Soon, the first African American president will be sworn into office. Let’s leave aside the historical nature of this event and analyze what makes Barack Obama “African American.” Clearly, he has African roots; his father was Kenyan. But his mother was a white woman from Kansas and one of her parents claimed to have some Native American ancestry. And his stepfather, the man who helped shape his personal moral and ethical sense of the world, was Indonesian. But while he hardly knew his African father, having spent only a couple of weeks in his presence as a young boy, he was well acquainted with his stepfather. And while his mother is the person about whom he says “the best parts of me are because of her,” he also spent considerable time with his white grandparents. So how is it that any of us would think to simply call this man “African American”?
It is possible to imagine how these relationships could develop in Barack Obama a global, multi-ethnic identity. But they do not. For in spite of the fact that he is the quintessential “multicultural, multiracial human being,” at some point in his post teen years he chose to identify himself as African American.
But did he really choose?
Consider this: If identity grows out of culture (the people and environment in which we grow up as opposed to the blood that flows through our veins), one would think that Obama might consider himself white—or maybe even Indonesian. In fact, technically he has as much claim to being a “white American” as to being a “black” or an “African American,” and clearly he is more personally connected to white culture than he is to black or African culture. But he nonetheless refers to himself as “black” and “African American.”
We know that he was seen by others as “black,” and those of us who have up close and personal experience with multiracial people know that they are generally labeled by their dominant features. But people who are multiracial do not have to accept those labels…right? So could Obama have chosen to identify himself as white? What about refusing to choose one or the other and instead claim his biracial status? Was this possible?
Here’s the question for the moment: What is it that makes Obama feel most connected to (i.e., identified with) black people? And what is it that allows most of us to accept this identification with little dissonance?
And what about the identities of each one of us? Why do we select the racial, ethnic, and ancestry labels that are applied to us? Think about it: Why do we respond in the way that we do when someone asks us, “What are you?” What aspects of our culture/biological ancestry/physical appearance are we including and excluding in our identifications? Are we merely mimicking our parents and grandparents?
Check out this map of the “Obama extended family” from the New York Times.
Yes, Obama is multicultural. Biologically, he is 50% white and 50% Kenyan. And although he was raised predominantly by whites, this does not mean he should not identify with African-American culture. Not matter how small of a percentage it might be, he is still black. As someone mentioned in Tuesday’s class, in the days of segregation, if you were just the smallest bit black, you were treated as one. In the case of Plessy v. Ferguson, Plessy was one-eighth African-American and seven eighths white, but was arrested for riding in a “all whites” railroad car. Unfortunately in this country, sometimes society dictates who you and I identify with, and that may be identifying with people of the same race, people of the same economic condition, or people of the same intelligence. You say that as a teenager, Obama rendered himself African-American. I do believe he had a choice. When asked his ethnicity, he could have easily stated that he is half white, half black. The thing that would have made it difficult to say he is white is his darker skin color. Not that his skin color should determine his culture. But as we see now, he and the rest of the country consider him to be African-American. I admit I am a little confused by this, seeing as usually one adapts the culture of that of who he or she is raised by. But obviously there must have been another influence in his life, maybe a friend. Personally, I’m not sure if Obama calls himself black and lives the white culture. Then again, what is “white culture”? Is that supposed to mean living in nice neighborhoods and getting a good education? It doesn’t make much sense to me. When people refer to Mexican culture or Indian culture, one thinks about the traditions they bring from their country. But white culture? Maybe someone can tell me what that means.
As for the rest of us, you ask, “why do we select the racial, ethnic, and ancestry labels that are applied to us?” Seeing as it is commonly unaccepted to respond as, “I am American”, I chose to say that I am 75% Irish and 25% Italian. Although these are my ethnicities, I do not choose to live as either. I guess I just live my life and am influenced by the people around me. These people are of many races: white, black, Dominican, Indian, Persian (Iranian), and even Australian. I feel that it is this way for many of today’s youth. We are exposed to so many different cultures, which keeps us from being narrow-minded. I guess this is where my question of “white culture” comes in. Yes, my environment growing up did include mostly white people, but I don’t think I let that shape me as a person completely. Maybe Obama had a similar experience growing up.
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I feel that in some way it is both, we choose our own identity and others choose an identity for us. If you are a white person then obviously the answers would be the same. If you are a black person, most people would identify you as African American, although not all blacks are African American. The hardest race to determine would be the people that are biracial or multiracial. Most biracial people identify themselves as on race more than the other, but their answer is most likely different than that of the rest of the world.
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Well, I have to disagree with Shanna Ross’ comments about this journal. I do not understand why, if someone looks at an individual who looks black, they’re automatically assumed to be a black guy, especially by the white community, and why, now that a man known as Barack Obama who clearly presents himself as an African American (or black), should identify himself as white. It is huge for Obama to present himself as a black person who is trying to be the most powerful man in the world. He would not be where he is now if he presented himself as white. He is proud of his color even though he has spent a good amount of time with his white mother and grandparents, but he knows where he is came from and who he really is and he is proud of it. The world is proud of him. The world of racism is proud of him to take such big step and truly make a big change in this world and make history. This is something really big and not everyone is capable to be where he is and have such confidence. Not everyone is able to do everything so well. I am glad to be part of this history and I am sure, even though he was raised with white people for the most part, he did go through many things and he struggled like any other black man. I’m sure he was treated as black growing up, so he feels what black people or African Americans have gone through and he wanted to change that for them and he did. All these votes have shown that this country is not reaching for another white president, nor a Muslim, Christian, etc..This country and this world is thirsty for freedom of racism, and a president who is capable and knowledgeable to do things for his country regardless of his color and religion. Obama has proven to many people out there that no matter what color you are and whom you grew up with, you can have hope and dreams and NOTHING and NO ONE can stop you or tell you otherwise. God has created everyone equally and loves everyone equally and does not judge them based on their color, race or ethnicity. I truly believe he would have never become the president of the United States of America if he identified himself as while. Everyone was seeking for a change to happen and it did. I have so much appreciation for all the people that went through slavery and suffered every day of their life for a day like January 20 to happen.
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As the article states, Obama had only spent a few weeks in the presence of his Kenyan father as a young boy, and was instead more heavily influenced by his Indonesian stepfather and mother, who identifies herself as a white woman with some Native American ancestry. He also spent a considerable amount of time with his grandparents, yet he identifies himself as African American. I can’t necessarily say why he chose that identity, but the article inspired me to think about why I’ve chosen my own.
When I look in the mirror, I see myself as Caucasian, and more often than not, I’ll simply say I’m “white.” Everyone at my high school, which is still made up of a 99% white population, would agree, but something strange happened when I came to college. A lot of people started to assume I was an International student?? I assumed they thought so because of my very Russian-sounding last name; however, when I went with a friend to New York City, people on the street, people who didn’t have any knowledge of my last name, also thought I was from another country. Some thought I was originally from Venezuela, Jordan, and the majority guessed Russia. My paternal grandparents are indeed Russian, but I never noticed my Russian features before. Since coming to college, I’ve wanted to know more about my ancestry, but I would never all of a sudden say I was Russian. It’s not something in which I feel connected. Since my parents divorced even before I was a year old, my mother’s ancestry remains a mystery and is also something in which I will never feel connected.
These events have made me realize that people ultimately choose their identity; their identities do not choose them. After all, we as individuals have been granted the great gift of free will, and even if we’re not technically Chinese, Irish, etc., we can label ourselves as so because no one can stop us. How technical are we really? Most of us can’t trace back our complete ancestral tree, so if we say we’re white, how do we know for sure we don’t have a black ancestor? I’ll admit that growing up in a small town with a lack of diversity has influenced me, I no longer live there and cannot rely on them to tell me who I am. My family might want what’s best for me, but they, too, will not always be there to tell me who I am. I learned this the hard way after coming to college. I really had to know who I was or else other people here weren’t going to know who I was either. It’s my life to live, and there’s a peace of mind that comes about knowing you’re aspiring to be who you want to be and doing exactly what you want to do. I chose carefully who I want to spend time with, what clothes I want to wear, what major I want to pursue, etc. I chose to ignore the advertisements that say only blonde hair and blue eyes are beautiful and refuse to strip my follicles of their natural color or invest in colored contacts. I realize that people automatically make rapid judgments within seconds of meeting someone for the first time, and unfortunately, these judgments aren’t always accurate. When people assume I’m something other than “white” based on my dominant features or last name, I simply correct them and go on with my day doing what I want to do and being who I want to be.
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I do find this situation of Barrack Obama to be a bit complicated when it comes to assessing what exactly he should call himself in terms of race. Technically yes, his skin color is dark which is where his African roots are coming from. However, if we are to examine his background and his upbringing, there are no close ties to African American culture. Therefore, wouldn’t a better title be white or just African? Then again, why is it that when posed the question of “what are you?” people answer with colors? To me it makes no sense. Being white yellow black or red says nothing about who you are. Just the same way Obama saying he’s black doesn’t tell us anything, nor does saying he’s African American. Wouldn’t it be better that when asked “what someone is” that we respond saying what our native culture is or perhaps if its more complicated then that, we respond by saying what our upbringing is. For me the whole concept of race is confusing, being completely honest. Im not quite sure what makes Barrack feel that he is African American or what connects him to that particular race/ culture so much that he calls himself this. Is it just easier for him? Less explaining to do? Or is t because it was a good campaign tactic in a certain sense? I wonder if identifying himself as African American helped his campaign and helped him win votes. Personally, I feel that the answer to that is Yes. Who wouldn’t want to say that they broke the barrier… that they have succeeded to become the first President to be a different race other than white. Its certainly a big accomplishment, and its also certainly something that people would feel passionately about. Now to tackle the question of why we as society just seem to accept that he calls himself African American without little thought. Isn’t it funny how superficial society is? I feel that most people just go along and tend to accept the image of Barrack Obama as an African American because they are solely looking at outward appearance. I don’t know if its lack of education of his background or ignorance, people just don’t seem to care what he really is and just look at his skin color. They see a dark skinned man, who has no foreign accent whose lived in the states his whole life and automatically is conceived to be an African American. I don’t know the answers to these questions but just reading this blog really made me think about how we as people tend to represent/ perceive ourselves in certain societies. Also I start to wonder if there even is a right answer to the question “what are you?” I mean on the surface it may be easy to identify but if we all go way deep into our family trees…wouldn’t we start to see that we all evolved from the same place anyway? So why make such harsh “racial” distinctions solely based upon skin color?
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Barack Obama let the people of the United States decide which race he was for him in order to gain the most political points and thus win the presidential election. However, the American people’s decision to label him as African American was not made solely by a single racial community. In other words, black people were not the ones to decide, nor were white people. This labeling of President Obama as African American came from multiple factors and feelings of both communities.
First, I think society, in general, tends to label bi-racial individuals as black to begin with. So, it was not surprising to me when President Obama was labeled as black when he emerged from the U.S. Senate and announced his candidacy. I think African Americans were waiting so long for a black candidate that they overlooked any other racial or ethnic heritage separate from him being African American. In addition, President Obama was one of the first credible African Americans to run for the highest office, and in my opinion it was hard for them to get behind a candidate like Al Sharpton in 2004 due to his radical demeanor in television interviews.
However, I do not think African Americans are alone in labeling biracial individuals with black heritage as black and not anything else. The same could be said about individuals who are half Asian and half white. If an individual shows typical characteristics of being Asian, they will probably be labeled as Asian, regardless of having a White parent.
But, getting back to the subject, I also think the white community had a big part in the labeling of President Obama as African American as well. Whites, along with blacks, were able to recognize that President Obama was a very credible candidate for the Democratic nomination, unlike the previously mentioned Al Sharpton. Upon recognizing this, I believe that whites saw someone that they liked and could vote for, and redeem themselves from the leftover guilt they felt from the days of slavery.
