April 5, 2010
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Not hip to be white.
It’s a sad day for white people. Yes, white people, though you may love him, Barack Obama isn’t half-white, he’s just black. So much for the post-racial period in America, eh?
I have always found it interesting that whenever people are of mixed race, they tend to identify themselves as whatever non-Caucasian blood runs in their veins. A woman once identified herself to me as Native American and when I asked her how much of her blood is Native American, she replied, “one percent.” It goes without saying that society plays a not insignificant role in it as well, placing anyone with a skin tone slightly darker than mayonnaise in the non-white box (case in point: Harry Reid’s remarks about Barack Obama’s lack of a “negro” vernacular), but that isn’t the only factor. You can’t choose the labels others place on you, but you can choose the ones you apply on yourself. Obama is an interesting example. The son of an African father and a white mother, he has been very open about his father’s absence in his life as he was largely raised by his white mother and white grandmother and attended a presitigious school in Honolulu that is well known locally for being, well, a school for rich white kids and Asian bananas (yellow on the outside, white on the inside, in case you’ve never heard the reference before). He is not a mixed-race child who was raised by an African American parent, growing up in a neighborhood where African American culture was predominant, nor did he suffer some sort of childhood trauma from a paternal Caucasian figure that would lead him to despise that particular bloodline. And despite all this, when he filled out his census form, he only checked the box that said black. Would that not constitute an affront towards the two women who raised him? I’m not insinuating that Obama was making a direct statement against his mom and grandma. He loves them dearly, he’s made that clear. (I was touched when I saw pictures of him going to visit his grandma here in Hawaii for the last time.) But why deny that which is such a large part of himself? I can only imagine the palpable hurt I would feel if my future children identify themselves as being Korean only, instead of half-Korean, half-Taiwanese.
Why all the haterade on being white? When I was in residency I remember a medical student complaining about Portland and how it is so “white” and had less culture than a single serving of Yoplait Yogurt. Of course, the girl was Caucasian. I thought that was strange, given that under the all-encompassing umbrella term of “white”–yes, the term “black” is another all-encompassing yet glaringly insufficient moniker of race–one can easily find different cultural contributions by the Irish, French, Italian, Greek and other tribes of the Caucasian nation.
There’s nothing wrong with being black. There’s nothing wrong with being white. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with being both black and white. There is, however, something wrong in denying where you came from and I just wish that the president who was supposed to usher in a new period of bridging the gaps between both sides of America would have done the same on his U.S. Census form. Everything you are today is the result of the people who came before you.
So just remember, my friends and frenemies, the only wrong answer on the U.S. Census form is to not answer.
Have a great week!
Comments (17)
So interesting because Dennis and I just had this talk today. I told him I don’t know if I’d tell my kids I’m part anything because I associate myself with all that is Korean, not so much Japanese or Dutch. He thinks I should tell them anyway. But I don’t see why it’s so important if I can’t even relate to the cultures (and my families certainly did not) and I grew up in a Korean household. Does telling my kids I’m part this or that affect their livelihood in a significant way? Being able to put a percentage on how much they have of what is going to change their lives? I don’t know. I guess it’s what each individual makes of their situation.
I wonder why he didn’t pick other and fill in the blank. it might be because media only associates Obama with being black.
In my own life, I actually have a tiny bit of latin in my blood but I don’t know ANYTHING about that part of me. In fact I didn’t even find that out until I was about 18.
I think often of my future children how they would fit in my racist, dominantly white town. Would people see them as “Asian” or “White” or “Half-breeds?” (a term that I heard someone actually say when describing mixed children)
I hope that they too would describe themselves as Korean/White instead of one or the other.
And probably Obama felt he *has* to be only Black. The JB tells me that sometimes it’s harder being White than any other race because for some reason people are quick to point fingers at them for being the Oppressors.
tubbes is 1/4 black; strawberry is 1/2 south african (the caucasian kind); SQ is 1/2 latina.
the rest of their parts is caucasian, but do you think i will list caucasian on their college applications??
not if i can help it!!!
Can you imagine the amount of backlash he’ll receive if he identifies himself as Caucasian in the Black community?
I think people will always try to label themselves differently from the majority – it not only distinguishes them from others, but it adds flair to who they are (an edge, if you will). Personally, if it was me, I’ll just elicit whichever side of me that benefits.
‘Hey you’re Chinese? Cool, I’m Chinese too!’
‘Hey you’re Caucasian? Cool, I’m Caucasian too!’
maybe bc white traits are recessive so they identify with the dominant ones?
hey i was just happy that corean was put on the census..yay~~
interesting read!
actually my husband is always saying that he is the new minority in the us because everyone discriminates against him because he is a white male. yet he’s never done anything to anyone or discriminated against anyone. but just living and being a white male is an offense to people and they treat him differently because they make assumptions about him for being white. which is so bizzare to me. although it would probably make for a great sociology study.
when we do have children, knowing that they may take after me more than him, i would never want them to be ashamed of being white and only embracing their asian side. actually we are planning a trip to switzerland for next year so we can check out some of my husband’s ancestry so that he can learn more about where he came from, just like my parents took me to taiwan to visit. although, he doesn’t know of relatives there, it will still be nice to learn more about where his family came from so that we can teach our children about just how special they are and what diverse history has come to play that led to their existence. (and actually my husband is also 5% native american but he doesn’t go around telling people that, and yet i felt compelled to include that – fascinating)
but like job applications, i feel like college applications should make listing your ethnicity optional. although that was probably to my detriment when applying for a new job. but i didn’t want to be favored just because i am asian. of course my husband said i was nuts and i should exploit that for all it was worth because it’s an advantage. lol. but i didn’t.
A couple years ago, I was sitting somewhere with a woman who was getting info about my kids, for insurance or something, I don’t remember…she asked me for their race and I said “Mixed, black and white.” The woman totally snapped my head off, “There’s no box for that!” So, I said put “white” then.
I think there would have been an uproar if Obama had put anything other than “black.”
Race has become a very confused issue. One where some blatant racism is ignored out of fear of being called a racist. Ignored but most of us notice it
Yay to Obama for bringing in change! I don’t think it’s too surprising though – everyone thinks of him as black anyway. “The first black prez in history!” yadda yadda. He looks black, so people think of him as black. It’s easier than saying “half Kenyan, half white Hawaiian”, which is not exactly much better if you really think about it.
Wow. Nice post.
@Akiko - i believe the difference though is that you, from what you stated in your comment, are genetically all those things, but culturally were raised korean, whereas obama being half black, half white was raised as “white”(i really hate to couch it that way, as though “white” and “black” were anything other than genetic traits). the insinuation is that he is not only rejecting his race(well, half anyway) but his upbringing.
of course people make the situation worse by confusing race with nationality. my meaning behind that is that how you are raise, the traditions, culture, etc are more reliant on your nationality(and at times locality) than your race.
@snot - I agree with your husband. I am a white south african and I feel like I need to start apologising for my exsistance
My kids are bi-racial. I am white, and their dad is black (my ex). My new husband is Egyptian. I love people for who they are, and hate it when people hide behind their race, or pull the race card out when they don’t get their way. And, you know what really gets me? There are all kinds of programs out there, such as the United Negro College Fund, to name one off the top of my head. If there were a United Caucasian College Fund, could you imagine the law suits that would fly? I don’t understand that! Anyway, nice post!
I’m half Native American and then the other half is white-European schtuff…
But I just checked the white box. I honestly don’t see why him checking the African American box is SO significant. I mean, seriously, I barely had time to fill it out and I’m just a college student, he kind of runs the whole country. I’m sure he didn’t mean as some sort of a dis to his mother. Interesting post though