Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ralph I believe your mistaken.. I relocated to the south and racism is Alive and VERY HEALTHY among everyone down here..Millennials or Milleniums Might be Sing along with black music and may be dressing like gangstas etc etc but every other word out of their mouths show that Racism is still as strong as it was in 1850... Racism is all about location location location.. hahahaha
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ralph_Kirk
I don't know how old you are WiseWino, but you sound like a Boomer. I understand because I'm a Boomer, too.
I would submit that while what you have said has been true for Boomers and earlier, it will not still be true in 25 years when Millennials are running society.
Right now, we are in an immense racial transition. This is not by any means a post-racial society because the last generation programmed to be racists are still in control of society. Those of that generation who are not racists are fighting our social upbringing--and we are statistical outliers, not the peak of the bell curve of our generation. Most of our generation, in their heart of hearts, go along with the programming.
I'm taking a racial studies class and want to gather some data but on top of that I'm extremely curious, I'm American but I'm half Afro Brazilian and half German American. When in both countries(meaning brazil and germany) and I say i'm half black half white it's usually accepted. It's a pretty common thing for people from other countries to think that Americans follow the one drop rule/don't accept people being multiracial(my dominican friends especially say this). Any who, just wanted to know if that was true or not, what race do you guys consider a "mulatto" to be.
Thanks.
I suppose you could call that biracial, but we are all multiracial and I call us the human race.
I don't feel any compulsion to put people into racial categories, and I always appreciate it when others feel the same way. In fact, I am sick of the emphasis on race that is constantly pushed at us from the media.
I prefer to judge people by the content of their character. I don't want people making assumptions about me because of the color of my skin, either.
The one drop rule was always ridiculous and is still ridiculous and I'm glad to see it disappearing over the horizon. I will do all I can every day of my life to hasten it's departure.
Ralph I believe your mistaken.. I relocated to the south and racism is Alive and VERY HEALTHY among everyone down here..Millennials or Milleniums Might be Sing along with black music and may be dressing like gangstas etc etc but every other word out of their mouths show that Racism is still as strong as it was in 1850... Racism is all about location location location.. hahahaha
There has to be a distinction made between Millennials who might actually be racist and those who are forced by circumstances into the prevailing racist Boomer social framework, waiting to establish their own framework when Boomers finally die.
But I'm aware that racists do hope their racism will continue forever.
I'm mixed, and I identify as American, but if you insist on a racial categorization I consider myself simply mixed. I will say that I am black or half white on certain occasions depending on the context, but again I really just see mys4elf as American, just like a Mexican sees himself as Mexican.
I'd say 2/3 posts here are just ridiculous, when posters say something like "You are whatever your father is, that's the rule in the black community" or "all the mixed people I know consider themselves black". Something to know is that if you come off as the bitter racist old guy like a lot of old people do, we (mixed people) will just tell you what you want to hear, because it's easier to just avoid conflict, but that doesn't mean that person actually identifies as "black" when they are genuinely asked (instead of being told by a guy who seems like he'll argue with you if you're honest). Also, Obama is a terrible example, he's a politician, he's not going to blow the minds of bitter old people by saying he's mixed, he needs their votes too. The "safe" way to play it is identify as black, so that black people will love you and you won't alienate the bitter old people either. He's just following the logical course. Lastly, no I've never heard of a rule among black people that you are whatever your father is. That's news to me, and I am 99% sure this guy has no clue what he's talking about.
And BTW, it isn't a black or white thing, blacks are just as racist as whites, and a lot of them get really mad and emotionally hurt when we say "I'm mixed", as if we are rejecting them or "trying to be better" . Also, a lot of old people, I guess those are the "boomers" especially seem to have a really hard time understanding that someone with a white mother and a black father can consider themselves both. It seems like basic logic to me, but some of them seem to have their mind blown. When you say "you're black" you are effectively denying half of our ancestry, and it only makes you look ignorant. Yes, we are half English or German, et cetera and that entire culture you are raised is your culture too. I would ask someone who has a French mother and a German father, do you consider yourself French? Of course, they probably know French and were raised in French culture, it's the same dynamic. To say "you're only German" is really ridiculous, but ultimately it just makes the person holding this belief look quite ignorant. It isn't really something I'd ever say to you in person because it's easier to keep my opinion to myself, but people who do, and they are usually bitter old people, this really makes them look backwards and racist.
Anyways, the entire white/black dynamic is really quite childish and people (like on this thread) make a much bigger deal of it than it is. No, it isn't all that special, it's just like having brown hair or red hair. No one really cares unless they have some chip on their shoulder. Some old people will have you believe that mixed people aren't "accepted" by whites or "accepted" by blacks or we have to "pick a group", and that's total nonsense. Look, I don't know how it was in 1950 when you were my age of 28, but today most white people I congregate with could care less about forming an all-white clique and the same goes with blacks. The idea that we need to be "accepted" by one race or another sounds like something out of the twilight zone, really. Maybe that's how it was in your day, but we usually don't divide ourselves up based on race. Lots of black people have white friends and vice-versa and date each other. It's not a much bigger deal than someone saying "Mom, I'm going out with a Catholic tonight". Hey this isn't, just me, this is the same thing Pew research polls tell us.
I totally agree with you. The government on all levels promotes this racial way of thinking by giving advantages to one race over another regardless of what races are involved. It's no accident you'll be asked on almost any official form what race you are from entering schools to filling out a job application, to the national census taken every ten years.
If all reference to race were eliminated, this country would be a better place.
Yes! This talk of race and racial studies reminds me so much of Nazi Germany when they attempted to place everyone in a designated category for evil purposes. The Federal Government now loves to label us all for its not so trustworthy goals.
Your last sentence says it all. Lets eliminate racial categories and judge people not on their skin colour but on their character and intelligence. America would be a better place if we all pulled together as Americans and not as hyphenated beings. Treat someone as you would be treated!
I may not even be allowed to comment here, but to educate is my goal.
Not all "black" people look alike for reasons already discussed. In the olden days there were actually designations (some, I'd say some could find derogatory in a sense) for describing black people. But, nonetheless, despite certain "claims" about certain types, it was quite accurate, and, like white people, gave blacks a sort of "sub-identity." I'm sure that today, many blacks and liberal whites don't care for this. But, generalizing about everything and everyone is the new in thing. There's one word for 10 different things.
There were "Jersey Whites" "Rhode Island Reds" "Eggplants" "Standards" "Cocoas" "Peppers" and a few others I don't immediately recall. There were high yellows, quadroons, octaroons, as well.
Aside from a few (like, Rhode Island Reds) there was nothing judgemental. That's important. I especially appreciated the description of Jersey Whites - "characteristically seen at bus stops heading off to or home from work, urbanely dressed, tan raincoat, often a briefcase, black umbrella, café au lait complexion, blondish hair, almost entirely female and obviously educated..." and that was true.
Part of true assimilation is that not everybody from the same part of the world is the same as all the others. No matter what. Why? Because people are people. Look around the world? Do they all act or look the same? Of course not.
If there are "rules" for determining who's black and who's white, those are cultural or political rules, and have nothing to do with biology. You can't change biology, but you can change your attitude toward things.
For those who seem to care a lot about determining the "rules" for labeling others, ask yourselves: what's your motives for doing so? Does your labeling others further tolerance in our communities?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
