else, it doesn't feel good being treated differently than the masses. I've been there and have felt confusion,anger but my childhood thankfully was colorblind, I was fortunate there.With that said, my advise to those struggling with borderline racism because you are dark or of mixed race, I still don't have the answers but who does? just if u want to belong, be yourself. love who u want, male or female or both, white or black or both because through your struggle, a community acceptive of you that u also in turn like, will embrace u just for who u are. if u change that's when problems occur, people somehow can smell self hatred a mile away no matter how hard u hide it. be yourself, be free and through the ignorance u will find an acceptance."
**
2. Holmes Ink, 2014
"I ain't no ハーフ I tell that I'm double
人の倍気持ち込めた言葉を
何卒ご理解いただきたい
差別すること自体が間違い
預けな期待、俺等照らすライト
人の道歩みゃ、外れはしないと
気付いててくりゃまだ遅くない
共に築こう新たな時代"
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English"
"I ain't no Half I tell that I 'm double
Happy words that people twice
Thank you for your understanding
Discrimination itself is a mistake
Expectations of deposit, lights that illuminate us etc.
People's way of walking, you have to come off
It is not too late if you are aware
Let's build a new era"
**
3. GJMSLF, 2014
"The Half-Japanese persons who was born and living in Europe or North America,
They are called "ching chang chong" … Why???"
**
REPLY
4. dhrcat, 2015
"That's racism in those countries. I live in North America and stupid kids will call any Asian with such name. It's making fun of how Asian language (mainly Chinese) sounds like to them."
**
5. Sam .Raby, 2015
"Half English, quarter Bengali, quarter Indian here. I'll never be the same as most of my native UK but I come close to forgetting that in London. I never turn heads in the street, every friend I have is from a different background: Arab, mixed, Indian, Chinese, Serbian, Irish etc. and we talk simply because we live near and like the same things. The way it should be I think. I tentatively hope that the world will move more in this direction in the future."
**
6. Pandaジエイダ, 2015
"I love mixed race people. They are the least racist in this world I believe. That's because they learn to accept diversity, unlike people I see here who don't want other races to mix with Japanese people. Please just hide under a rock if all you care about is your country turning multi-racial/cultural."
**
7. rcmp09, 2015
"I'm in an interracial marriage and my children will eventually be mixed race, however, people tend to want their descendent to look like them. There is nothing wrong with people who think that races should be kept pure, as long as they don't stop others from wanting something different."
**
REPLY
8. Joost Kralt, 2015
"Actually, there is something wrong with believing races should be kept pure, first of all because it originates from the assuption that there is something like a 'pure race' to begin with. Race only mattters to people because they are raised to believe it matters by society, not because of the practically non-existent biological and genetic differences."
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REPLY
9. rcmp09, 2015
"I will agree with the fact that technically none of us are probably "pure."
However, saying race only matters to people because they are raised to believe it matters is completely false. It is literally the opposite. In a primitive sense, we only generally care about our family, and the further our genetic differences, the less we will attempt to work together. However, cooperation as a culture proved very effective, and as civilizations have grown larger, we have been trying to bring larger and larger groups of people together. Culture brought us together, not apart, it just takes longer when it's not just about cooperating with a neighboring village/tribe, but with people on the other side of the planet.
Also, saying that there are practically non-existent biological and genetic differences is completely false. Different climates, prey, predators, and pathogens forced each race to evolve slightly differently. We are each specialized to be slightly more suited to a different environment. It's these differences that make us interesting."
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REPLY
10. Joost Kralt, 2015
"Yes, the fact that humans tend to care more about those regarded as close to them may be primitive, but that a biologically falacious concept of race is used only underlines the fact that this is socially constructed.
I have yet to read conclusive proof of the biological validity of race. Yes, there are superficial deviations caused by different envitonments, but these are rendered insignificant in the face of the overwhelming similarities caused by common ancestry.
These differences may be interesting, yes, but the notion of keeping something 'pure' along the lines of a concept that is unable to provide a scientifically grounded delineation beyond superficial differences is, I believe, fundamentally mistaken."
