Trevor Noah’s feud with France over race, identity, and Africa | Hacker News Reader

Trevor Noah’s feud with France over race, identity, and Africa

vox.com

6 pointsTomte4 comments

I get Noah's perspective, but it is indeed deeply rooted in the USA context and history.

And both perspective may both be valid.

It's also a symptom of the divide between two takes on determinism: do you project yourself as mostly determined by your ancestry, your context, or by your choices?

French Revolution was a bit of that too, that one ought not be determined, in one's fate, neither by ancestry, neither by tradition, neither by religion; but by one's attachment to the nation, the constitution and one's will, work and accomplishment.

Also reminds me of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_rights

I really don't understand Trevor Noah.

France does not separate citizens based on skin color or religion or anything else, they're all french. This seems much better then the American way that Trevor jokes about with heritage. Sure, first generations will have a background of where they immigrated from and nothing can take that away, but if they've obtained citizenship they're citizens... As for later generations what heritage can someone even have after being born and living your whole life in a country?, they'd be as much native as anyone else born in the country.

This seems awfully similar to a tone deaf interview with Idris Elba where he was asked how it was to be of african descent and he just replied he's british.

Thinking a bit more on this, it does seem quite racist, would he call the American teams French-Americans, German-Americans, British-Americans, Chinese-Americans depending on where their roots are from?, likely not, only looks over skin color to say African-American or American...

From a European point of view this is really strange and the emphasis on the external aspect of someone seems to be the key. Trevor Noah, like the leading French player or even the former US president all have a white parent but somehow everybody define them as black or Afro-xxx. This is for me a strange perception. Some people from north Africa cannot really be really distinguished from a south European person and nobody would call them Afro something. So it's not the continent but the external aspect of that person that is defining the person and the color is taking precedence on everything. I think this is what most people in France won't agree with.

Trevor Noah, like the leading French player or even the former US president all have a white parent but somehow everybody define them as black or Afro-xxx. This is for me a strange perception.

At least in Trevor Noah's case he grew up in South Africa where he was absolutely and objectively treated differently under law due to one of his parents being black. The fact that his other parent was white did not give him any advantages on that front. I imagine that colors his world view quite a lot.

The US used to be the same not that long ago. Didn't matter if both or only one of your parents where "black", you were equally banned from the 'whites only' parts of society. Even today in the US racists probably won't be less racist against you just because one of your parents are white.

the external aspect of that person that is defining the person and the color is taking precedence on everything

Basically yea, at least in the US. I think the best working definition you will find for 'black' is would the person have been kicked out of a "Whites only" establishment in the Southern US in the 50s. My gut feeling is that that is the definition most Americans instinctively use.

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