Light Skin vs. Dark Skin

Ohio: Club Promoters decide to take the trending topic to the clubs

Discrimination and privilege isn't manifested between races, but within races as well. Think of your own race, and think of the hierarchies within your race based on skin tone, citizenship, "authenticity"...
You don't have to be black to relate to what I am saying in this post. Competition exists WITHIN races, WITHIN genders, WITHIN any social marker. But blackness is used as an example due to the recent events mentioned.....

If you're on Twitter, you've heard of the hashtag/trending topic #TeamLightSkinned and #TeamDarkSkinned. Although Twitter is known for its humourous trending topics, there is a far more cultural, political and historical context to the skin tones of the black community that makes it offensive. It is worse when this is taken beyond Twitter, and into the real lives of real black people.

Behind the anonymity of Twitter and other social networking sites, people will tweet anything, without the fear of getting caught, without personal responsibility and without the concern that their tweets reflect on their own self-worth.

Aside from the controversy from the event pictured above in Ohio, there was another one last month:

Black women labelled light or dark skinned were put into competition. How is this judged exactly? ... Are black women who are light seen as more attractive so they may win the competition? How black women who are dark skinned seen as more "authentic" so that is their chance?
How do you even bring yourself to rate black women based on their skin tones. Do black women not have more value than this?--- Where is the respect?

How you define your identity is not just through how you view yourself. It is a reflection of others, practices, institutions etc. If you are black and you took part in this trending topic on Twitter, how do you identify your blackness?

During the slavery days, "mullattos" were given more privileges for having a skin one "closer" to Whites. Perhaps slavery is over... but isn't it clear that racial privilege a race still exists?

TAO Japanese Drummers

The Sony Centre for Performing Arts has an amazing show in their agenda this year. This March, TAO Japanese Drummers performs in Toronto.

Created by a former punk rock drummer who was inspired by Cirque de Soleil's integration of Japanese culture and drumming, the creator also integrates Korean dancing, Indonesian Marimba and many others.
This show is overflowing with culture, guaranteed to be enjoyed by people of all different ethnic backgrounds.

It happens March 30th, 2012 at the Sony Centre for Performing Arts (1 Front Street at Yonge) at 8pm. Tickets range from $30-$39. Please visit their site.

To see more dates on TAO Japanese Drummer's North American Tour, please click here

Twenty Twelve

*Sigh* another year... 


Whether you partied in the downtown streets, a friend's house or at an over the top hotel banquet room, I very much hope you enjoyed yourself. I know of a couple that partied in Australia... Jealous.


Downtown Toronto was BA...NANAS last night. The TTC provided free transit from 12am-4am to lure people away from drinking and driving. This is one of the pros of the TTC, in a sea of many cons. 
Parts of Queen street and Yonge street were blocked off, especially Queen street due to the mass crowd at Nathan Phillips Square.


I'm probably just getting old, but New Year's parties aren't as appealing to me. I am very content with staying home with take out, wine and watching a movie with close friends than getting glammed up to party. Clubs, lounges, bars... are all great but on certain occasions, not the Thursday to Sunday partying I used to do in my early 20s. Aside from making it to the bar before last call, try some other activities with friends, explore the city and discover.


We've all spent hundreds on Christmas gifts, so here are some non-Clubbing and low cost events in Toronto for Winter 2012:




DJ SKATE NIGHT


When: December 3rd, 2011- February 19th, 2012
            EVERY SATURDAY 8pm-11pm (excl. xmas eve, NY eve)


Where: Harbourfront 


            416-973-4000


What: This winter’s DJ Skate Night series features 10 FREE late-night skating events with some of Toronto’s best party-rockers including Cherry Bomb DJs, 1 LOVE T.O., Cratery, DJ medicineman, Promise DJs and FLOW 93.5 FM.


Cost: FREE




POWER KIDS- PORTRAITS


When: February 26th, 2012
          3pm-5pm


Where: The Power Plant - 231 Queens Quay West (Queens Quay & Lower Simcoe)
           

416-973-4949 COST: $4 Members, $6 Non-members (per child)

What: Inspired by the Malabar People, the dramatic portrait series by Stan Douglas currently on view at The Power Plant, this workshop will explore creative drawing and collage approaches to portraiture.

Using various materials and working with a partner, participants will learn about the fundamentals of portraiture such as framing, proportion and setting, as well as basic lighting techniques. The portraits will then be transformed through a mosaic magazine collage technique to create invented backgrounds.

Kids will receive their portraits at the end of the workshop and parents are expected to join their children in all activities.




JANUARY WEEKENDS


When: January 7th, 2012 - January 29th, 2012
          12pm-4pm


Where: Scarborough Museum
            1007 Brimley
            Scarborough


Cost: By donation


What: Take it back to the 90s – the 1890s! See how the Victorians took advantage of the winter months as they traveled from party to party! Play party games, sample party treats, listen to popular music of the time period and have a grand time! Admission is by donation.




MY GRANNY THE GOLDFISH


When: March 17th, 2012- April 15th, 2012
          Times vary, please call.


Where: Factory Theatre
           125 Bathurst Street
           (Bathurst and Adelaide)
            416-504-9971


What: The Toronto premiere of the hilarious and irreverent comedy. Granny travels from Bombay to visit her beloved grandson Nico who is in hospital in Vancouver. Her “cure alls” are attitudes, platitudes and a full flask of whiskey. Despite Nico’s neurotic and hysterical protests, Granny helps him truly heal – ultimately proving that laughter is the best medicine. 

My Granny the Goldfish was featured as a reading in Factory Theatre’s 2009 CrossCurrents Festival and premiered in 2010 at The Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver.

 ---<3 Happy New Year Everyone :)