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11 Ridiculous Moments From This Year We Don't Want To See In 2016

Do better.
Taryn Finley
By 

Black Voices Editor, HuffPost

As cliché and overused as the term "new year, new me" is, there are plenty of people who need to use it in the upcoming year.

As if the dozens of black men and women unjustly gunned down by police wasn't enough to cope with, there were too many times this year when the black existence and black culture was belittled in nuanced ways.

Public figures made offensive remarks, celebs used appropriation as an accessory and white people believed their tears and complaints against black people would solve America's race issue. As we all try to come up with our New Year's resolutions, let this list of 11 absurd moments serve as a guide and a gentle reminder of the things we don't need to let happen in 2016.

Ben Carson comparing things to slavery.
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
The republican presidential candidate thinks that the centuries of forced labor, racism and cultural displacement that this country was built upon is comparable to abortion. He also said that Obamacare is the worst thing to happen since the enslavement of an entire race. We're sure Carson will say other things that will make us give a collective side-eye before the primaries, but he can spare us the history lessons.
Hair-shaming black people.
Steve Granitz via Getty Images
Miley Cyrus, Kylie Jenner and random white guys on Tumblr all received praise from mainstream media about their dreadlocks this year. However, when Zendaya wore them on the red carpet at this year's Oscars, "Fashion Police" co-host Giuliana Rancic said the actress' hair looked like it smelled like patchouli oil or weed. Although, Zendaya tastefully clapped back, this needs to be a lesson for the upcoming year and life in general: Don't hair-shame black people but praise white people for wearing the exact same styles we created.
Raven-Symoné opening her mouth.
From the former Cheetah Girl saying she'd never hire someone with a "ghetto" name to her scolding the teen who got dragged across a classroom floor for not putting her phone away, Raven just needs to stop talking. This shouldn't be a difficult request, especially since more than 120,000 people have signed a petition to get her removed from "The View."
Oversaturated dance crazes.
Rest in peace to the "Nae Nae," the "whip," the "dab" and any other dance craze started by black people and ruined by white people. These dances are constantly ran into the ground by the reporters who don't give proper credit to their originators and the rhythmless people who try them and fail miserably. Next time you see a popping dance you want to emulate, make sure you're moving on the two and four and not the one and three.
Fetishizing mixed and light skin children.
Showing preference to lighter shades of skin or mixed children is problematic and it needs to be nipped in the bud once and for all. Comedian and blogger Franchesca Ramsey completely nailed the issue when she said, "This idea that being partially white is somehow more attractive or more desirable basically says that blackness is not attractive or desirable." This ideology is not only wrong but it's a product of bigotry that has lasted for centuries. Yes, kids with lighter complexions are cute, but so are kids with darker complexions and every shade in between.
Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams" video.
YouTube
When Swift released her video for "Wildest Dreams," which was filmed in Africa, it featured beautiful shots of a white couple falling in love, along with animals and a gorgeous landscape. There was only one problem: No people of color. From the all-white cast to the fashion, this video romanticizes a colonized African country. The erasure of black lives in black spaces for mainstream profit has to come to an end.
#Damonsplaining.
Instead of listening to seasoned director Effie Brown's viewpoints on diversity in film, Matt Damon cut her off to explain diversity should only apply to the cast of the film, not those who make the film. Damon received lots of criticism on social media for his comments and issued an "apology." Judging by Hollywood's dismal diversity numbers, white men need to do the exact opposite of Damonsplaining next year.
Scalia’s comments on black students attending “slower” colleges.
Alex Wong via Getty Images
During the affirmative action case Fisher v. University of Texas, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia argued that black students belong in "slower-track" colleges. Black graduates called out Scalia's inaccurate comments with the hashtag #StayMadAbby, in which they tweeted photos of themselves in their caps and gowns. Scalia's argument was insulting and there's no room for this kind of ignorance in 2016.

Now, can we mark these as lessons learned?

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