What ethnicity are you?

[Enna]

Enna wrote:

Enna wrote: Hi All, I am half African-American and half Italian-American. I was born and raised and currently live in the USA in NY. I also have some Dutch in my family. My maternal Grandfather was half Dutch and raised in the Dutch West Indies. So that explains why I look like I came from India. Or some people come up to me and start speaking Spanish. And when people actually ask me..What are you?....I always say Black.... which is the truth. It is fun to watch their eyes flicker and see how long it takes their brains to register my answer. It isn't good to have preconceived notions of others race, or ethnic background or nationality. Whatever you are just be happy and be proud. I found this poll a little confusing. It asked: "What is your ethnic background? It had a category of European/American. I am American which is my nationality but that has nothing to do with my or any other American's ethnic background. Was this poll aiming at where people live? I clicked on "other" eventhough I am American. I have enjoyed reading everyone's answers here. Wherever we are from we all love our Japanese doramas!!! Keps wrote: Enna - Haha, this kind of stuff has happened to me too! I've had people thinking I looked Indian, Spanish, white, black, mixed-race... So you describe yourself as black? I find it weird...I never know what's the correct way to describe myself. Cos I am half-white as well as half-black.

Hi Keps

Not as weird as you might think. Now-a-days mixed race is considered a perfectly honest direct acceptable answer. However I am from a generation when a person's race was still listed on their birth certificate. Also in the USA with our slave history it used to be be that if you had one drop of Black blood in you then you were considered Black. Also in our history there were some fair skinned Blacks trying to pass for White. So my racial pride in answering anyone who asks me, that I am Black or African American, comes from my upbringing and also from my country's history.

I can understand why you would not want to deny either of your parent's races, nationalities or cultures. I have a French friend who is also mixed race. His mother is White/French and his father was Black/American. So he says he is demi-demi. Or half & half. As long as you are comfortable in your own skin and feel good about yourself, other people will accept you, no matter how you choose to answer their questions.

[Wynter]

Enna wrote:

Hi Keps Not as weird as you might think. Now-a-days mixed race is considered a perfectly honest direct acceptable answer. However I am from a generation when a person's race was still listed on their birth certificate. Also in the USA with our slave history it used to be be that if you had one drop of Black blood in you then you were considered Black. Also in our history there were some fair skinned Blacks trying to pass for White. So my racial pride in answering anyone who asks me, that I am Black or African American, comes from my upbringing and also from my country's history.

You go girl!!!

People always think I'm Spanish, even tho I'm South Asian, and like you I know it has to do with my light skin. I like being "brown", but I get peeved when people lump all brown people as being "Indian". Or that South Asia means India. I don't know what my father is. He seems to be a mutt, and you're right. Being mixed is a completely legit answer these days. Which is grand! People shouldn't be defined by their race, but by who they are as individuals. When people can break the barriers of race and marry into other cultures, you know we're on the right track to equality within all cultures.
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[Enna]

Wynter wrote:

You go girl!!! People always think I'm Spanish, even tho I'm South Asian, and like you I know it has to do with my light skin. I like being "brown", but I get peeved when people lump all brown people as being "Indian". Or that South Asia means India. I don't know what my father is. He seems to be a mutt, and you're right. Being mixed is a completely legit answer these days. Which is grand! People shouldn't be defined by their race, but by who they are as individuals. When people can break the barriers of race and marry into other cultures, you know we're on the right track to equality within all cultures.

Here! Here! I am with you on that!

[kyon-kyon chan]

i am truely malaysian born malay..that's what i know..

and maybe my great..great...grandmother n grandfather were from indonesia and

part of singapore... i guess..

[Anime Dad]

Not quite the same as ethnithicy - but last time there was a census in Australia, there was a big push for people to put "Jedi" for Religion in the mistaken belief that if enough people called themselves Jedi, it would become a recognised religion.


Must be a lot of Star Wars geeks in Australia



PS i'm changing my ethnicity to "foodie" too, after reading krim's comment

[Keps]

Enna wrote:

Hi Keps Not as weird as you might think. Now-a-days mixed race is considered a perfectly honest direct acceptable answer. However I am from a generation when a person's race was still listed on their birth certificate. Also in the USA with our slave history it used to be be that if you had one drop of Black blood in you then you were considered Black. Also in our history there were some fair skinned Blacks trying to pass for White. So my racial pride in answering anyone who asks me, that I am Black or African American, comes from my upbringing and also from my country's history. I can understand why you would not want to deny either of your parent's races, nationalities or cultures. I have a French friend who is also mixed race. His mother is White/French and his father was Black/American. So he says he is demi-demi. Or half & half. As long as you are comfortable in your own skin and feel good about yourself, other people will accept you, no matter how you choose to answer their questions.

Hi Enna - so people's race used to be listed on their birth certificate in America? I wonder if that ever happened here too...I know nothing to do with race appears on my birth certificate. I was born in 1977, so not all that long ago (perhaps it did happen before then here?)

I had heard that it used to be the case in the USA that having even a minuscule amount of black heritage, and you were considered black. By that criteria, I would definitely be considered black too.

