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1973116 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/what-happens-to-multiracial-people/What+happens+to+multiracial+people%3F2010-03-17+02%3A39%3A35Sam+Richards to What happens to multiracial people?
This is a very interesting topic to bring up. It is true that Sam often refers to different races in terms of simply, "people of color" (black or brown people) and white people. But then everyone else gets lost in the middle. More and more people consider themselves multi-racial. And in American society, it is often true that if you are "mixed" you are more of the darker skinned side of you, than you are the lighter skin, regardless of if you look moree white or more black. However, it is difficult to say what can be done to change this. Speaking in general terms, if one is to talk about differences in races it is most simply to divide them into two; you are either x, or you are y. There are so many races out there that if when speaking about the topic, it would be impossible to adhere to all the races. His friend is an example. On forms when one is asked to fill out your racial background, they usually have hispanic or white (non-hispanic). If his friend is in fact Puerto Rican and white, yet looks more white, it is difficult and confusing for him to know which to fill out. I am pretty sure he is not the only one that feels this way. So what can be done? I am for sure not the one with the answer. Changes in society, and ignorance needs to be overcome about races, that people who are not white are automatically black and the falsehood of that statement. However, because our society has been built on this paradigm it will be extremely difficult to change, and unless exposed, those who are ignorant will never become free of the naivete. So for now, I feel bad for your friend for not knowing exactly where he fits within a "black and white" society. However, if he identifies strongly with his culture and who HE is as a person and his heritage, he should learn not to care how others identify him. As a Jew, I feel the same complications with identity because my ancestors come from all over the world, from Israel, Argentina, Eastern Europe; I'm lost too! I think most of us are. So don't sweat it dude, most of us are in the same boat! Be proud of who you are !
I think this is a really interesting question considering how much we have discussed that there really is no one person that is truly just white or black. Yet everyday in class these groups are set apart. I think that this really depends on what the people answering identify themselves as. If they doo not see themselves as white, then they should text for the colored one. I guess I have never really debated this topic because I consider myself just white. I wonder if this offends some of the people that do not know how to identify themselves for these polls.
It would be tough to be multiracial because although you would consider yourself half white half black for instance you wouldn’t want to offend your heritage or your parents in some way by associating yourself more with one side or the other. I remember on a TV show I watched when I was younger, The True Jet Jackson, and one of the girls on the show was considered black but her father was white and she got offended when someone considered her to be only black because she had another part to her. It would be tough to know how to associate yourself, I personally am straight up English on all sides so I have never really had to deal with mixed heritage or race questions.
As Sam said early in the semester, a pen can be called a fuck and so on. When referring to colored people and white people, I think that its just a term that was created to differentiate between people that were white and people that weren’t white. It’s as simple and innocent as that. Although white may be considered a color to some people, the saying “people of color” was made to refer to people that are not white. People do use the terms black people and brown people, but to be a little more specific, both black and brown people are more on the tan side than people out of Poland and Russia. Thus, we have white people and colored people. Now, there could be better terms used, but there could also be worse.
I think that your right. I agree that if you decided to categorize persons as people of color then that basically puts everyone in a category together. People of color literally means to a lot of people, people who have colored skin. When I hear Sam say people of color that is what I think. I think at that moment he is referring to people who have non-white skin. Although people of color can apply to many different people it is most referred to the people of mixed skin color. Although you may be mixed if you have white skin you are often times not grouped in this category. Being mixed and having white skin also may not make you lead a life of a person who is mixed and has colored skin. Having that white skin is the major different and although may be the only difference it is the most important. Being white enables you to not be categorized with everyone else. Often times as Sam has pointed out theres being white, and everything else. Being white can have its advantages and disadvantages. You are more likely to get jobs, promotions, and be able to move in important social circles with white skin. But in the same respect people judge you for that as well. Being colored has its advantages as well. You are more easily to be accepted amongst all minorities not just your own. There are a lot more financial aid and scholarship funds set up for minorities rather than whites. Its an on going cycle. I think that in order to break this racial brigade that has come into play in our modern world, it has to be met with education. Unfortunately education is often times the root of the racial tensions as well. It is on the parents of kids to teach them what is right and what is wrong. And often times the parents themselves are deeply uneducated about what they believe. Their misinterpretation of their beliefs will be passed down to their children and influence the decisions they make. Until this can be resolved on a national level racism will never decrease. I believe racism will never come to an end. It’s a good idea with the best intentions but no one is really listening. A girl in my lab put it this way, its like asking for global peace. Good idea but will never happen. Its just too much to ask out of the human race. There is too many radically different ideologies that people are too committed too. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it has its negatives and positives. When Sam says people of color I think he is referring to the actual color of your skin, not what you consider yourself.
I feel like the majority of people who are biracial seem to associate themselves with their minority group. The reason I think this is because there is much more parental pressure on children to learn customs that they feel they wouldn't learn in the USA, which are all the non-white customs. Therefore in the home, children might get more emphasis on non-white culture if they are biracial. This is because I often see children who are from biracial or just non-white households, with parents who are new immigrants, to seem to feel a lot of cultural pressure from their parents. I think Sam said it in class a while back, the farther the family line stays in the US, the more people grow accustomed to the culture. There's an excellent story about this in Penn Statements (for those who still have it from English) from the viewpoint of an Indian child. She always felt left out because she brought "weird" food to school, mostly Indian foods. A lot of children don't see culture as much of a big deal, they think making friends and fitting in is. Parents just want their children to grow up as they do, with all of their customs, values, and morals. I think that this phenomena would also occur in multiracial couples, assuming one is white. There would probably be more emphasis on the non-white culture, because the child is going to grow up in white culture, learning it in school and from their friends. Because of this emphasis, I think that a biracial child is more likely to associate with non-white culture.
With this being a Census year, this is an issue that many mixed families across America have had difficulty addressing because they simply do not know which race to pick when forced to pick one. As discussed in lecture, it was a major breakthrough when the Census began allowing citizens to choose more than one race to identify with. This is also why I believe that this guy’s friend in class should be able to answer this question for both races—if he truly cannot identify with one race over the other. But this should be allowed only if he really cannot decide which race he fits himself into the most; that is which group of people he hangs out with more, etc. I think this standard should be used because the point of Sam asking these questions in class is to get two separate views from two separate races—he doesn’t want the same opinion repeated for both questions by the same individual.
To be frank, I never thought of the 50/50 mixed raced students in the class when Sam asks about ‘white’ and ‘colored’ or ‘brown’ people. I have just assumed that all the students in class could easily identify themselves with either being white or black or brown. This is not to say that I do not think that there are plenty of racially mixed students in class—I know that several students actually are. But usually when a student is mixed, I assumed, they identified with themselves as being ‘brown’, and not particularly white. It should also be noted that most of the time a student is not completely 50/50 white and black. That is, one parent is not 100% white and the other 100% black or brown. I believe that Sam sees it this way as well. I do not think that Sam is ignorant at all when he refers to the class as the ‘white team’, ‘black team’, or ‘brown team’. He is simply referring to their race, which is pretty important when talking about race relations. I actually prefer Sam to blatantly say ‘white’ and ‘black’ and outwardly calling people this as well. It is hard to have a race relations discussion when people are scared to refer to other people as their race, because that is exactly what race relations is about.
We grow up with mentors teaching us to be “colorblind” and treat everyone equally as if we were all the same race. This is a good rule to go by, but in following it, we tend to ignore the obvious differences among ourselves due to race, and in turn refuse to discuss these differences. This is not a good thing. Sam does a good job in class in breaking these walls down, and shouting out racial groups. We cannot simply ignore the fact that different races have differing opinions about race—such as the question in class “What does it mean to be white?” I commend Sam for being able to openly talk about race, and being able to appropriately note the differences between us. This is also a culture phenomenon as much as a racial one. We grow up in different cultures, mainly around people of the same race, which accounts for these differences. Acknowledging these differences and accepting others’ cultures and races is what we as a society need to do more, and the best way is to discuss the issues head on, just as Sam is trying to do in class.
This is very interesting point and a great question to raise. Where do those of multiple races fit into a white vs. people of color argument? Do they just go with the race because they have at least racial background or do they go with whom they feel more allegiance to? Do they go with their mom's race vs. their dad's? These are questions that can not be clearly answered.
There is one real simple explanation to be brought up here. This goes back to how Sam introduced the course to us in regards to race and race relations. There are no races. They are simple society – created separations to help us better justify our physical differences in color, size, weight, appearance, hair, noses, etc. So if you follow this ideology and approach to races, this question would not even be a question because every person would be in the same category and 'multiracial' would mean absolutely nothing at all.
As much as people may hope and dream the world worked this way, we all know, however, it does not and has not by any means. We all understand that race has been an issue for as long as man kind has been in existence and will be for many many years to come. So this is my take on it, coming from a white person. It does not really matter whatsoever. A multiracial person can associate themselves with they seem fit. In many circumstances, though, the points and question that Sam raises in class deal with our feelings in situation that deals with our appearances of being 'white' or being 'black' or being 'brown'. In these specific cases it would make the most sense to associate your feelings with the group you look more like. If you look more 'brown' being are going to have feelings towards you about being 'brown' regardless of what you actually are. That is why in this certain instances this would make the most sense.
So, in my conclusion, it does not really matter at all. It is just a simple way for Sam to get different groups reactions to different ideas and situations that he brings up and that are curious to see. A multiracial person might as well just go with whichever group they feel more comfortable or just not respond at all if it does not even seem to apply to you.
One last thing that is kind of interesting is that Sam started the class explaining how race is something that we created and it doesn't really exist. At the same time, however, we continue to use the classifications of white against the people of color. I understand why. For one, there would be no need for the class if we did not actually discuss race, but it is just interesting to think about.
this is a great point, and me being a white male from pretty much all European ancestry i never thought about it, like most in this class. i guess if i had to give an answer it would be you would just half to put whichever you feel fits you best. i know that sounds really bad but if the question was just white or color then you would have to make a decision, so i guess that would be the best way to do it. or most the time people are rarely 50/50 for color,so i guess if you know you are more of one ethnictiy go with that, but that sounds childish too, so i dont know, but great question though
Personally, I feel that Sam should use another term when referring to people whom are not considered white. For example, in everyday conversation, I use the terms "white" when referring to people who are caucasian and "non-white" when referring to someone who's obviously not white. Thinking back to when this class first started, I had a serious problem with Sam saying the term "colored" for non-white people because it's origin dates back to a time when the United States had serious racial tension. Back when the term "colored" was first used, the people who said it usually had little or no respect for the person they were talking about. So when someone today says "colored," that thought always comes back to mind. While I understand the reason it's used, I just don't prefer it to non-white. Sam also uses "black and brown" people interchangeably with "colored" people which also bothers me in this class only. I have a problem when Sam "black or brown" people because he uses it to make a generalization of all other different ethnicities in a class where there are people who don't fit into either category – Asian for example. After reading some comments, some people don't find that to be a big issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of those people were white. All in all, it's just about showing respect for another person's ethnicity and having the decency to consider them; this is why I use "non-white." Forcing people to put themselves in a category where they don't belong is not right because that's how some people identify themselves and they're proud to be another race. Some people might call my response overreacting, but try putting yourself in someone else’s' position, and I'm sure you wouldn't like it either. As I have attended more classes, I have gotten better at tolerating Sam's terms because like he said before, he doesn't care what other people think about how he conducts his lectures. Therefore, it would be an effortless attempt to try to change someone else's mind especially when I don't particularly like them. If Sam had an open-mind as he likes to make us believe, he would consider this.
