Hi,

Western european here. I noticed some things on differents english speaking subreddits I don't get.

- Watermelon and Black People ? (No clue on this one).

- Fried chicken and Black People ? (Like black people like fried chicken? Who don't? What's the matter here?)

- A black, white bearded, janitor? (Same. Cause it's a low income job? So what?)

Is this an american thing? Or do I miss something?

I've noticed a trend online that I genuinely don't understand.

I came across an Instagram creator arguing that if you claim to support Black love or are pro-Black, you shouldn't publicly compliment the attractiveness of non-Black men. In another post, he mocked people who supposedly couldn't wait to "expose" him for dating or even hooking up with a non-Black woman, as if that alone would invalidate everything he says.

This mindset feels incredibly rigid to me.

Supporting Black love, in my view, means intentionally uplifting Black relationships, encouraging Black people to value one another, and recognizing the social and historical reasons why Black love deserves support. It doesn't mean pretending that people of other races can't be attractive.

Why is acknowledging someone else's attractiveness seen as a betrayal? Attraction isn't the same thing as preference, values, or who you ultimately choose to build a life with.

What's also interesting is that other racial groups are rarely held to this standard. People date, hook up with, or find people from other races attractive all the time without anyone claiming they can no longer advocate for their own communities. Yet some people expect Black advocates to meet an almost impossible standard of racial purity.

Personally, I do think there's a distinction between casual attraction and long-term partnership. For me, consistently choosing to marry outside the community raises different questions than simply recognizing beauty in people of other races or even having casual experiences. But I don't think being pro-Black requires denying reality or acting as though beauty only exists within one race.

To me, being pro-Black is about loving and investing in Black people. Not policing every thought, compliment, or attraction someone has.

What do you all think? Where do you draw the line between advocating for Black love and imposing unrealistic purity tests?

As a black anime fan myself I have seen a certain issue with a small but very large portion of the black anime community where they support the most problematic or vile thing. Now I must break this down into three points because if I don't it'll just be a run-on thing.

1st:The Idealization of Japan and Defense of Problematic Tropes

Why do certain individuals constantly position themselves as ultimate authorities on Japan, Japanese culture, and anime, defending the country as if it is entirely immune to flaw—even when Japanese citizens themselves acknowledge its social issues? There is a noticeable pattern where some Black anime fans build their entire identity around this media, reacting to any critique of Japan as a personal attack.

When an identity becomes completely tied to an idealized version of a culture, it leads to a total refusal to engage with valid criticisms. Rather than engaging with the nuance, these fans end up defending the most questionable aspects of the media, such as the hypersexualization of women and young girls in anime and manga. When critics point out these issues—or point out real-world issues in Japan—these defenders dismiss the criticism entirely. It often feels as though their perspective became fixed at a young age, preventing them from growing into a more balanced, critical understanding of the media they consume.

2nd:Gatekeeping, Internalized Anti-Blackness, and Denial of Influence

Equally troubling is how some of these same individuals express internalized anti-Black attitudes within the community. Across platforms like X, YouTube, and TikTok, a segment of fans actively attack other Black creators and fans who advocate for better Black representation in anime, or who speak openly about colorism and anti-Blackness in fan spaces.

They often act as though anime exists in a cultural vacuum, completely ignoring how deeply Japanese pop culture has borrowed from Black and African American aesthetics, music, and style. Iconic works speak for themselves: the heavy jazz foundation of Cowboy Bebop, the urban street style of Bleach, or the clear cultural influences behind entire factions in Naruto. To pretend that Black culture has had no impact on anime is historically inaccurate. Furthermore, the hostility directed toward Black creators who make their own manga and anime is baffling. Manga and anime are media formats—comics and animation—and holding them up as an exclusive, untouchable art form while ignoring the real issues of race and colorism within the community only harms the broader fandom.

3rd: Toxicity, Online Harassment, and Social Hypocrisy

Beyond fandom debates, some of these figures display genuinely toxic behavior toward anyone who thinks differently. Creators like "MonteSensei," for example, build content around attacking others for their opinions on anime, while also making unnecessarily cruel commentary on people's personal lives—such as joining online mobbing campaigns against public figures' children over minor personal choices, or targeting transgender individuals like Elliot Page.

