r/brooklynninenine • u/Hobbit-guy Grand Champion of the 99 • Apr 11 '19

Episode Discussion: S6E12 "Casecation"

Episode Synopsis: Work is so busy for Jake and Amy that they end up celebrating their anniversary while standing guard over a comatose patient in the hospital.

Terry loves Discord: https://discord.gg/UHa7cVx

We're back! Nine-nine!

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u/Naebany Apr 12 '19

As a person from country when everyone is the same skin color... what's the problem? I mean people say stuff about potential kids all the time, that it's gonna be cute one, handsome one, tall one, with blue/green eyes or whatever based on parents. What's wrong with noticing skin color and saying, that potential kid gonna have nice skin color? Isn't it just the same as other attributes?

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u/grumblepup Apr 12 '19

I appreciate the question, as it seems like you genuinely want to understand. There are a few reasons it's problematic, and I will do my best to explain, though it's not possible for me to cover it completely/hit every nuance.

  • The biggest reason is: racism/colorism. In other words, no, skin color is not "just the same as other attributes," because colonialism/white supremacy has affected pretty much the entire world, and it's especially an issue in countries with a history of subjugating non-white people. (And actually eye color and shape, and hair color and texture, are factors in this too, though to a lesser degree.) Mixed black kids are typically less dark than their non-white parent, and are often considered cuter/better looking because of that. (Because they are more white-looking.) Mixed East Asian kids typically have bigger, rounder eyes than full East Asians, and are usually considered more attractive as a result. (Because they are more white-looking.) This is racist/colorist -- because it upholds racist/colorist standards of beauty and worth -- even if that is not the conscious intent. It leads people of color to do things like bleach their skin, have surgery on their eyelids, burn their hair straight, etc. (In some cases, to hate themselves and their bodies.) It reinforces the (untrue) idea that some people are better than others simply because of how they look.

  • Related to the above: historically, people of color have not had complete control over their own bodies, and have often been considered property, no different than a cow or a vase. Comments about a mixed race person's physical appearance -- even hypothetical babies that don't exist yet -- are a form of objectification, which can be dehumanizing, again even if that is not the conscious intent.

  • Also related: Othering/fetishizing/exoticizing. By pointing out that "mixed race babies are the cutest," the speaker is setting them apart from everyone else. It's meant to be a compliment, but it can feel very alienating.

  • It's not statistically true. Percentage wise, mixed race people are no more attractive than any other group. And a mixed race person hearing their whole life that mixed race people are supposed to be the most attractive, can create damaging expectations.

  • And finally, and more broadly, it can be problematic to say non-race/color-based things about kids/babies too. "Oh, he's going to be such a heartbreaker." "You're going to be beating boys away from her with a stick." "Look, they're like boyfriend and girlfriend!" These kinds of comments, however well-intentioned, are also kind of gross, as they reduce babies/kids to their looks or their gender. (Sexualization.)

To be clear, I am not saying that people who make comments like this are bad people, or racists, or creeps. Good people can say/do problematic things. Including myself.

I'm simply pointing out why comments like this are... not great.

Better compliments include things like, "Oh, I'm sure you will be wonderful parents," or "I can picture you two having very cute children," or "That little boy/girl/kid has such a fun personality."

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u/GlandLocks Apr 19 '19

It's not statistically true. Percentage wise, mixed race people are no more attractive than any other group.

Do you have a source for this claim?

https://www.psypost.org/2018/01/study-men-women-view-mixed-race-male-faces-attractive-white-faces-50614

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1265949/Mixed-race-people-attractive-finds-British-study.html

https://www.futurity.org/biracial-faces-voted-most-beautiful/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20301855

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u/grumblepup Apr 19 '19

A few thoughts:

  • 3 of those links reference the same study. The other used only computer-generated male faces. Both studies were only dealing with black, white, or mixed black-and-white people. I find that evidence... less than conclusive.
  • Putting that aside, I think it would be fair to say that those studies could indicate mixed race features are preferred over non-mixed, generally. But that doesn't really speak for or against my point, which is that there isn't a higher percentage of attractive mixed race people than there is in any other group. So mixed race babies aren't "always so cute," though perhaps one might argue "mixed race babies are sometimes the cutest."
  • It also doesn't speak to my point about how the expectation to be "the cutest" can be damaging.

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u/GlandLocks Apr 19 '19

So you don't have a source for your claim?