Another perspective on "nappy hair" (Great read!)

I hope you guys find this interesting and enlightining:

"Bad hair" (fragment) by Luis Rafael Sánchez (translation by Katzenkavalier)

Still, over here, in this mulatta-Antillian nation where our lives happen to happen, some racists talk about "bad hair" and "good hair". Still, over here, in this sometimes a little bit religious and sometimes way too religious country, a malicious euphemism is used to refer to the hair that covers the head of half of the population- "S/he doesn't have well-behaved hair". Still, over here, many citizens of respectable professional training and proven honesty are denied opportunities because they have dark skin and the so-called bad hair.

Several metaphors diversify the racial prejudice that promotes the argument about bad hair. To refer to the hair of mixed or black men people refer to, preferrably, terms like "pelo de coco" (coconut hair) and "pelo pasa" (raisin-like hair). To refer to the hair of mixed or black women, an augmentative form of the noun "pasa" (raisin) is improvised; an augmentative form that is considered appropiate from the perspective or prejudice: "She has a fearsome super-raisin on her head!"

What is bad hair, after all?

Racists, let them be those that can be found on the social circles of the high class, let them be those who deny, because of political strategy or religious convictions, being racists, let them be those that say openly that "too many black people together makes anyone sweat"; they all call "bad hair" what they would call curly hair if they managed the language without evil intentions. Racists impose to people's hair its own moral or pathological category. Evil, in relation to morality, is whatever lacks goodness in its nature or destiny. Evil, in relation to pathology, is whatever is noxious to one's health.

Is black people's hair bad hair?

There is no reason to insert curly hair in the debates of morality, unless it can be said that black people lack goodness in their nature or destiny. That's intellectual terrorism. However, way too many times, in opinions given with the utmost conviction, even though the most candid individuals swear that there is no racial prejudice in Puerto Rico, people can be heard saying: "S/he's black but decent!"

There are no reasons to insert curly hair in the debates of health and well-being as well, unless racial prejudice implies that curly hair is a "sick" hair in nature. As it can be observed, racists rely on nonsense one way or the other.

But, let's say that there is indeed a type of "bad hair". Bad hair is the one that falls out. Bad hair, for instance, is the one bald people have. I correct myself: they had it before it fell out. Let's also say that whoever has enough hair, let it be straight or curly, has "good hair". But, how does one know if one has enough? That is known when the comb is an instrument one cannot live without.

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both race and gender.

It's just that in many places nappy hair is considered the "bad hair" regardless.