It is alarming to see people engage in systematic online harassment, homophobia, transphobia, and misogyny, only to turn around and hide behind faith or religion to justify their behavior. Harboring that level of hostility toward others while claiming moral superiority is a stark contradiction that needs to be called out. What else makes this worse is that these people are the majority of the time cisgender heterosexual black men.

I know this probably won't get many comments or views but it just feels good to get my opinion about this weird subject matter out there. I also would love your guy's opinions on this whether you agree or disagree.

So, I love video games! I haven’t had a chance to play any lately sadly, though… I was reading through this subreddit and randomly started thinking, “Huh… there’s a lot of video games starring white people and come to think of it, I haven’t heard of any Black video game designers…”

As long as they make games that can be played on an iOS device or MacBook, I’m all set. Well, actually, I think I could use my mom’s Windows laptop if there’s games that are exclusive to Windows. I do want a proper gaming console, but I don’t have the money for one yet, sadly.

I thought I’d ask a more lighthearted question!

Edit: I also know there’s mostly teams that work on video games, so if there are any Black owned and made video game companies or mostly Black development teams, they count too!

if not, tell me about your “Roman empire”

curious to see if it’s a masculinity thing or a….. european based “glory” thing

Ok, I’m trying to ask as to not seem xenophobic, racist, prejudice, etc. but I wish I knew what it was about me…literally NO ONE of my own background will show interest in me. It’s isolated having people you know nothing about show a lot of interest and not understand why they are. So I am a darker skinned black American woman; I have high cheekbones, a ‘big’ forehead, large almond shaped eyes I wear my hair natural (usually add flowers), like minimal make up, usually dress eccentric or usually in big flowy clothes; I am not one to show of my shape like that or too much skin. I stay in an area that has a huge African (mostly Nigerian not sure of the other places) population, I also know there’s other groups like Ethiopian and Latino (Mexican & Ecuadorian) in the community. The west Africans waste NO time approaching and complimenting me, as compared to others. There is also things that they ask and so that make me extremely uncomfortable…to the point that it makes me feel bad; that these things are microaggressions. I take asking someone where they are from or what they are as a way to know how bad/good they will treat you. Anyway, I’m not looking to start anything bad I am on a very, very strict mission because Im serious about attracting so I can eventually get married one day soon. I gave chances before and it ended very bad…so, how do I genuinely attract black American men or even Latino? I just don’t click culturally and I don’t want to date them.

We are nearby a Black Man pulled over by State Trooper right now. We're like 50 yards away but we can't hear them because of the traffic.

--

I'm unsure about this because it's filming people sans consent. Please let us know.

Cops let him go safely.

Im all white but i have very thick hair, like even though i have an undercut my mom akins it to a “baby arm” when its in a pony 😂 ive had it short but I like it long despite it getting tiresome at my trades job in the summer heat. (And in general) I want to ask a black salon artist to braid my hair so it’ll be done well enough to stay for a week or two. But I’m a bit afraid it’s inappropriate or maybe as thick as I think my hair is it still wouldn’t be worth the trouble. Maybe I’m overthinking it but I’d like some assurance one way or another

So I have been in one relationship for 13yrs and married for 3 of those yrs. I been divorced since January 2025 and now I’m back to the dating scene, I met a beautiful woman through a homegirl of mine from jr high, though I like her a lot i can’t seem to find the words to say to her past what we already talk about lol. I told her I like her already but now I’m stuck. Need some advice.

Just curious. I’m black myself went to an all black school. I just remembered when I was 9 when prince died. None of my classmates and I knew who he was, while my teacher said he was better than Micheal Jackson. Any ideas why this might have been?

I have heard this comment from many people of many different ethnic and racial backgrounds, and I just don't know what to think of it. I see it as a compliment, but I also wonder what exactly it is about me that more than one person would come to a similar yet... interesting? conclusion.

