Hi, I've had an interesting experience recently and it's made me think about an age old topic that clearly still will be an issue to those around me at least through-out my lifetime.

I'm bi-racial (White German father, Black Senegalese mother) and I've spent most of my life either having to explain how my white half-sister is actually my biological sister or how I'm not white and not black but something completely different... I'm 'other', deal with it!

Throughout my life I've either been too white to be black or too black to be white or just simply the cause of confused looks on other people's faces.






As an adult, this doesn't matter as much as it once did as I just see myself as a person and not a racial identity but when that does come up, it's either an uncomfortable subject for some people around me or it's just plain silly the way people make my ethnicity into an issue.

I'm currently living in a society that considers itself 90% black and which I accepted as a statistical fact until I lived here and realized that it's more like 95% bi-racial and these people have so many issues with their own racial identities, there is actually a voluntary apartheid system at work! I personally think their entire nation needs therapy.

I've in many cases had to be the 'black guy' or simply the 'West-Indian guy' (even though I was born in Germany and have no West-Indian ancestry) to make it easier for people to just move on to the next thing. My sister and I agreed that we would just be 'cousins' in situations where it would make it easier for other people to accept us and this was because of an awkward incident that happened when we were teenagers... something we still laugh about today. The reality is that it speaks poorly to the socio-evolution of the species when we have to resort to something like this.

When will the day come where the genetic make-up of a man is no more important than the colour of his SIM card or his USB cables?

My $0.02 worth... what do you guys think?

(I don't think I need to say this but I welcome the opinions of all races)

Fortunately the issue has resolved itself as time will eventually lead us to just one universal race based on continued inter racial reproduction.. Within a few more generations the distinctiveness of one race will have merged and a more integrated one will prevail..

I agree with you but I've also seen how that prospect has scared some people like we're a threat rather than just a step towards the inevitable evolution of mankind whatever that eventually ends up looking like.

In the same token, I truly believe (and hope I'm wrong about this) that human nature will lead us to find some other reason to segregate ourselves and to hate each other.

As a species we just don't seem to be able to help ourselves. When race is no longer an issue, will it be religion, class, the wealth divide, culture and one's country of origin?

Someday I hope I can be proven wrong and John Lennon right.

"Imagine all the people living life in peace,
You, you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us, And the world will be as one."

that picture in the OP is just the cutest thing, but the message so very important!

I do want to clarify mixed ethnicity though becasue people of the same race can be of mixed etnic backgrounds and the same types of prejudices can exist that exist with racially mixed backgrounds. But there is a difference, a slight difference.

For example, I am caucasian with an ethnically mixed background, german, scots/irish, spanish, welsh, dutch...the most being the german and the scots/irish & welsh, I think. My family history is a little sketchy going back that far so it is really hard to say.

Anyway, when people hear you're Irish they automatically think you drink in the pubs every night and eat nothing but potatoes.....ya right lol

I have an uncle by marriage who is Italian (so I am not Italian) but whenever I talk about him, people say stuff like I am maried to the mob...ummm....no

there are all kina stereotypes out there

theres nothing wrong with being different, some things are just more obvious don't get why people have issues with stuff, if they looked at themselves though someone elses eyes they would probably not recognise what they see. Just remember no one is 100% of what they think they are, all of us came from the same place originally.

@sweetestgirl11: You make a good point and even in my family it's apparent. My sister and I obviously look quite different but we also both look quite different from our father who is German with a family tree that can be traced back hundreds of years in Germany.

Our father has blue eyes and very dark hair (well it was before it went all white) and I have dark hair and brown eyes. My sister has blonde hair and blue eyes and looks a lot more like her mother who is Dutch while I look more like my mother who is not your typical Senegalese either.

We're both of mixed-ethnicity and I first realized just what that really meant when I had my DNA profile interpreted, which prompted my sister to have hers done.

Without going into all the detail, the interpretation of origin for me in order of dominance is Khoisan, Hallstatt, Alpine and West African other. In my sister's case, in order of dominance, she's Dalofaelid, Alpine, Hallstatt and Nordic other.

