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Black? What is it?

I'm confused, why does having for example one black parent instantly make you black? I mean like if someone has a black parent and a white one they are most likely to be called black (perhaps mixed race) but probebly black.


For example:

quote:

1857 - Mary Seacole - the Black Nurse Mary Seacole the Black nurse visited Brighton and mentions it in her book, saying that the Journey across Panama by train was as smooth as the journey from London to Brighton. Her best selling autobiography, entitled 'Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands', was first published in 1857. Mary Seacole was born Mary Jane Grant in Kingston, Jamaica in 1805. She was a businesswoman, traveller, gold prospector, writer and nurse. Her father was a Scottish army officer, and her mother a descendant of African Slaves.

>http://www.black-history.org.uk/seacole.asp<



She was just as white as she was black how come she's instantly black (halle berry is half white and yet.... black if I'm not mistaken I mean remeber the oscar speach)?

helle berry is more black then white i think. As soon as i see her, i think she looks black, so i call her black.

i suppose mixed race is the correct name for her.

Wiki says

quote:

Berry was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was named after Halle's Department Store, a local landmark. Although she generally is considered African American, she is bi-racial, with a white English-born mother, Judith Ann Hawkins, and a black American father, Jerome Berry.

Half white half black. So she is just as white as black. It's like being black is some mark or something. Previously a hiderance and mark of "inferiority" now of "empowerment". But why is that?

a child from mixed parents is going to look more black than white

quote:

Originally posted by josh4 a child from mixed parents are going to look more black than white

NONONONONONO just "not white" thats the problem.

But she looks more black than white, then i guess she is white? no?

How'd you mean?

so wait is she black or white

quote:

Originally posted by metalgearsolid so wait is she black or white

both

See I'd say both are just percived. Just labels, this kind of example just shows the sillyness of it. Same with nationalitys.

Actually that is an interesting point Dervish brought up, I have a friend who's father is black and mom is white. His friends, mostly white, still consider him to be "ethnicly" black (can't describe it any better rightnow) and "culturaly" white. Yet, he identifies himself as black. Which is strange, he's as white as he is black.

quote:

Originally posted by Dervish Wiki says Half white half black. So she is just as white as black. It's like being black is some mark or something. Previously a hiderance and mark of "inferiority" now of "empowerment". But why is that?

I dont think it matters if one of her parents is white. I still think she looks more black then white.


Black has also been associated with negative and bad things.

The thing is that black people have more dominant genes than whites, so a mixed child will usually have dark curly hair, dark eyes, and dark skin.

But then again, when I was living in the US there was this one kid that went to school with me and that looked totally white to me (maybe a bit latino-ish). And then I saw his dad who was as black as a tanned african chimney cleaner. So I suppose there are some exceptions.

Ultimately I'd say that most people will consider you to be what you look like. If you're a light skinned mixed guy, people will more or less consider you white. If you're darker they'll consider you black. After all, when you see Michael Jackson, you don't say "man that's some black dude right there".

I think what it is is that the reason we have black this and black that (like the Mobo awards or I dunno the greatest Black person, and no such equivelant for Whites) is because minorities tend to have to put up with shit from the majority (or at least historically) plus all the PC shit and maybe a bit of guilt thrown in for good measure. So if someone is half cast then they will also have had to put up with racist shit (again, or at least historically) and therefore will tend to fall into the same catagory as Black people rather than whites. Plus it is almost impossible to tell if someone is half cast and most simply look black so another reason they will come under the catagory of just black. My cousin's husband is black and they had a kid two years ago and you would never be able to tell his mother is white.

hey what about brown ppl?

Interesting.

I once knew a girl who had a white mother, and a black father. Her skin was very dark. However, she only hung around white girls (weird), and when someone asked her why she never hung around any black people she calmly stated "because they all look the same, and I don't want anything to do with them. I refuse to look at that side of my family.". How strange? Not very many people spoke to her after that day, but it still amazes me that she could say that to this day.

I think people still call black/white people black simply because more often than not, their skin is still dark, not white.

i am hispanic but my mom is brown and dad is white(both still mexican) i ended up white and the mexicans at my school thought i don't speak to them cuz i am white but i dont talk with them because they are gangbangers(some of them) and the others they really don't accept u and it takes to much fuckin time to make friends with em cuz i am "white"

It is a really deep thing I think. It goes down to how we pigon hole the people around up, we add labels (or symbols) to understand the world and one of thouse is "black" one is "white" when the subject is both it becomes a judgement call I think.

Personally I think the labels are pretty useless, even national labels (even though the boundry is easier to draw).

(I'd say more on this but I'm kinda drunk, you get what mean though)

that right there was deep man

When I'm drunk I get paranoid people are taking the piss are you?

quote:

Originally posted by metalgearsolid i am hispanic but my mom is brown and dad is white(both still mexican) i ended up white and the mexicans at my school thought i don't speak to them cuz i am white but i dont talk with them because they are gangbangers(some of them) and the others they really don't accept u and it takes to much fuckin time to make friends with em cuz i am "white"

There you go, I was the same in college I am black but most of my friends were white, I never hung around the black kids. Its not that I didn't like them but just didn't see too many of them into clubbing, EDM and other interests I had. Its all the personal taste of people, what appeals to you as far as a particular grouping of people, be they black or white. I knew whites I wouldn't want to hang around, and blacks as well despite the fact I am black. Its not like I could round up a group of my black friends I knew in college and say lets go to a rave in Montreal, but I could always find a bunch of white or Asian kids ready to make the road trip. That's why its better to know the person, to see if they are scum or cool.

do they care if you call them brown? Have you asked them what they prefer to be called if ever it were to come up?

Yeah ask them what they want us (normals?) to call em.





EDIT: (I know your smarter than that just the first thing that popped into my head)

See I recon all these labels are alot of shit just engrained in us because the human nature to try to simplify things, put everything into boxes charterise it and rationalise it with respect to ones self even with just a quick assesment.

I.E "how much is this person like me?" even though I've only looked at them for a second

quote:

Originally posted by metalgearsolid so wait is she black or white

Technically, she's "Mulatto"

Dictionary.com

mu�lat�to ( P ) Pronunciation Key (m-lt, -l�t, my-)
n. pl. mu�lat�tos or mu�lat�toes
1. A person having one white and one Black parent.
2. A person of mixed white and Black ancestry.

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