A Mad, Mad Agent in a Mad, Mad World ([info]tinmaninacan) wrote,
@ 2008-11-24 01:30:00
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Entry tags:rant

For Clarification

I love the guy - I voted for him and hope he'll do what he promises, but I just don't consider Barack Obama to be "Black." Same goes for folks like Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, or Tiger Woods. I just see them as mixed. I think Barack at least may feel the same way since he's always dodging ethnicity questions. I understand way back when in slavery times and/or when blacks were still embroiled in civil rights battles that that's how people were classified back then. The weird thing to me is that if you were to ask any of them why, most would give that exact reason - that Whitey used to automatically consider anyone with ANY black blood as "Black." It's my belief that this is an incredibly antiquated line of thought and that kind of thinking holds them back. I mean - it's 2008. Black men aren't [officially] arrested for just looking at white women anymore. Mixed babies of black women aren't automatically written off as bastards anymore. So let's get rid of this old-school "Massa sez" way of thinking.

Not that I'm denying that they don't have it in them. I just don't think it's right to embrace only one part of their heritage and [essentially] denounce the other. Unless that other parent was a total a-hole to them or something. That'd make me want to forget that part of my family. But I like what Tiger did - he publicly embraces all parts of himself.

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[info]xxabscisinxx
2008-11-24 06:54 am UTC (link)
But people with mixed blood often consider themselves black... when in reality they are half white. Who cares if that's their more noticeable race, they're still half white. By both sides, most people with any black blood are still considered black... which I think is more derogatory to white people than black.

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[info]tinmaninacan
2008-11-24 12:32 pm UTC (link)
Exactly my point - especially in this day and age. The only exception I noted was because I have a friend who is half-japanese and mainly embraces that part of her because her dad was awful to her, so she (seems to, at least) not really want any part of it.

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[info]orochiyamazaki
2008-11-24 12:57 pm UTC (link)
Being a mix of Asian and European lineage, I identify myself predominantly as a chimera (figuratively speaking), moreso than one of my component ethnicities. Naturally, I can identify traits of each, but - in my personal experiences, and observations of others - the sum of these traits lend to a different kind of being, of varying degrees. As such, one can face situations unique to a mixed person, some experiences unique to the different component ethnicities, and experiences common to all people - regardless or ethnicity. On the other side of the same token - there are some experiences, unique to each particular component ethnicity, that a mixed person may never face. And all of that is even before considering environmental factors that might have bearing in the upbringing of an individual (I have an Scottish friend who, through growing up in Hawaii, has far more social traits common to Polynesia than the UK).

But, hopefully, more people will begin to see beyond inherit differences between ethnicities and regions, and focus more on universal problems facing all people. IMO, it just seems both more pragmatic and ethical to approach problems from a more universal perspective.

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[info]keiichi_chan
2008-11-25 12:06 am UTC (link)
Or we could just look at people and not even think of what racial sub-category they belong to at all?
I mean, ideally people should just look at him and see a man(I do). I do see him as Half white/black but I don't really think about it much since race isnt what automatically pops into my head when thinking about a person. And since Obama isnt constantly mentioning race and yeah, his white mother raised him so imagine he has issues with being considered "just black" by a lot of ppl, I dont really associate him when any race in my head.
Race doesnt register to me much unless the person keeps attaching some level of importance to it themselves. Like I usually see Halle Barry as blakc because she always associates herself with that obnoxious "for all the little black girls" kind of spiel.

Race is only a big deal to me if someone is Japanese, because they're our betters. ;D

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[info]orochiyamazaki
2008-11-26 06:02 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, I agree... Race, independently, means so very little to me. When I talk to someone, I'm interested in where they grew up, their life experiences, their education, their opinions, their motivations, and so on. It's not because I wanna be P.C., but that my mind just works all pragmatic like that.

With the election, I didn't care about celebrity endorsements, religious affiliation, race, family members (unless it involved health concerns), who wore what, what comedian did the best impression of them, or anything else that didn't reflect on their political agenda...

It entirely boiled down to whose voting history and public speaking record reflected my opinion on these topics, in order: Tax Reform, Free Trade, Budget & Economy, Bankruptcy Overhaul, Energy & Oil (particularly independence from OPEC), Foreign Policy, 2nd Amendment Rights, Civil Rights, Immigration, and Drug Enforcement.

I wouldn't care in the least if a candidate were asexual, purple skinned, green haired, with boxing gloves for hands... If their political agenda supported my beliefs, and they were healthy enough to survive 4 ~ 8 years, I'm-a voting for them.

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[info]tinmaninacan
2008-11-27 12:32 am UTC (link)
Exactly. My number one choice was actually John Edwards.

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