What I would really like to know is what President Obama would identify himself as had he not become a politician and felt like he had to accept the racial identity that was forced upon him by constituents. If President Obama had identified himself as white as opposed to black, would he have won the election? I would like to think he would have because I want to believe he was elected based on his accomplishments and credentials, and not on the basis of race. Determining whether or not he was elected on credentials will probably be done by evaluating his performance and successfulness at restabilizing a nation that is in the middle of a financial crisis.
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The way society has developed as a nation has led to the creation of different races based merely on physical appearance. As we discussed in class, race is an idea that people made up recently, within the past 300 years, as a way to divide groups of people according to physical characteristics. First off, race should not even be an issue of concern; but as society has progressed, civilization has developed this concept of race and it has blown up into a major issue around the globe. Race can be interpreted based on physical appearance, cultural norms, history of ancestors, biological components, or anything people can be grouped together as. When it comes to determining the identity of our president, race is naturally the key element which comes to most peoples minds. It is in what way, and how, that makes discovering his identity interesting. It is not because of Barack’s culture or lifestyle that he identifies himself “African American”, it is because of the shade of his skin color as a result of his biological father’s “identity” in addition to the viewpoints created by society. However, identity is something much more complex than just physical appearance. Due to today’s modern society, our culture is so fast paced that the general public often tend to forget about this. This is why people accept that Barack is “African American” with little to no question or thought about it. Despite his dominantly “white American” influences from his mother and grandparents throughout his life, people ignore that cultural aspect of identity and focus primarily on his physical, “African American” appearance to depict his identity. The cultural aspect of his lifestyle and influences that his mother and grandparents and stepfather had on him throughout his development as a person have a bigger impact on his identity than the biological traits from his father. Nonetheless, the identity selected by one for oneself and for others depends on one’s meaning of identity. Although most people assign identity based on physical characteristics, identity is a universal concept which consists of unlimited amounts of definitions. Given how people decipher one’s identity in our current society, I believe that if Barack were to identify himself as a “white American”, it would turn out to be a controversial matter. The typical American would probably have difficulty understanding how someone who has darker skin identifies himself as “white American”. However, I honestly don’t think it is that big of a deal. The leader of our country should be someone who is strong enough to support us, wise enough to make intelligent decisions, someone who every citizen can trust. All these things should be what the people are concerned about and discussing, not the color of his skin or what his identity is. Whatever he identifies himself as, whether it be “African American” or “white American”, it does not change who he is as a person.
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The fact that Barack Obama considers himself an African American is an issue that I have pondered since he first stepped into the limelight. His skin color clearly indicates that he has African roots, yet his other features show traces of different heritages as well. The fact remains that we live in a society that loves to categorize everyone and everything. On first glance, I think that nearly all of America would consider Obama an African-American man. Undoing this initial impression would prove extremely difficult. For example, if Obama identified himself as a white man, the public may think he was trying to hide his African ancestry. As a person in the public eye, Obama probably finds it easier to simply go along with people’s assumptions about his race. Race is a sociological figment and thus, the pressures of society are what determine a person’s race. In that sense, an individual really has no choice about his race since the opinions of society are what determine it in the first place. In all reality, I do not think that Obama ever had the option of considering himself anything other than an African-American man.
Furthermore, I’m sure that from a young age Barack Obama was grouped into the African-American category by peers, teachers, and the rest of society. When people continuously tell you throughout your life that you belong in a certain category, you begin to believe it yourself. For Obama, I think that erasing his identity as an African-American man from his own mind would prove even more difficult than changing the public’s opinion of his race. Despite his mixed ancestry, Barack Obama psychologically thinks that he is a black man. If that is the identity that he feels most comfortable with, who is the public to argue otherwise? Obama must feel a strong connection with the African-American community because for his whole life, people grouped him into that category. A person naturally gravitates toward others like him, so Obama’s tight bond to the black community does not surprise me.
I can relate a little bit to Obama’s situation since I appear white but actually, my grandfather immigrated to the United States from El Salvador. Technically, I could list myself as Hispanic on job and graduate school applications and possibly give myself an advantage. I have never done this, however, because I do not consider myself to be Hispanic. I speak little Spanish and I have never even visited El Salvador. At a young age, society threw me into the melting pot of white people and I personally do not feel the need to dispute this classification. If society truly invented the notion of race, then society should ultimately get to determine a person’s race. I look like a typical blonde, white girl so I guess I am white! Similarly, Obama appears black, so by society’s standards he is black.
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I feel that Barack Obama feels more socially connected with the black community for a variety of reasons. Having read President Obama’s book , ”Dreams for my Father” he felt that African Americans views on race and social interaction were more in sync on how he viewed certain issues. He felt more connected with certain students of African American dissent, while attending Columbia University in New York City. He became exposed to poverty and issues of African Americans. One also must assume that President Obama may consider himself African American because of his skin color. His skin color causes people of the opposite race to stereotype him as black, not knowing that he is half white. Despite his Caucasian blood, through life experience he felt that his character was more black than white. Obama lived in New York City, Indonesia, and Hawaii. He has been exposed to all different ethnicities and cultures. Now many critics of Obama say they are fed up with the uproar that his presidency brings as the first African American President. The fact that Obama is multi racial and has achieved the presidency is a huge break through in a nation that once enslaved Blacks. For the first time in history a African American will occupy the white house which slaves once built. President Obama has the right to consider himself African American for all the stereotypes he has endured growing up. In his book he told a story about when his white grandfather was playing with him on a beach in Hawaii when he was a young child. White vacationers were staring and pointing because at the time it was looked down upon for having bi-racial relationships. His grandfather said as a joke to one of the white vacationers and said you see that young colored boy; he is the grandson of Hawaiian royalty. Their perceptions changed of the young boy and his white grandfather. I feel that Obama’s critics have helped him make his decision on feeling more black than white. The constant stereotyping may have influenced his decision.
I too can relate to the Presidents story. I am also multi-racial. I am half Caucasian and half Latino. I have a very Hispanic sounding name and when my name is called people often look at me in confusion. I appear to be Caucasian, however my father’s ethnic roots are in Puerto Rico. When I was growing up I often felt confused with my identity as being Hispanic or Caucasian. I grew up in the city and most of my friends were black or Hispanic. However, I never felt more of one race than another. I did spend a lot of times at my grandmother’s house which they spoke Spanish most of the time. They always had Telemundo on the tv and Spanish music playing while my grandmother cooked Spanish rice and beans in the kitchen nearby. I do not think it is biological characteristics that make one part of a race if you are multi-cultural. It is the culture you feel most comfortable with. I consider myself both Latino and White; I do not feel I am one race. I am not mimicking my parents’ ideas, because they come from two totally different racial groups. I feel comfortable with both sides of my family and feel very comfortable with both races. I often would like these critics of President Obama to put themselves in the shoes of a multiracial person. This is the only way they will understand the process. As a multicultural person myself, you go through a period of your life when you explore both cultures and try to develop what ethnicity is good for you. It is a good idea to surround yourself with the different cultures and figure which one you feel most comfortable with as President Obama did.
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A person’s first judgment and conclusion of another is solely based on the outer appearance and that’s the truth. This first impression, of course, can be molded and altered and eventually not resemble the original opinion at all, but the fact remains that the exterior of the person will not change.
I believe that Barack Obama did not choose to be given the title of African-American, but instead it was given to him by society based on his dominant appearance. His culture and ancestry clearly molded his personality into being that of a white and Indonesian descent, but clearly his features do not show that. From personal experience, I understand why Obama has no choice on the title of an African American even though it he is just as much part of that culture as I am.
I am an Indian who was raised in the Western Society. Though both of my parents are from India, I identify myself more with the American culture than I do with my Indian heritage. It’s not that I’m ashamed of my Indian culture; it’s just easier to relate to people in a society where I grew up and learned to socialize in that specific manner. Though I might internally identify myself with the American culture, most people, if not all, initially identify me as an Indian. Along with that identification, there comes along the attached stereotypical connotation. Most of my friends are white or at least American born and raised, and for the most part they see me as an American too. For the most part. There are always those occasional jokes about being Indian, which by no means do I find offensive. I am not a believer of ignoring a race of person, because race does to some extent, more so for some than others, affect who you are. However, those comments prove the point that whatever title society gives you, it can never truly be erased even by your closest friends.
Barack Obama may have once chosen his white or Indonesian heritage, but society’s title of African American are what most people in society perceive of him. Most would agree with the statement that African American still face underlying racism in America; this racism that makes it just that little bit much harder for black people to succeed in this nation. Though Obama was not raised with an African-American heritage, he did face the similar if not the same struggles on his path to success that most black people in this nation would face. This struggle is what most African Americans, I feel, empathize with. Eventually this label became a major advantage during his time in the campaign, and as any politician would, Obama took full advantage of the title of African American.
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Aside from physical features, such as the color of Obama’s skin, I am not sure what makes Obama identify more with African Americans. When looking at the facts mentioned, it would make more sense that he would identify himself as being Caucasion or multiracial. It would appear that he would identify himself with a race other than African American because he was raised by his mother who is Caucasion and his Indonesian step father. However, just becaues he was raised by a white woman does not mean that culturally he was not influenced in one way or the other. People do not always share the same beliefs that their parents practice. A lot of people form different beliefs or ideas than what they were originally taught by their parents.
Also, I think when most people think of race, people automatically think of skin tone as a defining factor. When asked to fill out what race a person is on a test there are usually very limited options. Not to mention, if the person happens to be of more than one race they are still sometimes asked to bubble in only one option. When that is the case they may choose to pick whichever race they physically resemble the most. This may be why people are not thinking so much about what makes Obama relate more to the African American people. From just looking at physical features one would assume that he does look African American, in which case when he chooses to identify himself more with African Americans there are no questions asked. Another reason Obama may have chose to identify more with African American’s is because politically it was in his favor to do so. Saying that he thinks of himself as an African American allows other African American people to identify with him even more. History in the making also seems much more exciting and powerful when one hears words or phrases such as “black president.” It makes society seem like it has really come so far. Where as the new president is multiracial and raised “culturaly white” does not seem to depict the same image. When looking at it from this angle it would seem that for the most part and especially in this case, people can choose their identity at least to an extent. Many people are of different ethinic backgrounds and are they themselves culturally diverse. However, they may pick a certain race or ethnic background that they feel they relate more to or feel more strongly about. This could be due to certain beliefs that particular group shares or becaues of what it means to be associated with that group in society.
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I feel that people choose to put Obama under the black column because it was the easy choice because of his skin color. I also believe that people wanted to have a battle of the firsts for the presidential battle, the first “black president”, and the first female vice president.
Do I believe that Obama is black? No, I believe he is biracial, just like most of the people out there. I am personally biracial as well; sometimes it is easier to say you are one thing over the other to explain yourself I understand that, but by no means do I just think of myself as only Portuguese where there are other cultures that make up my code. In the cases of Obama I do not think he could have identified himself as solely white either because people would not believe him because of his skin color, so that put him in a tough spot. People tend to just label me as white because of my features; I am a lighter Hispanic biracial person. There is more to me than just the color of my skin; I am Portuguese with a bunch of stuff in between. So to forget about everything else is an injustice to my ancestors just like it is an injustice to Barack Obama’s ancestors to just say he is black. He also just dropped the culture that he was raised up in, throughout the presidential race he would say he was black, but as a child he was raised up in a white household.
