What makes a person a particular race?

[Ed Anger]

My official position to government programs:

Is to grab everything not nailed down.

[garbon]

Dignity. 

And not wanting to validate such a flawed system that doles out jobs/benefits/educational opportunities based upon race or ethnicity or whatever.

I still have my dignity. I don't feel cheapened because fools handed me benefits. (Nor did I feel cheapened when the government sent us all checks, though I wondered why...)

The system is always flawed. Opting out amounts to putting yourself at a disadvantage...not really sure who gains there.

[garbon]

My official position to government programs:

Is to grab everything not nailed down.

[Martim Silva]

By the way, before you say that my nieces and nephews can't possibly be Mexican since they can't read or write the language, they were born in Mexico to Mexican parents with black hair, brown skin, and brown eyes.

Can't comment. My Mexican friends are all blue-eyed blondes. And not any less Mexican for it.

Merithyn, you confuse culture with race. As said, one comes from nurture [and it can be changed if one truly wants it], other comes from nature and cannot be changed, ever. If you identify yourself with Mexican culture, you may as well adopt it totally and request Mexican citizenship - but that will not change your race, at best your ethnicity (I believe the Americans would then classify you as 'Hispanic').

See Michael Jackson as an example: even though he surgically changed himself, even to the point of marrying white women and claiming that he could father absolutely white kids, he was always black and was presented as an african-american icon at his funeral (wonder what he himself would have thought about that).

For race, skin colour is the least important issue. Today science pays little attention to it. What is used to determine it is molecular biology (each race is "built" differently at a molecular level. In other words, a Chinaman has a molecular structure that is not similar to that of, say, an Arab, and vice-versa).

So, to know your race, just take a blood sample and send it to a molecular lab. They'll de-construct your molecular structure and tell you from where your ancestors came and to whom you belong to (or to which groups, in case there is a mixed heritage).

[merithyn]

Merithyn, you confuse culture with race.

I'm not sure I confused anything. I simply disagreed with you that one is not the other. It is my opinion - and since race is a social construct anyway, my opinion is a valid as anyone else's - that culture can and should be a valued part in deciding who belongs to which racial group.

What you're describing isn't race anymore than your idea that culture isn't what makes a person a particular race. It's an indicator of what your genetic pool is, but not what "race" you belong to. My best friend, after all, wouldn't find out what race she was from it, as she is more than one (several in fact, being part Indian, part black, and part Korean among many other things).

[Razgovory]

And not wanting to validate such a flawed system that doles out jobs/benefits/educational opportunities based upon race or ethnicity or whatever.

Oh come one, you would take it if it were offered to you.  You were pleased as punch about how much Pork your Senator brings to your state.

[stjaba]

I'm not sure I confused anything. I simply disagreed with you that one is not the other. It is my opinion - and since race is a social construct anyway, my opinion is a valid as anyone else's - that culture can and should be a valued part in deciding who belongs to which racial group.

What you're describing isn't race anymore than your idea that culture isn't what makes a person a particular race. It's an indicator of what your genetic pool is, but not what "race" you belong to. My best friend, after all, wouldn't find out what race she was from it, as she is more than one (several in fact, being part Indian, part black, and part Korean among many other things).

I think you are confusing race and nationality. To me, Korean or Indian aren't "races," they are nationalities. But that is besides the point.
----

I admit I sympathize with the notion of self-identity. How you identify yourself is important. However I know Hispanics who were born in other countries(Cuba, Mexico) who self identify not as Cuban or Mexican, but as American or alternatively as Mexican-American, which makes your self-identification as Mexican look absurd. to me. Based on evidence posted by you and others, it seems like your cultural identity is primarily American. There may be Mexican influence in who you are, but to claim you are primarily a "White Hispanic" as opposed to a plain old White just seems like you are emphasizing a secondary part of your identity for the purpose of standing out on grad school applications.

[Caliga]

See Michael Jackson as an example: even though he surgically changed himself, even to the point of marrying white women and claiming that he could father absolutely white kids, he was always black and was presented as an african-american icon at his funeral (wonder what he himself would have thought about that).

Regardless of how Michael Jackson looked, he consistently described himself as an African-American, indicated he was proud of his heritage, and surrounded himself with an African-American posse for his entire life.  I really see no reason to doubt his vitiligo claims given all of that behavior.

[Caliga]

Oh come one, you would take it if it were offered to you.  You were pleased as punch about how much Pork your Senator brings to your state.

We need the help. 

[Neil]

Lame.... in this day and age Mixed heritage should be a very obvious option. If you are going to bother with such categorizing and racial profiling of children.

In the US they are required to racially profile the children, for Affirmative Action reasons.

[dps]

You can be Mexican if you want, but you'll never be a mestiza. As others, have said, Hispanic is not a race.

Well, if we're going to be technical about it, shouldn't she have to obtain Mexican citizenship to be a Mexican?

That's the crux of what I've been trying to get across to her.  She keeps talking about stuff that relates to nationality and culture, neither of which (in an American context) have anything to do with race.  Race is genetic;  it's about physical traits.  What language you speak, or what kind of accent that you have, are completely irrelevant.

[derspiess]

I still have my dignity. I don't feel cheapened because fools handed me benefits. (Nor did I feel cheapened when the government sent us all checks, though I wondered why...)

You may not have felt cheapened, but you were.

[garbon]

You may not have felt cheapened, but you were.

Okay.

Actually, I recall saving several thousand dollars.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

mi hija

Perhaps you should know what you are talking about when you correct someone. The shorthand round here for "mi hija" is mi'ja or mija.

There are no shorthands of that kind in Spanish.

every language has shorthand, amigo.

Especially in America. They can will, and, are ruin(ing)  your language just like they ruined English.

it's a fact. The Brits have given up on correcting them... Spain will have to learn as Spanish becomes more used in America everyday, it will get melting potted.

[BuddhaRhubarb]

Lame.... in this day and age Mixed heritage should be a very obvious option. If you are going to bother with such categorizing and racial profiling of children.

In the US they are required to racially profile the children, for Affirmative Action reasons.

sad... this is why America isn't as Great as it used to be.