**
REPLY
11. rcmp09, 2015
"It is not. Something that is primitive is innate and the stronger desire to protect and work with those that are genetically similar is a universal trait within every single species. Social constructs are what have gotten us to attempt to move past our primitive nature.
Everything is relative, however. We are all human, so all our DNA is extremely similar. However, if we share 50% of our DNA with bananas, and 99% of our DNA with apes, how small of a difference in DNA do you think there is between a wolf and a chihuahua. However, the differences between these two animals is significant. So when you talk about individuals differences within humans, .0001% is the difference between being slow, and being an olympic sprinter, or being in the bottom 5% of the SAT and the top 5% of the SAT.
Those "superficial differences" are important though. While race may be arbitrary to you, genetically, differences in races represent the larges differences between individuals within the human species. An Irish person from purely a primitive sense, is more likely to work together someone that is also of Irish descent compared to someone of Italian descent and even more so compared to someone of African descent. Primitively, groups naturally form towards people who LOOK most similar. With the introduction of culture, people tend to form groups with those who ACT more similar to them."
**
12. Lao Jiang, 2015
"To be fair i'm a half White American-Japanese and i stayed longer in Japan but i never felt being accepted in Japan and i rather stay here in Chicago than staying in there. Japanese are racist, specially to all half race. Just sayin'."
**
REPLY
13. Pandaジエイダ, 2015
"+69glazer Wow, that's new to me. Because I heard that they actually liked half white half Japanese people... They even have a name for it and a makeup look to look half japanese."
**
REPLY
14. Lao Jiang, 2015
"+ジェイダ White They love female halfs because mostly they're cute but if you're a guy they will hate you for some reason specially those Japanese men. I don't know maybe i have something in me that they hate but i don't feel any hate coming from Japanese females (actually they're quite friendly) except for the elders of course (Elders there hates Gaijins regardless of where you're from) . Take note if you're a half be careful of those Gaijin hunters specially if you're a guy."
**
15. Bryce Antony Franco da Silva, 2015
"I feel the same living in Korea! My dad is black-American and my mom is a Korean. Younger I was called names like hybrid, mutt, half breed and some that a worse like monkey and dog! But things are also changing in Korea to! Lots of half Korean children are being born by Whites, blacks, Arabs and Latinos! Hopefully those kids will have a better childhood than my generation of mixed Koreans"
**
16. HalfThaiKorean1990, 2015
"u forgot half east asians with south east asians ,bcs u have the same problems with people for still being something else then korean or japanese. im thai and japanese and had the same experiences"
**
17. saver vionetta, 2015
"japan is changing? i am pretty skeptical about that"
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REPLY
18. HalfThaiKorean1990, 2015
"it does change , but quite slowly and most likely more with the younger generation"
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REPLY
19. saver vionetta, 2015
"i hope so"
**
REPLY
20. ečnasaufuqt, 2016
"+HalfThaiKorean1990 The older generation in Japan is actually much more accepting because the way others were treated in world war 2 has left their eyes open"
**
21. Ambre Badipi [bold commenters are hafu], 2015
"I am not mixed with Japanese but being biracial/mixed myself I know what it is not being fully accepted on either sides of your heritage and feeling kind of alienated. I am Belgian with Greek and Congolese(African) heritage and this trailer got me teary-eyed."
-snip-
This screen name is given as it was found in that discussion thread.
**
22. Kytota [bold comments aren’t hafu], 2015
"I am a Malaysian born Australian of Hungarian, Serbian and Chinese heritage. When I was young, I get flack from all sides. Asians calling me 'impure' (actually got insulted like that a few times) and whites calling me 'foreigner' and I should go back where I came from. They made me believe I can never be a part of anything.
When I got older and wiser, I really began to appreciate who I am and my heritage. I realized my parents overcame race AND religion to have me. Being mixed also makes me more open-minded and more willing to interact with people from any background because I finally understood in a world as large and diverse as this, we are all same and different no matter the color of our skin or where we came from. "
-snip-
This screen name is given as it was found in that discussion thread.
