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Originally Posted by jade408 View Post... Not in the US. Being part black, even minutely, equals black. No one calls Obama white even though he is half. White people do not claim the biracials as white.
As far as biracial people, you speak for everyone now? I recall the frustration some people felt when they were asked to fill out the census forms. As this NPR article states, one box isn't enough. One of the guys in the article, a black man that had been married to a white gal said his kids had their own ideas about identity. He said his kids know that they don't exactly fit into the, 'They are black, they are white' ... way of thinking. Census officials Nicholas Jones and Roberto Ramirez state that “Increasingly, Americans are saying they cannot find themselves” on census forms. As many as 6.2% of census respondents selected only “some other race” in the 2010 census. They are working on redoing the forms for next time.
I thought about this myself as I was married to a black gal at one time. Our kids would have been a mix of both races, as much white as black. To exclude the roots from one parent seems ridiculous and I doubt parents of biracial kids encourage this. They realize they are a mix and embrace both rather than just one side of their roots.
I call Obama what he is, biracial. I don't refer to him as black because he is a product of an interracial marriage. How many votes do you think Obama would have gotten from people of color if he had been talking only about his white roots and the mother that raised him? When there is an agenda involved whether politics, the kind of music one puts out and targets, it's not quite the same thing as the average person. Biracials kids today often have both white and black friends and tend to not be so hung up on colors. Which is good.
This gal could be a mix of black and white (say Italian), or a mix of black and Indian. You see gals like this in South Africa. And I did once know an Indian gal that looked a lot like the girl in the photo. She lives in India.
Anyway, who cares about pigeonholing people with regard to color. Way too much of that about. "A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character" ~ A very true African proverb.
Originally Posted by jade408 View Post... Not in the US. Being part black, even minutely, equals black. No one calls Obama white even though he is half. White people do not claim the biracials as white.
As far as biracial people, you speak for everyone now? I recall the frustration some people felt when they were asked to fill out the census forms. As this NPR article states, one box isn't enough. One of the guys in the article, a black man that had been married to a white gal said his kids had their own ideas about identity. He said his kids know that they don't exactly fit into the, 'They are black, they are white' ... way of thinking. Census officials Nicholas Jones and Roberto Ramirez state that “Increasingly, Americans are saying they cannot find themselves” on census forms. As many as 6.2% of census respondents selected only “some other race” in the 2010 census. They are working on redoing the forms for next time.
I thought about this myself as I was married to a black gal at one time. Our kids would have been a mix of both races, as much white as black. To exclude the roots from one parent seems ridiculous and I doubt parents of biracial kids encourage this. They realize they are a mix and embrace both rather than just one side of their roots.
I call Obama what he is, biracial. I don't refer to him as black because he is a product of an interracial marriage. How many votes do you think Obama would have gotten from people of color if he had been talking only about his white roots and the mother that raised him?
This gal could be a mix of black and white (say Italian), or a mix of black and Indian. You see gals like this in South Africa. And I did once know an Indian gal that looked a lot like the girl in the photo. She lives in India.
Anyway, who cares about pigeonholing people with regard to color. Way too much of that about. "A pretty face and fine clothes do not make character" ~ A very true African proverb.
Personally, i like to focus on making sure the box is more inclusive - making the box so large it is like a grab bag of random stuff.
Do not take this personal biricial people, parents and loved ones of biriacial (and/or mixed people). Generally speaking you are so focused on coming up with reasons you do not belong in the box, it ends up reinforcing the very sterotyping you are "against."
Personally, i like to focus on making sure the box is more inclusive - making the box so large it is like a grab bag of random stuff.
Do not take this personal biricial people, parents and loved ones of biriacial (and/or mixed people). Generally speaking you are so focused on coming up with reasons you do not belong in the box, it ends up reinforcing the very sterotyping you are "against."
What?
Why can't people understand that many biracial people simply DON'T fit into one box or the other? It's not a matter of "being so focused on coming up with reasons" - it's more a matter of "I'm not one or the other - I'm both, so why should I feel compelled to choose between my parents?" That's what it feels like to someo of them -that people are trying to force them to choose between cultures, or parents, or their own heritage.
And for what reason? WHY should they have to choose "either/or" instead of "all?"
No, most people can agree that Oprah is black. And even if she looked "mixed," she would still be perceived as and treated as a black person. And if you read the comments on an article about her, she's every racial slur in the book.
And you seemed to skim over why Halle Berry is perceived as black? lmao.
And you're trying way too hard to come across as intelligent. Just fyi. And it's not working.
And i'm neither white nor 70 years old. I'm biracial, so try again.
Again your point while not fully true and I don't necessarily disagree with it, but your point was irrelevant to the point I was trying to get across to the user I was replying to. I'm simply pointing out the other side and pointing out the flaw in one's argument with an equally flawed or valid argument.
