Ethnicity

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Recently I read an author's bio that mentioned that she was light-skinned. My basic reaction was "What? And that has to do with anything why?" but as I thought about it more, it bothered me more.

If anyone has read anything I've posted concerning "Affermative Action," you'll understand that I'm a person that doesn't really care about anyones ethnic backgrounds beyond basic curousity. While I kind of understand that ethnicity can effect how a person is brought up, and therefore their personality, I also know it's not the end all be all of what makes a human being. I make a lot of generalizations and it pisses a lot of people off. However, I know that generalizations are just that.

I don't actually believe that all black kids or ghetto or that all white people can't dance. So when I say that I dance like an awkward white girl, understand that I'm not trying to insult anyone.

Okay... point, point, point... What was the point?

Oh, yeah!

It starts to annoy the hell out of me when people base so much on a persons ethnic background as opposed to their personality.

A lot of my views on this subject are based on the way my mother raised me. She'd never fill in the "What's you're race?" questions on forms simply because she didn't think it should matter to anyone. At the same time, her stance on this issue also caused me an ass load of problems in school around the time I hit Junior High and in Brooklyn ethnicity is a HUGE thing. I always got fucked with because I didn't "act black" even though my father is indeed an African American. No one seemed to understand that what made a person a PERSON was a hell of a lot more then who and what your parents are/where. I had a really hard time dealing with myself and it took a long time for me to take "race" out of the equation. Hell, a reason I started studying Wicca and old Celtic religion was because my mother was half British. I then got into German culture because I'm a quarter German (once again, on my mother's side).

I'm not sure when it was exactly, but I then realized that none of this shit mattered. Being "black" shouldn't affect what music I listen to or what clothes I wear. Hell, or even what my hair looks like. Recently I cut off and combed out all of my locks that I had been growing for the last 5 years. Why? Because the reason I had them had to do with my father's side of my family. I felt I NEEDED to have them because of the African half of my heritige. So, now, everyone assumes I'm hispanic. If I had a dime for every person that came up to me speaking spanish I wouldn't NEED a job. EVER!

So, here's my question to you guys: How much does ethnicity matter to you and why? Is there something in your background or upbringing that made you come to this decision or what?

[Guest Mike256bit]

Race is a biologically useless distinction. