Mixed race and the "One Drop Rule"

[Sierra]

Isn't it bizarre that a country who was torn apart because of race, should still be so obsessed by it? We don't record race on birth certificates here.

 

Yes, it's very strange. See what I mean about schizohrenic? Recording race on birth certificates has been done as long as I can remember. Maybe there was a time when they didn't, but I doubt it.

 

I did find some revisions to US birth certificates, since my youngest was born in 1994, and race is still there, only now, there's even more choices, which is actually good. My late maternal grandfather was a white mexican and had strawberry blonde hair (when he had hair ) and blue eyes. So he could have identified as hispanic and white, which, believe me, would have stopped a lot of family arguments.

[Aleksandr]

Even that could be considered an insult, its hard to know where the line is drawn isn't it.

 

If they themselves consider themselves to be black than who's to say they are not. Im certainly not having an argument with every brown person I see that they are not actually black.

Then I can call myself black, and you wouldn't argue? I must have African blood as I am human, and my ancestors came out of Africa a long time ago. Aren't we all black then?

[rubydazzler]

Then I can call myself black, and you wouldn't argue? I must have African blood as I am human, and my ancestors came out of Africa a long time ago. Aren't we all black then?

As far as I know you can call yourself anything you like, provided it's not for the purposes of fraud.

 

No-one else really cares.

[hard2miss]

awwwwww go on

 

I just sooner laugh inwardly at their factual inaccuracy, wouldn't want to cause a scene

[RootsBooster]

It depends on which of the races they most look like

 

Put simply, they look black.

 

That's correct.

 

I think this is an interesting point, is the whole situation self-perpetuating?

 

By this I mean that if for so many years, people of mixed race have been classified as black (no matter how light their skin tone and the aesthetics of their features), has this shaped what we view as somebody "looking more like a black person" ?

 

ie...

 

Leona Lewis and Alecia Keys are commonly referred to as "black" people, but their skin tone is comparable to (or even lighter than some) that of tanned caucasian skin, with no particular facial structure traits of either side being more than the other.

 

Tiger Woods has darker skin, but (to me at least) looks more Southeast Asian in his facial features.

[hard2miss]

Then I can call myself black, and you wouldn't argue? I must have African blood as I am human, and my ancestors came out of Africa a long time ago. Aren't we all black then?

 

Yes why not, black up if you want.

 

I think I'm going to be Chinese, I reckon they are going to be the next big thing.

[Sierra]

I think this is an interesting point, is the whole situation self-perpetuating?

 

By this I mean that if for so many years, people of mixed race have been classified as black (no matter how light their skin tone and the aesthetics of their features), has this shaped what we view as somebody "looking more like a black person" ?

 

ie...

 

Leona Lewis and Alecia Keys are commonly referred to as "black" people, but their skin tone is comparable to (or even lighter than some) that of tanned caucasian skin, with no particular facial structure traits of either side being more than the other.

 

Tiger Woods has darker skin, but (to me at least) looks more Southeast Asian in his facial features.

 

You make a good point, and one I never thought of before. I live here, so it's a 'can't see the forest for the trees' type situation. I wouldn't be lying to say I know a lot of people who don't resemble the race they identify with. Years ago, people were really stereotyped by what they looked like. And the overemphasis on, and perceived and actual benefits of race causes some people to lie about or omit family history. (Like my mother listing us all as white on our birth certificates) And also why a few generations on, you get someone getting a surprise when they see their birth certificate. And movies like The Human Stain and Imitation of Life where someone disowns their family to pass as another race.

 

As someone else pointed out, there are many combinations of genes, and genes can vary wildly within the same family. AND, I feel like a closet racist saying this, but some features are more important to certain groups. I knew afrcian american girls growing up who were fixated on 'good' hair. Good being straight. In my mom's family, eye color took precedence over skin color. The only one with really milk white skin was my grandpa. Even my blue eyed son has skin a shade or two darker than the average white person, but to someone with a sharp eye, he doesn't look 'all white.'

 

Tiger Woods doesn't look 'black' to me, either. Another one is Lou Diamond Phillips, who usually plays hispanic or native american characters, and looks (to me) more Filipino, which he does have some Filipino ancestry as well. (Actually, Tiger woods strongly resembles his mother)

[Frank Sidney]

The thing is, erm, well how to word it..

 

If there was a rapist who was 25% black and the media ran a story claiming he was black I don't think that would be supported by the same people who claim people are black when its in a positive light?

[Cyclone]

Hmmmm...what gets me is, we now call people of mixed race....erm, well mixed race...whereas it always used to be half caste, now all of a sudden half caste deems to be racist and offensive, it never used to like that, well, it was never used by me that way... when did it become offensive.?

 

You just have to look at what caste means to see why it might be offensive to someone.

[natjack]

Hmmmm...what gets me is, we now call people of mixed race....erm, well mixed race...whereas it always used to be half caste, now all of a sudden half caste deems to be racist and offensive, it never used to like that, well, it was never used by me that way... when did it become offensive.?

I'd never heard it but my uncle says in the 60s.

I can understand how it can be offensive if you look into the literal meaning. If you accept the word "caste" comes from the Latin "castus" meaning "pure", more than it comes from the Portugese/Spanish "casta" meaning "race", then half-caste would mean half-pure.

Mixed race used to be half-cast meaning either half-race or half-pure (blood)? Half of each race/half of each blood? That sounds just factual really, not insulting.

The term 'half-caste' is on a par with 'half breed' as far as I'm concerned. I don't even think that 'mixed-race' is considered acceptable anymore in the States and has been replaced with interracial, dual heritage or some such.

dual heritage always makes me think you like in line to inherit a couple of dukedoms or something.

You just have to look at what caste means to see why it might be offensive to someone.

If it means what RootsBooster says it does, dont sound that bad to me? Suppose it's like any other description it all depends on how you say it or how you told to look at it?