**
REPLY
23. DeadPurpleStar, 2015
"+Kytota \U are amazing let me tell u that !! People get suicidal but u overcame it all. Congrats ^^ .P.S. I am from Serbia haha and I look asian so I was bullied as well, but in Serbia, we don't have a specific look to us like for ex the Asians do . U have an awesome mix wow duude :3"
**
REPLY
24. Kytota, 2015
"+WMeMyselfAndI001 Well, thanks. If there's one thing I learned, it is to stop feeling bad about yourself just because others want to. You are who you are, nothing can ever change that. And if people can't accept who you are, it's not your problem."
**
25. Kytota, 2015
"+Bloke Poppy All kinds, unfortunately. Being the one and only Caucasian-looking guy in a Malaysian high-school where people can be mean like hell and visiting my Asian relatives in my family's rural hometown was where I got it the most. My friends do joke about me being mixed but not in a mean-spirited way though. As for the whites calling me 'foreigner' thing, this happens when I visit Western countries. I think Americans for example, are pretty nice but the morons among them keep thinking I am invading their country to steal their jobs when I am only there on vacation.
It all comes down to how different people look at me. Asians think I'm a white, Westerners think I'm Asian. My mixed heritage gives me a unique look. Never had these problems when I moved to Australia, though. In fact, can't even remember the last time I was insulted about my heritage."
**
26. MrRebuttal, 2015
"HUGE VICTORY FOR BLASIANS: Ariana Miyamoto Half-Black\Half-Japanese contestant wins Miss Japan 2015!!!"
**
27. ken dutchess, 2015
"I have lived in Japan, on and off for the last 27 years, and love it here. My great Grandmother was Japanese, and though I speak Japanese fluently, I almost never bring the fact up that I have Japanese ancestry, as the few times I revealed that I was part Japanese, even 1/8, I was told, Uso bakari, Which means, you are telling a lie. How could that be, as I don't even look Asian. I keep it to myself. I love living here but I agree, it can be very difficult for mixed race kids here, especially if they are sensitive. I hope that this attitude changes.
**
28. S S
"Sounds weird. If you live in the UK or USA people would love you. Mixed race kids with especially with at least a bit of black heritage are more likely to be good looking and therefore popular. Trust me, every mixed race kid I know is good looking and popular."
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REPLY
29. Ambre Badipi, 2015
"It's not that i'm unpopular. it's not that I have no friends. It's not that I am unloved. It's that your White side constantly reminds you that you are not white (we are mixed so we are obviously not white that's fair enough !) and your black side constantly reminds you that you are not black either so you are left in between and more often than not, you develop an identity crisis because you are not considered black yet you face all the struggles and issues of being black (because you are person of color) in a white supremacy society. You know what I mean ? +dark side :)"
**
REPLY
30. +Ambre Badipi Well, I know that you will never feel completely white or black, and not accepted by both but the thing is mixed race people do not have to identify themselves as black or white. But I mean, have you ever actually experienced discrimination or did someone actually tell you something that made you upset? I know black people are more likely to accept mixed race kids so they are always hanging out together, but the new generation of white kids is becoming more open and accepting of other cultures.
**
REPLY
31. Ambre Badipi, 2015
"+dark side omg dear sorry for the late reply !!!
I have already been discriminated against but usually what happens are "microagressions". What I mean by that is getting ignorant and prejudiced comments filled with backstabbed compliments.
So it's not racism,in the way that it's not in the explicit form and they don't do it on purpose to hurt me by feeling racially superior but it's unintended racism that is so deeply embedded that they don't even recognise it and it shows in comments and ways of thinking that are quite conservative and full of prejudices and stereotypes.
But then again, nothing major. It's not awful but rather annoying and frustrating you know what I mean.
Also, I am totally accepted by both parts of my origins because they accept me for who I am but I know that deep inside they won't ever consider me as a part of them if that makes any sense (which is comprehensive since I'm not either of them) I don't know if that made any sense to you. Anyway, have a good day mate ! "
**
33. ammie Bo, 2015
"I'm half Japanese and half Ghanaian and when I went to Japan, I realised that apart from my aunt and grandma, none of my family knew I was half black :/ But they were really accepting anyway :) I'm definitely going to watch this. woo go David!! #Twinning"
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REPLY
34. Annette Caitlyn, 2015
"Where were you born?"
