What Determines Someones Race?

[Balthazor]

[quote name='Deus_te_Amat' post='1607810' date='Jul 24 2008, 08:54 PM']I'd say culture. I just got home from Australia, and the customs people laughed at the "stupid americans" that put Caucasian under nationality. Color of skin seems to be a big deal in America, but hardly noticed in (some) other parts of the world.[/quote]

This is SOOOOO not true!

I am living in Europe and I have got to say if you look like a Gyspy. Dark skin, dark hair dark eyes you ARE treated differently. It really doesn't matter if you are a Gypsy or not, if they even think you are Roma you are treated very poorly.

Also Europeans treat people as minorities if their ancestors were of one race or nationality even if they look, talk and act like everyone else. For example, if your Great Grndmother was hungarian and you live in Slovakia, and your family hasa lived in Slovakia for over one hundred years. Geuss what... you are still a minority.! You are treated like a minority too. Even if you look like everyone else, and speak the local language flawlessly It is really amazing.

Nationality and race is just as important in other parts of the world as it is in America. They are no better or worse than Americans.

Personally I think Race is Bologna Sausage.

We can't even decide how to categorize it.
Apparently I am white... which is a color.
But Hispanic or Latino is a language.
and then Pacific Islander or Asian... that is a place.

I mean according to this I have a shifting race, I speak three languages one Germanic and two Slavic. My skin color changes drastically from summer to winter... so I am white in the winter and tan in the summer and I have lived in three different countries and my parents ancestors spoke different languages and came from different countries.

The terms that really get me are Caucasian or anglo-saxon. Which apparently I am both.
I am not from the Caucus mountains, I am not asian. I also have no Anglo or saxon blood!

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Balthazor' post='1608124' date='Jul 25 2008, 08:00 AM']This is SOOOOO not true!

I am living in Europe and I have got to say if you look like a Gyspy. Dark skin, dark hair dark eyes you ARE treated differently. It really doesn't matter if you are a Gypsy or not, if they even think you are Roma you are treated very poorly.

Also Europeans treat people as minorities if their ancestors were of one race or nationality even if they look, talk and act like everyone else. For example, if your Great Grndmother was hungarian and you live in Slovakia, and your family hasa lived in Slovakia for over one hundred years. Geuss what... you are still a minority.! You are treated like a minority too. Even if you look like everyone else, and speak the local language flawlessly It is really amazing.

Nationality and race is just as important in other parts of the world as it is in America. They are no better or worse than Americans.

Personally I think Race is Bologna Sausage.

We can't even decide how to categorize it.
Apparently I am white... which is a color.
But Hispanic or Latino is a language.
and then Pacific Islander or Asian... that is a place.[/quote]
Fascinating, this is the confusion that I am thinking of. What culture or cultural background would you say you are?

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='Balthazor' post='1608124' date='Jul 25 2008, 02:00 PM']Also Europeans treat people as minorities if their ancestors were of one race or nationality even if they look, talk and act like everyone else. For example, if your Great Grndmother was hungarian and you live in Slovakia, and your family hasa lived in Slovakia for over one hundred years. Geuss what... you are still a minority.! You are treated like a minority too. Even if you look like everyone else, and speak the local language flawlessly It is really amazing.[/quote]

I think you're over-generalizing about Europeans here. From the people I know here (the Netherlands) I know one person who's half Dutch and half Hungarian but my friends and I see her as simply Dutch, whilst I [i]think[/i] she sees herself as part Hungarian. I'm half Filipino but I don't identify with that "race". Two friends of mine are Sri Lankan by ancestry (their parents moved here before they were born) and, well, I'm not sure we ever even think about their "race". I could go on!

My point is that in the West of Europe, or at least in this country, there's such a mix of people that I'd be tempted to say that the minority is the [i]Dutch[/i]. But there are plenty of them around too, and besides which, if they were a minority, they surely wouldn't be able to menace my life with red tape....

[Maximilianus]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1607609' date='Jul 24 2008, 05:40 PM']Skin tone or culture?[/quote]
Neither...both...skin color, facial features, skeletal make up, geographic region, and many other factors must be taken into account not just skin and culture.


It's interesting how skin tone is a big focus on when it comes to race.

I've seen Indians as dark skinned as Nigerians, with the exact same skin color, yet the Indian isn't considered black, at least not today. The English used to call Indians blacks, various dark skinned people that are not from Sub-Saharan Africa have been referred to black as well, based on skin appearance.

My brother is so much more darker skinned than I am that people never think we are related, are we separate races because of that difference?

By our country's standards how would you categorize a Melanesian from Guadalcanal? If you go by skin tone than you could categorize them as black, but that would denote that they were of African descent. If you go by geographic location you could say Pacific Islander, but that would imply Polynesian type people.

This race thing is crazy.

God determines your race, it's what us people do to categorize it that messes it all up.

[salterrae]

JM + JT

I think when they ask this question on standardized tests, such as Florida's FCAT, they want to know what cultural upbringing you had, something which [i]might[/i] have an influence on how well/poor you do, not what color your skin is, which has no effect.