So in summary, we're siblings, very different genetically and both mixed, but in our family, that doesn't matter at all, it's just another fact like, water is wet, or fire is hot.

I wish the rest of the world would see it the same way and I think it would start if people would just look inside themselves to see what they're truly afraid of.

After they deal with those issues, they'd realize there was never really a problem with the next guy after all... it was internal all along.

hmm

I think ancestry is important, in terms of where we come from as a person,, our ancestral identity is an important part of us,,,,

I think people look for commonalities with other people, common experiences, common values or even common ancestry

I have no issue with any of that actually

the only issue, for me, is when its taken as an absolute indicator of an individuals character, potential,, etc,,,

so for me, that I am African American is not something I am proud or ashamed of, but it is a PART of me so I embrace it and have no issue with others acknowledging it

I am 'confused' by others as something else on many occasions,, which only bothers me when it is accompanied with 'compliments' about so called good hair or manners or speech or some other indicator that the persons assumptions involve an assumption that black people cant be or aren't these things,,,,

I'm mixed too op, which was interesting growing up in a mainly afro Caribbean area. never really was the victim of any real racism but i remember there always being a joke here or there about being black enough or where i really belong.

Then I moved to the states and was called a ni**er by some punks who must have thought I fit the part.

Pretty much what i'm saying is that its all relative, to blacks you'll be half white and to whites you'll be half black, but to your friends, well I'm sure they aren't judging you by your looks.

I have had similar experiences, my little sister (half sister) is half native American and half scandinavian. I am 100% scandinavian and yes, people are always like how are you brother and sister? You do not owe anybody an explanation either and I am so sick of all this racial nonsense. For one thing the term "mix race" is not a correct term. WE ARE ALL ONE RACE! The human race. Mix race would suggest half dog half pig you know what I mean, We are all human. The correct term would be Mixed ethnicity. For another thing we do not owe anybody an explanation. It really should be a non issue and yes anyone that thinks any different about somebody based on their ethnicity and how they look needs mental help. If someone calls you names like the N word you should feel sorry for them. There is something seriously wrong with someone who is racist. Even the term racist is an incorrect term. It should be called prejudice against ethnicity. The term racist should be to describe a person like me who hates the mosquito race. I cant stand mosquitos and they are not human therefor I am racist. Another point I would like to make is that "racism" exists in many degrees of racism. Some more extreme than others and they all need mental help. I went to an all native school (by choice) and I was the only white kid in the school. I dealt with countless racism and was picked on and beat up. But I stood up in front of the whole school and gave them my speech on racism. I believe most people are not "racist" and alot of people use ethnicity as an easy reason to hate. They are haters and will always find reasons to hate another, ethnicity is just an easy reason to hate someone because they are obviously not all there in their heads in the first place and are not smart enough to find creative reasons to hate so they choose "race" because they are to simple minded to think of anything better. They actually dont hate your race they just hate the world and themselves in general and find it easy to target other "races".

But everybody are individuals and hating any color of skin is wrong because of what happened in the past. There are evil people of all colors and we need to come together and realize that hate, crime against humanity, and prejudice exists among all ethnicity and colors of skin and it is not fair to single out any "race" because of what a member of that "race" did. We are all individuals and we are all one. So we should grow up and act as brothers and sisters because if you want to get technical about differences, It actually takes more genetic coding to determine hair color then it does to determine skin color. So technically a white man with black hair is more alike to an Asian with black hair than the white man with blonde hair is to a white man with black hair.

Sorry about my rant but I am so sick of "racism" and we need to grow up as a people. I say we should all mix races and create a hybrid human ethnicity because I think mix races are beautiful and I love all cultures and people. One love my friends. Peace.

I'm a socially oppressed white boy. Affirmative Action is holding me down.

While I can see why someone might think of it as an appropriate way to jump-start the resolution of a long-standing issue, I think Affirmative Action is just as racist a system as the systems that led to it in the first place.

Someone's ethnicity should have no bearing on what job they get or do not get and absolutely no bearing on what school they do or do not get into, just as it should have no bearing on how society perceives them or perceives their potential.

