The reason that society is incapable of addressing the racial issue is because we view it from a perspective which is not conducive to real analysis. We talk all around the fundamental, underlying reasons for racism, and make it an emotional issue. How does one expect to cure the cancer without focusing on the cancerous cells and the biological reasons for cancer? Focusing on the symptoms is an ineffective mechanism to employ. Racism serves a far more complex pragmatic function than we are generally willing to acknowledge.

Check out the new karate kid trailer. A black kid in Beijing fights righteously against bullying, oppression and racism? I’m sold!

I did find the comparison to Beyoncé rather apt, because she’s actually an artist with a very complicated portrayal of race — that is, for a mainstream African-American artist she’s somewhat whitewashed.

This is evident in her light complexion, which may seem strange to bring up, but it was only a few generations ago in which the lightness of one’s skin (and thus proximity to “whiteness”) was a big deal in African-American culture; the fairest-skinned ones were seen as being closer to white, and thus the ideal. Interestingly enough, they were called “yellow”. This same preoccupation with skin lightness can be seen in India today, where skin whitening cream is all the rage.

The same thing applies to Beyoncé’s hair; even today the authenticity of an African-American woman’s hair is tied up with all sorts of coded ideas. I remember reading an interesting article recently that delved into this topic, focusing on Michelle Obama’s hair — obviously its straightened style is an artificial one, and perhaps reflective of what’s acceptable for an African-American woman in high society?

This is not to take away from Beyoncé’s obvious talent, and more to focus on certain issues of American culture. I have no clue about how to approach Chinese culture in the same way, so I’ll leave that to others.