What makes a person a particular race?

[Valmy]

Great prediction, valmy. Do you have others?

I got a million of em baby!

I kinda figured you wouldn't like that one

[Lettow77]

 Its just absolutely implausible, and I hear it often enough that I had to snort. If breeding was random instead of selection based, perhaps then sure. But as it is? Some dystopian nightmare from a world-that-isnt, and nothing more.

[merithyn]

Oh well under that scheme, always opt for the minority box. You ain't ever going to get nothing for being white...whereas I quickly found that the black box opened up doors for scholarships.

Exactly, and I tell my mixed families that. "If you want more choices and more options, pick the "black" box." Hell, we had one kid in the school whose mother was 1/4 black (her grand mother was black), that Mom marked as black. He made it into a very privileged program academically because of it, though he looked and acted whiter than I do.

[garbon]

Its just absolutely implausible, and I hear it often enough that I had to snort. If breeding was random instead of selection based, perhaps then sure. But as it is? Some dystopian nightmare from a world-that-isnt, and nothing more.

Dystopian?

[Valmy]

Hispanic is a ridiculous made up term, covering whites, blacks and native americans from south of the Rio Grande. The census should get rid of it.

In Texas Latinos basically have two races.  They are Black, Native American, or White but then they are also Latino.

For example Austin is 65.6% White, 9.1% Black, 1% Native American and Pacific Islander, 6.2% Asian, 20.4% "other" (basically people who wanted to say "fuck you" to the census form), and 2.1% mixed of various flavors.

In addition 34.2% also identified themselves as Latino.

[garbon]

Exactly, and I tell my mixed families that. "If you want more choices and more options, pick the "black" box." Hell, we had one kid in the school whose mother was 1/4 black (her grand mother was black), that Mom marked as black. He made it into a very privileged program academically because of it, though he looked and acted whiter than I do.

Yep, that's what my white mother told me as well. If they want to offer the handout, I'll be happy to take it

[Valmy]

Its just absolutely implausible, and I hear it often enough that I had to snort. If breeding was random instead of selection based, perhaps then sure. But as it is? Some dystopian nightmare from a world-that-isnt, and nothing more.

It only takes a couple each generation Lettow.  It won't happen today or tommorow but someday and gradually.

[dps]

Yeah, on things like that middle-school form, where the individual student isn't going to be eligible for any special program or benefits based on what race they're classified as, just mark a box at random, 'cause it doesn't matter anyway.  On the other hand, if you're the owner of a business and would like to get a govenment contract that has been earmarked to go to a minority owned business, identify yourself as being a member of the appropriate minority, if your physical appearance will let you pull it off.

Actually, it matters a great deal. In our district, a black student in Honors classes getting a C or lower as a grade will be matched with a tutor, brought in for an interview to determine why he or she isn't doing well, and basically watched over like a hawk. Any other student, on the other hand, won't even be brought in with a failing grade.

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.

[garbon]

acted whiter than I do.

Of course this statement would piss my sister off mightily, she's convinced that one can't act white or act black.

[jimmy olsen]

Its just absolutely implausible, and I hear it often enough that I had to snort. If breeding was random instead of selection based, perhaps then sure. But as it is? Some dystopian nightmare from a world-that-isnt, and nothing more.

It only takes a couple each generation Lettow.  It won't happen today or tommorow but someday and gradually.

That assumes that natural selection will stop selecting for skin color appropriate to latitude.

[Valmy]

Of course this statement would piss my sister off mightily, she's convinced that one can't act white or act black.

It sounds like your sister and I would get along great.  I used to really lash out in fury at the whole acting white or black thing.

I have mellowed out as I have gotten older though.

[Valmy]

That assumes that natural selection will stop selecting for skin color appropriate to latitude.

Um...I live in a place hardly suitable for people of Anglo-Saxon ancestry and last I checked our ability to reproduce has not been hindered by the evil yellow face in the sky.

[HVC]

acted whiter than I do.

Of course this statement would piss my sister off mightily, she's convinced that one can't act white or act black.

Is your sister an angry black chick?

[dps]

Oh well under that scheme, always opt for the minority box. You ain't ever going to get nothing for being white...whereas I quickly found that the black box opened up doors for scholarships.

Exactly, and I tell my mixed families that. "If you want more choices and more options, pick the "black" box." Hell, we had one kid in the school whose mother was 1/4 black (her grand mother was black), that Mom marked as black. He made it into a very privileged program academically because of it, though he looked and acted whiter than I do.

Well, in the bad old days, that kid would have been considered black, in theory.  They called it the "one-drop rule" because, again, in theory, one drop of black blood made a person black, though my understanding is that in practice, if you were less than 1/8 black, you could usually pass as white with no problem (there being NO advantage in being black back then).

[merithyn]

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.