Brown girls: is it offensive?

[Anonymous]

So that song kids sing "brown girl in the ring"
They are saying is racist now.

https://youtu.be/JmTvwOc0wI0

What do you think? Is it offensive to you personally?
Me personally, as a brown girl, when I was in school and we'd sing this, I felt like the song was made for me and loved when it was my turn to dance in the ring.
I get the bla bla black sheep one, but not this one.

If it's offensive, please explain why you think so.

offensive

not offensive

[Anonymous]

I've never heard the song so I couldn't say whether or not it's racist for SURE.

but I think that something is racist when it's done with malicious intent (should as calling people "Pakis" or the N-word) or if it has a history of being done with malicious intent (such as black face and saying "white power").

I just Googled Boney M though and it looks like the group is just a bunch of brown people who are singing about the experience of being a brown person so I wouldn't say that this is done with malicious intent at all and it doesn't have a history of being done with malicious intent. So I don't think it's racist.

I personally didn't get offended by it.

[Stuff_and_stuff]

It's just a song. They're only saying it's racist so people can freak out over something and forget about things

[Asker]

Maybe true, because I've only heard white people say it's racist and never anybody not white.

[Stuff_and_stuff]

Now actually it sounds really messed up. Why would a white person call it racist?

[Asker]

I have no idea. I was asking for explanations from white people, and they were saying "you just shouldn't say that, you should sing there's a girl in the ring, not brown girl"
It made it seem more like a sleazy song how they would turn black girls into a fetish back in the day, and maybe making a black girl dance for them, but the song isn't like that, so I still really don't get it.
It could just be them being overly politically correct though, who knows.

[Stuff_and_stuff]

Well you grew up singing it, am I right? You don't see a problem with it and they do because, well they're white for one (sorry white people reading this, I'm not racist just making a point) they will think saying brown is racist because black people may take offense to it. And two, they didn't grow up singing it like you did. If this makes sense... xD haha

[koko124]

I know I'll get downvoted for this, but I'll say it anyway:

The term "brown" makes me cringe.

It encompasses way too many people, and has no clear definition. Plus, it doesn't really have a historical context as an "identifier", like black and white do.

If you call someone "brown", they could be southeast Asian, Aboriginal, Indian, Middle Eastern, mixed African, Native American, Hispanic, etc.

It just makes zero sense to use as an identifier to me. It also invalidates those groups' identities, by lumping them all together on the basis that they have a somewhat similar tone of skin, as if that's the only discernible feature.

[dev765]

Pretty much this.

[koko124]

I'm not offended by it, and I think it's an okay thing to use in the song, since it's a work of art, and Boney M is a Caribbean group, so the context makes it make sense.

But when I hear people saying "I'm brown" or "brown pride", it just makes me cringe really really hard. I just feel embarrassed for them. You mean the brown pride of 75% of the world's population?

[Asker]

I didn't ask about a specific race, I really do mean anybody brown. I just want to know if anybody (of any race) who has brown skin is offended by the song.
I do understand what you mean though, but it's just because I didn't want to ask just black girls or something, I want to know what anybody brown thinks.

[koko124]

I'm fine with the song. But people referring to themselves as "brown" is just embarrassing.

[Sinister]

LOL I heard this song when I was a kid hahaha calypso was the thing back where I lived with all my caribbean brethen!

[JustinCaseUDontKnow]

I think it's very cute song thanks for sharing :-)))

[Arthurred]

Brown girl? You are going to have to be a little more specific. ...

[Asker]

Anybody with brown skin? You know, like black people, certain Asian countries... you know... brown skin...

[Arthurred]

How can you be Black and Brown at the same time?

[Asker]

Because black is the race, skin color isn't exactly black is it, it's brown.
Black is a race, and brown is the skin color.