Latto

Lego

Lego

Firstly, given that Mulatto herself is born to one white parent and one black parent and also has been working and on the come up in a black-dominated section of the music industry for several years with little blowback that I've seen, I will not be changing the thread title. I'm open to hearing more on it or a mod could just step it and do it themselves if they think it's right, but with her signed to a major label and having just gone through the whole XXL Freshman circuit, I think it would have been addressed in a bigger way if it was a significant issue.

Secondly, dropping this on my birthday was cute of her:
 
superultra

superultra

she/they
Lego said:
Firstly, given that Mulatto herself is born to one white parent and one black parent and also has been working and on the come up in a black-dominated section of the music industry for several years with little blowback that I've seen, I will not be changing the thread title.
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To be fair, the term "mulatto" is not one born from a place of endearment or empowerment, nor is the usage of it as her stage name akin to the way Black people, specifically those within the African-American diaspora, have reclaimed usage of the n-word in everyday vernacular. Not only does "mulatto" come from the belief that, when a horse and a donkey produce offspring, said offspring will always be a mule—implying that, no matter what, a baby by a Black person and a white person will always be Black—but it also upholds colorism and suggests desirability in her lightness/mixedness. It doesn't help that her white mother allegedly suggested for her to use this stage name. It's also weird as fuck to hear that stage name in non-Black people's mouths.

Also, to address the "little blowback" aspect of your post, there are several recent articles that tackle the controversy surrounding her name.

Ultimately, I'm not here to police people on whether or not they should listen to her music. I'm just here to remind non-Black people of how to engage with her and the history of her name.
 
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Mr.Arroz

Mr.Arroz

Staff member
He/Him/His
superultra said:
To be fair, the term "mulatto" is not one born from a place of endearment or empowerment, nor is the usage of it as her stage name akin to the way Black people, specifically those within the African-American diaspora, have reclaimed usage of the n-word in everyday vernacular. Not only does "mulatto" come from the belief that, when a horse and a donkey produce offspring, said offspring will always be a mule—implying that no matter what, a baby by a Black person and a white person will always be Black—but it also upholds colorism and suggests desirability in her lightness/mixedness. It doesn't help that her white mother allegedly suggested for her to use this stage name. It's also weird as fuck to hear that stage name in non-Black people's mouths.

Also, to address the "little blowback" aspect of your post, there are several recent articles that tackle the controversy surrounding her name.

Ultimately, I'm not here to police people on whether or not they should listen to her music. I'm just here to remind non-Black people of how to engage with her and the history of her name.
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1000%.

Her stage name spotlights just how much the "hood vs. field n****" body of thought still pervades today and how colorism literally endows people with certain privileges that so many end up lording over other Black people.

I'm in the same camp in that I'm not dictating who is listening to her music and how they should consume it, but there's clearly a discussion to be had about her name. It directly establishes a certain approach to her, and whether it's founded in intention or just ignorance, I don't find it positive overall.
 
tea

tea

Wasn't that term also coined and used for when white slave owners would r*pe their slaves?
 
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tea

tea

superultra said:
Chile, there's unfortunately a lot of terms coined around that.
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I just thought it was important to note, I guess I'm under the impression that it fell out of usage after that period/hasn't been reclaimed the same way other terms have. As a white man I don't want to speak for black people or dictate how other people should be approaching her+her music, if that wasn't productive to this conversation I apologize.
 
Mr.Arroz

Mr.Arroz

Staff member
He/Him/His
superultra said:
Don’t forget the one-drop rule. We’re really just a number to everyone else, huh?
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Yes dear, I didn't bring it up bc I didn't wanna hijack your points! I found out it's also academically known as "hypodescent", during my time as an Africana Studies major in college. It's just like with Darwinism and scientific "justifications" for our supposed inferiority as Black people (skull studies, DNA breakdowns, etc.). As long as books and numbers can back it up, then who should doubt their assertions, right? Smh, tbh.
 
Lego

Lego

I read all of the articles linked and it sounds like it’s something she herself is still grappling with. I respect the voices and the arguments being made here but given that this is still a term and that directly affects her, I would feel uncomfortable changing the name of the thread if it’s still the name she uses and identifies with. I don’t want to remove her agency from this. She’s aware of the criticism clearly, but if she doesn’t want to change her name I don’t feel right changing it for her. If she does change her name I will change the thread title.
 
Mr.Arroz

Mr.Arroz

Staff member
He/Him/His
No one has mentioned changing her name on this site - we're having a debate about its origins. You're really off the mark with your reply there.
 
Mr.Arroz

Mr.Arroz

Staff member
He/Him/His
superultra said:
And, on top of that, her name still affects all Black people, regardless of being mixed or “monoracial,” especially because of the colorism aspect.
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It's undefeated living while Black, ddd

BYbL.gif
 
Lego

Lego

Mr.Arroz said:
No one has mentioned changing her name on this site - we're having a debate about its origins. You're really off the mark with your reply there.
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It was suggested on the last page. I just got mixed up on who was making that suggestion with who was having a conversation about the term.

To add, for clarity (hopefully), that was my only stake in this conversation. I think this conversation is a good one to be having but I don’t have any opinion about whether it’s right for her to be using the name she’s using or not. I don’t think it’s my place to really have an opinion on it.
 
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tea

tea

Sorry for the confusion @Lego it does look like I'm suggesting a thread title change, but I don't want to change the thread title to Big Latto / Racial Slur Doll General Discussion dd. It's made me confront my own racism/white privilege with my post.

I'm not opposed to a thread title change, but it's not my place to dictate this conversation or make assumptions either. If black members are uncomfortable seeing this thread title while scrolling or anything and want to change it then I fully support them.

In other words, the way I navigated this conversation was kinda a mess. The aside, half-jokey tone to that post was not it, and a thread title change is not a conversation I should be initiating. Sorry.
 
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