Answering my own question, I think multiracial people should identify with whichever race they feel more comfortable with or associate with. However, if you use this concept, then what happens when a white person who associate's himself more with black people, what should he or she choose? Should the deciding factor be based on a certain percentage of whiteness?
I am still trying to figure why people still talking about black and white. I feel we should drop this whole racist thing and move on with our lives. Our president is black; I thought this step was going to prove to the world we are a country of harmony, togetherness. In the contrary, racism is increasing. I think people still talk about this black and white issue because other people, mainly the people who monitor discussions group, keep bringing it up. Their first question to a black person is most like to be “how would you feel if a white person calls you a nigger” bammm, they have a discussion for hours. I guess that’s the only way their groups are going to be successful is by making people from different races to go against each other in a room.
I think this is an interesting topic, probably because I am half white and half Hispanic. Usually when I think about it I think of myself as Hispanic, not white. I think this goes back to in the old days of extreme discrimination if you had one drop of color in you, you were considered colored, not white. I do not know if this is right but I agree with this. If your multi racial and you look brown, you are. It would be wrong to say you are white, you can say you are also white, but not just white. Growing up you still had to deal with discrimination and everything else that comes with having a darker skin color, so why would you consider yourself white? I think it is weird that his friend didn’t know what to answer when Sam asked for the white people and then the Brown people to answer. To me he would obviously answer when all the brown people did.
Also during my life time it has been more beneficial to tell people on applications and job interviews that I was Hispanic even though I am both. I think this is changing but so far I think it has helped me. I think this also contributes to my feelings about multiracial people. I have been saying it “official” on documents, so it is bound to influence my personal feelings.
Also something I find interesting is all the people that don’t consider themselves multiracial. I bet only a few people in our entire 750 student class are all one race. I remember when Sam asked all the people that are multiracial to raise their hands in class, I don’t know if people just didn’t want to admit it for some reason or if they just don’t know because their parents didn’t tell them, but I can guarantee that the true number of multiracial people in the room was at least triple that. Are people ashamed of being multi racial? Do they think that it somehow says you aren’t pure if you are? Even if someone is “white” they are probably a mixture of a bunch of different races that are white.
Again I don’t understand why his friend had a problem figuring out how to answer, I am the same as him and I don’t consider myself white. I think it is the same today as it was back then, if you look brown you are, no matter how much white you might have in you. This might be something we need to work as a country, or this might not be causing a problem at all. After all this affirmative action stuff goes away and people are just people, I don’t think we will have to worry about it.
While I do not know what to call people who are not white, I still do not like the phrase “of color.” Yes, there may be distinctions for colors of skin necessary for difference reasons, but I do not like saying people of color. White is a color; and why is white not considered a color? That one day when Sam mentioned that African Americans like to claim Barack Obama as theirs, why do white people not claim him as theirs? He is half white too right?
I know that people who are not white are treated differently for bizarre and irrational reasons, but I think everyone should be treated the same unless they really do have an ingrown disadvantage like being handicapped (which cannot be helped). I think people who are not white should be able to do anything a white person can, and many do. People who dislike other who are not white, make no sense to me because I just feel like their reasoning is fallacious. People from all walks of life are wonderful and necessary to my life. Maybe it is because I feel like I do not discriminate, but I just think we as a nation need to get over ourselves and actually do what is right versus what is politically correct or will make us the most money/ save us from losing money. Peoples’ lives are at stake. Goodness.
Back to the “of color” concept, when I was in high school, I was a new person to the area and the school. I was friends with many people in all kinds of cliques. The nerds, one day, decided to label me as “clear.” I had to ask what that meant and they went on to explain how I was whiter than white so I was clear. I did not take offense to it, but it made me think and honestly I forgot all about it really until Tuesday. Clear is not a color and if white people were called clear then I would feel better saying people “of color.” I know I am not the target of “of color” people conversation when someone talks about it, but I cannot help but think that white is a color.
I do not aim at being hurtful in my speech ever, and especially when I do not know someone well. I usually just avoid anything “offensive” in nature in general. I do not curse because I never heard those words growing up and they do not come to mind right away when I am conversing with others. I do not think of racial slurs ever for the same reason. I do not think it is fair that “mixed” people have to choose who they are to fit into a category for the world.
Okay I totally agree with what my friend Vinny is saying and yeah he is my friend, what category do mutiracial people fall into. I mean they are both white and colored. They can be either or there i snot really what they are is more like who they are. They may be raised by a just colored parent or or just a white parent but does that make them white or color? I mean it is really hard to think about it like that. How people are classified just on what, what are we necessarily basis it on, like we are saying it is all about "color" we are and not necessary what we are. If a person of color is white like there is skin is white, does that make them white or black, I mean like what does that mean? Now I am really confused what makes a person colored or white? Does it have to do with skin pigment or just the way they look, I mean what is it? So I mean if I have all of these questions I ma sure a person who is multiracial does to. But as far as people who are multiracial I feel like what ever they want themselves to be, whether they want to be colored or white. I know people who are multiracial and they pick one race to be they either consider themselves white or black if they are multiracial. So I feel like it can be whatever people want, or they can be both. They have both culttures, but parents they have two different outlooks on things because their race is more than one thing. I think that if I was put in the situation where it was apparent more on what my race was as a multicultural race, which I am I would probably go with what I identified more as, or what I felt people identified me as. If I was half white and half black I would go with what society saw me as because that is where the question is, if u are white but people see you as spanish then you are what it means to be spanish, not white even if you are, it is all just based on what people and society sees you as and that is what I think Sam was trying to ask. If you look white but are spanish than that is what it means to be white, how people treat you and not necessarily what it means to be spanish. I personally feel as if it shouldn’t mean anything to be a race, it should be based on your personality however people don’t see that they judge you based on what race you are and judge you based on that. All that matters is what you look like, if you never put on paper but you look like another race, whether you are or not, people will think that you are they want and treat you as such. I feel like everyone just be treated on how they act, and if they break the mold or something or what is expected of there race, that’s whats important.
Personally, I feel that Sam should use another term when referring to people whom are not considered white. For example, in everyday conversation, I use the terms "white" when referring to people who are caucasian and "non-white" when referring to someone who's obviously not white. Thinking back to when this class first started, I had a serious problem with Sam saying the term "colored" for non-white people because it's origin dates back to a time when the United States had serious racial tension. Back when the term "colored" was first used, the people who said it usually had little or no respect for the person they were talking about. So when someone today says "colored," that thought always comes back to mind. While I understand the reason it's used, I just don't prefer it to non-white. Sam also uses "black and brown" people interchangeably with "colored" people which also bothers me in this class only. I have a problem when Sam "black or brown" people because he uses it to make a generalization of all other different ethnicities in a class where there are people who don't fit into either category – Asian for example. After reading some comments, some people don't find that to be a big issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of those people were white. All in all, it's just about showing respect for another person's ethnicity and having the decency to consider them; this is why I use "non-white." Forcing people to put themselves in a category where they don't belong is not right because that's how some people identify themselves and they're proud to be another race. Some people might call my response overreacting, but try putting yourself in someone else’s' position, and I'm sure you wouldn't like it either. As I have attended more classes, I have gotten better at tolerating Sam's terms because like he said before, he doesn't care what other people think about how he conducts his lectures. Therefore, it would be an effortless attempt to try to change someone else's mind especially when I don't particularly like them. If Sam had an open-mind as he likes to make us believe, he would consider this.
Answering my own question, I think multiracial people should identify with whichever race they feel more comfortable with or associate with. However, if you use this concept, then what happens when a white person who associate's himself more with black people, what should he or she choose? Should the deciding factor be based on a certain percentage of whiteness?
I have to agree with a bunch of the other previous posts in saying that Sam should probably use different terms when differentiating between races. For a class that is supposed to talk about race and how you should not judge someone by the color of their skin, and he only uses the terms “black, white, and brown.” As it has been made apparent, there are many other races out there, and we even did a whole lesson on mixed races. What if someone only identifies themselves as half and half, and does not want to pick a side? What are they supposed to do in this context? I don’t know, bottom line is I think different terminology should be used.
You cannot possibly, in a lesson, refer to every possible racial identity that exists when teaching a race relations class. It would take all class to get out all possible scenarios to appeal to an audience of over 300 at a University like Penn State. You must be able to apply what you are learning to your own situation … translate if you will. It is not a matter of excluding once race. This person does have an excellent question, how do you apply it when you are half this and half that?
You are your own person and it is up to you to decide where you personally are in reference to racial questions. The point of the lesson was to identify with the different race identity stages. The lesson covered the awakening and revisioning stages, understand what they are and hopefully eventually identify where you are personally are in your own racial journey. It is up to each individual no matter what their background or heritage is, to decide where you are in these stages. My guess is that it applies whether you are black, white, or part white/part Hispanic. It is meant to help you decide where you are now and where you want to be in the end … and how to work toward that goal. Hopefully, now matter what your race is that is what you are here to hear and learn. It may just be a grade you are trying to get.
Recently, I watch the new Star Trek movie again; yes I am a “trekkie” (if that is how you spell it). In the new Star Trek movie you see Spock struggle with his being part human part Vulcan. If you are a “Trekkie” you see Spock in the original version grow more human over time but never loses his Vulcan roots totally. It is almost like he becomes the best of both worlds. He possesses the “good” of both cultures. It is interesting how this whole thing transpires and addresses interracial relations. In Star Trek it happens all the time only it happens with people from different planets … how is that so different. I guess that is what I like most of the whole Star Trek series. Yes, it is science fiction, but when you consider when the original Star Trek series first aired on television, in 1966, it was beyond it’s time with respect to racial relations. I don’t think many people looked at it in this way, but I do.
With respect to being part of two cultures, you must take the best of both worlds and be yourself. You learn in this class about racial relations and it applies to all races and not just black and white or brown. It is just that those are most common maybe.
I can't believe someone asked this question. It's pretty ironic because this is my exact situation. I'm half Mexican and half white. When Sam talks about being on the black and brown or white team, I have no clue which I should classify myself as. As a joke I say to the guy that sits by me that I can just choose what I wanted to be for the day and just go with that. But I never felt right about it so I don't really answer the questions on the screen. I can relate to both sides because I grew up learning about both of my parents ethnicities. Even though I’ve grown up in the United States, I've been to Mexico several times and stay in touch with my relatives down there. I still classify myself as part Mexican and also acknowledge that I’m also half white. I think that there should be more than two racial teams to be on.
