Explain to me why. I want to learn why it's bad so I don't have any further bad takes. I want to get better.
Context my friend. Black people straightening their hair is not in the same universe as white people getting dreads. Black people throughout the world have a longgg history of being forced to straighten their hair among many other things in order to assimilate into white society. white people get dreads simply because they think it will look cool. the viking argument is frankly just silly. no one is locking their hair to respect the vikings lmao
I used to work in a USPS mail processing plant with a million people of different races and backgrounds and it was great because there wasn't a dress code. You could wear your hair any way. You could have no hair. Fake hair. Dreads, afro, braids, glam rock hair, whatever. As long as you weren't in danger working a machine, you were good. I wish all workplaces were like that.
Id be surprised if most black people in the US that have locs are rasta. Though im biased because that's never once factored into my decision to wear them, and my peoples are even West Indian lol
Black people largely began straightening their hair to assimilate into white culture where straight hair is considered "more professional." White people haven't been forced to wear dreads to assimilate into another dominating culture.
The fact that they don't proselytize means they're okay in my book.
Thanks!
We need to stop attributing physical characteristics to race, its a necessary step to become a society that gives no fucks about the color of your skin
How is this splitting hairs? Multiple people have said "Vikings wore dreads." Another member said Vikings still wear them. I incorrectly said that Vikings don't exist anymore as a snarky opener to one poster. You came in complaining about how saying a specific subset of people don't exist anymore is somehow equivalent to the erasure of ALL of Germanic, Celtic, and Norse culture. And you want to talk about splitting hairs? Can you address the rest of my posts with regards to black culture or nah?
Same. I understand some people can have issues with it, but who has the time or energy to care about that. That mindspace breeds misery and you end up letting other people live rent-free in your head. It just sounds so tiring.
No one has really shown photos of white people who are rocking the look just as well as black people on average do. I mean, hell, you even have other white people saying white people on average look shit in them (which, again, is not to say there is or never has been a single individual who has been designated "white" who cannot look good in dreadlocks). But honestly, all this hemming and hawwing about Viking culture is just derailing away from the point that dreadlocks are an inextricable part of modern black culture, and as a result, white people are going to have to navigate racial politics when discussing it no matter who wore them centuries ago. Too bad, so sad. Should probably stop telling us to cut ours off if you don't want any uncomfortable pushback.
That is legit dedication to the cause, although funnily enough I'm willing to bet those houses are sturdy as fuck. xD
Splitting hairs was a bad pun. My point is more that "dreads" have been found In Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe etc. I have Indian relatives that live amongst a sect that almost all the males have dreads. So it's hard for me to say that it belongs to anyone specific group of people, but I think it's fair to say modern black culture has popularized it to an extent (at least in the west).
I'd assume any culture back in the day who braided hair probably got dreads at one point just from living conditions.
You've got me all twisted now.
That's the thing. Nobody denies that dreadlocks are a widespread hairstyle in terms of historical contexts.
Yeah, no shit? I didn't think I had to specify that racism exists regardless of individual white folks who don't like racism. Like.
This isn't what I'm asking though, sorry if it wasn't clear. Evidence of the existence of dreads in history is not the same thing as a continued tradition with cultural relevance. To take a quote from that article:I'd assume any culture back in the day who braided hair probably got dreads at one point just from living conditions.
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Historians and anthropologists have found evidence of the 'do in ancient Egypt, Germanic tribes, Vikings, Pacific Islanders, early Christians, the Aborigines and the New Guineans as well as the Somali, the Galla, the Maasai, the Ashanti and the Fulani tribes of Africa.
As University of Richmond professor Bert Ashe writes in "Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles," the better question is, "Who hasn't worn dreadlocks at one time or another?"
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Dear white people with dreadlocks: Some things to consider | CNN
Dreadlocks on white people: Cultural appropriation, fashion faux pas or both? A viral video prompts debate over race and power.www.cnn.com
It's an aside to my point. It's not THE point I'm making. But man, y'all sure seem mad that I'm leaning in to even what other white folks are saying about yourselves.
Again, you can wear whatever you want. I ain't gon run up on you (just make fun of you in my head). But you don't really get the right to dictate how other people feel about you muscling in on something that is not only more common in their culture than yours, but is something that is inextricably tied to the social stigma those people continue to face on the daily for wearing the very thing you're playing around with.
I've made my point a few times already. You're just mad at my snark (which isn't undeserved). Sorry to have hurt your feelings?
Yeah, this is how I feel. Eugh. Makes me shudder just thinking about.
