I was floored and saddened by the ignorant and downright asinine comments made by people attempting (and failing) to be Twitter funny. I'm not going to call out individual people, but I screenshot some responses just so I could respond to exactly what was said. Here are a few of my favorite (read: the dumbest) tweets:
"I see enough blacks daily. Why would I want to see more of y'all but darker?"
Wow. Self-hate much? Tupac said it best. "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots." Black is beautiful. Period. And guess what? Just because an American is black, they're just that...a black American. That happens to be different than a black Ghanaian, for example. They have two totally different backgrounds and perspectives on life.
Further, plenty of people of various descents live in Africa. South Africa is a great example of this. There are people of African, European, Asian, and Indian descent born and living in South Africa, so being black and African isn't mutually exclusive. But I'm pretty sure the person who made this comment knew that already (insert sarcasm here).
"I don't imagine Africa good for anything except safaris. I know I'm wrong though."
Yeah, you are. While safaris are a great benefit to visiting the continent, they aren't even offered in all parts of Africa, so it's a very limited point of view. Many countries in Africa have bustling cities, beaches, mountains, and more.
"It's expensive."
This may be true, but not always. South African Airways just had a deal to Johannesburg for about $500. That's better than most deals you can get to some parts of the Caribbean or Europe. As is the case for other destinations, there are ways to save money by using credit card and hotel points, Groupon, and other online resources. You need to plan and prepare for possible expenses with any major travel.
"There's nothing I want to see in Africa except the sphinx and pyramids."
Why is that? Because that's what history books told you that's all there is? Why hold such a limited view of what there is to see? There are many notable sites outside of Egypt, including Victoria Falls in Zambia & Zimbabwe, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Table Mountain in South Africa and Aksum in Ethiopia, just to name a few. Don't get me wrong, the sphinx and pyramids are on my wish list too; they're just not on there alone.