Sam used an example in class about a guy that was Japanese but didn't speak Japanese. I sort of feel like this guy. Even though I grew up hearing Spanish all the time, I’ve only been able to speak Spanish in a Spanish class since I’ve been in high school. Even though I am not very fluent in Spanish and I wasn't born in Mexico doesn't mean that I’m not Mexican. Many people are in the situation as I am. They are part of two or more racial groups.
I agree with the person who commented on this topic that we should definitely talk about this in class. I'm sure that a lot of people feel the same way as I do and think that we should talk about people that are multiracial. I think we should talk about family incomes and the same predicaments that face people of only one race. For instance, my mom had to drop out of middle school to help work for her family. She didn’t even make it to high school. One the other hand, my dad went to college and had a good job. Even though one of my parents had a good education and job, I grew up with my mom not being able to help me with my homework in middle school. Those types of things really bother me but I also feel very blessed to be able to be where I am right now.
Many relatives on my mom’s side do not have a college degree or even attended college. When Sam talked about the children of low income households or parents that were poorly educated I felt like I beat the odds. Even though my mom is my only parent that wasn’t able to finish school, it still affected me. If we talked more about being multiracial, I think it will give us a better understanding that the same situations and hardships that affect people of a single race, can also affect those of multiple races.
See, this is where "races" become a problem. When multiracial people cannot identify with either or because either he or she is too light to be a person of color or too dark to be a white person. I think the grouping should be done by how the original colonists migrated to the Americas, when we speak of "race" in Sociology. So white would not be white it would be European instead, that include the Spanish because those are the people that conquered to original natives of the Americas. The indigenous people would be the actually "AMERICAN" people or could be called new world people. Black people could be considered "of African Descent"…I think it should all depend on where your roots are.
I think that we all have a race and if someone looks at you and is like that person is white or black. It is a question to ask like how do you really know if they are black I mean they can have a small percent of a whole different number of races in them. I think that race can be a very touchy issue and a hard one too, because you never know what’s right or wrong, and sometimes we don’t know how to approach it. I think that race is just a thing that became too deep of a subject and now we just always feel the need to talk about it.
I think you bring up a good question and one that I have actually thought about on several occasions when I hear Sam talk about white people and black or brown people. As a person with Italian and Egyptian heritage, I consider myself and my family white. And by Sam’s definition of white people as those having origins in any of the peoples of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, I clearly “fit” into the white category. However, although I consider myself white I have a slightly tan skin color. A lot of people with either Italian or Egyptian heritage have significantly darker skin than me and would be considered brown by appearance rather than racial definition at first sight. However, I think despite how you actually appear, you should associate with the race that represents the background and heritage of your ancestors.
I have actually thought about this in the middle of lecture as well. I often just assumed that this multiracial people either just do not answer the question or answer the question where they perceive themselves the most. But I understand the question, because why do they need to perceive themselves as anything? Black, white, brown whatever it is really just all a color, and why do they need to associate themselves as anything just to answer a question? Hopefully Sam will address this issue in class at some point, and we will see where he stands on the multiracial issue.
With as many mixtures of races as there are in the world, I think it would be doing to much to try to address all of them, even in class. I know it doesn't seem fair to "force" people who are mixed to choose to identify with either white or black/brown, but I don't think anyone's doing that. Honestly, I think that people of mixed race have some of the best insight into what it is to be either group because they have seen it from both sides. One of my friends is half black and half white and when we've had discussions about race, she has been able to speak from both perspectives and I really appreciate her input.
I think it's up to each person and how they identify themselves. Do they see themselves as a part of a single group? Or can they provide insight from multiple perspectives? It's up to them what they choose to do. But I think it's unfair to expect Sam to be able to cater to everyone.
This is actually a great question to ask, and first of I would just like to say that if I was your half Puerto Rican and half white friend I would be as confused as he was, because then I would basically just go with what I feel my culture is more towards. To me personally when Sam says the people on the black or brown team I assume I am on it because I am Indian so I am brown and there is no question about that, but to be in the position of your friend is totally different because he can consider himself apart of both races. I don’t feel that Sam is wrong in asking questions and breaking the thoughts of white and colored people up because if we don’t then we will never get to see what each one thinks about the other. The class has become more interesting since we have been able to text our replies on the projector about how we feel about certain issues. But for me white, brown, and black will not just be a color because if it was we wouldn’t see any bit of racism in the world, and we do so till then my view on that will not change and how can it if the colors are not equal. When everyone in the world is done with down grading a race and all races have come to an equal platform till then I will not see white, black, and brown just as colors.
This is a great question. I think that when Sam groups the classes into these broad categories he leaves it up to the person to respond where they identify themselves. Honestly I would say that your friend is a person of color. I am not saying that my answer is right though. Decades ago if a person had any bit of color in them than they were considered Black or a person of color. So I guess I am brainwashed into believing the same way. At your statement about white being a color, indeed it is and I always wondered why whites were not considered a people of color, especially as a kid. Now I guess it is just our sad attempt to identify people.
I thought about that too and i found that i would want to be in the larger group for the vanity of it and in the colored group to honor my heritage and the question really got me thinking am i the only one who would have said white just to be in the culturally accepted group or would i have gone colored? I am of a vastly diverse background so i am often perceived as white im pasty even but i can trace my family around the world Europe Africa and every where in the us including several native tribes so for me i want to say colored because i want to honor my family's diversity but i fit in as white in physical characteristics. so do other people who could pass for white feel like i do or are you able to go with colored proudly?
I think most would identify with either group based on their skin color. I also think that people will identify themselves as colored or white based on their interest in the culture. Someone who is half white and half black might choose to identify themselves as colored not only because of their skin tone, but also because of their superior interest in black culture. Multi-racial people can speak for multiple race categories, they should be able to identify themselves however they choose. It is interesting though that here is another question inciting racial divide. Maybe Sam is going to have to make another category for those who won't identify themselves as white or colored, perhaps lightly colored.
This is what i did my initial response on. However I think that usually when people are asked what they are, "the minority is the majority" Im half white and half puerto rican like the subject of the video. From what I have seen in the media, from celebrities and political figures, more often then not, you will be categorized into the minority. I wish i could find where this stemmed from so that i could learn if there was a history of hate involved. For example, in the holocaust people were considered Jews even if they were a little Jewish. So maybe these two have a connection?
This is interesting to me because I have a lot of friend s are mixed race or what you can call multiracial. What I have noticed is that they have a hard time fitting into any culture whether it is one of theirs or if it’s one of their friends. I have seen my multiracial friends struggle through the hard times of when they were around other races and they don’t really fit in. I honestly have no idea what it is that they are going through because the go through much more than just racial problems they have to go through identity problems which can be a huge issue. I personally went to an all white high school where the students didn’t really have much diversity and they didn’t learn from the diverse people and because of this they were not open at all to any type of change.
I know for example my friends who are mixed And went to lower grade school with me had and still currently have problems adjusting with their surrounding and the people they are spending time with. I have heard of many multiracial people who don’t even claim their races and that shocks me. I can’t understand why people would not claim their own heritage or racial background. I guess it is because I only have one race and I know who and where I come from. I guess I can’t really be judging others because I do not know their situations. But I know at least with me I know where I was born and where my heritage if from. I can see that my friends whom are multiracial don’t really act or even dress like I do. I feel that my friends that are in fact multiracial have to try hard to please the public or at least the feel like they need to. It seems like they find it so hard to find their own identity. Or it seems as if they don’t have an identity to go by.
I feel that they do not really know that they can go by since they are brought up by different cultures that they find it way easier to go by something that they have learned about or are currently learning from. I know that a lot of my multiracial friends have such a hard time fitting in with any of the groups in which they actually belong to that they basically give up on that idea and they just settle for the easy way out. They basically want to take the easy way out by adjusting to a culture that isn’t true for example the Spanish culture which they could adjust much easier and pass as them. I just feel that multiracial people have way more stress than and of us because od the reason of the child and the child has no real but I personally feel that this areas was the wrong place to bring up a child.
I personally think this is a great question to ask. Being a person who is mixed I always say I am a person of color. I remember in our history classes we had learned of a phrase called the one drop rule which was a term used to keep the white race pure. The one drop rule meant that if you had atlas one drop of black in you , that you were automatically considered a person of color being denied your rights. Now today I think that this is turned around into a positive result where people embrues who they are and that having a mixed make you truly a unique person. I still think today that this applies in our modern day world. I think its something that people should embrues and they shooed be proud to call themselves a person of color. A person who is white is white. If a person is half white and latino i think they would still call themselves a person of color. I don't think that being a brown person doesn't directly correlate to the term black but is acknowledging that you are a person who is more than one race
As we learned from the first lecture, it is really hard to describe a race. I think asking one's race would cause confusion of identity if the study materials that we learned were considered. Which side they should be on, then? A survey form of 2010 Census has been sent to most residences and it includes a category of mixed race. However, in real life, people do not give out the choices to choose from. Physical appearance tells about his her race. For example, I am always an Asian regardless of which country that I came from when talking about White became more specified.
Although this is a race relations class, because of American history and what the tension between white and black people think everything just focuses on that or pertains to it. Its nothing personal or intentional its just the way it is. Because multiracial individuals were not here when the whole idea of racial inequality evolved in this place so many do not take their injustices that they face seriously or to heart. The underlying question will always be; were you held in bondage of hundreds of years by whites? And I can't see a multiracial answering to that because this ongoing battle has been and will always be between blacks and whites.
I am so glad that you brought up this topic…I have been thinking and talking about this topic with many of my friends lately. I am frankly tired of the black, brown and white topic. I mean I do understand that those are the main distinguished colors or should I say races!!! I also do understand that there are so many other races out there in the world that it would take a lot out of all of us to get to the bottom of them and learn and understand where those people come from and what there thoughts are about the world, society and everything. But I feel like we really need to make an effort to start talking about those other races…I am a person who has traveled a lot in my life so far and I have met people of different races, ethnicity ,religion, culture…Everyday of my life; and all those people have a story to tell, just like all of us do, they have been victims of racism, prejudice, discrimination, civil wars …just like us and it would be nice if we could talk about them as well or let them talk and let us listen to learn about them, from them. I think it would be very faire…So far I feel like we’ve been talking about the same thing every class, to a point where I even feel like Sam keeps on repeating himself. This class is called Race Relations; not just black and white relations, so we should be more open to every races. I mean we all know so much about the whole black and white stories and issues that will never end unfortunately, so it definitely would not hurt us to talk about Asians, Latinos, Spanish people, Arabic people… I myself come from different places in Africa, not just one country, but two to three countries and I have different experiences and stories that I would love to share, but I feel like we are not given much chances or support to talk about these different topics, which I think would make the class so much more interesting. I am not saying that the class isn’t interesting, but I am saying that it could be more interesting if we spiced it up some more with these different topics. I feel like this is one of the reasons why people in the United States are so Ignorant about what’s out there in the world, because the media and schools tempt to limit the amount of information given to the students, when if they are going to touch a broad topic, I suggest that they hit every details, every category even if it would take long, at least the students will be well informed at the end and they will be much more ready for a adventure if they decide to leave their country or continent one day.
