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It may be innocent or intentional on your part, but to me, the way you worded your post baits for racist dialog. You imply that being accepted into the mainstream culture and being considered white are synonymous. That's ridiculous.
Are Puerto Ricans "white"? It depends on their ancestry. Cyntmac's response is right on! Someone of Puerto Rican ancestry may be white, black, Taino, or mulatto; so it is impossible to give a generic answer to this.
I've observed that the majority of New Jerseyans care far less about race and ethnicity than their parents did, who cared less than their parents, and so on. If someone acts with American character, they'll get treated like one. Act with foreign character and they'll not be treated like an American -- and that's not "bad" or "disrespectful," just foreign.
Regarding your question about Puerto Ricans assimilating into American (home) culture, I don't know -- maybe they assimilate into American culture more easily because they are Americans by birth? For example, my Puerto Rican father-in-law is a WW2 U.S. Army veteran. That early exposure to mainstream American culture set a pattern for life. He retained the best of island culture while adopting mainland American culture, and he raised his family to do likewise. He now has four adult American offspring who are living the American dream.
Regarding white or non-white, sure there are racists among us -- but they come in all colors! Frankly, I don't give a damn what color someone's skin is or where they are from, and I don't think the majority of New Jerseyans do either. Want proof? Just look at who we voted into the White House.
Accordingly, the question for me is, "Do you or do you not want to be an American?" More so, "Do you or do you not want to be my countryman?" If someone's primary focus is on the color of another person's skin or the place of their ancestry, that's alarming to me. I'm an American of European ancestry. My children's mother is an American of Puerto Rican ancestry. To us, the term "white" is somewhat outdated and irrelevant.
And it's with this attitude that we may finally realize Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream: I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I share that dream. We're not there yet -- but we're a lot closer than we were 25 years ago, which is much closer than we were 50 years ago, and so on.
It's first about character, it's then about culture, and it's lastly -- if at all -- about skin color.
Awesome response! We are a multi-ethnic couple, and we don't even teach our kids to call others black & white. We tell them what some people, especially Americans think about race, and how bigots on all sides may perceive them. Then we teach them what science has proven, there is only ONE race. We teach that they should NEVER allow ANYONE to define who they are, and how they should identify themselves. We never had to deal with it in NJ much, but here in Pa, the people are very bigoted, so we reinforce these values everyday. Its pissed some idiots off, but OH FREAKIN' WELL! We could care less what others think, and our kids are individuals who don't try to "fit in", because their parents support them as long as they do right by themselves, their family, and society. It looks like you and your wife are raising your kids to love ALL of their culture too, and kudos to you both for that! I love seeing couples from different backgrounds making it happen no matter what idiots may say.
The bottom line is that the concept of more than one race was a big lie introduced by imperialists to make others accept their oppressive goals and help them to achieve them. There isn't a scientist worth his schooling who will say there is more than one race. There is only one, the human race, and that is the ONLY race we will identify with. Thanks again for great post. It is so refreshing to encounter people who respect people's differences.
There isn't a scientist worth his schooling who will say there is more than one race. There is only one, the human race, and that is the ONLY race we will identify with. Thanks again for great post. It is so refreshing to encounter people who respect people's differences.
race isnt a scientific term brainiac. we are one species, not one race.
Last edited by CaptainNJ; 03-31-2013 at 03:36 PM..
Many Puerto Ricans are (jincho) white in apperance. Myself being Puerto Rican , many of my people feel the need to copy blacks.In the northeast many blacks and Ricans have mixed. I know my grandmother who lived the Bronx would tell my Dad never to play with black kids, even though he is darker skinned. We have to stop copying black Americans and stick with boricua culture.
You're not gonna be able to do that in the US, so good luck with that.
People act like Africans only came as slaves to the U.S. The majority actually went to Latin America. I know it hurts to hear it but a great percentage of Puerto Ricans are descendants of those slaves.
People act like Africans only came as slaves to the U.S. The majority actually went to Latin America. I know it hurts to hear it but a great percentage of Puerto Ricans are descendants of those slaves.
People act like Africans only came as slaves to the U.S. The majority actually went to Latin America. I know it hurts to hear it but a great percentage of Puerto Ricans are descendants of those slaves.
I have some slave documents and shackles from Puerto Rico.
oh, is this the issue where a dark skinned puerto rican gets offended when a light skinned one considers him/herself white? ive seen that come up.
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