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35. ammie Bo, 2015
"+Annette Caitlyn London 😊"
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36. Tornado1994, 2015
"Interesting Fact: Did you know that the founder of Sega, David Rosen Iijima was half Japanese?Half French American? Rosen's mother was a French immigrant, his father was born in Saitama,Toyko. His parents migrated to NYC in 1929."
**
37. Sean Goto, 2015
"Im Japanese/Irish,
in ireland im often mistaking as chinese
in japan iv been mistaking as an american, iranian, indian, brazillian, spanish, australian and other races but i cant remember lol.
tbh i experienced waaay more racism in ireland than i ever did in japan.
in ireland i was called a chink countless times and i got my ass kicked a lot by groups of people for simply being half japanese.
i never once in my life ever feel threatned by the japanese if anything their a bit scared of me. i think thier more xenophobic than racist (im not saying that racism doesn't exist here its a worldwide problem)
because it is a homogenous society of course thier gonna look at you as gaijin thats not gonna change but i dont feel bad about it, id rather be called a gaijin than a 'chink, 'dog eater' slanty eyes' anyday"
-snip-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaijin
"Gaijin (外人, [ɡaid͡ʑiɴ]; "outsider", "alien", "Non-Japanese") is a Japanese word for foreigners and non-Japanese. The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外, "outside") and jin (人, "person"). Similarly composed words that refer to foreign things include gaikoku (外国, "foreign country") and gaisha (外車, "foreign car"). The word can refer to nationality, race or ethnicity, concepts generally conflated in Japan.
Some feel the word has come to have a negative or pejorative connotation,[1][2][3][4][5][6] while other observers maintain it is neutral or even positive.[2][7][8][9][10] Gaikokujin (外国人 "foreign-country person") is a more neutral and somewhat more formal term widely used in the Japanese government and in media."
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REPLY
38. Tornado1994, 2015
"+Okiku Ningyo Japan is a very centrist style country with conservative values. With the fact that its birthrate has been lackluster for decades, mixed race Japanese is both unique and fascinating. It's a breath of fresh air to the pure Japanese race that's been aging steadily. Gaijins like me(Black and Half Native American Cherokee/Saginaw), are eager to not only learn the culture,lifestyles and customs of Japan, but also learn to speak its language "Nippon" properly. Please bear with my fellow westerners and their ignorance."
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39. chigasaki06, 2015
"I'm definitely gonna have to watch. I lived in Japan, and on occasion I saw mixed raced children and wondered what it was like for them growing up in such a homogeneous society. I'm black and at times I felt like an alien based on the attention I received, which was understandable. However, I can't imagine being raised in a country you call home and sticking out like other foreigners. The black/japanese children I saw stared at me and waved as if to say, "look, someone who looks like us." To some they will never truly be Japanese. That's why I have always said if I ever got married and have mixed black/japanese children, I would feel more comfortable for them to be raised in the states rather than Japan."
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40. 名無しのさくら, 2016
"I wanted to be hafu..."
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REPLY
41. 怜君の母Ray's mum, 2016
"お嬢さん、ハーフに一度生まれてみなよ。うちの息子は死にたいと云った事があるんだけど？貴方が同じ経験をしてみたら、そんな事は決して云えない。こんなとこに来てまで、幻想を云うのは止めて！！Hafu racial identity crisisについて一度、勉強した方が良いと思う。ハーフの息子を持つ母親として、心の底から云わせて貰うわ。キツイ事云って、ごめん。きっと、貴方はただ単に純粋なんだろうけど、そんなに楽しい事はないんだよ、ハーフ・レントじゃないんだから。
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English
"Rei's mother Ray's mum
Lady, try it once in half. My son says I'd like to die. If you try the same experience, you can never say such a thing. Stop talking about illusions until you come to such a place! ! About Hafu racial identity crisis I think that it is better to study once. As a mother with a half son, I will say from the bottom of my heart. Sorry to say that it is hard. I bet you are just pure, but it's not such fun, because it's not half-rent."
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42. Mericasucks, 2016
"Japan has had the longest preserved heritage in the world with one of the most homogenous country in the world. Diversity is still yet to come in this country and many people isn't accepting the fact that other cultures is going to change Japan. Japan will be and always a country of one race. Japanese people"
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REPLY
43. Areloe Fiezx, 2016
"That is highly unlikely. Unless humanity dies within a couple centuries."