I personally think that your friend would be in the black or brown category if he had to chose one or the other. I am white, but if any part of me was not, I would probably consider myself to be on the black or brown team, as Sam would say. In contrast, however, if your friend doesn't consider himself to be a black or brown person, I would expect him to answer as if he is on the white team. I think a lot of it has to do with skin color and physical appearance, but also where he is from and what his family is like.
first of all, i don't like any of those color and their ignorant meanings . i personally think that it is the most idiotic thing in the world to call someone white , black or brown because it doesnt have anything to do with their personality or their culture , it only has to do with their appearance, and no one should only be judged by their appearance. so yes sam richard, you are a professer that is well educated , maybe you should stop calling people black, brown and white, and start seeing them for who they are, also why do you call asian brown? they are whiter than you. most of them anyway. . .
I was actually thinking this when he proposed the two questions. It was either, you identified with White, or Black. I know that a majority of the class is one of those two categories, but what about the rest that aren’t? Why do they have to make the decision to choose between their two races to answer the question? Posing the question like that made it seem a little more insensitive to what we are ultimately trying to achieve, complete equality between everyone. But, as almost leaving an entire group out, it makes it nearly impossible to see everyone as equal.
I think that because he is mixed both white and Puerto Rican he should respond to both questions because he is a member of both races. I think that more people expect him to identify as a person of color, but he is not just a person of color. I do not think it should just be what he was raised as because that is like he is denying a part of who he is, ignoring what makes him, him. I think the person who said that people are often identified as how they look even if they are multi-racial made an interesting point, but because this is a race relations class and we are being educated about race he should be able to embrace both sides.
This question brought up a very interesting point. In many ways, I think people are confused by the system for that exact reason. Not everyone is just white, just black, just hispanic etc. Most of us are a mix of a bunch of races. I don't even know what I am to be honest. I know I'm white though, so I always just go into that category. But for someone who is a clear split between two or a few different races, then I can see why that would be more difficult to decide. I think in so many of our discussions too it is white against black. Like the other day white people had to write what they thought and black people had to write what they thought. In a lot of ways I think people took that as an excuse to take hits against the other race. I was at times offended when people wrote that white people were stuck up and snobby, because I don't think I'm like that. The whole concept of writing what we thought forced people to write stereotypes and generalizations. I don't know how effective that was. I think when you are a mixed race it makes it harder to even know what stereotype you fall under, which is even worse. It's like asking, do you act black or do you act white? It is a very confusing concept. But on the other hand, Sam does say how absurd the system is. I know he is trying to just get a general idea of what people think to make a point, but for those who aren't strictly one race or the other, it still makes things confusing for them. What also makes things a little more generalized is when sam asked for black and brown people to answer in one group. To me, black and brown people are in a totally different category. Sure, they both aren't white, but their experiences with racism or whatever they may encounter might be totally different. To me, black people have more problems with racism, but I may not even be true about that. But, I don't even know what the circumstances are because black and brown people are in one category. I think by splitting them up in these types of questions would give us a third perspective that is very important considering there are a lot of brown people that live in the Unites States. Overall, I think it would help at times to not generalize and split the groups up a little more.
Part 1
I knew this was going to cause confusion, questions, and even anger when Sam had questions up on the big screen that were divided up by different races answering certain questions. He had the questions split up into two very broad categories whites, and black or brown people. Since this world is not just black and white but in the middle filled with gray area. We have become a very diverse nation today, much more culturally mixed than ever before. So naturally there would be much more races intermixing and making the lines of race more blurry as the years go on. So with such a vast overgeneralization of races in the class questions where do the mixed races fit in, with whom do they associate with.
Part 2
It was interesting to see Vinny post a question about his friend who was confused with whom he should vote with. Thinking more about this question made me realize I am sure there are many more students in the class who feel this way. Then it hit me my friend David had the same question of who he should answer the questions with. He is Mexican, both his parents are Mexican, but he lived most of his life in Texas. You would think okay what is the problem, he is Mexican so he associates with the colored people questions. The funny thing is he looks like any other white person though, you would not be able to tell the difference from him to another white student until he opened his mouth. This is kind of confusing I can see now, do you vote by where you are born, what nationality you are, or what you look like, aka the color of your skin.
Part 3
As I was reading through some of these posts to the question I do agree with the person who said Sam just had 2 races to simplify the process. There is no possible way he could have a question for each race out there, there are simply too many to account for. We would be wasting the class, so in order to just make things simple it is easier just to divide the questions by people who have color and people who do not. Still I understand that it can be confusing for some because the color of their skin may not really be how they define who they are going to associate with, or as Sam says what team they are going to play for. I feel then that is the point when you just go with what you associate with. I mean take my friend for example even though he looks like any other white person he still associates with his Mexican heritage so he would vote with the black or brown people. When it comes down to it you just have to do what is right for you what feels right. In the end it is just a class and they are just questions if you cannot decide who to vote with just don’t vote at all, in the grand scheme of life this does not really matter.
This is an interesting point that Vinny brings up. How can those who do not consider themselves white, but then again not of color respond to a situation such as this one. In a diverse world that we share here in our community of Penn State, we are surrounded by people of so many different cultures that it may seem nearly impossible to be able to consider every single one that partakes alongside us in our course as a different category. I come from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, which for those of you who do not know is located bordering the city of El Paso, Texas. Now, I do not consider myself white for any category, because I am Mexican in every way possible, but I'm of the physical color of white. People always give me the look and with that same surprised looked tell me: You don't look Mexican. The reason being because of the color of skin that was passed on to me by my ancestry. If people were to understand that not all Mexicans are the typical sterotype, in fact a lot of them are not. My ancestry comes from Spain, but yet I associate with the culture that I was born into and have lived my entire life and that is that of the Mexican culture. But when it comes down to race issues here in the US I do not feel that I fall under the category of white. Last Tuesday during class I did not respond to the whites only post but then did not know whether to respond to the colored post. I personally consider myself a minority in this country. But then again how many others do too. Not everyone in this class might consider themselves white here in the US and might not even consider themselves of color either. Where do we fit in? I came to realize that Sam does not separate based on colored and whites but I feel that in a class that contains people of all around the world the majority, and this being based on the fact that we are currently within the US, can be seen as two races: those of color and those that are white. It is just that on an interesting note that those of us who consider ourselves neither would be more inclined to say consider themselves of color as opposed to white. This does not apply to everyone though, this is based on an observation that I personally along with other who feel the same way understand this situation. To me this brings up another point: Why would we be more inclined to say colored then white? Being one who has been used to being surrounded by Spanish speakers in a social setting, I here at PSU have a majority of friends who are of Hispanic and Latino background and come from countries from anywhere from Venezuela, Peru, Panama, El Salvador,Mexico, Puerto Rico, etc. and the great majority, if not all of them are of white color. But why then would we be more inclined to say that we do not associate ourselves with being white here in the US?
I agree with the speaker in the posting. The term “white” was probably more appropriate 100 years ago. Historically, the American melting pot was mostly composed of white people from different European countries where the primary diversity was their economics. In the last 50 years the world has changed dramatically. Most large American cities have had a Chinatown for as long as anyone can remember—but other Far Eastern ethnicities are relatively new in this country. With the immigration of substantial numbers of Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indians and many more the inevitable mixing of the races is happening every day. Other minorities, most notably African Americans and Hispanics have obviously been in American for centuries, but again society has changed and will continue to change, allowing more interchange among the races and inevitably more intermarriage and mixed progenies. It is only a matter of time before the discussion of races will either be irrelevant or will be only historical in nature. It may be 100 years from now or maybe a 1000, but the races will inevitably mix and we will live in a total multiracial world. Many of us already enjoy a mixed heritage of ancestors from different countries. It is just a small extension of this reality that our children’s children may enjoy a mixed heritage of ancestors from different continents.
I just asked the same question in a previous blog entry I just posted. How do 'brown' people feel about these issues? What's their stand on this issue between black and white people. I think we should start polling the brown people and see what their responses are. I would find it interesting to see what they would have to say. Would they side more with the black race or the white race? I don't even know what 'brown' people consider themselves in these polls, do they answer under white or black or do they not even answer? I never really thought of this topic before, but I find it strange how we leave them out on posing their opinion on these intense topics. They obviously must have an opinion about these topics because they're in on this too. Somehow we should figure out a way to incorporate their feelings into the class as well as everyone else.
This is an interesting point that this person brings up and one that probably does not have a definitive answer to it. I think when it comes down to it a person who is multiracial would just side with whatever they felt more comfortable with. Who is to say there right or wrong if they decide to be classified as white or “colored.” It should be a personal choice and just be left as that. I do however like the statement he made about how everyone is a person of color because white its self is a color. I think if everyone could look at race relations in this way we would have less inequalities and discrimination among everyone.
I absolutely know what your friend means! I'm half white and half Japanese. So when Sam put up the question about how white people refer to themselves, I couldn't decide whether or not that question applied to me. I'm just as Japanese, (or Asian, rather,) by blood as I am white– so I'm not dominated by either race.
I was talking to my friend Tom about this question when it came up, actually. I looked at the board and went, "So am I supposed to answer now, or no? Because I totally identify as 'white' when I'm back home in Hawaii or in Japan, but whenever I'm around all of my white friends, I'm ALWAYS 'The Little Asian Girl,' and 'The Asian Friend.'" I love getting to be the "Asian Friend" in my group of friends here at Penn State, mostly because it's something unique– (in the group, not at the school. ) I am fluent in Japanese and can somewhat read and write enough to get me around in the country. Do I answer as a person of color? Then again, there is no doubt that I am far mroe proficient in speaking English, and reading and writing in English. If I had to choose which country I'd rather live in, I'd undoubtedly say America because I know that I could function as a competent individual here in The United States, whereas, in Japan, I could not.
In the end, I figured I'd answer the question anyway, because it occurred to me that I'd be comfortable referring to myself as "White" around pretty much every group of people, whereas I would be relatively uncomfortable about referring to myself as "Japanese" or "Asian," around other Japanese nationals when it is so painfully obvious that I am a foreigner.
I suppose that I don't really have an answer for you, as far as giving you a black-and-white answer about which race multi-cultural people identify with. But, speaking from personal experience, I say that multi-cultural individuals should simply answer with the race that they are most comfortable with identifying with. I suppose there will always be people who are equally immersed in all of their cultures and constantly flip flop between their "Race Label," if you will, kind of like myself. In that case, I guess….. Eeny Meeny Miney Mo?
I think this is a great way to illustrate how race labels aren't really as black and white as people make them out to be. Not everyone is just black, brown, or white. At one point during the class, it actually occurred to me that maybe I could vote during the White poll and simply answer with "Other," because I'll admit to being white in any group, but I label myself as Asian pretty frequently. Long story short, I didn't, though, because, well, when I talk about my caucasian heritage, I refer to myself as "White," and, you know, that's what the question was asking about and I figured I wouldn't bias data.
Anyway, bottom line: Go with what fits best in every situation.
