It's true actually

too bad they're both from your side of town lol!
although I don't see that what Rachie said necessarily disagreed with you.

lol not tryin to be confrontational but you know NBA, NFL, athletes in general are paid to stay in shape right? British olympic athletes LOOK like American olympic athletes

If you're just basing it off the avg Joe you're comparing roughly 35 million people to around 3 million. And you know America has a huge obesity epidemic, especially in the AA community. Everyday in the US you see plenty of men who look pregnant with big breasts in their white T's.

Like i said in my other post it is really getting harder to be able to tell where some people are from.

NJShaws mentioned about African Americans having a mixed up ancestry some may do but not all do. Also, some Caribbean’s do have a mixed up ancestry as well.

It is accent, mannerisms and the way that people hold themselves, dress and name that are really the biggest things that can give things away sometimes.

Some pictures of some Africans i haven't been able to tell where they are from until i checked their name and that helped me to identify where they are from more easily.

I have been to America and facially they didn't really look any different to me than blacks living in the UK.

I guess people have grown from reading this thread.

Melissa finally said some, rachie believes we all look relatively the same and NJShaws is well I don't know what to think....as I am still wondering how the NFL and NBA got dragged into this as most of the players in both leagues have different builds........

I have to agree with DSP to a point as most Americans of any nationality are usually FATTER than the average person in the world due to all of the greasy food in abundance we eat.

I mean look at the British track team and ours heck look at the Caribbean track teams or a British boxer for that matter. Roughly the same size as their American counter parts.

Sounds like the wrap-up to a soap opera.

It is still rather silly to ignore populations sizes when trying to compare peoples. London has about 1 million black people. I'm only guessing...but the rest of Britain would add what?...about 1 million more...if that.

So 'averages' and numerical quantities don' t always tell everything.

For instance, America is killing itself with food. Nearly 46-50% of African-Americans are overweight with all of the associated health diseases. Everytime I come back from Bahia, that's the first thing that hits my eyes. (the second is the relative wealth of even poor African Americans).

Horrible statistics, right?

If I wanted to play around with Statistics I could look at it two ways. 1) PERCENTAGE-WISE African Americans are fatter than most other diasporan societies. OR 2) The other (almost 20 million) fit African Americans are numerically greater than the entire Diaspora in the english-speaking caribbean, Great Britain, Germany and the Netherlands combined.

Yayyy! Right?

Of course not. African American who allows comparative statistics to ignore the negative societal health TREND of African Americans are fooling themselves

And any Brit who goes to the summer black festivals in America and is shocked at the predominate buff and fine and tight males and females there, will find that they have fooled themselves.

That's why, sisters like Melissa and others will easily find 'facts' for their assertions but the problem is that they are also burnt by the abundant contradictions.

In between the 'facts' of the assertion and the 'facts' of the contradictions is the opportunity to understand the particulars of our conditions.

Too often, many of use are too scared or too cowardly to bring up contradictions
in our friends' assertions. We choose to maintain friendships than integrity. That's why strife, tribalism and petty nationalisms still trouble us,

this thread is scary...only because I know some of the bn members have children....


educate yourselves so you don't pass on prejudices and ignorance to your children

PLEASE...... make the world a better place....


if the shoe fits, wear it ...and buy the matching hat...

well my point was not that it was merely a mistaken observation but that it was an observation that pointed you out as a specific African diasporic (Jamaican).
Even if the analysis was correct the fact that they thought you LOOKED specifically Jamaican (and they just happened to be right) it is still the same thing as someone thinking some black people look British, American, or African..or Jamaican.
You cannot just choose to attack the ideas of certain individuals (nevermind an entire country and group of black people) while excusing others of the same sentiment and think that your point is still valid when it reeks of bias.

Well Adrianerik,

Since we're talking straight, alot of the blame can be put on the AA intelligentia(sp?) and silent multitude of AA upper class, upper middle class and business class for allowing the ghetto class to flourish and over represent the community, warping whatever 'image' was being improved on.

Aside from Jerry Springer you have never seen trailor park mentality represent white America, the way ghetto mentality steam roled itself on to black America. Bill Cosby was on to something. Time is long over due to stop enabling the ignorant to facilitate more ignorance.

Minstrel shows and acts have been around for decades, as well as crime, single parent hood, and poverty... BUT(and it sad to say) AA had a strong image of self sufficiency, dignity, and respect during segregation(ok even a little while after late 70's early 80's) from up to the 60's. AA were more self sufficient and aggressive when it came to education and business.

The black entertainment wing of old black America was just as flawed as they are today, BUT with all their faults they had pride and self respect which has been lost today.

Come to think of it, much of the world has lost its self respect independence and dignity, it's just that the flashlight is shining on us as usual.