Fucking South

[Caliga]

Fucking south is one of my favourite sexual orientations.

Diagram plz?

[derspiess]

This isn't to say a lot of American white people don't have American Indian ancestry--genetic tests say about 1/4th or so do--just that a lot of people declare it for various reason to seem "cool" for whatever reason.

I'd be interested to know why there is a coolness factor in inflating whatever Indian ancestry you may or may not have.  I wouldn't look down on someone for having some Indian ancestry & I wouldn't be ashamed of it if I had some, but I also wouldn't particularly derive any pride from it, either.

[JonasSalk]

It makes them seem "different," less European and more American.  They get to claim victimhood, claim ancestry, and through that claim sympathy with the poor, poor Worst Nations and their reservations.  It comes up in casual conversation all the time.  "What kind of name is that?"  "Oh, it's Scottish, but my grandmother [it's almost never a male, for some reason] was full-blooded [this part is said with a particular ounce of pride] Cherokee."

I guess saying your great-great-grandmother was a half-breed Indian squaw whose mother was raped by a white man doesn't quite have the "cool" factor to it.

[Barrister]

This isn't to say a lot of American white people don't have American Indian ancestry--genetic tests say about 1/4th or so do--just that a lot of people declare it for various reason to seem "cool" for whatever reason.

I'd be interested to know why there is a coolness factor in inflating whatever Indian ancestry you may or may not have.  I wouldn't look down on someone for having some Indian ancestry & I wouldn't be ashamed of it if I had some, but I also wouldn't particularly derive any pride from it, either.

Well up here, where native ancestry is going to be more direct than 'my grandmother was on eighth Cherokee' people who look very white to me are very quick to say they have Status and are Native.  They don't break it down to being 1/8 or whatever - it's kind of a one drop rule I guess.

But you have to remember Indian Status can come with certain benefits...

[JonasSalk]

Exactly.  Some people claim it so they can get a handout.

[derspiess]

It makes them seem "different," less European and more American.  They get to claim victimhood, claim ancestry, and through that claim sympathy with the poor, poor Worst Nations and their reservations.  It comes up in casual conversation all the time.  "What kind of name is that?"  "Oh, it's Scottish, but my grandmother [it's almost never a male, for some reason] was full-blooded [this part is said with a particular ounce of pride] Cherokee."

I guess saying your great-great-grandmother was a half-breed Indian squaw whose mother was raped by a white man doesn't quite have the "cool" factor to it.

Good point-- it does always seem to be a grandmother.  Just about everyone I knew in West Virginia claimed some sort of Indian heritage-- usually Shawnee or Blackfoot in addition to Cherokee.  Particularly for those who were even paler than I was, I wondered why they thought it had any impact on their own lives, assuming it was even true.

I just never got the temptation to claim any kind of Indian heritage, but I guess Indian culture never quite appealed to me the way it does to others.

[dps]

It makes them seem "different," less European and more American.  They get to claim victimhood, claim ancestry, and through that claim sympathy with the poor, poor Worst Nations and their reservations.  It comes up in casual conversation all the time.  "What kind of name is that?"  "Oh, it's Scottish, but my grandmother [it's almost never a male, for some reason] was full-blooded [this part is said with a particular ounce of pride] Cherokee."

I guess saying your great-great-grandmother was a half-breed Indian squaw whose mother was raped by a white man doesn't quite have the "cool" factor to it.

Good point-- it does always seem to be a grandmother.  Just about everyone I knew in West Virginia claimed some sort of Indian heritage-- usually Shawnee or Blackfoot in addition to Cherokee.  Particularly for those who were even paler than I was, I wondered why they thought it had any impact on their own lives, assuming it was even true.