I believe that Barack Obama uses his race card was also so he could get more votes. Like someone had said in a response before me, someone had shown me that same humorous clip about some black people being asked questions about Obama after the election, and most knew nothing of Obama’s policy, they just liked it because it had his name attached to it with the idea that he was black. In fact the questions asked were about McCain’s campaign if that does not further show that they only said yes because Barack Obama’s name and race were attached to them. Which I feel is crazy because it should not be able to work that way. People who vote should know who and what they are voting for. Why would he go on the platform of change when he is not even going to end the war, that is not change.
Now do not get me wrong, I am happy that we have a president that identifies himself as black, but he should represent himself more fully, and not forget any parts of what he is. He should be proud to be biracial like most of the people in the rest of the world. Like what was said in class, we almost all have a bit of black in us.
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Barack Obama was raised by his white mother and white grandparents. He said he met his African American father once during his childhood and as a result been shaped more by his absence then his presence. Why then, in his post teens, did he choose to identify as African American as oppose to biracial?
I believe identifying as biracial has practical and political consequences. Firstly, the title of biracial can be a bit vague. It could refer to someone who is half Jewish, half Iranian or half asian. No politician wants to deal such a headache. Secondly, many African American voters may have felt abandoned had he chosen the biracial title. It would have made him perceivably invisible to his African American roots.
The blog asks ‘what is it that allows most of us to accept this identification with little dissonance?’. I think the bigger question here is “why do we care what label he sides with?”. Why do we have to go through the trouble of trying to label ourselves in the first place? What purpose does it serve? What if he identified as ‘a person’ rather then ‘a black person’ and left the trivial task of racial labeling to the public? Obama may have felt it a trivial task, but not at this point in time. The country’s history of severe racial divide still resonates. Labeling himself black, if anything, proves a point that labels are in fact trivial, or at least ought to be. Getting as far as he did in turn made him living proof that race can have no bearing on what any black person can accomplish in this country. ‘White Americans’ never needed such proof because they have been assured forty-three times prior. In all honesty, it shouldn’t matter if our president is black or white. Whoever happens to be the most qualified at that moment in time should in fact be the one elected to run our country. Every individual in our country has equal rights and it should not even be necessary for Obama to have to prove that blacks are just as capable and accomplished as whites. The issues that have occurred with race are history; they are in the past. So why can’t we just leave what is in the past, in the past?
I believe our identities and ethnic backgrounds come from our ancestries. You are who your ancestors were, no questions. I know that people of the same identities and backgrounds can connect and relate to each other. Take Judaism, for example. Growing up in a Jewish community, I know that understanding background is very important to me and my family. Remembering where it is you come from is always crucial to identifying who you are.
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Race and ethnicity. After more and more thought on those two words, it seems as though people are choosing to be a certain race or ethnicity, or are even raised and told what in fact they are. If we were simply shown a picture of Barack Obama, not knowing any background information on him, I would say that a majority of respondents would say that he is “African American” or “Black”, simply by his exterior features. We would see his darker completion, wide set nose, dark eyes, and textured hair that is similar to others who label themselves to be “black”. After finding out more about this man, my view of him being black has become hazeier. He is half white and half black, and could have easily decided to go with the other half. But the simple fact of him not looking white makes all the difference. Does the fact that his father was Kenyan, with true African blood, make Obama more alike with people from that same background, even he did not spend more than two weeks with the man?
It is an interesting concept to think about ones ethnicity or race and choosing if comes from the way they appear, or the blood that runs through their veins. Here the upbringing of a person almost has no impact on a person’s race. Obama was raised primarily by his white mother, the person he says to have the biggest impact on himself as a person. I was raised by my white mother and white father, so are the President and I on the same page here? Yes my hair is light brown and soft, my eyes light and skin the same, but don’t we have more in common here then say someone with two black parents? Race and ethnicity to me is more than skin deep, and simply looking at a person and labeling them to be one or the other is unfair and absurd!
If someone were to look at me, I believe that they would label me as Caucasian with European decent. Just taking what they see on the outside, and not considering where my parents or grandparents may be from, they have already made that distinction. I could have an African American great grandfather, and the features passed down by him may have just been lost with time through generations. If this in fact were true, I don’t know necessarily how strongly I would feel tied to any African American roots. Obama on the other hand, he still has those African American features, and when one looks at him, they can see this. Granted, African Americans still feel some hardships in their day-to-day lives, and the fact that they look that way may cause others to treat them differently. Here is where the skin-deep factor comes into play. Many don’t understand that the way someone looks really says only a fraction about them.
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In my opinion I think Barack Obama labels himself of thinks of himself more as “black” because it goes along with the idea that things have changed in the United States. It helps show that we are growing as a country and coming closer to making Martin Luther King Junior’s dream really come true. If he labeled himself more with whites it wouldn’t be as big of a deal that he won the presidency. The fact that Barack Obama and the rest of the world sees’ him as a “black” man instead of a “white” man changes everything. It changes the way people look at him and think of him. No one can honestly say they don’t notice the fact that Barack Obama is “black” and our new president. When thinking about if Barack Obama chose to be thought of as a “black” man I don’t think he did. I mean no one really chooses to be thought of as “black”, “white” or “brown” or anything. It reminds me of the Labeling Theory in criminology. In the Labeling Theory it talks about how when some one is “labeled” as a criminal they continue to do so called “criminal” things or not stop their “criminal” behavior. They don’t stop because they feel that no matter what they do they will never be able to get rid of their so called “label” as a criminal. This relates to Barack Obama being labeled as a “black” man because he didn’t necessarily choose to be looked at or seen as “black” that’s just the way that people have always seen him or thought of him. I think that even though Barack Obama is multiracial people would never really see him or qualify him as “white” even if that’s how he saw himself and categorized himself. I feel like it doesn’t matter how Barak Obama sees’ himself whether it’s as a “black” man or a “white” man other people would always see him and categorize him as “black” because of his dominant features. Even though he is a light skinned “black” man his skin color is still seen as “black”. Barack Obama accepts the fact that he is seen as a “black” man because he knows that’s how other light skinned people are seen as well. No one really gets to decide how other people see them. I don’t think any one really has the option or choice to decide if they’re seen as “black” or “white” or what ever they may be seen as. It’s other people that decide for them based off of how they see them. How they define their dominant features or the way they look. Not how they define or see themselves.
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I believe that our identities grow from our culture and the things that happen around us. People in society naturally associate certain features to certain heritages. This isn’t necessarily right to do, but nonetheless it is a fact of life. People see someone with light skin and automatically assume they are white. Or someone with slanted eyes is for sure an Asian. Obama is seen to many people as black because of his dark skin, even though he truly is multiracial. I think it’s sad that people of the Untied States are so uninformed on the background of our President and they automatically assume that he is just black. The fact that Obama considers himself African American could very well be because he associates his dark skin with this, even though he wasn’t raised by his black father. Although I am not multiracial, I think the environment in which I live has shaped how I identify myself. Obama was raised by his white mother and Indonesian step-father and I find this kind of weird that he doesn’t associate himself with those cultures. Even if he does look more like his father, I think he should still be proud of the fact that he has a white mother and a very diverse background.
The fact that people consider Obama as the first black president of the United States, I think is not right to say. At the beginning of Obama’s campaign, at first I thought that he was just black, going by looking at his skin. I regret the fact that I just jumped to this conclusion without actually looking further to see if that was all he was. I am proud to say that America has a multiracial president and I think it’s cool that he represents so many different cultures.
As for my own identity, I have always known that I was Irish and Italian, but I mostly just associated myself with being Irish. My last name is very Irish sounding so people just always automatically assumed that I was only Irish. I feel like because that it was what other people referred to me as, that is what I associated myself with. Everyone has their stereotypes when it comes to different races and it annoys me that because people see something on the surface, they form an opinion without really getting to know someone.
I don’t know why Obama only refers to himself as African American, but part of the reason could be because that is what everyone has always seen himself as. I just wish that people would try to get more informed before jumping to conclusions. I know it is a fact of life and I even find myself forming opinions before I know all the facts. But maybe now as people learn about our President, they will take the time to think before assuming.
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I do not believe President Obama chose to identify himself as African American because he wanted to gain votes. For all we know he was identifying himself as African American from the moment he could speak. And though he may be more personally connected to “white culture” (if such a thing exists anymore) because that’s how he was raised, maybe he is more proud of his African American ancestry and feels more comfortable identifying himself as “black” rather than white. I mean just because the African American culture was never around when he was growing up doesn’t mean it still isn’t a major part of him.
Though one could also argue that if he didn’t embrace his African American heritage, it would have cost him more than ignoring his white heritage would have. White people would have looked at him as a sort of poser, who was just trying to win over the white vote, while the African Americans would have ostracized him for denouncing his African American heritage
I think it is important for everyone to learn about their true ancestry and ethnic background; whether it be from your parents, grandparents, great grandparents, family tree, etc. If they feel more comfortable identifying themselves as a descendent from a certain background, then they should feel free to identify themselves how they want. For example, I come from predominately German descent, but I am also of Dutch and Irish decent as well. I feel I relate most with my Dutch heritage, though I was raised in a “German American” culture. I simply feel more comfortable and more proud to be identified as Pennsylvania Dutch, the same reason President Obama may want to be identified as African American.
I also feel that our society is the main reason he is identified as an African American. Even if he does identify himself as biracial, we only see the color of his skin. In any society, and just our species in general…the majority of our sensory input, and in turn our opinions, is visually based. It’s a biological fact that humans rely more on sight than any other sense and through that sight, people see an African American man. So honestly… if he tried to claim he was a white man running for president, people would flip out. They’d say “look at your skin; you are not white,” the key word being “look.”
The media also plays a huge part in his identification. They want to exploit the election as much as possible and make it more historic; because having an African American president is more exciting than having a biracial president (half of America’s presidents were probably biracial anyway).
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I feel the question of identity can be tricky if you really sit and think about it. Why do people who are in fact multiracial identify more with one side over the other? In my opinion it’s the people you grow up with (i.e. your family, friends, and relatives). When thinking about why President Obama identifies more with his “African American” roots then either his “white” or “Indonesian” roots does not make much sense to me. In some sense I feel like it was a strategy of sorts to win over certain demographics. One can’t judge or be mad with the fact that he chooses to identify himself as black. That’s one of the great things about being multiracial! One day if you feel like being black you can be black, if you want to be white the next week, hell, that’s cool as well! With all this being said I think it’s clear to see that we do in fact have a big part in choosing our identities. Regardless of our ancestry we are each individuals and can chose to live our lives however we see fit. Do our parents and ancestors sometimes play a role in how we identify ourselves? Absolutely, but a person is not held down and tortured to follow the way of their previous family members. This is what makes America great and being an American so great. We are a land of refuge and opportunity and that is why we are the melting pot in which we are today. People came from countries across the world to escape people telling them how to shape their identities. Immigrants fled to America to set up a life and an identity of their own. So do you have a choice in shaping our identity? The answer is again, absolutely.
Now just because we have the ability to choose our identity does not mean that in some ways our identity chooses us. The color of our skin clearly is beyond our control, and in the eyes of some people this already puts forth an identity that they believe to be true, stereotypes across races and ethnic groups of all kinds. When you look at identity in this light the answer to the question is identity chooses us. But then again there is always that little glimmer of hope that you can erase those stereotypes and show people who you truly are when they get to know you. We all have the ability to choose and make up our own identity. We do so in the way we dress, the way we act, and the way we interact with people on a daily basis. I know for a fact that I have complete control over my identity. Do you have control over yours?