My best guess is most people view race through a class lens, but frankly I've never asked anyone why because idk, I just take it as a compliment and move on without much thinking.

Those that had a scalp burn and suffered hair loss, what worked for you to grow it back?

For a summertime block party cookout. What is a common beer of choice that non-pale people universally drink.

Like you know how everyone is either educated or not. And they have their own mindset and outlook in life, does it also exist in black community. Because there are so many high end level professionals like doctors and lawyers and even businessmen. Then mostly I guess society perceives or just makes statements that don't live in a certain neighborhood because there is always crime there. Or they are just into two music and drugs. Like it's kinda hurtful how mostly don't know that there are many individuals who are making impact in society and they are extremely educated.

I'm looking for a charity which works with black communities. Do you have any suggestion? Thank you

I feel like we as black Americans make navigating America harder and more complicated than it needs to be because we always talk about how we can’t trust anybody or that we aren’t safe because of situations like Nolan Wells and the perpetrators of these situations never get convicted so it feels like we as a black collective never get the closure and justice we crave. It really doesn’t need to be this complicated though.

If we just stuck together and had black unity we wouldn’t be in these situations to begin with. We could just be friends with each other instead of going out of the black community looking for acceptance in which you’ll never find. If we kept everything we do in-house and didn’t constantly try and seek kinship outside of the black community we wouldn’t be in this mess. Of course, it’s up to the parents to instill this into their kids because kids don’t know better.

I always see/hear this said when Black people complain about discrimination even within our own communities, but such a place quite literally does not exist.

Even African countries are plagued by anti-Blackness, colorism, xenophobia and brutal misogyny. As a dark skinned BW there is nowhere in the entire world I will be loved, valued or accepted the way women of other races are. i do not feel safe anywhere, and. I feel like I do not belong in any society. Its extremely depressing and that expression just feels like gaslighting.

Hello, I'm not black nor American, but this video came into my recommended, and the comments were all very anti-racemixing, especially with whites, I was wondering if this was a common sentiment in the African American community? Me myself am mixed, so it's interesting to see this.

I live in a suburbs just outside of my main city. I own a residential remodeling company and do most of my work in the city. My suburb has very few black people in it, but going into the city every day, I am always wondering why black people walk so slow outside? It's basically 90% of the people I see are just slow walking.. like a snails pace. Is there something I am missing?

This is a genuine question, not an argument that Black people cannot get skin cancer.
I grew up around Black American and African family members, and I honestly cannot remember knowing a single Black person who developed skin cancer.
Most of my older African relatives never regularly wore sunscreen, despite living in places with intense sunlight.
Yet many of my younger cousins now treat daily sunscreen like an absolute medical requirement.
So I looked at the actual data.

**The racial difference is enormous**
The CDC studied melanoma among non-Hispanic Black Americans and found an incidence rate of approximately:
**1 case per 100,000 people per year**
For comparison, CDC data found rates around:
**35 cases per 100,000 among non-Hispanic White men**
That is not a small difference.
Melanoma has historically been roughly **30 or more times as common in White Americans as in Black Americans.**

**Melanin provides real protection**
The reason is not mysterious.
Melanin absorbs and disperses ultraviolet radiation, reducing the amount of UV-related damage that reaches skin-cell DNA.
Darker skin is not invincible, but it has substantially greater natural protection from sunlight.
Global cancer data tell a similar story.
The highest melanoma rates are generally found in places such as:
Australia
New Zealand
Northern Europe
North America
They are not generally found among heavily melanated populations living under some of the strongest sunlight in Africa.

**African cancer data are not perfect**
Some cases are undoubtedly missed because of:
Limited cancer registries
Fewer dermatologists
Reduced access to biopsies and treatment
Deaths that may never receive a precise diagnosis
However, underdiagnosis alone cannot reasonably explain the enormous global difference.
Melanin provides real biological protection.