Yeah, I can well understand your French friend...if anybody asks me my ethnicity, I do say "mixed-race". It would feel weird, I suppose to call my self black, when it's obvious that I am not totally black.

[Enna]

Keps wrote:

Hi Enna - so people's race used to be listed on their birth certificate in America? I wonder if that ever happened here too...I know nothing to do with race appears on my birth certificate. I was born in 1977, so not all that long ago (perhaps it did happen before then here?) I had heard that it used to be the case in the USA that having even a minuscule amount of black heritage, and you were considered black. By that criteria, I would definitely be considered black too. Yeah, I can well understand your French friend...if anybody asks me my ethnicity, I do say "mixed-race". It would feel weird, I suppose to call my self black, when it's obvious that I am not totally black.

I think that race being listed on birth certificates in the USA ended sometime in the '60s. Not sure which year. Also I grew up when there was still segregation laws in the USA so callling myself mixed-race wouldn't have honored my mother, slave ancestors, or fellow civil rights protestors at all. I also remember when we went from calling ourselves Colored then Negro to Black. It wasn't about the shade of Black that we were, it was about the pride of our race. It is nice to see all the positive changes happening in this world.

Anime Dad wrote:

PS i'm changing my ethnicity to "foodie" too, after reading krim's comment

Eventhough I am on a diet now. Me too, me too! Hey maybe I can be a half foodie!

[Keps]

Enna, I can understand why you felt you should honour your heritage.
I guess it was just a lot different for me, growing up in the 1980's in England.

I can't begin to comprehend how dreadful living with segregation must have been.

[Keps]

Oh Enna - I've now had a look at the mixedfolks website you mentioned (3 times!) earlier in this thread.

This is a great website. I can't help but think if I had been able to see it when I was a teenager, and suffering terrible verbal racial abuse, it would have made me feel a lot stronger. I think seeing so many other mixed people would have improved my confidence (apart from my sister, I was in a completely white area).

http://www.mixedfolks.com/

[pcmodem]

Anime Dad wrote:

Not quite the same as ethnithicy - but last time there was a census in Australia, there was a big push for people to put "Jedi" for Religion in the mistaken belief that if enough people called themselves Jedi, it would become a recognised religion. Must be a lot of Star Wars geeks in Australia

LOL!!!!!
-PCM

[Anime Dad]

It seems so stupid to categorise someone by colour, especially when there's so many people with mixed race backgrounds.

Mrs Anime Dad works with a lady that's half white, half Koori (Aboriginal). She is blonde and blue-eyed and you would be hard-pressed to tell she had any Koori blood at all. But she's considered Koori....

[Wynter]

Anime Dad wrote:

It seems so stupid to categorise someone by colour, especially when there's so many people with mixed race backgrounds. Mrs Anime Dad works with a lady that's half white, half Koori (Aboriginal). She is blonde and blue-eyed and you would be hard-pressed to tell she had any Koori blood at all. But she's considered Koori....

I know! I HATE racial profiling. When I was applying for teaching positions, they asked, on the application, if I was part of a minority group. I wrote no, even tho I was, because I wanted the job based on my own ability, not because there was a demand for minorities in the field.
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[Anime Dad]

You should have put YES: In the minority of Canadians who love JDrama

[Wynter]

Anime Dad wrote:

You should have put YES: In the minority of Canadians who love JDrama

LOL! I would love a job where all I had to do was watch JDs all day.
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[Anime Dad]

Work it into the cirriculum somehow.

[gaijin mark]

Wynter wrote:

LOL! I would love a job where all I had to do was watch JDs all day.

If you start with the "Tacky Collection" at 8 a.m., you'll be doing this: by noon.

[Anime Dad]

gaijin mark wrote:

If you start with the "Tacky Collection" at 8 a.m., you'll be doing this: by noon.

That would be good for Drama class: "Now kids, watch this, a prime example of what NOT to do." Or a great interpretation of a houseplant trying to be an actor.

Ooops, severely off-topic.

Er, Yes Wyn-chan, I believe that "racial profiling" on job applications sucks. Unless there's a valid reason for it.

[Wynter]

Anime Dad wrote:

That would be good for Drama class: "Now kids, watch this, a prime example of what NOT to do." Or a great interpretation of a houseplant trying to be an actor.

LOL! I haven't seen him in action, so I will withhold all comments until I have been exposed to him.

Quote:

Er, Yes Wyn-chan, I believe that "racial profiling" on job applications sucks. Unless there's a valid reason for it.

Nice save...

What would be a valid reason?
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[Anime Dad]

Wynter wrote:

Nice save... What would be a valid reason?

Well, in some areas of Australia, the classes would be all Koori kids, so having a Koori teacher would be a big benefit, for cultural reasons.

[Wynter]

Anime Dad wrote:

Well, in some areas of Australia, the classes would be all Koori kids, so having a Koori teacher would be a big benefit, for cultural reasons.

But in those situations they wouldn't be considered minorities, because the majority of the teachers there would be of teh same culture. (i think)
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