5 ms·

Here’s my crazy crackpot theory, based partly on my own reasoning for not immediately changing from Simpsons Yellow to Midwestern White Boy: the defaults for li

Here’s my crazy crackpot theory, based partly on my own reasoning for not immediately changing from Simpsons Yellow to Midwestern White Boy: the defaults for life in general have always catered to whitey (never once did my sisters have to ask why there’s no white Barbie), and yellow is a close enough default that the white person doesn’t bother to look up how to change it. In the U. S., at least, we went a long time trying to pretend people of color didn’t exist, so when new options come, the person of color says, “hell, yeah!” I didn’t change it for a long time because it comes up in the middle of trying to fire off a quick text, do it later. Finally changed it because of some misfired mental need for consistency, not to “represent”.

zimpenfish 8y ago
Another issue might be that some of them don't have the alternate colours (at least on iOS) - none of the emoji faces do and neither does "shaking hands" inexplicably - people may try to set the colour on a face, it doesn't work, they assume it just doesn't work for any of them, etc. Apparently these are the ones with alternates: https://emojipedia.org/emoji-modifier-fitzpatrick-type-1-2/ https://emojipedia.org/emoji-modifier-fitzpatrick-type-1-2/
sridca 8y ago
Reminds me of the color of band-aids (it never occurred to me for a long while, as a "person of colour", that band-aids are actually flesh-colored). https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rachelmariestone/2012/11/26/the-color-of-band-aids/ https://www.patheos.com/blogs/rachelmariestone/2012/11/26/th...