What makes a person a particular race?

[merithyn]

Which is why race, as mixed people become more common, will be more and more absurd.

Until that happens, what is what?

[garbon]

I know.  Even though I think it is wrong I just have to accept stereotypes as part of being human.  Becoming more tolerant of foibles is just part of growing up.

Yes, I agree on all counts.

[garbon]

Until that happens, what is what?

Why should one care? Be whatever you need to be when it is advantageous (and will be accepted).

[merithyn]

Except that Mexican functions as a national label. I'm not really sure there is a Black nation.

*prepares to be beat down by the nation*

I've seen mixed kids do the same thing. I only used my own experiences as an example, but know that it happens with a lot of people.

[Valmy]

Until that happens, what is what?

Well for most of us it is still rather cut and dry.  Mestizos seem to be counted as White for some reason and for everybody else you just give your best guess.

[merithyn]

Why should one care? Be whatever you need to be when it is advantageous (and will be accepted).

Oh, I will, and am. I just wondered what others thought of the situation, as it's a major concern here in Champaign due to the court decree (which has, thankfully, been done away with as of this summer after a decade).

[garbon]

I've wondered the same thing. If I tried to claim I was black would I get more than odd looks?

Power to you, as long as you aren't being a jackass about it. I knew this one white dude who went around saying he was black because he found it amusing. Some people seemed to have believed him though from a stance of why would he lie about that?

[dps]

Well, then if there's a tangible benefit to the student to being registered as black, then do as Garbon suggests and register them as black if they can plausibly be considered black.

Here's the part that confuses me. What is "plausibly considered black"? I'm sure, at some point my families 400 years in the United States, there was a black ancestor. Yes, I'm lily white now, but it stands to reason that somewhere, there was a black person between the sheets with a white one, even if the white one didn't know.

Do we go with the "one drop" rule? Or do we require documentation for "blackness" like we do for "Native American"?

College entrance committee: I'm sorry, but your black grandmother and your blue eyes do not qualify you for being black. Your brother's brown eyes, however, and kinky hair qualifies him.

Are you being deliberately obtuse?  Yes, it's basically about your appearance.  I've already said that.  For probably at least 98% of the population of the U.S., it's obvious at a glance if a person is black (or partly black) or not.  And the other 2% or so can usually get away with claiming to be black or not as they wish, as long as they don't claim in one place to be black and in another to be white (and even there they can probably get by with it as long as the bureaucrats they'll filling out forms for don't happen to compare notes and care).

[garbon]

Oh, I will, and am. I just wondered what others thought of the situation, as it's a major concern here in Champaign due to the court decree (which has, thankfully, been done away with as of this summer after a decade).

Sorry, I read your statement as wondering what people should be considered to be. I they should just be considered people who sometimes don different hats when it suits them to do so.

[garbon]

Are you being deliberately obtuse?  Yes, it's basically about your appearance.  I've already said that.  For probably at least 98% of the population of the U.S., it's obvious at a glance if a person is black (or partly black) or not.  And the other 2% or so can usually get away with claiming to be black or not as they wish, as long as they don't claim in one place to be black and in another to be white (and even there they can probably get by with it as long as the bureaucrats they'll filling out forms for don't happen to compare notes and care).

2% of people were said to be of mixed race in 2006, I'm sure there are probably more "ambiguous" individuals who do not identify as such.

[dps]

Are you being deliberately obtuse?  Yes, it's basically about your appearance.  I've already said that.  For probably at least 98% of the population of the U.S., it's obvious at a glance if a person is black (or partly black) or not.  And the other 2% or so can usually get away with claiming to be black or not as they wish, as long as they don't claim in one place to be black and in another to be white (and even there they can probably get by with it as long as the bureaucrats they'll filling out forms for don't happen to compare notes and care).

2% of people were said to be of mixed race in 2006, I'm sure there are probably more "ambiguous" individuals who do not identify as such.

Yeah, and for most of those 2% who were identified as mixed race, if they were 1/2 black, it's pretty obvious that they're partly black. 

[garbon]

Yeah, and for most of those 2% who were identified as mixed race, if they were 1/2 black, it's pretty obvious that they're partly black. 

To whom? I personally think my racial heritage is pretty apparent (and many have suggested such) but many others have been confused (here let me speak hindi to you, where in india is your family from, do you know any good indian recipes?). Obviously they weren't confused as to whether or not I was white.

[dps]

Yeah, and for most of those 2% who were identified as mixed race, if they were 1/2 black, it's pretty obvious that they're partly black. 

To whom? I personally think my racial heritage is pretty apparent (and many have suggested such) but many others have been confused (here let me speak hindi to you, where in india is your family from, do you know any good indian recipes?). Obviously they weren't confused as to whether or not I was white.

Apparant to people who have some idea what Indians look like, I guess. 

[Queequeg]

Yeah, and for most of those 2% who were identified as mixed race, if they were 1/2 black, it's pretty obvious that they're partly black. 

To whom? I personally think my racial heritage is pretty apparent (and many have suggested such) but many others have been confused (here let me speak hindi to you, where in india is your family from, do you know any good indian recipes?). Obviously they weren't confused as to whether or not I was white.

LOL.  A girl I knew was half Puerto Rican half Jewish.  When she was in India, no one ever started a conversation in English.  Fascinating that a racial mixture can produce people who clearly look like one ethnicity, clearly a mix of two obvious parts, or look like some random, totally unrelated ethnicity. 

[garbon]

Apparant to people who have some idea what Indians look like, I guess. 

Actually Indians are who tried to speak Hindi to me.