Are you equating blackness with a stereotypical inferiority victimhood complex? That's not cool.
I didn't skim over anything you mentioned about Halle Berry because it was not mentioned in your post or comment. To address your claims about Halle Berry, not everyone considers her black and she is regarded as ambiguous or mixed race by many people. Although Halle Berry IDs as a mixed woman and as black at the same time. She has that right to self identify how she chooses. So part of her self identity influences how others may see her.
However the experience of mixed race people varies by individual experience.
And idk why you are resorting to ad homs of me or anyone else trying to come across as intelligent. This is not an IQ competition. If you think you know every damn thing be my guest and go right ahead because, only a FOOL knows everything.
Rofl! I'm not white or 70 years old. The fact that you even have to resort to ad hominems and strawmen arguments is laughable at best and shows your lack of intelligence or lack thereof of anything intelligent to say.
And btw I suggest you study history of the USA because up until recently Halle Berry would have been considered WHITE in places like Ohio, since under state law having at least half European and white ancestry or higher made her legally WHITE. Obama would be a WHITE man too.
On the USA censuses all the way up to the 1930s, mulatto and other mixed race categories were seperate races on USA censuses. From 1940s to 1967 mixed categories were removed from census but mixed race consciousness was gradually restored by 1967 with the Loving V. Virginia triumph victory.
Why can't people understand that many biracial people simply DON'T fit into one box or the other? It's not a matter of "being so focused on coming up with reasons" - it's more a matter of "I'm not one or the other - I'm both, so why should I feel compelled to choose between my parents?" That's what it feels like to someo of them -that people are trying to force them to choose between cultures, or parents, or their own heritage.
And for what reason? WHY should they have to choose "either/or" instead of "all?"
People can identify however they want, but our society is going to place you into a box based on your appearance.
J.Lo and Rosie Perez are both puerto rican, yet Rosie played "black characters" quite often in her career.
One of my friends is black and latina. If you ask her, she'll tell you all about both sides of her ancestry. But if she walks by you aren't going to call her latina.
My japanese american friend married a chinese american guy and they have a daughter. Her daughter is mixed, but you'd call her asian. Middle Easten people and North Africans technically check the white box on the census, but we don't perceive them as such.
If you haven't noticed, the only people who do not get to choose to be "mixed" or "biracial" etc are part black, directly or indirectly. In our Americancaste system, being blsck is at the bottom, and it pays to distance yourself. But black is black in our society, and at some point something happens to make you aware of it.
Not exactly. Much of how multiracial people identify is determined by how they are perceived by broader society.
People do not perceive Alicia Keys and Halle Berry as biracial, they are perceived as black.
As the old saying goes, you can claim to mixed as long as you want, but when the police officer is racial profiling you, they do not care whether you are 25% black, 50% black or 100% black.
This is true. That's why J. Cole (rapper, who is biracial) says he calls himself black. He can't pull the white card if he's pulled over by the police.
Fact is, Halle is such a "beautiful" black woman (according to politically correct white folks who wanna seem open minded).
Again your point while not fully true and I don't necessarily disagree with it, but your point was irrelevant to the point I was trying to get across to the user I was replying to. I'm simply pointing out the other side and pointing out the flaw in one's argument with an equally flawed or valid argument.
Are you equating blackness with a stereotypical inferiority victimhood complex? That's not cool.
I didn't skim over anything you mentioned about Halle Berry because it was not mentioned in your post or comment. To address your claims about Halle Berry, not everyone considers her black and she is regarded as ambiguous or mixed race by many people. Although Halle Berry IDs as a mixed woman and as black at the same time. She has that right to self identify how she chooses. So part of her self identity influences how others may see her.
However the experience of mixed race people varies by individual experience.
And idk why you are resorting to ad homs of me or anyone else trying to come across as intelligent. This is not an IQ competition. If you think you know every damn thing be my guest and go right ahead because, only a FOOL knows everything.
Rofl! I'm not white or 70 years old. The fact that you even have to resort to ad hominems and strawmen arguments is laughable at best and shows your lack of intelligence or lack thereof of anything intelligent to say.
And btw I suggest you study history of the USA because up until recently Halle Berry would have been considered WHITE in places like Ohio, since under state law having at least half European and white ancestry or higher made her legally WHITE. Obama would be a WHITE man too.
On the USA censuses all the way up to the 1930s, mulatto and other mixed race categories were seperate races on USA censuses. From 1940s to 1967 mixed categories were removed from census but mixed race consciousness was gradually restored by 1967 with the Loving V. Virginia triumph victory.
Yeah, would they be white before or after being lynched?
And Halle sure is black (as is Alicia Keys) when white guys are playing politically correct by calling her a beautiful black woman. So ironic lmao Most people will consider someone who is half black, to be just that.
if a white person tries to bring a biracial person home, they have to warn their families.
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I Volunteer At A California Food Bank With A East Indian Woman She's African American