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In my opinion, people’s identities are chosen for them, but they can also choose their identities. I didn’t choose to be born Polish, Czech, or Slovakian. I didn’t have a choice for that matter, but I did get to choose many characteristics about myself. Michael Jackson was born black, but he wanted to be white. He bleached his skin and went through numerous surgeries to obtain the features of a white person. Also, Barack Obama is half black half white, and calls himself black because that’s what you see. How can he consider himself black? He was raised by a white family and hardly knew his black father. He was never raised by a black person, but he can call himself black and let others refer to him as African American. I don’t consider him black what so ever. He’s biracial, but has the qualities of a white person other than his skin. He says his mother inspired him and shaped his character, but why doesn’t he refer to himself as white? He identifies himself as black, and he gets that characteristic by a man who walked out on him. I’m sorry, but if I was in his situation, I would refer to myself as white to acknowledge the woman who raised me. He chose to identify himself as black during the election. And in my opinion, he used it solely to his advantage. He never acknowledged himself as being white, rather African American. This worked quite well during the 2008 election. There are many Americans who did not know anything about him except for the fact he is black. There were speculations that black people were voting for him solely because he is black. There was a survey conducted in Harlem, New York, and they gave Obama all of McCain’s attributes. These people believed that Sarah Palin was Obama’s running mate; we should keep our troops in Iraq and many other things. Does this justify people voting for Obama because he has all the attributes of being a good president or because he is “black?” I was watching the news one night during the campaigns. Obama just finished one of his speeches, and a reporter went up to this one woman and asked why she was voting for Obama, and her response was, “If I help him, he’ll help me. He’s going to help my pay my bills and my mortgage.” Is this really the society we live in today? Don’t get me wrong, I believe this is a huge accomplishment in America. People are finally realizing that we can have someone of a different race in the office. This is big step for our generation and the generations to come. Martin Luther King would be proud of this country.
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Before discussing whether we choose our identity or our identities choose us, I think it is important to point out that a person’s true identity is not always how they identify themselves. We have no power over choosing our true identity. I am German and English, and that is my identity. I could say I was black or Asian but that would not be acceptable to outsiders because it is so blatantly untrue. On the other hand, my best friend is Filipino and white American. When people ask her what her race is she says Filipino because that is how she chooses to identify herself, and since it is partially true, people accept that without question. Her identity of Filipino and white chose her, and she chooses to identify herself as Filipino.
Since Barack Obama seems to be the talk of the town, his situation should obviously be addressed in regards to this question. Everyone is aware that he is not exactly African American, or actually even fully African. However, he is most commonly identified as, and identifies himself as African American. But is this such a bad thing? With all the emphasis put on his “blackness” by the rest of the rest of the world, why would he want to go around saying, “Well actually I’m half white,”? A rap song came out with the lyrics, “My president is black,” before he had even won the primary election. Another with the title “Black President” held the lyrics, “It is my distinct honor, and privilege to introduce the next President of the United States – Barack Obama.” The idea of a black president is so exciting to Americans that the other half of Obama’s heritage is overlooked. I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. Let the people be excited about their president. After all, he remains a symbol of how far America has come regardless of the fact that he isn’t one fully black.
I did not vote for Barack Obama because of my political views, which are mainly republican. However, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and his family nonetheless. While Barack himself may be less black than people would like to believe, his wife is black and they have two beautiful, primarily black daughters. The fact that the first family is black is an absolutely amazing feat that really does show how much progress America has made. Despite my political views, I have complete respect for the Obama family and how they have brought the people of our country together to close the segregation gap even further. Although my candidate did not win the election, Barack Obama is my president now, and I have complete respect for this new leader of our country.
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I think when we are young our racial identity is chosen for us based on what we look like and in what cultural ways our parents and family raise us. However, when we reach adulthood we are able to accentuate what part of our race we want to be associated with. For myself I am white with ancestry from different parts of Europe but I usually associate myself with my mom’s Italian heritage because I grew up mostly around my Italian side of the family. But I am just as much Hungarian and Slovak but I don’t recognize it as much because I don’t really know much about that part of my family. Also my features look Italian so no one questions it. Of course when I’m with my dad’s side of the family I am told how much I am like them and they see the Slovak not the Italian. But that is just natural to want to associate people into your culture, it shows your acceptance of others who are like you, because you share a common bond.
For people of mixed races that are not all white, or all black, or solely one race while they may want to identify themselves as one over the other or both, the world today will chose for them. Usually it’s based on their skin color, like Obama. He is half black but for the way the world sees him, he might as well just be all black, being white doesn’t make his presidency something special, if you say he is half black he is only half different from all the other presidents, but being black is a radical change for this country so why not sell it for all its worth. Now don’t get me wrong I think Obama is a great man with a lot of great ideas for this country, but I would rather hear about what he plans to do as president and see those plans get accomplished than constantly talk about the color of his skin. And if I were him I would be proud to be the first black president but in history I would want to be known and remembered for something more. I would want to be remembered for the amazing job I did while in office to make the country I love better. To be judged by character and not the color of my skin.
All in all if you don’t have a dominant race feature you can pass yourself off and identify with what you want. But when you have a stand out feature, you are basically forced to identify with that race and heritage even though you may not feel connected to or act like that culture in anyway.
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Unfortunately environment has much more control over individuals then they would like to admit, or are even aware of. While every human has particular ethnicities in their DNA that have been passed down from their ancestors, it isn’t always up to the individual to choose their race. Everyone’s genetic makeup consists of dominant genes that overpower recessive genes which gives them their physical features. While DNA is the true test of ancestry, race is more or less given to us by stereotypes produced by society.
In the case of Barack Obama he chose to identify himself as an African American even though he could have chosen to identify himself as white because he is half of each. Claiming to a biracial status would have been completely legitimate in terms of race however Barack Obama is a politician that creates the problem. Being a politician involves being constantly scrutinized by the media especially on personal matters such as this one. Also, nothing is worse than a politician who cannot choose a side, or a “flip-flopper,” as many like to call them. Had Barack Obama chose to identify himself as biracial society would have seen him as someone who can’t take a stance on important issues. If Barack Obama chose to identify himself as being white the media would have labeled him as confused, or some other negative connotation. As a result of Barack Obama having more African American physical features in the public eye, it was a wise decision to go with a race that the public would understand and accept the most.
When I’m asked “What are you?” in regards to ethnicity I respond with “English, Italian, German, Austrian, and Irish.” I respond with this mix European explanation because those are the ethnicities that run in my family according to what my parents have told me. Being that I have a few European traits from several countries I can’t really pinpoint which exact physical features I received from each. I enjoy being a European Mutt because it allows me to identify with numerous different cultures all of which contribute to features that separate me from others. We are mimicking our grandparents in the sense that their genes were passed down from them to our parents and then finally to us. However, I believe society often labels certain ethnicities by stereotypes instead of accurate depictions. Society and the media often make people of a less accepted race feel bad about themselves for not looking like the media’s image of a normal, attractive person. This can often force people to repress their dominant characteristic in order to fit in with the preconceived norm that the environment has set. With Barack Obama in office pushing for equality and change I hope to see this pattern regress. It will be a great achievement to celebrate everyone’s different ethnicities, and value everyone as equal. Hopefully a new era of intellectual thinking will allow for everyone to identify with the race they feel comfortable with instead of the race that others would like them to be.
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Identity is one of the most difficult concepts to assign to oneself. The concept of identity is difficult to grasp because there is no one definition for identity. How does one define an identity? A possible definition of identity is what someone deems themselves to be. But in most cases people cannot define themselves by just their physical attributes. An identity incorporates physical look but also ancestral background, environment, and upbringing. All of those factors are what an identity can be. But unfortunately, one cannot necessarily ignore their physical attributes by which society identifies them. They must use their physical appearance as their entire identity.
President Barack Obama has one of the most difficult identity issues. As a biracial American he has two completely different ethnic backgrounds. Dr. Richards asks, why does he simply choose to call himself black? Historically speaking, one could not simply call themselves white when they looked predominately black. President Barack Obama has a darker coloring, which could not be deemed white even if he personally identified himself as such. Furthermore, he possibly chose to identify himself as black because he felt a closer connection that form of identity. I do not personally know who President Obama socialized with as a boy, but generally speaking he may have found more acceptance from the African American community. His looks are more so of a black male than a white male. Even in current times, if he had chosen to identify himself as white he would not be accepted by either group. Blacks would see him as a cop-out or a black man trying to be white. And whites would see him as a pretender, some one who was not truly white, and trying to enter their community. It is unfortunate that such a double standard exists, but the fact still remains that it does.
Identity is both chosen and given. President Barack Obama chose his identity, but it was also consequently given to him. President Barack Obama chose to call himself black because he personally believed that what he was. He is not saying that he is more white than more black. He is only identifying himself as he sees fit. But contrarily, he chose to identify himself as black because identifying himself as white would have been a laughing matter. It is possible that he chose to identify himself as black because he had gained more worldly acceptance from the black community. It also possible that he chose to identify himself as black, because he saw himself as a black man when he looked in the mirror. Dr. Richards poses a question as to why we allow President Obama to solely claim his black side. The answer to this question cannot not simply be explained. It can only be speculated.
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I think that we choose our identity versus it choosing us. The reason being, just because we are of a certain ancestry does not necessarily mean we identify ourselves as that ethnicity. Like you said our identity comes out of culture and how we are raised. I believe that our parents and grandparents play an important role in how we identify ourselves. For instance Barack Obama is clear of dark skin, now that doesn’t necessarily mean he is black or that he identifies himself as black. He can identify himself however he likes. What matters is who he thinks he really is. As with ourselves, it matters only of how we view ourselves. The concerns of others should not affect how we feel about our ethnic background. Similarly, in class we’ve talked about crossing the color line. Those people of lighter skin who were able to cross the color line were fortunate back then because they did not have to live under the harsh conditions that people of darker skin lived under. But does that now confuse those who are unsure of where they stand in terms of the color line?
Back to Obama, I feel like since he is of darker color he feels more connected to black people. That does not contradict my thoughts above as I believe that even though he may feel more connected to people of his color, he was given the choice to identify himself with that race. If he felt differently, he may have identified himself as Kenyan or Native American. What I believe is a strong reason for some people to believe that identity chooses us is because of certain physical features, such as color, eye shape, nose shape, texture of the hair, etc. which connects you more with a certain group. Just because you look similar to someone or a group from a certain area does not mean that you must identify yourself with that group. Something I found interesting is that many people made it such a big deal during President Barack Obama’s election campaign that he was black but rarely did they mention he was also half white, Kenyan, and Native American. Now that he is officially the President of the United States you can see more people referring to him as half black, half white.
Once again I believe that how we identify ourselves reflects much of how our parents and grandparents identify themselves. My mother was born in Lima, Peru but she feels that she has been Americanized. Although she does identify herself as Peruvian, she also says she feels American because she has lived here most of her life and her way of life has altered to more of the “American Way of Life.” When someone asks me to identify myself I usually say Peruvian, Italian, and American. I have been brought up knowing both English and Spanish and that is what make me feel that I can identify myself as Peruvian.
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Inauguration day for our first “black” president was the day after Martin Luther King’s eightieth birthday. This was a momentous day in history and it seems like fate that there could be a coincedince such as this. It is really incredible how far our country has come since Martin Luther King’s time based on the fact Obama is now our first non-white president. I think that is imperative to recognize about this big leap in history. However, there is so much emphasis on his race and I still find myself wondering why we are so concentrated on what race he is? Our backgrounds are a part of us and our pasts make us who we are. There are so many shades of skin colors, just like there are many different races. So why do we need to label everything about ourselves? We have to identify ourselves by our sexuality, religion, class, ethnicity, and many other labels. It is sad our society judges us based on appearances and our beliefs.
