Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And here is where the social construction of race and other identities is highly relevant...

Most of the posts show a good-faith effort to tease out the meaning(s) of racial and ethnic identity. 08:45 is just being an idiot.

My question is not where you are trying to take it. I am saying why are some minority groups limited to chosing only one race. There are various skin colors of the other minority groups so there is no way that simply skin color is the reason. Other groups have faced the same mixed ancestry as well. I am a biracial person (b/w), so my intent is to understand why this so. In the biracial community, you are looked upon differently if you choose white but why is the option not there in a community comprised of mixes race ancestry as it is for others of mixed race ancestry.

Okay, so I'll take your question as it's offered. Other people may consider me "biracial" as well, so I'll speak to you as family (b/w) although I can't tell you how rarely I even comment on this stuff because I generally find it so incredibly frustrating to deal with other people's perceptions and their determination to undermine my identity.

Here we go. From what you say, how you phrase it, I take it that you were born after me (1971) and grew up in an environment that was NOT homogenous black. You perceive race as a choice. I do not. Where I was located politically and in time within this country, and the cultural geography of where I grew up resulted in an identity constructed of old school civil rights and black power indoctrination. Despite being mistaken for Lebanese and Puerto Rican (etc.) I identify solely as African-American / Black. When people comment on my children, "Oh, is their father black?" I respond, "Both of their parents are" and it clicks. I guess I'm just racially ambiguous enough... Just to ward off the posters who are inclined to worry about my attachment to my dear white mother, I must say that she would be the first to decry any perceived attack (or questioning) of my black identity.

Being black is political. It is historically-rooted and is "colored" if you will, by the experience of enslavement (here) and colonialism (elsewhere). If you look at color caste systems in Brazil and throughout the Caribbean, you will see the hand of historical events, of social position, etc.

I am no expert, but I find that I hear echos of similar race/color/identity issues with friends from India and her neighbors.

Bottom line: Would they put you on the train?

I wonder if my white (Jewish) mother's hard line is informed by her own cultural history. It didn't really matter how blonde and otherwise Aryan someone appeared or what "choice" they'd made in how to live their life. If they were determined to be Jewish, they were put on that train.

I'd be on that train, no matter how easily I might pass for white. Would you? Nuff said.

Okay, back to work now. Have a good day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And here is where the social construction of race and other identities is highly relevant...

Most of the posts show a good-faith effort to tease out the meaning(s) of racial and ethnic identity. 08:45 is just being an idiot.

My question is not where you are trying to take it. I am saying why are some minority groups limited to chosing only one race. There are various skin colors of the other minority groups so there is no way that simply skin color is the reason. Other groups have faced the same mixed ancestry as well. I am a biracial person (b/w), so my intent is to understand why this so. In the biracial community, you are looked upon differently if you choose white but why is the option not there in a community comprised of mixes race ancestry as it is for others of mixed race ancestry.

Okay, so I'll take your question as it's offered. Other people may consider me "biracial" as well, so I'll speak to you as family (b/w) although I can't tell you how rarely I even comment on this stuff because I generally find it so incredibly frustrating to deal with other people's perceptions and their determination to undermine my identity.

Here we go. From what you say, how you phrase it, I take it that you were born after me (1971) and grew up in an environment that was NOT homogenous black. You perceive race as a choice. I do not. Where I was located politically and in time within this country, and the cultural geography of where I grew up resulted in an identity constructed of old school civil rights and black power indoctrination. Despite being mistaken for Lebanese and Puerto Rican (etc.) I identify solely as African-American / Black. When people comment on my children, "Oh, is their father black?" I respond, "Both of their parents are" and it clicks. I guess I'm just racially ambiguous enough... Just to ward off the posters who are inclined to worry about my attachment to my dear white mother, I must say that she would be the first to decry any perceived attack (or questioning) of my black identity.

Being black is political. It is historically-rooted and is "colored" if you will, by the experience of enslavement (here) and colonialism (elsewhere). If you look at color caste systems in Brazil and throughout the Caribbean, you will see the hand of historical events, of social position, etc.

I am no expert, but I find that I hear echos of similar race/color/identity issues with friends from India and her neighbors.

Bottom line: Would they put you on the train?

I wonder if my white (Jewish) mother's hard line is informed by her own cultural history. It didn't really matter how blonde and otherwise Aryan someone appeared or what "choice" they'd made in how to live their life. If they were determined to be Jewish, they were put on that train.

I'd be on that train, no matter how easily I might pass for white. Would you? Nuff said.

Okay, back to work now. Have a good day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only African Americans are black. But not all blacks are African American.

Why do you think that this is so? Why can't one be a white african american if they are ethnically african american but due to the diversity w/in the community racially white? since many AA have white ancestry.

No such thing as a White African American. This term specifically applies to US blacks whose ancestors were brought over during slavery. How can this possibly apply to whites?

Whites from Africa know their countries of origin, so their nationality is whatever country that they are from. Ex: Charlize Theron is South African, but she is NOT African American.

A better example of my question would be a person with both white and AA ancestry but was not from a biracial couple, could that person identify as someone who was white but of african american ancestry? If the last AA person directly a relative was generations prior.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
And here is where the social construction of race and other identities is highly relevant...

Most of the posts show a good-faith effort to tease out the meaning(s) of racial and ethnic identity. 08:45 is just being an idiot.

My question is not where you are trying to take it. I am saying why are some minority groups limited to chosing only one race. There are various skin colors of the other minority groups so there is no way that simply skin color is the reason. Other groups have faced the same mixed ancestry as well. I am a biracial person (b/w), so my intent is to understand why this so. In the biracial community, you are looked upon differently if you choose white but why is the option not there in a community comprised of mixes race ancestry as it is for others of mixed race ancestry.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only African Americans are black. But not all blacks are African American.

Why do you think that this is so? Why can't one be a white african american if they are ethnically african american but due to the diversity w/in the community racially white? since many AA have white ancestry.

No such thing as a White African American. This term specifically applies to US blacks whose ancestors were brought over during slavery. How can this possibly apply to whites?

Whites from Africa know their countries of origin, so their nationality is whatever country that they are from. Ex: Charlize Theron is South African, but she is NOT African American.

Anonymous wrote:So if I don't know specifically if a person is Chinese or Korean, I just say they are Asian.
If I don't know if someone is from Honduras or El Salvador or Spain, what are they considered? Latino or Hispanic? I don't want to offend anyone

Anonymous wrote:
And here is where the social construction of race and other identities is highly relevant...

Most of the posts show a good-faith effort to tease out the meaning(s) of racial and ethnic identity. 08:45 is just being an idiot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Only African Americans are black. But not all blacks are African American.

Why do you think that this is so? Why can't one be a white african american if they are ethnically african american but due to the diversity w/in the community racially white? since many AA have white ancestry.

Anonymous wrote:Only African Americans are black. But not all blacks are African American.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For you, OP, what's the different between Hispanic and Latino?

Self-identification, sometimes people prefer one term over the other.

NOOOOOOOOOO

Hispanics are people who came from Spain!!!

Latinos are those who come from countries COLONIZED BY Spain!

didn't you guys know that?