You cannot solve the issue of oppression by being just as prejudice as the original oppressors but just on the opposing side of the scale...

Prejudice is prejudice regardless and in any form is still a sign of immaturity, limited intellect and self hate.

@dovebear:

Affirmative action has its pros and cons...

I would like to say that I think affirmative action has it all wrong. It is not the minority groups that need help. It is the people that are doing the discrimination that needs help. Yes you can create programs that will help minority groups get jobs and find a place in the system. But in reality it furthers discrimination. People get upset that minority's are getting help and they are not getting the same help. It keeps the gap alive.

The root of the issue is in the discriminatory people themselves. They should have programs to help them, send them to a racist anonymous class that is mandatory if you want to keep your job. It is illegal to not hire someone based on race age or sex. So if you do not get hired because they tell you you are to old, or a woman, or black or white. Report them. And when enough reports come in they can be charged with a criminal offense.

I once tried to get a job at KFC when I was a teenager and I was told they do not hire white people. Asians only. Well thats illegal! Same for a Subway I tried to apply at, They only hired woman because the owner was a sexist pig!! These people deserve fines and a criminal record in my opinion, and same for anyone who would not hire because of race, sex, age etc.

So in reality it is the racist people that need the help and need the social programs. But I know its not 100% full proof so it seems affirmative action has its purpose. But it does not solve the problem.

Hey there,

I'm also mixed race. My mother is italian & my father is native american & african american. I've come to find that when you're mixed race others are very fixated on physical appearance. Genetic make up is less concerning. For example, Halle Berry is mixed race and even though we know her to be mixed race we identify her as black. It's all about perspective..

People will identify you as whatever you appear to be.. and not to be harsh but, more often than not, non-blacks will consider you black if you have an african american parent. Again, it's all about perspective. I actually think people that fit into a racial box based on physical appearance have it a little easier.. I.E Johnny Depp is said to have some african american ancestors but, clearly, we easily identify himself as european.

Physically, I truly don't fit into any racial box. I don't appear black, white or hispanic so people are often very confused on where to place me just based on physical appearance. I identify as mixed-race but, culturally was raised in an african-american community and feel more comfortable identifying as african-american. I would never identify myself as caucasian although I was raised by a caucasian mother.

I would be too... damn, have you seen yourself? Hottttt!!!!

Oh, wait, you were referring to from an ethnicity point of view... sorry.

@myself:

Ok, flirting aside:



Why should you fit into a box... When there needs to be a box, my box is 'other' as a form of silent protest.

That is something especially prevalent in the US and I have to say (no offence intended to the Americans in the forum) that as a nation, it has got to be one of the most racist countries in the English speaking world. The fact that the terms 'african american community' or 'white community' or 'latin/hispanic community' exist is testament to this.

I was raised to be aware of all races being equal and to assimilate cultures freely, so who I became as a person had less to do with what I looked like and more to do with what I became interested in as I grew up.

As I mentioned before I have encountered racism and issues of people not being able to identify me for what I am and yes, more people have seen me as black rather than bi-racial but that's their issue not mine, I know what I am and I know how little it matters to me what I am ethnically and that's where my true freedom comes from... Freedom to be me and not be bound to sterotypes or expectations of a society based on my outward appearance.

My sister and I weren't raised white or black, we were just raised modern day.

I have a suggestion.

The next time someone wants to know what race you are, simply say that you are a member of the human race.

The act of dividing humans into artificial "races" (because that is what they are - artificial) is what started racism and keeps it going.

That is what happens when Americans who are outwardly black insist on calling themselves "African-Americans" instead of just "Americans". Doing such a thing perpetuates racism.

I think the day has already come, where the genetic make-up of a man is not that important, at least in many areas of the World. There are always going to be some people that do not like mixed raced people for whatever reason. I have all races in my family and mixed children are very beautiful and we have many in my family. I just had a large family Reunion and it looked like the United Nations in respect to different races. It is wonderful to have different ancestry French, Caucasion, Black and Indian.

When ever someone says I am white I interrupt them and tell them I am not white! "I am pink and hazelnut swirl" literally look at my skin and I am pink with a tan so haha, eat my shorts!