This is a very interesting topic to bring up. It is true that Sam often refers to different races in terms of simply, "people of color" (black or brown people) and white people. But then everyone else gets lost in the middle. More and more people consider themselves multi-racial. And in American society, it is often true that if you are "mixed" you are more of the darker skinned side of you, than you are the lighter skin, regardless of if you look moree white or more black. However, it is difficult to say what can be done to change this. Speaking in general terms, if one is to talk about differences in races it is most simply to divide them into two; you are either x, or you are y. There are so many races out there that if when speaking about the topic, it would be impossible to adhere to all the races. His friend is an example. On forms when one is asked to fill out your racial background, they usually have hispanic or white (non-hispanic). If his friend is in fact Puerto Rican and white, yet looks more white, it is difficult and confusing for him to know which to fill out. I am pretty sure he is not the only one that feels this way. So what can be done? I am for sure not the one with the answer. Changes in society, and ignorance needs to be overcome about races, that people who are not white are automatically black and the falsehood of that statement. However, because our society has been built on this paradigm it will be extremely difficult to change, and unless exposed, those who are ignorant will never become free of the naivete. So for now, I feel bad for your friend for not knowing exactly where he fits within a "black and white" society. However, if he identifies strongly with his culture and who HE is as a person and his heritage, he should learn not to care how others identify him. As a Jew, I feel the same complications with identity because my ancestors come from all over the world, from Israel, Argentina, Eastern Europe; I'm lost too! I think most of us are. So don't sweat it dude, most of us are in the same boat! Be proud of who you are
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I think this is a really interesting question considering how much we have discussed that there really is no one person that is truly just white or black. Yet everyday in class these groups are set apart. I think that this really depends on what the people answering identify themselves as. If they doo not see themselves as white, then they should text for the colored one. I guess I have never really debated this topic because I consider myself just white. I wonder if this offends some of the people that do not know how to identify themselves for these polls.
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It would be tough to be multiracial because although you would consider yourself half white half black for instance you wouldn’t want to offend your heritage or your parents in some way by associating yourself more with one side or the other. I remember on a TV show I watched when I was younger, The True Jet Jackson, and one of the girls on the show was considered black but her father was white and she got offended when someone considered her to be only black because she had another part to her. It would be tough to know how to associate yourself, I personally am straight up English on all sides so I have never really had to deal with mixed heritage or race questions.
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As Sam said early in the semester, a pen can be called a fuck and so on. When referring to colored people and white people, I think that its just a term that was created to differentiate between people that were white and people that weren’t white. It’s as simple and innocent as that. Although white may be considered a color to some people, the saying “people of color” was made to refer to people that are not white. People do use the terms black people and brown people, but to be a little more specific, both black and brown people are more on the tan side than people out of Poland and Russia. Thus, we have white people and colored people. Now, there could be better terms used, but there could also be worse.
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I think that your right. I agree that if you decided to categorize persons as people of color then that basically puts everyone in a category together. People of color literally means to a lot of people, people who have colored skin. When I hear Sam say people of color that is what I think. I think at that moment he is referring to people who have non-white skin. Although people of color can apply to many different people it is most referred to the people of mixed skin color. Although you may be mixed if you have white skin you are often times not grouped in this category. Being mixed and having white skin also may not make you lead a life of a person who is mixed and has colored skin. Having that white skin is the major different and although may be the only difference it is the most important. Being white enables you to not be categorized with everyone else. Often times as Sam has pointed out theres being white, and everything else. Being white can have its advantages and disadvantages. You are more likely to get jobs, promotions, and be able to move in important social circles with white skin. But in the same respect people judge you for that as well. Being colored has its advantages as well. You are more easily to be accepted amongst all minorities not just your own. There are a lot more financial aid and scholarship funds set up for minorities rather than whites. Its an on going cycle. I think that in order to break this racial brigade that has come into play in our modern world, it has to be met with education. Unfortunately education is often times the root of the racial tensions as well. It is on the parents of kids to teach them what is right and what is wrong. And often times the parents themselves are deeply uneducated about what they believe. Their misinterpretation of their beliefs will be passed down to their children and influence the decisions they make. Until this can be resolved on a national level racism will never decrease. I believe racism will never come to an end. It’s a good idea with the best intentions but no one is really listening. A girl in my lab put it this way, its like asking for global peace. Good idea but will never happen. Its just too much to ask out of the human race. There is too many radically different ideologies that people are too committed too. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it has its negatives and positives. When Sam says people of color I think he is referring to the actual color of your skin, not what you consider yourself.
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I feel like the majority of people who are biracial seem to associate themselves with their minority group. The reason I think this is because there is much more parental pressure on children to learn customs that they feel they wouldn't learn in the USA, which are all the non-white customs. Therefore in the home, children might get more emphasis on non-white culture if they are biracial. This is because I often see children who are from biracial or just non-white households, with parents who are new immigrants, to seem to feel a lot of cultural pressure from their parents. I think Sam said it in class a while back, the farther the family line stays in the US, the more people grow accustomed to the culture. There's an excellent story about this in Penn Statements (for those who still have it from English) from the viewpoint of an Indian child. She always felt left out because she brought "weird" food to school, mostly Indian foods. A lot of children don't see culture as much of a big deal, they think making friends and fitting in is. Parents just want their children to grow up as they do, with all of their customs, values, and morals. I think that this phenomena would also occur in multiracial couples, assuming one is white. There would probably be more emphasis on the non-white culture, because the child is going to grow up in white culture, learning it in school and from their friends. Because of this emphasis, I think that a biracial child is more likely to associate with non-white culture.
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With this being a Census year, this is an issue that many mixed families across America have had difficulty addressing because they simply do not know which race to pick when forced to pick one. As discussed in lecture, it was a major breakthrough when the Census began allowing citizens to choose more than one race to identify with. This is also why I believe that this guy’s friend in class should be able to answer this question for both races—if he truly cannot identify with one race over the other. But this should be allowed only if he really cannot decide which race he fits himself into the most; that is which group of people he hangs out with more, etc. I think this standard should be used because the point of Sam asking these questions in class is to get two separate views from two separate races—he doesn’t want the same opinion repeated for both questions by the same individual.
To be frank, I never thought of the 50/50 mixed raced students in the class when Sam asks about ‘white’ and ‘colored’ or ‘brown’ people. I have just assumed that all the students in class could easily identify themselves with either being white or black or brown. This is not to say that I do not think that there are plenty of racially mixed students in class—I know that several students actually are. But usually when a student is mixed, I assumed, they identified with themselves as being ‘brown’, and not particularly white. It should also be noted that most of the time a student is not completely 50/50 white and black. That is, one parent is not 100% white and the other 100% black or brown. I believe that Sam sees it this way as well. I do not think that Sam is ignorant at all when he refers to the class as the ‘white team’, ‘black team’, or ‘brown team’. He is simply referring to their race, which is pretty important when talking about race relations. I actually prefer Sam to blatantly say ‘white’ and ‘black’ and outwardly calling people this as well. It is hard to have a race relations discussion when people are scared to refer to other people as their race, because that is exactly what race relations is about.
We grow up with mentors teaching us to be “colorblind” and treat everyone equally as if we were all the same race. This is a good rule to go by, but in following it, we tend to ignore the obvious differences among ourselves due to race, and in turn refuse to discuss these differences. This is not a good thing. Sam does a good job in class in breaking these walls down, and shouting out racial groups. We cannot simply ignore the fact that different races have differing opinions about race—such as the question in class “What does it mean to be white?” I commend Sam for being able to openly talk about race, and being able to appropriately note the differences between us. This is also a culture phenomenon as much as a racial one. We grow up in different cultures, mainly around people of the same race, which accounts for these differences. Acknowledging these differences and accepting others’ cultures and races is what we as a society need to do more, and the best way is to discuss the issues head on, just as Sam is trying to do in class.
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This is very interesting point and a great question to raise. Where do those of multiple races fit into a white vs. people of color argument? Do they just go with the race because they have at least racial background or do they go with whom they feel more allegiance to? Do they go with their mom's race vs. their dad's? These are questions that can not be clearly answered.
There is one real simple explanation to be brought up here. This goes back to how Sam introduced the course to us in regards to race and race relations. There are no races. They are simple society – created separations to help us better justify our physical differences in color, size, weight, appearance, hair, noses, etc. So if you follow this ideology and approach to races, this question would not even be a question because every person would be in the same category and 'multiracial' would mean absolutely nothing at all.
As much as people may hope and dream the world worked this way, we all know, however, it does not and has not by any means. We all understand that race has been an issue for as long as man kind has been in existence and will be for many many years to come. So this is my take on it, coming from a white person. It does not really matter whatsoever. A multiracial person can associate themselves with they seem fit. In many circumstances, though, the points and question that Sam raises in class deal with our feelings in situation that deals with our appearances of being 'white' or being 'black' or being 'brown'. In these specific cases it would make the most sense to associate your feelings with the group you look more like. If you look more 'brown' being are going to have feelings towards you about being 'brown' regardless of what you actually are. That is why in this certain instances this would make the most sense.
So, in my conclusion, it does not really matter at all. It is just a simple way for Sam to get different groups reactions to different ideas and situations that he brings up and that are curious to see. A multiracial person might as well just go with whichever group they feel more comfortable or just not respond at all if it does not even seem to apply to you.
One last thing that is kind of interesting is that Sam started the class explaining how race is something that we created and it doesn't really exist. At the same time, however, we continue to use the classifications of white against the people of color. I understand why. For one, there would be no need for the class if we did not actually discuss race, but it is just interesting to think about.
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this is a great point, and me being a white male from pretty much all European ancestry i never thought about it, like most in this class. i guess if i had to give an answer it would be you would just half to put whichever you feel fits you best. i know that sounds really bad but if the question was just white or color then you would have to make a decision, so i guess that would be the best way to do it. or most the time people are rarely 50/50 for color,so i guess if you know you are more of one ethnictiy go with that, but that sounds childish too, so i dont know, but great question though
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Personally, I feel that Sam should use another term when referring to people whom are not considered white. For example, in everyday conversation, I use the terms "white" when referring to people who are caucasian and "non-white" when referring to someone who's obviously not white. Thinking back to when this class first started, I had a serious problem with Sam saying the term "colored" for non-white people because it's origin dates back to a time when the United States had serious racial tension. Back when the term "colored" was first used, the people who said it usually had little or no respect for the person they were talking about. So when someone today says "colored," that thought always comes back to mind. While I understand the reason it's used, I just don't prefer it to non-white. Sam also uses "black and brown" people interchangeably with "colored" people which also bothers me in this class only. I have a problem when Sam "black or brown" people because he uses it to make a generalization of all other different ethnicities in a class where there are people who don't fit into either category – Asian for example. After reading some comments, some people don't find that to be a big issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of those people were white. All in all, it's just about showing respect for another person's ethnicity and having the decency to consider them; this is why I use "non-white." Forcing people to put themselves in a category where they don't belong is not right because that's how some people identify themselves and they're proud to be another race. Some people might call my response overreacting, but try putting yourself in someone else’s' position, and I'm sure you wouldn't like it either. As I have attended more classes, I have gotten better at tolerating Sam's terms because like he said before, he doesn't care what other people think about how he conducts his lectures. Therefore, it would be an effortless attempt to try to change someone else's mind especially when I don't particularly like them. If Sam had an open-mind as he likes to make us believe, he would consider this.
