Audiophile Life
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SEPTEMBER 29, 2014
Black does crack and
it is cracking terribly
I know we love to say “Black don’t crack” because it is often said that Black folks look younger than they really are. No big deal, but a few of us are starting to believe that Black folks are just walking around looking like perpetual teenagers and that we’re all fresh faced. That’s not really true. Unless you’re one of those people who ignores reality.
I also find it odd that many of the people always saying “Black don’t crack” don’t look younger than their age or even particularly youthful. How are you looking like Methuselah in the face and you’re talking about Black not cracking? I see this all the time on social media. People I know that look older than their actual age are talking about “Black don’t crack”. Their very existence proves this theory wrong, but I digress.
Some points to consider
1. Stop using Black celebrities and “beautiful” tumblr people as the barometer. They’re unicorns. These people swim in shea butter, exercise regularly and eat healthy foods. They are not regular folks from around the way. You’re not about that life.
2. Try your “Black don’t crack” theory in the hood where there are food deserts. Let me know if the theory holds up. Have you seen what some Black high school kids are looking like these days? I can walk in their schools and blend right in, and I’m twice their age. I’m not saying this because I think I look young. I’m saying this because a lot of these kids look older than they should look. These kids get their daily fluid intake from things like 99 cent Arizona iced teas and they eat junk all day, which includes the school food they are fed. A store with fresh food is not always around where they live, but a bodega is. Their internals are rotting before they even get a chance to fully develop.
I’ve done volunteer work and there are serious problems on the nutrition front in a lot of Black homes. It’s not just the kids, it’s their parents. Lack of access to quality food is part of the problem, but it’s not the whole problem. There are generations who don’t know why it is important to drink water and eat vegetables. That’s not hyperbole. There are people who never eat veggies and they aren’t drinking water. Do you think “Black don’t crack” will apply to the future of kids who have this kind of dietary intake? They already look haggard and are out of breath running for the subway. These are teenagers who should be full of vigor and vitality. They’re out here and they are cracking terribly. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but some sort of nutrition course should be mandatory for schools. Let’s at least try to save the next generation.
3. When Black folks are afflicted with and are dying in record numbers from diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and assorted ailments, we are cracking hard. It’s not just about looking younger. That’s just the window dressing. What are your insides like? The insides of many Black folks are definitely not youthful. Have you looked at the mortality rate of Black folks compared to everyone else? We are in bad shape collectively. It makes this “Black don’t crack” stuff trivial to be frank. So what? We are dying before everyone else. I guess you’ll look like a younger corpse in the casket.
4. Melanin doesn’t give you super powers. The amount of Black people who don’t use sunblock/sunscreen when out in the sun for hours is startling. You really need to use it. Protect your skin, protect yourself. Melanoma can still get you. I realized the importance of sunscreen when I started shaving my head years ago. In the summers, my head felt like it was on fire and like it was roasting. My doctor (a Black man) told me the importance of wearing sunscreen. In my youth, I used to think only white people needed protection from the sun. Black people do too. The sun will also age you rapidly. The sun will definitely crack your Black. Your melanin isn’t stronger than the sun.
So yeah, Black does crack. Take care of yourself in the meantime.
>via: http://atane.tumblr.com/post/98722769434/black-does-crack-and-it-is-cracking-terribly