Let’s face it. Obama looks black. I feel a lot of Obama’s campaign was connecting to the black community. He understood what it meant to overcome a struggle. However, the black community would not have voted for him as much if he were not black. Consider a Native American running for president. The black community would not have been as excited. Yet, growing up with his white mother makes him feel strongly towards whites as well. The media was all over the color of his skin and there was more of a concentration on that than there was on a lot of other more important things in our country. I feel people label Obama as the race that will help him be more favored in the election.
I am white. My background is German, British, and Welsh. I do not know personally my German, British, or Welsh ancestors; much like Obama does not have much of a connection with his African father. Yet, I call myself Caucasian. My features are considered “white features”. It is because of my looks and my cultures that make me feel like a white American. In my personal opinion, we judge race all on looks. If I were to look darker, people would think of me as a different race. Most of my friends are white. I have a few friends who are black and Latino. We look at the dominant features in a person and assume we can call them a specific race. Race is a big issue that has a lot of gray areas. So let Obama call himself an African American. His father is African, his mother is white, and Obama was born in the United States, meaning he technically is an “African American”.
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Personally, I feel that people form their own identities. Depending on the dominant features someone has, or the way they were raised will shape how they identify themselves. When a person has one white and one black parent they have to choose how they want to identify themselves. The dominant features that person has could help persuade them one way or another. When someone asks what ethnicity that person is they can choose to identify themselves as white, black, or biracial. Also, if a person had parents of opposite race and was raised by only one of them that would most likely help them chose how they wanted to identify themselves.
I believe that parents and sometimes grandparents have a lot of influence on their children while they grow up. My grandma, who is an immigrant from Germany, was around me all the time while I grew up. She made it a point to make it very clear to me that I was a German girl; insisting that I take German while I was young, and participate at a Lutheran church near by. I loved her but always felt so pressured around her to be the perfect German girl that she had in mind. On the other side my other grandma was always easy going and hardly ever brought up ethnicity or race.
Though the German in me was definitely forced at times, I am very proud of my identity. I feel like people portray the part of their identity that they are most proud of, and keep the other part of them inside. I feel that the public ideas shape how someone will sway their decision. Parts of your heritage could be withheld if you felt embarrassed about it or if you felt it would cause you trouble in the future.
Obama had the choice of how he wanted to identify himself in this election. His most dominant feature was African American, and that’s what he decided to portray. His skin is darker then it is white and I think that’s why most accept him referring to himself as black. Obama used his ethnicity in the campaign. As I recall it was all about change. A multi-racial president is definitely one of the biggest changes to date. I felt it was almost used to him as an advantage. Obama probably had people working for him encouraging him to identity himself as black. What I respected about him was that he never straight out brought it up. It shows how, though things may not yet be perfect, we have come a long way as a nation. People knew by look that Obama was black, and they were ok with it, ok enough to make him our president.
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With the title, I am going to contradict myself. I do say that we choose our identity yet I also think that it chooses us. When I say that we choose our identity I say that while we are growing up and learning new things as we get older, the environment plays a huge role in our identity. People experience new things and ideas that make us think what we think. When we try something new it gives us a new perspective of things. On the contrast, I say that identity chooses us. If one of my parents were white and another was Muslim, I would consider myself biracial. And in some contexts, depends how much you are involved in your race, I might consider myself a Muslim or American. You can’t help that you have both white parents or both Muslim parents, you have to accept that. Their genes are your genes! You have their features and DNA and such. As for Obama, I don’t get annoyed when they say that he is the first black president. So what if he’s half black? Here’s when identity chooses us comes into play. Just because he grew up with his step dad and not real dad (who was black) doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have African roots. He got his roots from both his parents, obviously, and people should just accept that. No one is going to say “He’s our first half black and white black president”. Maybe it’s because it’s better to say he’s black than white. Personally, I think it’s better to say that he’s black when though his mom was white and grew up with predominantly American childhood. But I would also say that he’s white. He’s of both race so why do people give so much thought in it? So what? Meaning, why do people care when they say “No he’s not our first black president, he’s HALF black and half white”. It’s ok for someone to say that their Asian even though their dad was black. And vice versa. It’s ok to say that you’re black even though your mom is Asian. If a person is biracial, I feel that they are uniquely connected with each of their race that they belong too. He/she might relate more to Asian food or customs but might have a lot of black friends. In that case, he can say “Oh I’m Asian”, even though he has the typical dark colored skin. So I consider Obama black, because his dad was black but then again, I would also consider him white because he grew up with his white mother and white grandparents. the topic question can go both ways; it’s both of them.
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I think that identity is a mix between what we choose and what chooses us (or maybe put more precisely, what others choose for us). I believe that possibly one of the reasons that Barack Obama identifies himself as a black man is that he was brought up with people around him thinking of him as a black person. As Barack Obama said himself, he struggled during childhood to reconcile perceptions about his heritage. If people go along their entire childhood with every around them classifying them as black, they will start to go along with it and make others’ perceptions their own.
While it upsets me to say this, it is the truth: black people are treated differently than white people in America. One example among many would be that black people can go into stores and be looked at constantly by workers because they assume the black person is going to steal something. When Obama went to public places as a child, other people did not know he was half white and half black, and that his stepfather was Indonesian. People looked at him and saw a black kid, and they subsequently treated him that way. People choose for his identity to be a black person.
I do, however, also think as he grew older, Obama embraced being an African American and decided to choose that identity for himself. I think that he wanted to inspire an entire race and be a role model for them. Obama knows how blacks are treated in America and he wants to show the black youth that they can overcome and prevail. Barack Obama wants to let them know that they can’t let perceive barriers stop them and they can’t blame other people for holding them back. He wants to inspire the nation and let people of all color and all ethnicity know that anyone can be whatever they want to be. Identifying yourself as a minority holds a lot more power with that statement than it would with a white person.
Personally, I feel that Barack Obama is just Indonesian as he is black and I think he could even be considered more white than either, since he has white blood and was raised by a white parent. As Dr. Richards said in the blog, Obama spent only several weeks in the presence of his father and therefore Obama cannot be that in touch with his African roots and his African family. I am not saying that because of this, he should deny his black ethnicity; after all he still if of African descent. At first glance, and with the information about his parental upbringing, it would seem odd that he would identify himself as black, but I believe after considering the other things I have mentioned that it makes sense. His ethnicity is bigger than him; it is about uplifting and inspiring millions of others. One can tell that it is already starting to work, as we have already seen from a poll (in the other blog) that for the first time ever blacks are more optimistic than whites.
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As a disclaimer, I love Obama, and I can’t wait to see what he does with the country. Anything I express is in a simply matter of straight forward opinion, and not laced with any negative connotations. Having said that, in terms of Barack Obama choosing to identify himself as black instead of white or Indonesian, I think that he chose his identity because it was what benefitted him most as a man who wanted to get far in politics. He understood that he was a symbol of hope for black people all over America, so he chose that identity to get the unique support of virtually most black people and today’s younger generation (who in my opinion, is more about equality and banishing of racial barriers than any previous generation). It is true that his skin is darker than that of a white person’s, but his black father was not too big apart of his life. It seems that Obama articulates himself verbally as if he was white, and he does not seem to carry himself as if he was brought up in an African American culture. So in Obama’s case, I believe that for the most part, he, not society of race, ultimately chose his identity. He took what he was given and identified himself with what would benefit his persona.
I do believe that for the most part, one chooses his or her own identity. However, I also believe that race and society can make it more difficult to overcome identity barriers for some people more then others. It would obviously be more difficult for a black woman to make the same impression as a white woman. I think, as with Obama’s example, it is the way you carry yourself and the choices you make that can make the difference. As an example on a smaller scale, a tall individual may be encouraged throughout grade school and high school to join the basketball team and thus become a “jock” in their school. This person may also reject that societal influence and choose to become involved in that arts, which would (especially in high school) greatly impact his or her identity. As a similar example, a high school friend of mine is both black and white. Physically, she looks more black than white. However, she didn’t hang out with the rest of the black people within the school. Her demeanor was of white culture, but her physical appearance could have swayed her to be more in touch with her African American roots. Nonetheless, being really close friends, we joked around that she was the whitest black person we knew. In fact, I didn’t see her as black, but just as my friend with her own traits and personality just like everyone else. As we both went away to college, we kept in touch, and she told me about all of the African American rooted classes: African culture, African languages, the history of civil rights, and is now a member of an all black sorority. She is now choosing to be more in touch with the “black side” of herself. My point is that in essence, my friend chose one identity in high school, and the other in college.
Another example of race denying societal norms is the famous rapper, Eminem. Eminem is obviously white and from a white background, but somewhere along the line, he was more intrigued or felt more comfortable with certain aspects of black culture (i.e. rap and Ebonics). Initially, Eminem’s deviance from white culture was not well received, but obviously today he is very successful with his records. Again, he is another example of an individual choosing his or her own identity. In conclusion, in my experiences, this is the case: you are given a certain set of genes that when combined with learned culture and society might influence how you identify yourself. I believe that it’s what you do with what you are born with that defines who you are.
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My feeling is that it is perfectly acceptable for Obama to call himself an “African American.” He is an American of partial African descent: good enough for me. Yes, he does have the right to claim he is a white American. Yes, he could also choose to be labeled multiracial. Does it matter? As far as I am concerned all that matters is that he is an American. Perhaps it is because the way I was raised, or because it just doesn’t matter to me, but I really don’t feel that his ancestry will affect his ability to lead our country – and that’s what is important to me.
As this article states, “multiracial people … are generally labeled by their dominant features.” Maybe it was his choice to call himself an “African American” but it was certainly the choice that the country would agree with. I imagine that if Obama had decided early on in his life that he was going to be identified as a white American that he would have been ridiculed for trying to hide his black ancestry. I particularly remember hearing a comment early in his campaign that there was a concern that the black community may not support him because he was not “black enough.” I do not know whether Obama chose to embrace his status as a “black” American for the political gain or if it truly is how he identifies himself, but his skin pigment certainly qualifies him. I believe the color of his skin connects him to the black community, and also allows the public to accept this identity without question. With few other aspects of his person linking him to the African American community I am curious how the situation would be if he had been born albino. In any case he has chosen that as his identity and I don’t see it as any of my business to question him.
As for my own identity: I’m not entirely sure. I normally respond to the question “What are you?” that I’m from every European country lacking skin pigment (I would be more on the “clear” side of the skin gradation talked about in class). I have English blood that came to America in the early 1600s, Irish ancestors that dug basements in New York City, a small percentage of Native American, and there is even a rumor of slave blood (never confirmed). I am not ashamed of any of my heritage; I make no attempts to hide any of it, I only attempt to answer the question of what I am as simply as possible. I don’t consider myself to be mimicking the heritage of my parents or grandparents; I was raised by them with the traits and ancestry I received from them. I would say that they have shaped my identity into what it is today. I feel that the word “share” their heritage is more appropriate than “mimic.”
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Denial is the biggest flaw in this world. One cannot deny their heritage. In this case if we say since Barack Obama was brought up in a white household so he is white, that is not just completely inaccurate but it is being oblivious to your heritage as well. Celebrities these days adopt children from different parts of the world. Lets take Angelina Jolie as an example; she and her husband adopted a boy from Cambodia. Even though he will live the American life with loads of money, rich and fame but it still doesn’t mean that’s he’s ‘White’. He was born in Cambodia, his parents are from there and his color shows he isn’t white.
The world recognizes white as white, black as black and brown as brown. These are colors or ethnic boundaries that the people of earth have adopted and it wouldn’t matter what one thinks or does. By the end of the day they are what they are. Michael Jackson even though has had over 30 surgeries to fix his burnt skin and now even though he seems white but his past, his ancestry cannot be denied. He was born black on this earth and everyone will consider him that.