Answering my own question, I think multiracial people should identify with whichever race they feel more comfortable with or associate with. However, if you use this concept, then what happens when a white person who associate's himself more with black people, what should he or she choose? Should the deciding factor be based on a certain percentage of whiteness?
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I am still trying to figure why people still talking about black and white. I feel we should drop this whole racist thing and move on with our lives. Our president is black; I thought this step was going to prove to the world we are a country of harmony, togetherness. In the contrary, racism is increasing. I think people still talk about this black and white issue because other people, mainly the people who monitor discussions group, keep bringing it up. Their first question to a black person is most like to be “how would you feel if a white person calls you a nigger” bammm, they have a discussion for hours. I guess that’s the only way their groups are going to be successful is by making people from different races to go against each other in a room.
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I think this is an interesting topic, probably because I am half white and half Hispanic. Usually when I think about it I think of myself as Hispanic, not white. I think this goes back to in the old days of extreme discrimination if you had one drop of color in you, you were considered colored, not white. I do not know if this is right but I agree with this. If your multi racial and you look brown, you are. It would be wrong to say you are white, you can say you are also white, but not just white. Growing up you still had to deal with discrimination and everything else that comes with having a darker skin color, so why would you consider yourself white? I think it is weird that his friend didn’t know what to answer when Sam asked for the white people and then the Brown people to answer. To me he would obviously answer when all the brown people did.
Also during my life time it has been more beneficial to tell people on applications and job interviews that I was Hispanic even though I am both. I think this is changing but so far I think it has helped me. I think this also contributes to my feelings about multiracial people. I have been saying it “official” on documents, so it is bound to influence my personal feelings.
Also something I find interesting is all the people that don’t consider themselves multiracial. I bet only a few people in our entire 750 student class are all one race. I remember when Sam asked all the people that are multiracial to raise their hands in class, I don’t know if people just didn’t want to admit it for some reason or if they just don’t know because their parents didn’t tell them, but I can guarantee that the true number of multiracial people in the room was at least triple that. Are people ashamed of being multi racial? Do they think that it somehow says you aren’t pure if you are? Even if someone is “white” they are probably a mixture of a bunch of different races that are white.
Again I don’t understand why his friend had a problem figuring out how to answer, I am the same as him and I don’t consider myself white. I think it is the same today as it was back then, if you look brown you are, no matter how much white you might have in you. This might be something we need to work as a country, or this might not be causing a problem at all. After all this affirmative action stuff goes away and people are just people, I don’t think we will have to worry about it.
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While I do not know what to call people who are not white, I still do not like the phrase “of color.” Yes, there may be distinctions for colors of skin necessary for difference reasons, but I do not like saying people of color. White is a color; and why is white not considered a color? That one day when Sam mentioned that African Americans like to claim Barack Obama as theirs, why do white people not claim him as theirs? He is half white too right?
I know that people who are not white are treated differently for bizarre and irrational reasons, but I think everyone should be treated the same unless they really do have an ingrown disadvantage like being handicapped (which cannot be helped). I think people who are not white should be able to do anything a white person can, and many do. People who dislike other who are not white, make no sense to me because I just feel like their reasoning is fallacious. People from all walks of life are wonderful and necessary to my life. Maybe it is because I feel like I do not discriminate, but I just think we as a nation need to get over ourselves and actually do what is right versus what is politically correct or will make us the most money/ save us from losing money. Peoples’ lives are at stake. Goodness.
Back to the “of color” concept, when I was in high school, I was a new person to the area and the school. I was friends with many people in all kinds of cliques. The nerds, one day, decided to label me as “clear.” I had to ask what that meant and they went on to explain how I was whiter than white so I was clear. I did not take offense to it, but it made me think and honestly I forgot all about it really until Tuesday. Clear is not a color and if white people were called clear then I would feel better saying people “of color.” I know I am not the target of “of color” people conversation when someone talks about it, but I cannot help but think that white is a color.
I do not aim at being hurtful in my speech ever, and especially when I do not know someone well. I usually just avoid anything “offensive” in nature in general. I do not curse because I never heard those words growing up and they do not come to mind right away when I am conversing with others. I do not think of racial slurs ever for the same reason. I do not think it is fair that “mixed” people have to choose who they are to fit into a category for the world.
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Okay I totally agree with what my friend Vinny is saying and yeah he is my friend, what category do mutiracial people fall into. I mean they are both white and colored. They can be either or there i snot really what they are is more like who they are. They may be raised by a just colored parent or or just a white parent but does that make them white or color? I mean it is really hard to think about it like that. How people are classified just on what, what are we necessarily basis it on, like we are saying it is all about "color" we are and not necessary what we are. If a person of color is white like there is skin is white, does that make them white or black, I mean like what does that mean? Now I am really confused what makes a person colored or white? Does it have to do with skin pigment or just the way they look, I mean what is it? So I mean if I have all of these questions I ma sure a person who is multiracial does to. But as far as people who are multiracial I feel like what ever they want themselves to be, whether they want to be colored or white. I know people who are multiracial and they pick one race to be they either consider themselves white or black if they are multiracial. So I feel like it can be whatever people want, or they can be both. They have both culttures, but parents they have two different outlooks on things because their race is more than one thing. I think that if I was put in the situation where it was apparent more on what my race was as a multicultural race, which I am I would probably go with what I identified more as, or what I felt people identified me as. If I was half white and half black I would go with what society saw me as because that is where the question is, if u are white but people see you as spanish then you are what it means to be spanish, not white even if you are, it is all just based on what people and society sees you as and that is what I think Sam was trying to ask. If you look white but are spanish than that is what it means to be white, how people treat you and not necessarily what it means to be spanish. I personally feel as if it shouldn’t mean anything to be a race, it should be based on your personality however people don’t see that they judge you based on what race you are and judge you based on that. All that matters is what you look like, if you never put on paper but you look like another race, whether you are or not, people will think that you are they want and treat you as such. I feel like everyone just be treated on how they act, and if they break the mold or something or what is expected of there race, that’s whats important.
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Personally, I feel that Sam should use another term when referring to people whom are not considered white. For example, in everyday conversation, I use the terms "white" when referring to people who are caucasian and "non-white" when referring to someone who's obviously not white. Thinking back to when this class first started, I had a serious problem with Sam saying the term "colored" for non-white people because it's origin dates back to a time when the United States had serious racial tension. Back when the term "colored" was first used, the people who said it usually had little or no respect for the person they were talking about. So when someone today says "colored," that thought always comes back to mind. While I understand the reason it's used, I just don't prefer it to non-white. Sam also uses "black and brown" people interchangeably with "colored" people which also bothers me in this class only. I have a problem when Sam "black or brown" people because he uses it to make a generalization of all other different ethnicities in a class where there are people who don't fit into either category – Asian for example. After reading some comments, some people don't find that to be a big issue, but I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of those people were white. All in all, it's just about showing respect for another person's ethnicity and having the decency to consider them; this is why I use "non-white." Forcing people to put themselves in a category where they don't belong is not right because that's how some people identify themselves and they're proud to be another race. Some people might call my response overreacting, but try putting yourself in someone else’s' position, and I'm sure you wouldn't like it either. As I have attended more classes, I have gotten better at tolerating Sam's terms because like he said before, he doesn't care what other people think about how he conducts his lectures. Therefore, it would be an effortless attempt to try to change someone else's mind especially when I don't particularly like them. If Sam had an open-mind as he likes to make us believe, he would consider this.
Answering my own question, I think multiracial people should identify with whichever race they feel more comfortable with or associate with. However, if you use this concept, then what happens when a white person who associate's himself more with black people, what should he or she choose? Should the deciding factor be based on a certain percentage of whiteness?
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I have to agree with a bunch of the other previous posts in saying that Sam should probably use different terms when differentiating between races. For a class that is supposed to talk about race and how you should not judge someone by the color of their skin, and he only uses the terms “black, white, and brown.” As it has been made apparent, there are many other races out there, and we even did a whole lesson on mixed races. What if someone only identifies themselves as half and half, and does not want to pick a side? What are they supposed to do in this context? I don’t know, bottom line is I think different terminology should be used.
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psustarfire Reply:
March 20th, 2010 at 3:21 am
You cannot possibly, in a lesson, refer to every possible racial identity that exists when teaching a race relations class. It would take all class to get out all possible scenarios to appeal to an audience of over 300 at a University like Penn State. You must be able to apply what you are learning to your own situation … translate if you will. It is not a matter of excluding once race. This person does have an excellent question, how do you apply it when you are half this and half that?
You are your own person and it is up to you to decide where you personally are in reference to racial questions. The point of the lesson was to identify with the different race identity stages. The lesson covered the awakening and revisioning stages, understand what they are and hopefully eventually identify where you are personally are in your own racial journey. It is up to each individual no matter what their background or heritage is, to decide where you are in these stages. My guess is that it applies whether you are black, white, or part white/part Hispanic. It is meant to help you decide where you are now and where you want to be in the end … and how to work toward that goal. Hopefully, now matter what your race is that is what you are here to hear and learn. It may just be a grade you are trying to get.
Recently, I watch the new Star Trek movie again; yes I am a “trekkie” (if that is how you spell it). In the new Star Trek movie you see Spock struggle with his being part human part Vulcan. If you are a “Trekkie” you see Spock in the original version grow more human over time but never loses his Vulcan roots totally. It is almost like he becomes the best of both worlds. He possesses the “good” of both cultures. It is interesting how this whole thing transpires and addresses interracial relations. In Star Trek it happens all the time only it happens with people from different planets … how is that so different. I guess that is what I like most of the whole Star Trek series. Yes, it is science fiction, but when you consider when the original Star Trek series first aired on television, in 1966, it was beyond it’s time with respect to racial relations. I don’t think many people looked at it in this way, but I do.
With respect to being part of two cultures, you must take the best of both worlds and be yourself. You learn in this class about racial relations and it applies to all races and not just black and white or brown. It is just that those are most common maybe.
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I can't believe someone asked this question. It's pretty ironic because this is my exact situation. I'm half Mexican and half white. When Sam talks about being on the black and brown or white team, I have no clue which I should classify myself as. As a joke I say to the guy that sits by me that I can just choose what I wanted to be for the day and just go with that. But I never felt right about it so I don't really answer the questions on the screen. I can relate to both sides because I grew up learning about both of my parents ethnicities. Even though I’ve grown up in the United States, I've been to Mexico several times and stay in touch with my relatives down there. I still classify myself as part Mexican and also acknowledge that I’m also half white. I think that there should be more than two racial teams to be on.