Edited July 25, 2008 by salterrae

[Vincent Vega]

[quote name='salterrae' post='1608571' date='Jul 25 2008, 06:26 PM']JM + JT
...[/quote]
Had to drag the FCAT into this, didn't you?
This is a Christian website! Why would you bring that filth here?

Edited July 26, 2008 by USAirwaysIHS

[lilac_angel]

[quote]Not quite race, but for instance, I consider myself culturally Southern. The way I speak, I things I eat, my general world view, etc. are pretty much Southern. I was born in Pittsburgh.[/quote]

[quote name='USAirwaysIHS' post='1607798' date='Jul 24 2008, 07:45 PM']Hahaha, I get that more than you'd think. If it's any consolation, I consider both Jacksonville and Pittsburgh my hometowns...plus, I just spent nearly three weeks in da Burgh. Does that gain me any redemption? [/quote]

I was born in Pittsburgh (though raised in a suburb) and was told once or twice that it sounded like I had a slight southern accent. I can't remember if my family was included in that statement, but it's quite possible. I guess I might have slipped into something that sounded it on occasion, due to the ol' Pittsburghese influence. Pittsburghese is... interesting. hehe. But since I was born on the outskirts, it wasn't so extreme of an influence on my talking. I had friends that lived closer to the burgh, though, and they talked pretty normal, too. I guess it all depends.

Edited July 26, 2008 by lilac_angel

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='lilac_angel' post='1608726' date='Jul 25 2008, 10:50 PM']I was born in Pittsburgh (though raised in a suburb) and was told once or twice that it sounded like I had a slight southern accent. I can't remember if my family was included in that statement, but it's quite possible. I guess I might have slipped into something that sounded it on occasion, due to the ol' Pittsburghese influence. Pittsburghese is... interesting. hehe. But since I was born on the outskirts, it wasn't so extreme of an influence on my talking. I had friends that lived closer to the burgh, though, and they talked pretty normal, too. I guess it all depends.[/quote]
Pittsburghers talk normal, everybody ELSE has an accent. Yunz is the ones with the problem

[cmotherofpirl]

So skin tone, parents, language, culture, neighborhood/country/ continent whatdetermines what we call ourselves?

[Era Might]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1608833' date='Jul 25 2008, 10:53 PM']So skin tone, parents, language, culture, neighborhood/country/ continent whatdetermines what we call ourselves?[/quote]
I think we determine what we call ourselves, but those things determine what [i]other[/i] people call us.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='Era Might' post='1608859' date='Jul 26 2008, 12:06 AM']I think we determine what we call ourselves, but those things determine what [i]other[/i] people call us. [/quote]
So race is what you think you are?

[Balthazor]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1608391' date='Jul 25 2008, 02:37 PM']Fascinating, this is the confusion that I am thinking of. What culture or cultural background would you say you are?[/quote]

Culturally I would say I am Polish Catholic. I mean my identity to a large extent hinges upon these two factors, interestingly enough the people of Poland took me in as their own so even though I am technically American, they consider me one of them. Hooray for me.

My Catholicness tends to distinguish me from my surroundings far more than my ethnicity or origin.

[Autumn Dusk]

I think race is whatever quality in skin and peronality that wins out.

My oldest brother is rather german and swiss, (staunch, standoffish, perfectionist) my second brother is native american and irish (wild, fiesty, and very loving towards the earth), my youngest brother is german and native american (quiet, earthy, thoughtful and strong). I'm native america, irish, and german (bull-headed, love of nature, and a bit wild).

My mom is all native american and her irishness will seep through a bit. She's quiet and sweet. My dad is...german and swiss...very much like my eldest brother...although he has a striek for trouble thats impishly irish.

But overall we're american catholic. We eat american foods, we celebrate american holidays and catholic holidays. We (even my dad) probably tend a bit more towards the native american beucase my grandmother teaches us.


This is a great convo I had with some hispanic girls:

Autumn: girls, I love hanging out with you b/c in college no one had curly hair like I do
Taneesha: (in a whisper) dat's cause they white
Autumn: (whispering) I'm white, too
Taneesha: nah, you too nice and happy to be just white

by which, i think, she ment the standoffish anglo-saxton purtian. I do have a tenatious streak of german which makes me not so big on the personal affection, but overall, I am loud and silly, just like the hispanics and fit in very well with them. So who knows.

[Balthazor]

NO see Autumn Dusk I disagree with you there. germans are very warm people, I am in Germany right now and I can tell you that I have had very good experiences they definatly do not deserve thier cold and standoffish reputation.

I would say that your "hispanic" friends like you not becuase you don't act "white" but because you don't act like a YUPPIE. See Yuppies transcend race and are linked more closely to class. I know white, black and cappucino cream Yuppies. they all seem miserable...

[Autumn Dusk]

I'm not saying they are completely standoffish...they are just very firm and directed. They are loving people, I know, but like my brother they can be very unappealing to outsiders. My brother calms a bit after he gets to know someone. But there is an external defence factor that seems common.