Given Barack Obama is a very intellectual person. Attained a degree from Harvard Law. He has no doubly set a precedent for the black community not only in America but also all around the world. It isn’t a question of why Obama feels more connected to the black community but rather what his kind have been through i.e. years of colonial oppression, slavery and unequal treatment. As the President of the United States of America we shouldn’t be pondering over whether he is white or black. There are much more bigger issues faced now a days. As the President he will treat everyone equally since that is how politics works. One cannot be put over the other and him being the first black man as the President will make sure that boundaries aren’t crossed that would make the public unhappy in anyway. Honestly it doesn’t matter if he is white or black. For me he is just another man who goes by the name of Barack H. Obama and now he lives in the White House.
As far as identifying our selves is concerned, this is where we get tangled into a dilemma. We are mimicking our parents and grandparents but at the same time study and research has also sub divided us into these physical, ancestral and cultural categories. It goes without say if someone asks what we are, in response we’d reply with black, Asian or whatever the person’s race/ethnicity is. Though in my opinion these boundaries are unnecessary but people believe that for the sake of finding out ancestry one must know where he or she is from in detail.
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Identity: Do we choose it or does it choose us?
After forty-four presidents finally an African American becomes a president and sets foot in the White House. BARACK OBAMA. Two white parents have raised Barack Obama although his biological father was black. He spent very little time with his biological father. To be exact just maybe a few years from his childhood, which has no effect in shaping his personality. You start developing a personality and knowing who you are at the beginning of your teenage years. During his teenage years, his Indonesian stepfather and his American mother were raising Barack Obama. The reason Barack Obama is seen to be black is not because of his father or his color but the truth is that ancestry and ethnicity can’t be denied. We kept on being told where we are from and we can’t deny it. Even when you try to be someone else no matter, it will be obvious where you are originally from. For example, I’ve met a lot of Asian people who try to pass as American or so called “white” but no matter they won’t be because their ancestry and ethnicity is shown in their color and physical features. Physical features meaning: the texture of their hair, their eyes, and their white skin. In the case of Barack Obama, he’s identified African American because of his skin color. He’s more accepted by black people because of what the black people have suffered. They suffered slavery and being maltreated by the whites all their life. To finally see someone from their own skin color be in the white house, just frees their soul from the fire they’ve been burned by all these years; white people. The white people accept him because I personally believe that the world is starting to change. People are starting to notice that they should not only SEE, NO! They should also see what’s WITHIN. We are all identified or split into different racial groups because of our ancestry, our ethnicity and what we are told by our parents. They are also well in scripted in our physical features because of the unstoppable intercourse between similar racial groups. Just imagine a world with no borders what so ever and we all lived in one place. Taking one person from every racial group. If we all keep copulating then after SOOOOOO many generations we’d all look the similar with no difference. We’d all have one racial group but no matter what we are, we reminded by our parents and ancestors where we are originally from. Difference’s noticeable it can’t be deny it no matter what. But since when did it become the factor that judges your personality or who you are. It’s just a color of skin, a kind of hair, a nose, eyes, a language, a way of dressing up but it doesn’t tell you anything about the person HIMSELF!!!!
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People definitely choose how they identify themselves. Instead of everyone just being their own person, people feel the need to place themselves in a group or category so they can separate themselves from certain people while connecting them to others. Using the example of President Obama, identifying himself as “black” separated him from other presidents and candidates which was kind of his niche while it also grouped him with a minority. Regardless of the fact that he was probably the best qualified of the two candidates, by Obama identifying as black he probably got many votes from uninformed voters just based on how he identified himself. Many young people and people of minorities didn’t focus on much or any of the actual politics they were only focused on having a black president because they felt they could relate to a minority president or they just wanted “change”. Even for people that had knowledge on each president’s campaign, it is kind of hard to get past the fact that he could be our first black president and they could be there to witness history, how can you pass that chance up? I personally like Obama but I feel like identifying as black was a strategic move and a great strategic move at that and I don’t doubt he knew this when he made that choice. Even though I believe Obama used identity as a tool I also believe that if he tried to go through the race avoiding the topic or trying to “pass himself off as white” he would have been ripped apart by other politicians and the media. So while I feel it was played up I also feel it was unavoidable so he might as well have used it to his advantage.
It may sound like it but I don’t think I am contradicting myself. The question of “identity: do we choose it or does it choose us?” is up to each individual. While people can stereotype others for a hundred different reasons it’s up to the individual to choose whether or not they are going to prove that person wrong. People are what they are and look how they look and there is not too much that they can do about that. Being the norm or the stereotypical black person, white person, Asian person, New Yorker, or Californian whatever it may be is obviously the easier way to do things or that may actually be who you are but being that person you have chose to allow yourself to be identified. Going against the norm, the average, or what is expected can be a much harder path but those are the people that have chose their own identity. People have the opportunity to identify themselves, if they pass that up who they are will get chosen for them.
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I think that for the most part our identity chooses us. We are judged not by whom our ancestors are, but our racial features. It believe that it is easier to just go by what people think we are, rather than get into a drawn out explanation about what we actually are. When I look at President Barack Obama, I see a black man, and I am sure most people do. All of his life he was looked at as a black man. People made assumptions based on his physical features, primarily his dark skin. It would be just as easy to look at him and call him a white man since he is after all, half white. However, people (especially white people) would think that you were crazy. Many people have trouble identifying with one particular race if they are mixed. If you are half white and half black, who are you supposed to identify with? Do you hang out with the white kids, or the black kids? What do you tell people you are? My theory is this: if you look more white, you will hang out with white people and vice versa. I think people are sometimes scared to try to do anything other than that. It is the easy way out; there is no risk. I have very light skin and anyone who would look at me would be able to tell that I am Irish. However, I recently found out that many of my early ancestors were Native American. By looking at me, you would not be able to tell that at all. And I do not identify myself as part Native American. I also think the views of our parents play a huge role in how we identify ourselves. So many people (myself included) adopt the views of their parents and never think for themselves. I once had a friend, Brendan, who was very racist and I could not understand why, because other than that he was a great guy. I had the opportunity to meet his parents and soon found out they were the exact same way. I once asked him why he held these views, and he couldn’t give me an answer. He had just been so immersed in it growing up he had lost his ability to make judgments and have ideas of his own. His best friend, who has light skin and dark hair, recently found out that he has African American blood in him. I asked Brendan if his views would now change about his friend and I was told they wouldn’t because “he didn’t look like them”. I found this answer to be astonishing. I guess people really are just judged by what the look like, and not who their ancestors are.
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The present day human race is confounded. There are no lines anymore. At least not to most of us, who have become tolerant enough to marry interracially and raise children, who, like Obama, are of more than one background. I believe there is a growing number of us who don’t know what we are exactly. Sure, there are those who for whatever reason, whether they are racist, ignorant, or religious, are “pure blood” (yes, like in Harry Potter.) However, that number is dwindling, and like Sam’s example of lining us all up in some type of racial order, the amount of colors, shades, and physical differences would be overwhelming.
I’ll admit it myself. I feel confused by the question “What am I?” If I have to answer, I usually say Jewish. It’s what I’m most certain about. Three of my four grandparents were Jewish, both of my parents were considered and raised Jewish, and so am I. But Jewish to most only describes a religion. Ethnically? racially? Well I guess I’m pretty white. Not quite the translucent kind, but close to it. Where are my ancestors from? All over: Italy, Poland, Austria, Russia, and one other I’m not even sure of. Apparently one of my grandmothers is an eighth Spanish. So, again, What am I? Well, I’m a mut.
Identity is not only confusing due to all the multiracial and multiethnic people that exist now, but it is partly how we individually define identity. Back to using myself as an example: I identify myself Jewish more culturally than religiously. I’m not a huge fan of religion. I avoid religion. But I am most definitely Jewish in that I received a Jewish education, follow Jewish customs, celebrate Jewish holidays, and eat Jewish foods. It is an ethnicity. It is a culture. Identifying myself as Jewish describes me way better than Austrian, Spanish, or white does. You can already know a lot about me by knowing I am Jewish if you considered identity the way I do. Alas, our problem: We don’t see eye-to-eye on identity.
Barack Obama was probably just as confused as I was when he was younger and before he was a political figure. And if he wasn’t, then he probably wasn’t too concerned with it because obviously neither were his parents. I think two things influenced his decision to identify himself as black. I agree that one, he probably capitalized on his color since he was representing the democratic party and knew it would get most of, if not all of, the black vote and most minorities. But two, he married a woman who is definitely black, and his family as a whole looks black. While he may have been raised white culturally, it would seem pretty strange to identify himself as white while looking at the same picture of the First Family that we looked at in class. He might even seem like he was in denial. I’m not in his head, but these reasons make sense and are pretty justifiable.
Identity is confusing. It makes us uneasy. We suddenly realize we no longer have a definite place in society if we can no longer be…well…identified, or more importantly, classified. Sam’s more recent article describes what I mean here really well: Whites no longer hold the altars of our country up. Not alone, and many are uncomfortable with it. The more we become integrated, the less everyone has a “place.” The more race walls we knock down such as Obama in the white house, the more everyone becomes equal. We are in a time where people are losing their identities due to these transitions, and I think that’s why the theory of identity is being so intently studied and questioned now. I wonder if years from now we’ll still be pondering it because perhaps identity, like race, will become a theory people start to consider abandoning, too.
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Obama’s “race” has certainly changed the history of this country if not the world. This election and inauguration of a new president would not been anticipated nearly to the degree it was if not for the race that Obama identified with and the leader he became for the black community. He gave the black community upon which he identifies with a hope that they could finally see a man of their “race” in office and leader of the free world. This happened because of the color of his skin. It would have been difficult to be identified as “white” when his skin color and features did not match those of his “white” classmates when he was a child. Other people identified him as “black” and the label most likely stuck. Having a white mother Obama probably just assumed he was white or the same as his mother until society treated him otherwise. He was labeled a minority by society.
It would have been controversial for Obama to label himself as white in today’s culture in America. He would have been questioned and ridiculed and would most likely not have made it into the office which he holds today. As much as it would be nice to say that we don’t have to accept the labels that society places on us by our dominant features and skin color it would be almost impossible for Obama not to let society label him as black. What interesting however is how open Obama is about his personal ancestry. This openness could one day lead to the conversation as to why Obama chose to identify himself as African American when he had so many other options. It would be nice to live in a world where none of this mattered and people did not have to make a decision about their identity that leads to such scrutiny. Perhaps Obama just felt most comfortable labeling himself with a group of people with similar features and skin color to his own. If it lead the country and a minority group of people to feel such hope and excitement and to lead us hopefully to a time where we no longer see race, then maybe there is nothing wrong with it. Maybe it would lead to a United States where we aren’t forced to identify ourselves based on something as controversial as our “race.”
As for personal identities; it is a personal struggle that each individual has to go through to find an identity through racial, ethnic, and ancestry labels. I have to identify as a white European female when in actuality my ethnicity and ancestry has never really been of much interest or came under scrutiny by most people. I have never really questioned when someone asks, “what are you?” Sometimes I answer Italian, other times German, Jewish or Russian. To be honest it never much mattered to me because no one really questioned it when I said those answers because all have white skin and features similar to my own. I could get away with it. If I tried to identify myself as Arab or African American questions would arise in society. I am most likely mimicking my lineage of white people and continuing the trend of identifying with that particular group. If I had the pressure of an entire nation questioning whether I should be allowed to label myself with a particular group it would be a difficult one to answer. Like mentioned before hopefully one day these questions will be obsolete and we can identify ourselves by the type of people we are and not the “race” we are forced to have chosen for us.