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Sam used an example in class about a guy that was Japanese but didn't speak Japanese. I sort of feel like this guy. Even though I grew up hearing Spanish all the time, I’ve only been able to speak Spanish in a Spanish class since I’ve been in high school. Even though I am not very fluent in Spanish and I wasn't born in Mexico doesn't mean that I’m not Mexican. Many people are in the situation as I am. They are part of two or more racial groups.
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I agree with the person who commented on this topic that we should definitely talk about this in class. I'm sure that a lot of people feel the same way as I do and think that we should talk about people that are multiracial. I think we should talk about family incomes and the same predicaments that face people of only one race. For instance, my mom had to drop out of middle school to help work for her family. She didn’t even make it to high school. One the other hand, my dad went to college and had a good job. Even though one of my parents had a good education and job, I grew up with my mom not being able to help me with my homework in middle school. Those types of things really bother me but I also feel very blessed to be able to be where I am right now.
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Many relatives on my mom’s side do not have a college degree or even attended college. When Sam talked about the children of low income households or parents that were poorly educated I felt like I beat the odds. Even though my mom is my only parent that wasn’t able to finish school, it still affected me. If we talked more about being multiracial, I think it will give us a better understanding that the same situations and hardships that affect people of a single race, can also affect those of multiple races.
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See, this is where "races" become a problem. When multiracial people cannot identify with either or because either he or she is too light to be a person of color or too dark to be a white person. I think the grouping should be done by how the original colonists migrated to the Americas, when we speak of "race" in Sociology. So white would not be white it would be European instead, that include the Spanish because those are the people that conquered to original natives of the Americas. The indigenous people would be the actually "AMERICAN" people or could be called new world people. Black people could be considered "of African Descent"…I think it should all depend on where your roots are.
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I think that we all have a race and if someone looks at you and is like that person is white or black. It is a question to ask like how do you really know if they are black I mean they can have a small percent of a whole different number of races in them. I think that race can be a very touchy issue and a hard one too, because you never know what’s right or wrong, and sometimes we don’t know how to approach it. I think that race is just a thing that became too deep of a subject and now we just always feel the need to talk about it.
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I think you bring up a good question and one that I have actually thought about on several occasions when I hear Sam talk about white people and black or brown people. As a person with Italian and Egyptian heritage, I consider myself and my family white. And by Sam’s definition of white people as those having origins in any of the peoples of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East, I clearly “fit” into the white category. However, although I consider myself white I have a slightly tan skin color. A lot of people with either Italian or Egyptian heritage have significantly darker skin than me and would be considered brown by appearance rather than racial definition at first sight. However, I think despite how you actually appear, you should associate with the race that represents the background and heritage of your ancestors.
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I have actually thought about this in the middle of lecture as well. I often just assumed that this multiracial people either just do not answer the question or answer the question where they perceive themselves the most. But I understand the question, because why do they need to perceive themselves as anything? Black, white, brown whatever it is really just all a color, and why do they need to associate themselves as anything just to answer a question? Hopefully Sam will address this issue in class at some point, and we will see where he stands on the multiracial issue.
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With as many mixtures of races as there are in the world, I think it would be doing to much to try to address all of them, even in class. I know it doesn't seem fair to "force" people who are mixed to choose to identify with either white or black/brown, but I don't think anyone's doing that. Honestly, I think that people of mixed race have some of the best insight into what it is to be either group because they have seen it from both sides. One of my friends is half black and half white and when we've had discussions about race, she has been able to speak from both perspectives and I really appreciate her input.
I think it's up to each person and how they identify themselves. Do they see themselves as a part of a single group? Or can they provide insight from multiple perspectives? It's up to them what they choose to do. But I think it's unfair to expect Sam to be able to cater to everyone.
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This is actually a great question to ask, and first of I would just like to say that if I was your half Puerto Rican and half white friend I would be as confused as he was, because then I would basically just go with what I feel my culture is more towards. To me personally when Sam says the people on the black or brown team I assume I am on it because I am Indian so I am brown and there is no question about that, but to be in the position of your friend is totally different because he can consider himself apart of both races. I don’t feel that Sam is wrong in asking questions and breaking the thoughts of white and colored people up because if we don’t then we will never get to see what each one thinks about the other. The class has become more interesting since we have been able to text our replies on the projector about how we feel about certain issues. But for me white, brown, and black will not just be a color because if it was we wouldn’t see any bit of racism in the world, and we do so till then my view on that will not change and how can it if the colors are not equal. When everyone in the world is done with down grading a race and all races have come to an equal platform till then I will not see white, black, and brown just as colors.
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This is a great question. I think that when Sam groups the classes into these broad categories he leaves it up to the person to respond where they identify themselves. Honestly I would say that your friend is a person of color. I am not saying that my answer is right though. Decades ago if a person had any bit of color in them than they were considered Black or a person of color. So I guess I am brainwashed into believing the same way. At your statement about white being a color, indeed it is and I always wondered why whites were not considered a people of color, especially as a kid. Now I guess it is just our sad attempt to identify people.
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I thought about that too and i found that i would want to be in the larger group for the vanity of it and in the colored group to honor my heritage and the question really got me thinking am i the only one who would have said white just to be in the culturally accepted group or would i have gone colored? I am of a vastly diverse background so i am often perceived as white im pasty even but i can trace my family around the world Europe Africa and every where in the us including several native tribes so for me i want to say colored because i want to honor my family's diversity but i fit in as white in physical characteristics. so do other people who could pass for white feel like i do or are you able to go with colored proudly?
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I think most would identify with either group based on their skin color. I also think that people will identify themselves as colored or white based on their interest in the culture. Someone who is half white and half black might choose to identify themselves as colored not only because of their skin tone, but also because of their superior interest in black culture. Multi-racial people can speak for multiple race categories, they should be able to identify themselves however they choose. It is interesting though that here is another question inciting racial divide. Maybe Sam is going to have to make another category for those who won't identify themselves as white or colored, perhaps lightly colored.
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This is what i did my initial response on. However I think that usually when people are asked what they are, "the minority is the majority" Im half white and half puerto rican like the subject of the video. From what I have seen in the media, from celebrities and political figures, more often then not, you will be categorized into the minority. I wish i could find where this stemmed from so that i could learn if there was a history of hate involved. For example, in the holocaust people were considered Jews even if they were a little Jewish. So maybe these two have a connection?
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This is interesting to me because I have a lot of friend s are mixed race or what you can call multiracial. What I have noticed is that they have a hard time fitting into any culture whether it is one of theirs or if it’s one of their friends. I have seen my multiracial friends struggle through the hard times of when they were around other races and they don’t really fit in. I honestly have no idea what it is that they are going through because the go through much more than just racial problems they have to go through identity problems which can be a huge issue. I personally went to an all white high school where the students didn’t really have much diversity and they didn’t learn from the diverse people and because of this they were not open at all to any type of change.
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I know for example my friends who are mixed And went to lower grade school with me had and still currently have problems adjusting with their surrounding and the people they are spending time with. I have heard of many multiracial people who don’t even claim their races and that shocks me. I can’t understand why people would not claim their own heritage or racial background. I guess it is because I only have one race and I know who and where I come from. I guess I can’t really be judging others because I do not know their situations. But I know at least with me I know where I was born and where my heritage if from. I can see that my friends whom are multiracial don’t really act or even dress like I do. I feel that my friends that are in fact multiracial have to try hard to please the public or at least the feel like they need to. It seems like they find it so hard to find their own identity. Or it seems as if they don’t have an identity to go by.
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I feel that they do not really know that they can go by since they are brought up by different cultures that they find it way easier to go by something that they have learned about or are currently learning from. I know that a lot of my multiracial friends have such a hard time fitting in with any of the groups in which they actually belong to that they basically give up on that idea and they just settle for the easy way out. They basically want to take the easy way out by adjusting to a culture that isn’t true for example the Spanish culture which they could adjust much easier and pass as them. I just feel that multiracial people have way more stress than and of us because od the reason of the child and the child has no real but I personally feel that this areas was the wrong place to bring up a child.
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I personally think this is a great question to ask. Being a person who is mixed I always say I am a person of color. I remember in our history classes we had learned of a phrase called the one drop rule which was a term used to keep the white race pure. The one drop rule meant that if you had atlas one drop of black in you , that you were automatically considered a person of color being denied your rights. Now today I think that this is turned around into a positive result where people embrues who they are and that having a mixed make you truly a unique person. I still think today that this applies in our modern day world. I think its something that people should embrues and they shooed be proud to call themselves a person of color. A person who is white is white. If a person is half white and latino i think they would still call themselves a person of color. I don't think that being a brown person doesn't directly correlate to the term black but is acknowledging that you are a person who is more than one race
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As we learned from the first lecture, it is really hard to describe a race. I think asking one's race would cause confusion of identity if the study materials that we learned were considered. Which side they should be on, then? A survey form of 2010 Census has been sent to most residences and it includes a category of mixed race. However, in real life, people do not give out the choices to choose from. Physical appearance tells about his her race. For example, I am always an Asian regardless of which country that I came from when talking about White became more specified.
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Although this is a race relations class, because of American history and what the tension between white and black people think everything just focuses on that or pertains to it. Its nothing personal or intentional its just the way it is. Because multiracial individuals were not here when the whole idea of racial inequality evolved in this place so many do not take their injustices that they face seriously or to heart. The underlying question will always be; were you held in bondage of hundreds of years by whites? And I can't see a multiracial answering to that because this ongoing battle has been and will always be between blacks and whites.
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I am so glad that you brought up this topic…I have been thinking and talking about this topic with many of my friends lately. I am frankly tired of the black, brown and white topic. I mean I do understand that those are the main distinguished colors or should I say races!!! I also do understand that there are so many other races out there in the world that it would take a lot out of all of us to get to the bottom of them and learn and understand where those people come from and what there thoughts are about the world, society and everything. But I feel like we really need to make an effort to start talking about those other races…I am a person who has traveled a lot in my life so far and I have met people of different races, ethnicity ,religion, culture…Everyday of my life; and all those people have a story to tell, just like all of us do, they have been victims of racism, prejudice, discrimination, civil wars …just like us and it would be nice if we could talk about them as well or let them talk and let us listen to learn about them, from them. I think it would be very faire…So far I feel like we’ve been talking about the same thing every class, to a point where I even feel like Sam keeps on repeating himself. This class is called Race Relations; not just black and white relations, so we should be more open to every races. I mean we all know so much about the whole black and white stories and issues that will never end unfortunately, so it definitely would not hurt us to talk about Asians, Latinos, Spanish people, Arabic people… I myself come from different places in Africa, not just one country, but two to three countries and I have different experiences and stories that I would love to share, but I feel like we are not given much chances or support to talk about these different topics, which I think would make the class so much more interesting. I am not saying that the class isn’t interesting, but I am saying that it could be more interesting if we spiced it up some more with these different topics. I feel like this is one of the reasons why people in the United States are so Ignorant about what’s out there in the world, because the media and schools tempt to limit the amount of information given to the students, when if they are going to touch a broad topic, I suggest that they hit every details, every category even if it would take long, at least the students will be well informed at the end and they will be much more ready for a adventure if they decide to leave their country or continent one day.
