Black to the very last drop: Racial identity in a multiracial person
Well, DocBrain has done it this time! He will touch the third rail. He will talk about...gasp...race. How dare he! He is not Black! How can he do this? So, here goes!
Barack Obama calls himself a black man. Why does he do this when one parent is white? Why not call himself multiracial or even biracial? It certainly would be more accurate! Why the same old thinking from a person who champions change? Or, is there some other reason?
Here are some reasons why Barack might call himself black.
1. KKK thinking, or the theory of hypodescent. Under this theory, some races are superior to others. One way of keeping those in the superior race pure is to define what constitutes contamination from other races. In the early years of the USA, any sub-Saharan blood was considered to define a person as non-white (black). There even were specific terms such as mulatto (1 black parent), quadroon (one black grandparent), and octaroon (one black great-grandparent). Under this concept, you were defined as being Black if the Whites said you were. There were significant social taboos, except that white men could have black women slave concubines. This has fallen out of favor as a definition except among the KKK. One main reason is that perhaps 1/3 of all white people in America have at least some black ancestry. Furthermore, during the time of segregation, Asians were defined as white in the South. Buying into this theory of blackness is too old-school, definitely not a sign of "change". The superiority of an individual can much better be defined by goodness and transcendence than by their color or racial makeup.
2. I'm a brotha! This is the theory of Black Power. Under this paradigm, a Black person self-identifies as being one of the group because being Black is a good thing. This turns the theory of hypodescent on its head, now defining being Black as being the superior race, White as the inferior race. Some of this comes through in Reverend Wright's oration and in Farrakhan's messages. Being white is seen as being racist, hateful, greedy, oppressive of minorities, warmongering, and using minorities for their own private purpose. Identification with white is considered evil. Even trying to live with and work with whites is considered a form of racial compromise. The only exception is white women who are to be used and dominated, as is sometimes glorified in music videos. Again, this turns the racism on its head, as described above. This approach is just as wrong as the KKK approach, using racial identification and definition to define superiority and inferiority. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your genetic heritage, although to single out just part of your heritage and ignore the other is, well, racist.
3. Playing the system for personal gain. Is there special admissions at a school for Blacks? Special loans? Special job opportunities? If so, then call yourself Black! DocBrain even knows of one Caucasian male who joined the Black Student Council at a local high school (school clubs may not discriminate), put this on his college application, and was promptly admitted to an Ivy League institution that mistakenly thought he was African-American! DocBrain knows one Jewish girl, whose parents temporarily resided in Cuba after the Holocaust. She defined herself as Hispanic on her application and also got preferential Ivy League college admission. One could even imagine a desperate man with a great idea for a business but no money undergoing a sex change operation to get special loan status for a female owned business! Certainly, in 2008 America, not giving a Black man the chance requires an explanation proving that you are not a racist. When DocBrain points out to Pennsylvania Democrats that they didn't give a Black man a fair chance by not voting for Lynn Swann in the gubernatorial race here two years ago, they become very uncomfortable. When they do answer, they stutter and stammer through their explanation. Indeed, even Governor Rendell believes in the residual racism of Pennsylvania, giving Obama little likelihood of carrying the state in November, based on his drubbing of Swann. However, across the country, the situation is different, especially in the more liberal areas. In this way, being Black is actually a way to play the political system for personal gain. Furthermore, being able to mobilize Blacks and the youth (also generally more likely to vote for a Black because he is Black), Obama is using his self-definition of being a Black man to his advantage.
4. Honoring one's parent. DocBrain has occasionally refers to himself as being Hungarian, although only his father was born in Hungary. His mother was born in the USA. Her ancestry goes through Germany and England. Self-identification is a way of showing closeness and solidarity with a relative. Could there be an element of this in Obama's claim? DocBrain thinks so.
DocBrain has a granddaughter. She is of mixed racial ancestry. DocBrain hopes that she will be equally proud of both her ancestries and will not identify entirely with either one. DocBrain also hopes she will make it on her own, without having to play the system.
