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.
I guess. But it only seems silly because of the one drop rule. Cory Booker, to use him again, has near pale skin. Even if he still retains some West African features, his skin tone should disqualify him from being a black male. The same as how an Arab isn't white because they're a little too dark, even if their facial features are near identical to Europeans. Just strikes me as weird, is race purely about skin colour or not?
Again, the biggest misnomer, as if that were the case, either everybody would be Black or the 31% of Whites in the country that are between 2-20% African ancestry would be Black.
Again, no...Both of his parents are/identify as Black and he isn't going to be mistaken for anything else in this country.
Third, a lot of it is cultural as well, not just skin tone in terms Arabs. Then, you have to consider that Moroccans and Egyptians aren't just Arab.
I'd also like to add that race is about a socio-historical reality within the country as well.
Race and ethnicity in the US is defined by the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the US Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify. It's an American thing because many federal programs are put into effect based on the race data obtained from the decennial census, also to promote equal employment opportunities, housing, public health etc.
In America everything seems to be about race.
Race refers to a person's physical characteristics, such as bone structure and skin, hair, or eye color. Ethnicity, however, refers to cultural factors, including nationality, regional culture, ancestry, and language.
Cheers for the info. Just one of those things that interesting to think about.
Again, the biggest misnomer, as if that were the case, either everybody would be Black or the 31% of Whites in the country that are between 2-20% African ancestry would be Black.
Again, no...Both of his parents are/identify as Black and he isn't going to be mistaken for anything else in this country.
I'm not debating the merits of the one drop system, obviously people back then not knowing much regarding genetics, the system was flawed. My point concerning the one drop rule was that its historical use may have influenced who we see as black. Because a mixed race person with one black parent would only be classed as black by whites instead of a separate race, we have become used to these people being just as black as a dark skinned person. That's partially the reason why his parents can identify as black, hell that's why somebody who is maybe 35% Saharan African can identify as black, yet if a person with a similar percentage of European genes were to claim they were white, they'd be laughed out the room. Just find the whole a bit interesting, is all.
I'm not debating the merits of the one drop system, obviously people back then not knowing much regarding genetics, the system was flawed. My point concerning the one drop rule was that its historical use may have influenced who we see as black. Because a mixed race person with one black parent would only be classed as black by whites instead of a separate race, we have become used to these people being just as black as a dark skinned person. That's partially the reason why his parents can identify as black, hell that's why somebody who is maybe 35% Saharan African can identify as black, yet if a person with a similar percentage of European genes were to claim they were white, they'd be laughed out the room. Just find the whole a bit interesting, is all.
This goes back to the socio-historical aspect and that race was created by Europeans for economic reasons, with a sense of purity along with superiority/inferiority that an institution that built and laid the foundation for this country used. An example of this, is that many Western Hemisphere countries encouraged immigration from Europe in the late 19th century/early 20th century due to demographic reasons and that is why, if you notice, that most Black people/people of African descent in the Western Hemisphere tend to have longer roots on this side of the globe versus those that largely identify as White or of primarily European descent.
Visibility and/or notability(i.e.-knowing a person's parents, etc.) plays a part in this as well. So, that is why you get what you mentioned.
Last edited by ckhthankgod; 07-26-2018 at 01:07 PM..
I would say, you're an idiot. If I've offended you, I think it's fitting, as you just offended, and stereotyped, two entire regions of people....many millions.
So, that means that Barack Obama is not African-American, since neither of his parents where African-American?
Correct.
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.
