Why do people seem to have to claim an ethnicity,

[Dems4me]

when many of us are biracial, like Obama.

Many of us, white folks included, are of mixed descent sometimes
several descents. (me included)

Obama for example is a mix of races, his strengths come from
this beautiful mixture of cultures that make him who he is.

But the media only see one race is there something wrong with
being "biracial" that we must be labeled one thing or the other?

What do you think?

[Madam Mossfern]

1. Being Jewish

I don't know what my ethnicity is.
Wait......
Back up......
I mean that I have no idea as to my ancestry past two generations.

As far as race goes, Human is good enough for me.

[Dems4me]

13. It's a very complicated issue...

just on my paternal grandmother's side...She considers herself Spanish, yet her father was
Russian/German, her mother considered herself Spanish, even though her mother was Jewish and Spanish.
And neither of my great grandparents could speak aword of English.

In fact I inherited a genetic familial disease from there Mediterranean origins.

[Poseidan]

19. spanish is european/white

So basically, you're Jewish.

[Poseidan]

18. ethnic jews are white + middle eastern

indeed

[amyrose2712]

2. As far as I know, we don't choose our place or origin of birth...

so, I don't fell the need to claim any particular label. Or feel it is something one should be "proud" of.

[Burma Jones]

3. I remember a Dave Chapelle Bit - particularly apropos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrwG6_Z0sjU

[amyrose2712]

4. Excellent! nt

[drmeow]

10. OMG - I love the requirement

that the whites also take Rice!

[But....]

11. But...

White rice is no good for you, there some one had to say it:blush:

[Iggo]

21. I thought it was gonna be a different one.

The one where the guy says, "Is it because I'm black?" And the lady responds, "No! It's because you're a Frankenstein!"

:rofl:

[drmeow]

5. Based on research by some of my colleagues,

there are a lot of people who do not claim an ethnicity - especially younger people and people who feel they belong to more than one racial/ethnic category.

[underseasurveyor]

6. When asked my race

I simply reply.. Human :-)

[Dems4me]

9. I like that! Thank you. n/t

[mrcheerful]

7. I haven't a clue myself outside of my maternal grand mother was born in ireland and

abandoned at a orphanage. Her hubby was a story teller so none of his off spring knows for sure, about the only thing they found out was grand dads dad was a sergent in the union army that marched with Sherman through Georgia. Now on my bio fathers side very little is known at all except his name. So I just say I am an American and leave it alone.

[damntexdem]

8. Many people take pride in their ethnic background, or backgrounds.

But more importantly, race/ethnicity has been the most-important sociological fact in our country's history; and the legacy of past harm, plus what harm is still done, needs to be chronicled. That's why it is important to track by race/ethnicity, even though it has become more complex over recent years.

[iamahaingttta]

12. I have just about the most Irish name imaginable...

...yet it's possible that Barack Hussein Obama has more Irish blood in him than I do.

[Orsino]

14. Because ethnicity is still important in many ways.

Even if one can grow beyond it, it's still one's "home." Everybody's* got one, you see, so we look for it in other people first. Right after gender, and tight up there with age, we key on easy identifiers when we meet new people.

*Obviously, some people have more than one, or identify with none, and this is becoming more common and more accepted--but it's not the default yet.

[Dems4me]

16. Years ago, maybe still, forms would have 'Other' for race, I would

pick that line. But then it wanted you to explain what other was.
Who knew what to put there...so I just check 'white' or 'caucasian'
because I visually look white. But that is not fully accurate and
I think labeling is unnecessary an often inaccurate.

I do understand what you are saying in your post. I take it that
we tend to lean toward people that we feel a connection or similarity with.
That does make sense.

For me though, the only thing I usually feel that I lean towards is people
in my own age group or a little older. I seem to have more in common with
those folks, but not always.

[Orsino]

23. And I think it's hilarious that you can still confound the bean-counters...

...the folks who want you to "shut up and check one or the other."

This is how we begin to abandon the outdated notion of race.

[busybl]

15. I have a black ancester and

you don't even want to know about the Mongols that came to eastern Europe

[MsRedacted]

17. My Mother was 50% American Indian, she looked it. My Dad was a caucasian mutt with irish roots.

He was not particularly fair.

As a kid I was blonde blonde, white white, blue blue eyed. People would as ask my parents if I was adopted. Or if my mom was the baby sitter/housekeeper, etc....


So insulting to her. To them.

I still don't look native. Reddish dk blond/lt brown hair. (unless I dye it). Pale skin, can't tan worth a damn.

But a few years ago some friends of mine went on a vacation in the upper midwest. They knew my story. On a reservation they saw a blond american indian girl -- and they just about died -- she looked just like me. Almond-ish eyes, high check bones, flat facial profile, small nose, short.

We are so much more than our skin color/hair, but that is what people see -- and until we are blind to that some inherent prejudice will exist.

[Iggo]

20. Chicken? Egg? Or bowl of Cheerios?

Do people tend to claim ethicity because it's assigned so readily? Or do they tend to assign ethnicity because it's claimed so readily?

Or none of the above?

[bemildred]

22. It isn't how you judge people.

That's what I think.

[Number_Six]

24. Easy answer....

...when asked, I write down "mutt".

Trust me, on both sides, it is truly fucked up.