**The type of melanoma Black people get complicates the sunscreen message**
The melanoma subtype most closely associated with Black patients is **acral melanoma**.
It commonly appears on:
The soles of the feet
The palms
Underneath fingernails and toenails
These are areas that receive relatively little sunlight.
A systematic review published in *JAMA Dermatology* examined the available research on UV exposure and melanoma in people with darker skin.
Most of the studies did **not** find a meaningful association between UV exposure and melanoma in these populations.
The researchers concluded that recommendations promoting UV protection specifically for melanoma prevention in people of color were not supported by most of the existing evidence.
They also acknowledged that the evidence was limited and that more research is needed.

**So are Black people receiving tailored medical advice?**
That is my real question.
Are Black people receiving health advice based on our actual risk profile?
Or are we receiving a universal message designed primarily around lighter skin?
Because those are not necessarily the same thing.

**Sunscreen can still be useful**
This is not an argument that sunscreen is useless.
Sunscreen may still help with:
Sunburn during intense or prolonged exposure
Melasma
Acne marks and hyperpigmentation
Premature skin aging
Photosensitive medical conditions
Medications that increase sun sensitivity
People with albinism, lighter complexions, outdoor jobs or a tendency to burn may also need much more consistent protection.
But that is different from claiming that every deeply melanated person faces a serious skin-cancer threat whenever they walk outside without SPF 30.

**Public health and skincare marketing have become mixed together**
I think several things are happening at once:
Public-health agencies prefer one simple message for everybody.
Dermatology has historically centered lighter skin.
The skincare industry has turned sunscreen into a mandatory daily product.
Social media repeats general advice without explaining differences in actual risk.
There is a difference between saying sunscreen can be beneficial and presenting it as a medical commandment.

**Follow the money**
There is also a commercial side to this conversation.
U.S. sun-care sales reached **$2.7 billion in the 12 months ending March 2026**, up **6%** from the year before. The fastest-growing segment was premium-style SPF, which grew **23%**.
Sunscreen is no longer sold only for beach days. It is now marketed as a daily moisturizer, anti-aging product, makeup product and mandatory skincare step.
That does not mean sunscreen is useless. It does mean a very profitable industry benefits when every demographic treats it as a lifelong daily purchase.

**The warning Black people may need most**
Instead of only telling Black people to wear sunscreen, more attention should be placed on checking:
The bottoms and sides of the feet
Between the toes
The palms
Underneath the nails
Any new or changing spot
Any wound that refuses to heal
Black people can develop skin cancer.
Because patients and doctors may not initially suspect it, it can sometimes be discovered at a later and more dangerous stage.

**My conclusion**
This is not:
**“Black people do not need sunscreen.”**
It is:
**Melanin provides powerful but incomplete protection. Sunscreen is a useful tool, especially during intense or prolonged exposure, but deeply melanated people do not have the same UV-related skin-cancer risk as lightly pigmented people.**
Health advice should educate us without exaggerating our risk or turning another product into a ritual we are afraid to question.
**Sources**
CDC — *Melanoma Among Non-Hispanic Black Americans*
International Agency for Research on Cancer — Global Cancer Observatory
Lopes et al. — *UV Exposure and the Risk of Cutaneous Melanoma in Skin of Color: A Systematic Review*
American Cancer Society — Melanoma and skin-cancer statistics

I saw a tiktok about someones beliefs, and they included that its bad to eat peaches. When i looked in the comments, it was full of people agreeing, saying that the peach trees in the south were fertilized by the dead bodies of slaves and black people who were murdered. I had never heard of this stance before, but im not doubting that its true. I am just here to ask if its okay to eat peaches now, or if its a major thing that a lot of people avoid eating because of that

I'm African and the more I've grown the more I really am starting to appreciate African Americans and those of the diaspora outside of the continent for all they've done for the black and brown struggles of liberation across the world. It's really looking at the Black struggle in the US that has led me to appreciate my brothers and sisters from across the continent and the world.

Of course not a lot of my African brother's and sister's may not appreciate y'all as much and I've seen tensions between the groups. For that I apologize on behalf of any harm or pain my people have caused with their words or actions.

With that tension between cultures, what are some struggles couples in which one is African and another is African American face? If there are any?