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I personally think that your friend would be in the black or brown category if he had to chose one or the other. I am white, but if any part of me was not, I would probably consider myself to be on the black or brown team, as Sam would say. In contrast, however, if your friend doesn't consider himself to be a black or brown person, I would expect him to answer as if he is on the white team. I think a lot of it has to do with skin color and physical appearance, but also where he is from and what his family is like.
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first of all, i don't like any of those color and their ignorant meanings . i personally think that it is the most idiotic thing in the world to call someone white , black or brown because it doesnt have anything to do with their personality or their culture , it only has to do with their appearance, and no one should only be judged by their appearance. so yes sam richard, you are a professer that is well educated , maybe you should stop calling people black, brown and white, and start seeing them for who they are, also why do you call asian brown? they are whiter than you. most of them anyway. . .
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I was actually thinking this when he proposed the two questions. It was either, you identified with White, or Black. I know that a majority of the class is one of those two categories, but what about the rest that aren’t? Why do they have to make the decision to choose between their two races to answer the question? Posing the question like that made it seem a little more insensitive to what we are ultimately trying to achieve, complete equality between everyone. But, as almost leaving an entire group out, it makes it nearly impossible to see everyone as equal.
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I think that because he is mixed both white and Puerto Rican he should respond to both questions because he is a member of both races. I think that more people expect him to identify as a person of color, but he is not just a person of color. I do not think it should just be what he was raised as because that is like he is denying a part of who he is, ignoring what makes him, him. I think the person who said that people are often identified as how they look even if they are multi-racial made an interesting point, but because this is a race relations class and we are being educated about race he should be able to embrace both sides.
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This question brought up a very interesting point. In many ways, I think people are confused by the system for that exact reason. Not everyone is just white, just black, just hispanic etc. Most of us are a mix of a bunch of races. I don't even know what I am to be honest. I know I'm white though, so I always just go into that category. But for someone who is a clear split between two or a few different races, then I can see why that would be more difficult to decide. I think in so many of our discussions too it is white against black. Like the other day white people had to write what they thought and black people had to write what they thought. In a lot of ways I think people took that as an excuse to take hits against the other race. I was at times offended when people wrote that white people were stuck up and snobby, because I don't think I'm like that. The whole concept of writing what we thought forced people to write stereotypes and generalizations. I don't know how effective that was. I think when you are a mixed race it makes it harder to even know what stereotype you fall under, which is even worse. It's like asking, do you act black or do you act white? It is a very confusing concept. But on the other hand, Sam does say how absurd the system is. I know he is trying to just get a general idea of what people think to make a point, but for those who aren't strictly one race or the other, it still makes things confusing for them. What also makes things a little more generalized is when sam asked for black and brown people to answer in one group. To me, black and brown people are in a totally different category. Sure, they both aren't white, but their experiences with racism or whatever they may encounter might be totally different. To me, black people have more problems with racism, but I may not even be true about that. But, I don't even know what the circumstances are because black and brown people are in one category. I think by splitting them up in these types of questions would give us a third perspective that is very important considering there are a lot of brown people that live in the Unites States. Overall, I think it would help at times to not generalize and split the groups up a little more.
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Part 1
I knew this was going to cause confusion, questions, and even anger when Sam had questions up on the big screen that were divided up by different races answering certain questions. He had the questions split up into two very broad categories whites, and black or brown people. Since this world is not just black and white but in the middle filled with gray area. We have become a very diverse nation today, much more culturally mixed than ever before. So naturally there would be much more races intermixing and making the lines of race more blurry as the years go on. So with such a vast overgeneralization of races in the class questions where do the mixed races fit in, with whom do they associate with.
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Part 2
It was interesting to see Vinny post a question about his friend who was confused with whom he should vote with. Thinking more about this question made me realize I am sure there are many more students in the class who feel this way. Then it hit me my friend David had the same question of who he should answer the questions with. He is Mexican, both his parents are Mexican, but he lived most of his life in Texas. You would think okay what is the problem, he is Mexican so he associates with the colored people questions. The funny thing is he looks like any other white person though, you would not be able to tell the difference from him to another white student until he opened his mouth. This is kind of confusing I can see now, do you vote by where you are born, what nationality you are, or what you look like, aka the color of your skin.
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Part 3
As I was reading through some of these posts to the question I do agree with the person who said Sam just had 2 races to simplify the process. There is no possible way he could have a question for each race out there, there are simply too many to account for. We would be wasting the class, so in order to just make things simple it is easier just to divide the questions by people who have color and people who do not. Still I understand that it can be confusing for some because the color of their skin may not really be how they define who they are going to associate with, or as Sam says what team they are going to play for. I feel then that is the point when you just go with what you associate with. I mean take my friend for example even though he looks like any other white person he still associates with his Mexican heritage so he would vote with the black or brown people. When it comes down to it you just have to do what is right for you what feels right. In the end it is just a class and they are just questions if you cannot decide who to vote with just don’t vote at all, in the grand scheme of life this does not really matter.
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This is an interesting point that Vinny brings up. How can those who do not consider themselves white, but then again not of color respond to a situation such as this one. In a diverse world that we share here in our community of Penn State, we are surrounded by people of so many different cultures that it may seem nearly impossible to be able to consider every single one that partakes alongside us in our course as a different category. I come from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, which for those of you who do not know is located bordering the city of El Paso, Texas. Now, I do not consider myself white for any category, because I am Mexican in every way possible, but I'm of the physical color of white. People always give me the look and with that same surprised looked tell me: You don't look Mexican. The reason being because of the color of skin that was passed on to me by my ancestry. If people were to understand that not all Mexicans are the typical sterotype, in fact a lot of them are not. My ancestry comes from Spain, but yet I associate with the culture that I was born into and have lived my entire life and that is that of the Mexican culture. But when it comes down to race issues here in the US I do not feel that I fall under the category of white. Last Tuesday during class I did not respond to the whites only post but then did not know whether to respond to the colored post. I personally consider myself a minority in this country. But then again how many others do too. Not everyone in this class might consider themselves white here in the US and might not even consider themselves of color either. Where do we fit in? I came to realize that Sam does not separate based on colored and whites but I feel that in a class that contains people of all around the world the majority, and this being based on the fact that we are currently within the US, can be seen as two races: those of color and those that are white. It is just that on an interesting note that those of us who consider ourselves neither would be more inclined to say consider themselves of color as opposed to white. This does not apply to everyone though, this is based on an observation that I personally along with other who feel the same way understand this situation. To me this brings up another point: Why would we be more inclined to say colored then white? Being one who has been used to being surrounded by Spanish speakers in a social setting, I here at PSU have a majority of friends who are of Hispanic and Latino background and come from countries from anywhere from Venezuela, Peru, Panama, El Salvador,Mexico, Puerto Rico, etc. and the great majority, if not all of them are of white color. But why then would we be more inclined to say that we do not associate ourselves with being white here in the US?
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I agree with the speaker in the posting. The term “white” was probably more appropriate 100 years ago. Historically, the American melting pot was mostly composed of white people from different European countries where the primary diversity was their economics. In the last 50 years the world has changed dramatically. Most large American cities have had a Chinatown for as long as anyone can remember—but other Far Eastern ethnicities are relatively new in this country. With the immigration of substantial numbers of Koreans, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indians and many more the inevitable mixing of the races is happening every day. Other minorities, most notably African Americans and Hispanics have obviously been in American for centuries, but again society has changed and will continue to change, allowing more interchange among the races and inevitably more intermarriage and mixed progenies. It is only a matter of time before the discussion of races will either be irrelevant or will be only historical in nature. It may be 100 years from now or maybe a 1000, but the races will inevitably mix and we will live in a total multiracial world. Many of us already enjoy a mixed heritage of ancestors from different countries. It is just a small extension of this reality that our children’s children may enjoy a mixed heritage of ancestors from different continents.
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I just asked the same question in a previous blog entry I just posted. How do 'brown' people feel about these issues? What's their stand on this issue between black and white people. I think we should start polling the brown people and see what their responses are. I would find it interesting to see what they would have to say. Would they side more with the black race or the white race? I don't even know what 'brown' people consider themselves in these polls, do they answer under white or black or do they not even answer? I never really thought of this topic before, but I find it strange how we leave them out on posing their opinion on these intense topics. They obviously must have an opinion about these topics because they're in on this too. Somehow we should figure out a way to incorporate their feelings into the class as well as everyone else.
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This is an interesting point that this person brings up and one that probably does not have a definitive answer to it. I think when it comes down to it a person who is multiracial would just side with whatever they felt more comfortable with. Who is to say there right or wrong if they decide to be classified as white or “colored.” It should be a personal choice and just be left as that. I do however like the statement he made about how everyone is a person of color because white its self is a color. I think if everyone could look at race relations in this way we would have less inequalities and discrimination among everyone.
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I absolutely know what your friend means! I'm half white and half Japanese. So when Sam put up the question about how white people refer to themselves, I couldn't decide whether or not that question applied to me. I'm just as Japanese, (or Asian, rather,) by blood as I am white– so I'm not dominated by either race.
) I am fluent in Japanese and can somewhat read and write enough to get me around in the country. Do I answer as a person of color? Then again, there is no doubt that I am far mroe proficient in speaking English, and reading and writing in English. If I had to choose which country I'd rather live in, I'd undoubtedly say America because I know that I could function as a competent individual here in The United States, whereas, in Japan, I could not.
I was talking to my friend Tom about this question when it came up, actually. I looked at the board and went, "So am I supposed to answer now, or no? Because I totally identify as 'white' when I'm back home in Hawaii or in Japan, but whenever I'm around all of my white friends, I'm ALWAYS 'The Little Asian Girl,' and 'The Asian Friend.'" I love getting to be the "Asian Friend" in my group of friends here at Penn State, mostly because it's something unique– (in the group, not at the school.
In the end, I figured I'd answer the question anyway, because it occurred to me that I'd be comfortable referring to myself as "White" around pretty much every group of people, whereas I would be relatively uncomfortable about referring to myself as "Japanese" or "Asian," around other Japanese nationals when it is so painfully obvious that I am a foreigner.
I suppose that I don't really have an answer for you, as far as giving you a black-and-white answer about which race multi-cultural people identify with. But, speaking from personal experience, I say that multi-cultural individuals should simply answer with the race that they are most comfortable with identifying with. I suppose there will always be people who are equally immersed in all of their cultures and constantly flip flop between their "Race Label," if you will, kind of like myself. In that case, I guess….. Eeny Meeny Miney Mo?
I think this is a great way to illustrate how race labels aren't really as black and white as people make them out to be. Not everyone is just black, brown, or white. At one point during the class, it actually occurred to me that maybe I could vote during the White poll and simply answer with "Other," because I'll admit to being white in any group, but I label myself as Asian pretty frequently. Long story short, I didn't, though, because, well, when I talk about my caucasian heritage, I refer to myself as "White," and, you know, that's what the question was asking about and I figured I wouldn't bias data.
Anyway, bottom line: Go with what fits best in every situation.
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