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44. cussigreen, 2016
"human are like, no different beetwen asian,white or black. We are all same worth✌✌"
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45. Kim Wuhrer, 2016
"this is kinda sad.. my boyfriend is swiss/japanese and he happily never made bad experiences because of that even if you can see his swiss half. (brown hair and freckles).. i also never made any bad experiences even if I'm fully european (blonde hair, green eyes)
i think there are some racist a****les in every country.. even in western countries. i made the experience that european people were treating me worse because of my blonde hair (they say that blonde people cant be intelligent...)"
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46. Tony Jackson, 2016
"Modern Japanese are "hafu's" themselves they're mixed with Chinese exiles and the Ainu people who are the original inhabitants of Japan."
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REPLY
47. ojideagu, 2016
"Exactly, where do Japanese think they got their characters from? China. I'm sick of this myth that the Japanese themselves perpetuate that they are some pure race which is complete horse sh&t*."
-snip-
*This word is fully spelled out in this comment.
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48. Jasmine ジャズミン, 2017
"I'm half Japanese and half Canadian , and when people ask me are you Asian? I'm like yes... well kind of . One boy called me "mixed" and everyone else their actual race. I was okay with it I just didn't really know which section I fitted in with"
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49. Lugztina, 2017
"I didn't know being half Korean and Half Japanese makes you considered mixed. I thought Japanese were descended from Koreans in some way."
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REPLY
50. Hannah Flower, 2018
"That is completely wrong, sorry. It is scientifically proven that Japanese came from Malaysia and Indonesia - that area. Although we have "zainichi" Koreans who have lived in Japan and have inevitably mixed the blood together but Japanese people have not descended from Koreans."
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REPLY
51. Chris Anderson, 2018
"Japanese and Korean isnt even mix since they are both from asia lol. You can definitely pass for a full japanese if your half korean, I mean you're still pure east asian. Its like half British half Irish, you're still white in the end lol.. Its the whites and blacks that stand out the most."
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52. Dr BlackCoffee, 2017
"Oh Bugger I'm crying watching this..... I'm Anglo-Japanese and I have felt insecurities from both sides while growing up. I'll try and persuade my parents to buy this and watch it with me, so they can understand more about how I feel growing up as a mixed race person."
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33. Heyoo, 2017
"im half persian and half japanese! im culturally more japanese, but i love both cultures! :))))"
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34. Hannah Flower, 2018
"I am half Japanese half English, and although sometimes it makes me feel alienated - I love myself for who I am and I would never want to be anything else. I used to wish that I was fully Japanese, but now I appreciate the double culture that I have been able to experience. It has given me the right to choose for myself which I prefer and personally I prefer Japan. I would not know what to do, if I had not been able to speak Japanese fluently, or even been able to know how horrible fish and chips tastes in England ahaha. Even though I am not fully Japanese, 心は日本人ですし、心の底から日本を愛しています。"
-snip-
Google translate from Japanese to English: My heart is Japanese and I love Japan from the bottom of my heart.
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35. Poseidon99Jeus, 2018
"I personally don't like it. Especially those hafus, when they get bullied and beat ups, still they like to stick to Japan and pure Japanese people. Why don't you go to your other half??"
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36. FRIEND 711, 2018
"I hate the word half. to me its really insulting. Half? Half what?? I grew up here and god thats such a black spot word. So You know what? I Dont call myself Half. I call myself a "Hybrid" A mix of the best of both worlds, I have a point of view, the cultural background and heritage that cant be beat \^-^/ I`m not saying its bad to iddentify yourself as one, more power to you! but I must say, this was my way of fighting back, my way of finding my iddentity."
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37. Mikal Velasco, 2018
"Spanish born with Latin American and Japanese blood 🙌🏼
I used to try to be just one thing... but I just felt incomplete, fake and sad all the time. I really wanted to be just one. I used to tell people: I’m confusing or I’m weird. Then I understood that I just needed to appreciate all the bits I am. See myself with love inside and outside. To like my eyes, my body and my soul. And right now I’m so proud to be me (in a good way) proud of all the bits I am :))"
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