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The answer to the title of the blog: “Do we choose it or does it choose us?” I would say both. Obviously, in cases such as myself – the typical white person – I’m going to call myself white because I am white. My white European characteristics and background dominate. Therefore, because it is exceedingly dominant, I refer to myself as white. In this case, it has chosen me. However, in the case of Obama, it is different. Along with many others where two or more different backgrounds mix, it becomes complicated to identify. Sometimes the dominant physical characteristics will match up with the dominant background (percentage), and other times it won’t. I feel as though most people would base what background they would associate themselves with, with the physical characteristics that dominate. Or some people would just associate themselves with the background that would get more attention. For example, I have a friend who likes to occasionally claim he’s Native American, though he does not look it at all and is only about 5% of that background. Also, people may choose a certain label because that’s the culture that they most feel connected with in their lives or even in their soul – and only they themselves are the ones who can decide that (nor are we to judge). These are examples where many people choose what they want to be associated with or called by.
However, who knows what people will associate with. And why should it matter. They can be whoever they want to be. I have no problem with what people choose to be. I do think it’s silly for someone to call himself by a label or category for only the attention of others and to give others a certain perspective. There should be something in it for the person themselves – for inner reasons of satisfaction and completeness as a human being. And it’s our job as human beings to respect one another and not judge. What’s the point? He is who is says he is. There’s no need to point fingers and question why someone associates themselves with a certain identity. If they aren’t doing it for themselves, then it will come back to bite them in the butt eventually because no one wants to live a lie. We all just want to be ourselves and live in harmony.
As for President Obama, I think it’s nice that he’s calling himself “African American”. In a way, he is making a step towards Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream and a taking a big step for African Americans in general. I want them to keep making steps and to keep getting closer to equality (if that’s really what it is or just appearing to be because of everything else that goes unnoticed that shows the true inequality). Some of us white people are ready to shed some of this white people guilt. Anyways, good for him for taking a stance.
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I completely disagree with those that think that Obama used his race as a “campaign strategy.” It would be nice to think that the individual can choose what he or she would like to be called/considered. But as a person of a mixed race (French, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Dominican and grew up around a Jewish neighborhood) it is very hard to be considered/viewed as that by others. I look predominately Spanish, and I feel as if others have treated me the way they have because of it. I’ve been asked how to make tacos (which is a Mexican dish, not all Spanish people eat tacos!), if it was hard for me to come to this country…etc etc. During my SATs there wasn’t a box for me to check that stated mixed race and in most surveys, questionnaires in which I have to state my race there usually is never a box that I can check that states mixed. I’m sure that Obama has had experiences where he was treated differently because he mostly looks black, and not white. I think that people are making a bigger deal about his race because we know that he is also half white. But if we did not know this, we would all probably just think that he is black. I think Obama did not really have a choice, people saw him as black, and so his experiences are different than that if he were to look Caucasian. Ask yourself this what would your reaction be if you saw a man/woman check the Caucasian box, if he or she predominately looked black? You would probably not believe the person. It is easier to be accepted/respected by society if you identify yourself with something they find reasonable. This is not to say that it is right, but the truth of the matter is that not everyone has the option of calling his or herself what they like.
People do not like the unknown. It is easier to stick to what is more noticeable (physical features) just because people will feel more comfortable. I find it interesting how many people are now so devoted to advocating that Obama is half white, when many have never even acknowledged others that are half white and half black. Some people would just consider them black. It is hard being mixed – society places you in between your ethnicities. If you’re half white and half black, you can’t act too white or too black. If a white man tries to act “black” he is called names. What does it mean to act black? Just because the media portrays a certain image does not mean that everyone in that race behaves that way.
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I think there are many complex variables interacting together to make Obama identify with being black more so than any of his other racial backgrounds and I do not think it stems from any one in particular. Rather, it is more along the lines of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”. One variable is the physical aspect. He looks black, maybe not as black as if he were fully from Kenya like his father, but certainly noticeably black. If he were to run and claim he was white, I think people would look at him a little funny and wonder about his mental state rather than his policies.
That brings us to the variable of society’s expectations and assumptions. They say first impressions are the most important ones and one thing that plays into a first impression is physical features. If he is going to be becoming a huge public figure, actually the biggest public figure, there are going to be many first impressions about him. He is a man of color, but if he wanted to, I think he could have identified himself as Indonesian rather than black, or as biracial, but as white would be a far reach just because what we see physically does not match up with our stereotypical white prototype.
Also, I think to say he may be more personally connected to “white culture” is not the best way of putting it. I would say rather he is more connected to “intellectual culture” where both whites and blacks and any other educated individual are included because not all whites are educated and the connotation of “white culture” seems to leave out other parts of white culture we may not be so keen on identifying with. For example, individuals who live in rural areas and down south like the “sippi” boys mentioned in class and the KKK whom have the highest number of groups in PA if my memory serves me correctly. Those seem to also be aspects of white culture that “white culture” doesn’t seem to want to make their own.
I think his identification as black may also have stemmed from childhood and being viewed as black by others and having that racial identity enforced, as well as the fact that it would be a huge benefit in his campaign and presidency in gaining more votes and support by the black population.
I think that most of us can accept this simply because it is most of us. If the majority of people were outraged at his only choosing to identify with part of his cultural heritage, then it would be that most of us do have dissonance about that and have a problem with him. Plus Obama seems to be very prideful about his African American identity and his wife is African American, no one is going to confront him and argue that he shouldn’t identify himself the way he wants to. He identifies himself as a certain race, society is accepting if not encouraging of it, so it works and conflict is avoided.
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Sherrell Obaji- 976036594
Sam Richards – Soc 119
Due: 1/23/09
Identity: Do we choose it or does it choose us?
My father is Nigerian and my mother is American; their culture backgrounds are completely different (which is understandable). As a child I spent most of my time in America, and during the holidays such as Christmas I was back in Nigeria spending time with my father side of the family. I enjoyed and learned so much from both of my parents while growing up; but, it caused a lot of confusion (mentally) as I became a teenager.
Here in the States (America) not all blacks like to be called African American, because some Blacks in America are from the Caribbean, Europe, etc. To give respect to other cultures in the black decent calling them Black Americans is better. In some cases, a lot of blacks really don’t know their nationally nor their ethnicity, and being called Black American or African American really isn’t an issue. With this being said, a lot of Africans that come to America sometimes don’t consider blacks in America as Africans (it’s a very complex situation); growing up when I introduce myself to Africans, they ask me questions like “ are you African or black” and of course I will also give them the same response “I am African American.”
My point is, you can’t ever change your culture background, whatever you are made from you just have to accept it. People that are mixed with black decent and white decent (or any other race) I can see where the identity issues can come into play, but your identity choose you and not the other way around!
In my opinion, society has a big part to play when implementing what race a person can be; sometimes people just assume that when you look at a person skin complexion than that’s what race they maybe (that’s not the case). Far as Obama calling himself African American I think that’s completely acceptable.
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Sherrell Obaji- 976036594
Sam Richards – Soc 119
Due: 1/23/09
Identity: Do we choose it or does it choose us?
My father is Nigerian and my mother is American; their culture backgrounds are completely different (which is understandable). As a child I spent most of my time in America, and during the holidays such as Christmas I was back in Nigeria spending time with my father side of the family. I enjoyed and learned so much from both of my parents while growing up; but, it caused a lot of confusion (mentally) as I became a teenager.
Here in the States (America) not all blacks like to be called African American, because some Blacks in America are from the Caribbean, Europe, etc. To give respect to other cultures in the black decent calling them Black Americans is better. In some cases, a lot of blacks really don’t know their nationally nor their ethnicity, and being called Black American or African American really isn’t an issue. With this being said, a lot of Africans that come to America sometimes don’t consider blacks in America as Africans (it’s a very complex situation); growing up when I introduce myself to Africans, they ask me questions like “ are you African or black” and of course I will also give them the same response “I am African American.”
My point is, you can’t ever change your culture background, whatever you are made from you just have to accept it. People that are mixed with black decent and white decent (or any other race) I can see where the identity issues can come into play, but your identity choose you and not the other way around!
In my opinion, society has a big part to play when implementing what race a person can be; sometimes people just assume that when you look at a person skin complexion than that’s what race they maybe (that’s not the case). Far as Obama calling himself African American I think that’s completely acceptable.
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Identity cannot be given to people; it is how the people perceive themselves. Obama does identify himself as a black man to the public, sometimes biracial, and it is not hard to see why. Even though the United States has come as far as putting a multi-racial man in the White House, skin color is still going to play a huge part for most people. If Barack Hussein Obama told the nation that he was a white man at the beginning of his campaign, most people would discredit him immediately based on his skin color. One of the comments on here talks about a video that I had also seen, where black people were asked random questions such as, “How do you like Obama’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Sarah Palin?” And the responses were, “ I like her.” “I think she’ll do great.” Just basing it on skin color, people were following him because they could relate to him more regardless of the truth. This shows that people were not taking the time to look into their candidates to see what was going on. Then they would realize that Obama was multi-racial and grew up with his white side, more than his black side.
Obama being biracial allows more people in the United States, and even the world to relate to him on a more personal level. Blacks can relate to him because they believe that he knows what it is like it be black. Whites can relate to him because he grew up within a white family. Any other minorities can relate because he does not fit in anywhere that he should. Going back to the original question, “Do we choose identity or does it choose us?” I believe that Obama chose his identity as being biracial which is what he is, and it is something that he cannot escape from. By calling himself white, he would be denying the African that does run through his veins. By calling himself black, he denies his mother and her parents who helped raise him.
Slightly getting off the topic of Obama, and getting into identity. I know this will get some people mad but it really bothers me when someone who immigrated to America for another life has to claim themselves as an Asian American, Irish American, German American, etc. If you are living in America, you are an American. I understand people are proud of their culture, but you came to this country from another, so something had to be wrong. If you live in this country, legally, you are an American. Unless asked specifically what your culture is, everyone should just be American. It could be because I have no culture to relate to, but if you are here in America, you’re here for a reason.
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In the United States today, whether the topic is ethnicity or race, it is clear that identity is now something that we choose. As shown in the blog, it is a fact that Obama is just as much white as he is black. So if he’s equally both races, why the push for him being black, or even African American? It’s because in this country identity is something we choose on our own. A prolific example of this can be shown by the SAT standardized tests all college-expectant high schoolers are required to take. Teenagers these days will go as far as identifying themselves as African American, even if they are only 1/8 black for example. This ties in with the “One Drop Rule” discussed in class – but are they identifying themselves as black because they truly feel part of that culture, or are they identifying themselves as black because it will give them a better chance of getting into Harvard or Princeton? It’s definitely a topic full of controversy.
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I think people acknowledge the fact that he is, in fact, multicultural. Although I am speaking from a European point of view, I think that I know the surface of the situation in America, but I have only been here a semester, so I do not understand the complexity of the black-white relationship and tension. In Europe, the reason why so many people felt they could relate to this man who was about to become the president of another country is because he proved that he was able to communicate with people from different backgrounds. People were hopeful that their culture and beliefs would be voiced by a man that has been exposed to many differences. It was important because nowadays the world is extremely interdependent and as the old saying goes “if America sneezes the whole world catches a cold”.
Of course we realized that one big thing was that he was black but then again we are talking about color just as if the president had been a redhead then people, and especially the media, would have used it to relate back to the times where redheads were considered sorcerers and how amazing it is how far these people have come.
Every time a minority will do something that clashes with their historical background they will be picked apart and made icons of a whole generation or movement. But if that happens, if people actually talk about that, if we see change then we accept that something has happened, then people are in fact, becoming more respectful.
Again even if it was geared towards the betterment of his political campaign, is that not something to be regarded as positive? Isn’t the fact the nowadays identifying yourself with the black community something beneficial, an accomplishment?
