Black Is As Black Does

FreeMan said; "...Black to me is defined by one's color and shared origins..."

First let's look at color.
Many Indians (from India) have a darker complexion than do many people who would be counted as Black in America.
But so would the Aboriginal peoples of New Zealand and Australia.
Skin color is obtained by one's historical location on the planet as much as one's ancestry.

But as far as "shared origins" - there seems to be a cutoff point.
Let's say that Master P enjoyed his Malibu home.
His son would be exposed to a lifestyle and culture that many Americans - let alone African Americans - would find foreign.
Then let's say that Lil' Romeo decided to attend Stanford University and then furthered his education at Wharton Business School.
LIl' Romeo would meet and form connections with many people of power who happened to not be Black.

Now, in the third generation... the trouble begins.
Lil' Romeo's children would probably have more in common with the kids from Beverly Hills than they would with the kids from Master P's hometown of New Orleans.
Lil' Romeo Jr. and his siblings would be exposed to things that others see as being endemic to rich white people.

So, would this third generation be any less Black than those from the third generation of the displaced New Orleanian flood victims?
And herein lies the problem - the cutoff point of "Blackness".
Many Blacks assume a sort of mutation into Non-Black with each (higher) level of achievement.
But this causes division when there should have been a greater amount of new resources within the community.
Since the new bougie (And I don't mean this in the pejorative (i.e. affectational/pretentious/ostentatious), just in the aspirational/bourgeoisie/middle class sense.) class of Blacks is ostracized from their roots - what is the incentive to give back to one's community?
What is the incentive to identify with a group that now calls you "other" solely predicated on haven overcome some of the obstacles dealing with race?

In reality, the whole "Blackest on the Planet" title was meant to instigate a discussion.
IMO- "Black" includes from;
HERE .....................................................................................................................TO HERE (inclusive).
It does NOT mean;
THIS ......................................................................................................................BUT NOT THIS.

I was at ed's spot when the topic came around to dealing with a group a Blacks who seem to perform at less than a desirable level.
Everyone had a story about how they dealt with the issue.
One guy described a situation in which his gardener was failing in his attempt to provide a marketable service to his customers.
But the guy commenting got it right.
He stated that in talking to his yardman - he discovered that the guy needed his help more than his ridicule.

Fighting a battle over what is "REAL Black" is foolish.
Fighting the battle within a battle of or between races is suicidal.