I watched a video today about the Trail of Tears. Not really a new subject for me but it made me wonder if Mingle'ers feel that being of mixed decent makes any difference in perception? Is it more or less of an issue? Has our kids going to school with many cultures changed the perception? Now days many of our grandchildren have mixed decent; how do you think it will affect the culture they teach their grandchildren?

i think it more depends on the parents of the kids
but yeah some can be from what they see on there own

Whilst I'm not 100% white.
I'm not "mixed" enough to qualify
for the gubbahmint cheese.

Makes no difference in my perceptions.
I'm still just me.

i like mine stirred rather than mixed....and i've also
taught all my descendants the same...

sorry, couldn't help myself

i am a heinz 57 kid : ) ~

Mixed, adopted, and proud.
NEXT.

Everything makes a difference in perception.
People that are 5'11 are perceived differently than those 6 ft tall.
Perception can be different without someone even being aware their perception is different.


I'd think sometimes it's more of an issue, and other times it's less.


Probably. Not always towards the better though, depending.


In the U.S.?
It's basically consumerist capitalism and utilitarianism with people picking and choosing what they want from idealized cultural traits that get them free stuff, or a feeling of superiority or uniqueness.

Not much is going to change there.

Where children grow up will have a greater effect on what they are taught than who their ancestors might have been.

A child growing up in Alaska probably won't be told as much about the Trail of Tears as a child growing up in Eastern Oklahoma, where the Trail of Tears ends.

We are in a very long transition period. So long, that I'm not sure when it started, really.

We have all, always been of "mixed heritage." However, occasionally some relatively small group, such as a nation of a certain language group, gets it into their heads that they have to declare superiority over everyone else. Then they start teaching their kids to see everyone else as alien in some way, and messes get started.

What I'm not sure about, is whether actively teaching specialness of each subgroup, is the right way to make things better. The act of seeking out specific things for each subgroup to be "proud of," might result in people getting the exact wrong idea. That we should only respect others who "do stuff." That people who simply work hard and live out their lives, can be disregarded and trampled on.

I KNOW there's too much of that going on these days.

So do you identify with your adopted family culture or your birth family cultures?

I think history plays a part in racism. What with the world wars. Though, some parents will try to get their children to hate other races. It's a shame, but I think the victims don't take it to heart, because sometimes they half expect it. Sadly.

This is really more where I am coming from. Yea I have two primary cultures that were more and issue when I was younger but now my family is so mixed it is hard to define just what we are. We celebrate such a variety of customs we have picked up over the years I would hope for it to be a nice stew of cultures. I don't really buy it waters anyone of them down so much as takes the best of each.

So often, or easy to think people of different colour, or different anything are different from you, but no people are different, people everywhere are pretty much the same. We love our children being the universal. Every country is a mixture of cultures and race and what we think of our identity maybe only formed in the last 100 years and will change in the next century for sure.

I agree with this very well said.

OK 007 got one coming right up

I am not sure but that I am the lilliest of white....whatever...even that is mixed ethnically...just gives me more ethnics to lurve

I agree with this since the internet is now way more affordable the borders are falling and we are becoming a world culture. I think it is a great improvement that many have a chance to see other races, religions, lifestyles, and economic standings and realize the stereotypes very rarely apply.

I am constantly amazed by the inquires I get about what it is really like to live in the USA. I know I am the exception rather than the rule that I have lived as many different places across the USA but I think that is even changing.

This stuff never really big deal in my family I guess
my folks were mostly english/irish descent
my step father is mostly Chippewa
my little brother is a full quarter
my aunt adopted two beautiful girls from Korea
My ex husband was full German
my children are half

My ancestry is quite mixed. English, Welsh, Scottish, French, French Canadian, Canadian Indian, American Indian. My father was career Air Force, so we moved every 2 to 3 years. Texas, New York, Maine, Florida, Wyoming, New York again but a different part of the state, England, Florida again, now Illinois. I grew up around such a wide mix of people, and a wide range of places, I have not really identified with a particular part of my heritage, culture, or traditions. Sometimes i feel like maybe I've missed out on some of that, and other times I'm so glad got to see so much and meet so many different types of people.