Barack Obama calls himself a black man. Why does he do this when one parent is white? Why not call himself multiracial or even biracial? It certainly would be more accurate! Why the same old thinking from a person who champions change? Or, is there some other reason?
Here are some reasons why Barack might call himself black.
1. KKK thinking, or the theory of hypodescent. Under this theory, some races are superior to others. One way of keeping those in the superior race pure is to define what constitutes contamination from other races. In the early years of the USA, any sub-Saharan blood was considered to define a person as non-white (black). There even were specific terms such as mulatto (1 black parent), quadroon (one black grandparent), and octaroon (one black great-grandparent). Under this concept, you were defined as being Black if the Whites said you were. There were significant social taboos, except that white men could have black women slave concubines. This has fallen out of favor as a definition except among the KKK. One main reason is that perhaps 1/3 of all white people in America have at least some black ancestry. Furthermore, during the time of segregation, Asians were defined as white in the South. Buying into this theory of blackness is too old-school, definitely not a sign of "change". The superiority of an individual can much better be defined by goodness and transcendence than by their color or racial makeup.
2. I'm a brotha! This is the theory of Black Power. Under this paradigm, a Black person self-identifies as being one of the group because being Black is a good thing. This turns the theory of hypodescent on its head, now defining being Black as being the superior race, White as the inferior race. Some of this comes through in Reverend Wright's oration and in Farrakhan's messages. Being white is seen as being racist, hateful, greedy, oppressive of minorities, warmongering, and using minorities for their own private purpose. Identification with white is considered evil. Even trying to live with and work with whites is considered a form of racial compromise. The only exception is white women who are to be used and dominated, as is sometimes glorified in music videos. Again, this turns the racism on its head, as described above. This approach is just as wrong as the KKK approach, using racial identification and definition to define superiority and inferiority. There is nothing wrong with being proud of your genetic heritage, although to single out just part of your heritage and ignore the other is, well, racist.
3. Playing the system for personal gain. Is there special admissions at a school for Blacks? Special loans? Special job opportunities? If so, then call yourself Black! DocBrain even knows of one Caucasian male who joined the Black Student Council at a local high school (school clubs may not discriminate), put this on his college application, and was promptly admitted to an Ivy League institution that mistakenly thought he was African-American! DocBrain knows one Jewish girl, whose parents temporarily resided in Cuba after the Holocaust. She defined herself as Hispanic on her application and also got preferential Ivy League college admission. One could even imagine a desperate man with a great idea for a business but no money undergoing a sex change operation to get special loan status for a female owned business! Certainly, in 2008 America, not giving a Black man the chance requires an explanation proving that you are not a racist. When DocBrain points out to Pennsylvania Democrats that they didn't give a Black man a fair chance by not voting for Lynn Swann in the gubernatorial race here two years ago, they become very uncomfortable. When they do answer, they stutter and stammer through their explanation. Indeed, even Governor Rendell believes in the residual racism of Pennsylvania, giving Obama little likelihood of carrying the state in November, based on his drubbing of Swann. However, across the country, the situation is different, especially in the more liberal areas. In this way, being Black is actually a way to play the political system for personal gain. Furthermore, being able to mobilize Blacks and the youth (also generally more likely to vote for a Black because he is Black), Obama is using his self-definition of being a Black man to his advantage.
4. Honoring one's parent. DocBrain has occasionally refers to himself as being Hungarian, although only his father was born in Hungary. His mother was born in the USA. Her ancestry goes through Germany and England. Self-identification is a way of showing closeness and solidarity with a relative. Could there be an element of this in Obama's claim? DocBrain thinks so.
DocBrain has a granddaughter. She is of mixed racial ancestry. DocBrain hopes that she will be equally proud of both her ancestries and will not identify entirely with either one. DocBrain also hopes she will make it on her own, without having to play the system.
posted by DocBrain at
4:39 AM
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