Odd, I didn't know but a few people there who claimed Indian ancestory.  One of the few is the woman who married my mom's youngest brother, but she's from eastern Tennessee (which is a pretty good place to be from if you want to claim Cherokee ancestory), not WV.  And she definately isn't light-skinned--she has a quite dark complexion.  My mom thinks that her family doesn't actually have Cherokee blood, but rather has some black ancestory.  Personally, I met both of my aunt's parents, and I'll buy that her father was half-Cherokee.  But if you're looking for a reason for people to falsely claim Indian ancestory, there's one--some would rather claim to be Native American than black.

As for why it's almost always claimed through a grandmother, rather than a grandfather, think about it.  A white man back in the day could marry an Indian woman without causing too much trouble for himself, but an Indian man marrying a white woman?  Almost as likely to get himself lynched as a black man marrying a white woman.

[CountDeMoney]

I couldn't find a single "Benjamin Butler 4 Mayor" t-shirt down there.

[Darth Wagtaros]

I couldn't find a single "Benjamin Butler 4 Mayor" t-shirt down there.

Pity.  I grew up in his home town and believe he could have saved Reconstruction.

[Barrister]

It makes them seem "different," less European and more American.  They get to claim victimhood, claim ancestry, and through that claim sympathy with the poor, poor Worst Nations and their reservations.  It comes up in casual conversation all the time.  "What kind of name is that?"  "Oh, it's Scottish, but my grandmother [it's almost never a male, for some reason] was full-blooded [this part is said with a particular ounce of pride] Cherokee."

I guess saying your great-great-grandmother was a half-breed Indian squaw whose mother was raped by a white man doesn't quite have the "cool" factor to it.

Good point-- it does always seem to be a grandmother.  Just about everyone I knew in West Virginia claimed some sort of Indian heritage-- usually Shawnee or Blackfoot in addition to Cherokee.  Particularly for those who were even paler than I was, I wondered why they thought it had any impact on their own lives, assuming it was even true.

I just never got the temptation to claim any kind of Indian heritage, but I guess Indian culture never quite appealed to me the way it does to others.

Way back when it was quasi-acceptable for a man to take a native wife/mistress/country-wife, but of course you had to protect the white women-folk...

[jimmy olsen]

White supremacy Tim is odd.

Just bitching about the Census. Hispanic is a bullshit statistic that throws together 20 different nationalities, at least 3 different races, and dozens of elasticities.  It's completely misrepresents who the Spanish speaking people (and their descendants) of the US are. 

By the way, my the grandmother of my Quebecois grandfather was full blooded Huron. My mother saw her when she was young and ''she had hair like silk''.  My father's a bit darker than me and his father was a bit darker then him so I assume there's some native or maybe even some African blood in that line a few generations further back.

[garbon]

throws together 20 different nationalities

Which of course never happens with other "race" options.

at least 3 different races

Can't really find the energy to be bent out of shape over arbitrarily defined "race" categories.

and dozens of elasticities.

Now you've lost me.

[katmai]

Good luck getting coherent argument out of Ortiz.

[Caliga]

Odd, I didn't know but a few people there who claimed Indian ancestory.  One of the few is the woman who married my mom's youngest brother, but she's from eastern Tennessee (which is a pretty good place to be from if you want to claim Cherokee ancestory), not WV.  And she definately isn't light-skinned--she has a quite dark complexion.  My mom thinks that her family doesn't actually have Cherokee blood, but rather has some black ancestory.  Personally, I met both of my aunt's parents, and I'll buy that her father was half-Cherokee.  But if you're looking for a reason for people to falsely claim Indian ancestory, there's one--some would rather claim to be Native American than black.

I believe there is something to this, and in fact have made jokes that Princesca's great grandmother really belonged to the Mandingo tribe.

In her case, her nose is most certainly not 'European'... much too flat.  But it could be a reflection of hidden African ancestry.

In any event, if I were her, I'd be proud either way, since it's neat to be multi-racial.  Hybrid vigor FTW.

[Ed Anger]

I'm sure there is a drop of injun blood in me, as my ancestors really liked to fuck indians in Tennessee. Literall. Not trade 1 bead for a swath of land, I mean poundtown.