Why do we necessarily have to look at the negative side of every event? How does criticizing something do any good, it’s not like he lost the presidential race, or that the country is now divided between ‘black’ and ‘whites’. I mean he did win because of the whites too. And its not like he started every single one of his speeches by stating “I am African American and I want to be your President” but in this case change could only be achieved by targeting a particular constituency. I really do not understand how it is a problem, it is just a word- his policies, his views, his opinions were never influenced by which racial category he identified himself with. The only thing that needs to be important about this presidency and the color of his skin is that it shows progress because in the past a person with that skin color, that specific physical characteristics, was only defined as subhuman.
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Sherrell Obaji- 976036594
Sam Richards – Soc 119
Due: 1/23/09
Identity: Do we choose it or does it choose us?
My father is Nigerian and my mother is American; their culture backgrounds are completely different (which is understandable). As a child I spent most of my time in America, and during the holidays such as Christmas I was back in Nigeria spending time with my father side of the family. I enjoyed and learned so much from both of my parents while growing up; but, it caused a lot of confusion (mentally) as I became a teenager.
Here in the States (America) not all blacks like to be called African American, because some Blacks in America are from the Caribbean, Europe, etc. To give respect to other cultures in the black decent calling them Black Americans is better. In some cases, a lot of blacks really don’t know their nationally nor their ethnicity, and being called Black American or African American really isn’t an issue. With this being said, a lot of Africans that come to America sometimes don’t consider blacks in America as Africans (it’s a very complex situation); growing up when I introduce myself to Africans, they ask me questions like “ are you African or black” and of course I will also give them the same response “I am African American.”
My point is, you can’t ever change your culture background, whatever you are made from you just have to accept it. People that are mixed with black decent and white decent (or any other race) I can see where the identity issues can come into play, but your identity choose you and not the other way around!
In my opinion, society has a big part to play when implementing what race a person can be; sometimes people just assume that when you look at a person skin complexion than that’s what race they maybe (that’s not the case). Far as Obama calling himself African American I think that’s completely acceptable.
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Personally, I am extremely excited that Barack Obama has become our new president. I voted for Obama because of his policies and character, and my decision was not at all based on his race or skin color. However, I am not naïve enough to think that many voted, or did not vote for him based upon his race. I remember hearing throughout the election a lot of speculation and confusion over what race and religion Obama actually identified with. Although Obama calls himself an African American man, I’ve learned that he is in fact half white and half African; and this makes him a biracial, or possibly even be multiracial as he may have Native American ancestry. However, when I look at Barack Obama I see a black man, and I don’t really think that anyone could deny that they see a black man as well. And even if Obama called himself a white man, the public would continue to see him as black. It just goes to show that no matter what ancestry one may have, others may never really know. I think that this proves an important point, and that is that other people cannot always tell what race another person is, and that individual may not be sure about his or her ancestry as well. So, racial identity is not always a clear idea.
In fact, I believe that race and racial identity are two entirely separate things. Obviously, race is genetic and is a part of you since birth. It is undecided and not determined by the individual. However the race that one identifies with is a choice. A person could be of Chinese ancestry, but be adopted into a white, American family. Therefore, although that person would obviously recognize their Chinese heritage, it is more likely that they would identify with white people more because of the environment in which they were raised. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with this either. It is ultimately the individual who can determine how they feel most comfortable in racial identity. If a person is multiracial, the same idea applies. Even though someone has several ancestral ties, they may feel more strongly connected to one of their backgrounds versus another, or others. I think that it is common that most people feel more connected to some aspects of their ancestry than others, and relate better to one race than another. So, if a person wishes to identify with one race more than another it is their right to do. No one can tell someone who they are, only the individual can feel where they belong, and which part of their history that they more easily identify with.
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Ethnic identification is mostly determined by our community, and furthermore by society. We all see a black man and I doubt if anyone is bold enough to say otherwise. President Obama’s “Blackness” shouldn’t be questioned because of his upbringing. Like Sam Richards said, ethnicity is learned and Obama in some way learned to be black. I think his wife, Michelle Obama, may have had a huge influence on the cool man we view today. On the subject of cool, Obama possess a very huge cool factor and I think this is what allows him to be accepted by the American public as black, not to say that non-Blacks aren’t cool, but he is what I call grounded. He possess a certain passion that I think is associated with Blacks. White communities often do not tolerate the associated of black blood in the community, and therefore forces the child to recognize that they are not like them and must be what they see in the mirror. This doesn’t just happen in just white communities, but in communities of all racial background. It isn’t until they child had found of since of identity until they choose themselves as to what they want to identify. And most people stick to what is seen.
Some people may think that it is hurtful for Obama to dismiss his white culture and background, but they know what it is and what society requires. For a person to be white they have to look white. Blacks aren’t so critical. And I bet, even in the white community there are lines that divided them.
All I am saying, Blackness is a real concept and no one really measure how black a person, in terms of blackness. There are certainly different degress of how black a person is and they will receive all of heat of they are “borderline black. I am sure if Obama wanted to present is whiteness, whatever that mean, he certainly would not have had the favor of Black Americans. Because if we see Black, we expect Black no matter of education level, income, or heritage.To Blacks, it doesn’t matter if his father was a Kenyan, or his mother was a Kansasian, or his stepfather was a Indonesian, all that matters is his blackness is visible and is being portrayed in a positive light. I think all American will, in some effort, invest a little bit of time, energy, or attention to what it is to be Black. I mean, we all have our generally idea of what blackness is, but Obama will open the door to a innovative representation of the colored folk.
I think Black people are thriving in this moment. Someone other than a WHITE MAN is going to lead our country. From the outside looking in, if Obama was a republic, what majority of Black voted Republician or would they have voted for Democratic White woman?
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In response to “Identity: Do we choose it or does it choose us?”
In my opinion, there is absolutely no way that Barack Obama could have or should have considered or referred to himself as a white man and not a black man. Of course his biological make up would point to the unavoidable fact that he is half white, but Barack Obama considered himself a black man throughout his entire life, and there is a good reason for his claim. What I am trying to say is that his identity chose him. Had no one known of the skin color of his parents, I believe that he would be marked by society as a black man – not biracial. It is simple. To the world, he looks black. By the world, he will be treated in every aspect the exact same way as any other black man. If he appeared to be a white man and still possessed the same genealogy, he would be viewed by the world (and I believe by himself) as a white man, because he would have grown up in society appearing to be just that. My mother is Cuban and Spanish. She appears to be Hispanic by any member of society who is seeing her for the first time. My father is Irish and has blonde hair and green eyes. I have light brown hair and olive toned skin, and would appear to most unknowing members of society as a Caucasian. I have identified myself as just that, but that does not mean that I have forgotten my heritage. I embrace and cherish my Cuban heritage, as I am sure that Obama does with both sides of his, however I do not claim to be Hispanic, because I do not appear to be. If someone were to ask me about my heritage, I would proudly announce my Cuban and Spanish roots along with all other aspects of my make-up. I identify more with my white side because of my appearance. Did Kennedy refer to himself as Irish and Polish? Did Reagan refer to himself as Irish, Scottish and English? No. I believe that when Obama refers to himself as black, he is referring to his skin tone and the way that he is viewed by society, not describing his ethnic make-up. We accept this label with little dissonance because it is what he appears to be. He has grown up with every obstacle and marked with every stereotype that any other black man would have experienced. He identifies with his black side because people have chosen that identity for him through his appearance, and honestly, to refer to himself as white would be rejected by society. Is it a good thing that society has the power to stick us with labels? I don’t know, but I can conclude from my own experience that I have found it more comfortable to identify myself as a Caucasian because of society’s assumptions.
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Race has been a controversial issue since America was founded. Should the slave population be accounted for when determining voting representation? Should Plessy be allowed to ride in the “white” section of passenger trains? Should military platoons be racially segregated? Why did Rosa Parks have to give her seat up to a white person? The conundrums of racial identity still plague American society. There is a lot of speculation to why we still today identify each other on the basis of our skin color. I believe it has to do with the negative socialization of race. For example, Southerners, stereotypically, are referred to racist. This stereotype, I believe, is from the deep seeded history of slavery in the South. For generations, parents influenced their kids to believe that blacks or any minority were inferior to them. The act of making an individual inferior was a tactic that Europeans used to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of slavery during the Colonial era. In essence, the long history of negative socialization towards a certain kind of group does not disappear over night, and that is why I think that negative stereotype towards southerners still sticks today. In a way, the power of sociology has played an influential role in enacting racial, ethnic, and ancestry stigmas that are still seen today. For example, many Americans and the media see Obama as the first black president in American history. There is some truth in that statement because is father is from Kenya, but why can’t he be 45th consecutive white president? His mother and grandparents are white, and has been surround by white influences his whole life. Why do Americans consider him black, when he is half white and half black? Does the media play a role in this label? Does the media feel it is necessary to apply these racial and ethnic labels to Obama to emphasize the passage of multiracial into the Whitehouse? I believe it is true to an extent, not only for the media but to society as well. I feel people use labels because of family socialization and to cope with mystery of race. What I mean by the mystery of race is that it is easier to categorize individuals in a systematic way in order to understand the complexity of race. There are millions of races that exist in the world, it would be almost impossible to understand race unless it was simplified. I am hate to admit it but I am guilty of this categorization of races myself. As an educated young adult I want to try to rid myself of the labels that other people use to identify race. Sometimes when I encounter an individual and I am unsure what they are and they have some of the similar characteristics of Asian I would label them as Asian. I know that there are a multiplicity of races but subconsciously it easier to just identify the individual as Asian even though they could be a mix between Indian, Chinese, and Korean. It is bad enough as a society that we try categorize the millions of races in the world into three basic categories, but we also tend to apply stereotypes to people that seem to fit in one of the three categories.
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While President Barack Obama’s mother, grandparents were white, he is not white. When he looks in the mirror, he sees a black man. When other people look at him, they see a black man.
If a black family adopted an Asian child, the child would still look/be Asian. Race is a social construct. The person raising the child can change the child’s habits, mannerisms, personality – but not his appearance. No, President Obama did not receive any formal education on how to be black from his absent father. Obama did not need his father to have the experiences of an African-American in this country, to not check the caucasian box on the census (before mixed race was an option).
Heritage (parents, those who came before) is not necessarily the most important part of identity. How I see myself with respect to my environment, the way that I have been raised to see myself, and my values make up more of my identity.
My personal lineage is varied – mainly Eastern European and Middle Eastern – but I look Western European, and that is how my peers treat me. Nobody stereotypes me based on my actual background (discounting a high school social studies instructor who insisted that I was “very Lithuanian”). No one has ever assumed that I was a very good student because I am technically Asian (Israeli) or that I can drink a lot because I am Russian. I do not even know what it means to be a mutt like me. I am 3rd generation and do not belong to the D.A.R., but that does not mean that I feel a kinship to other cultures.
It makes no difference that I am half Russian. I have never visited Moscow. My only connections to the place are my love of borscht and impossibly hairy eyebrows.
I am, for all intensive purposes, an American. My parents raised me as a Jew, which is more of a cultural background than a religion. I was taught was it meant to be a Jew. I even know how some Jews commonly look. As far as I am concerned, it is more a part of my identity than any country from which I hail, and it is a bond. I practice no religion but hold on to the traditions of the Hebrews. It is a heritage that I share with other people in this country.
If I were to write a description of myself, it would be: white, American, atheist, Jew, female. They are all definitive. Those five qualities inform others about me, say something about my personality and mannerisms. I hope that others begin to realize that the United States has both a past and a future, and we can lose our tags soon (German-, Italian-).
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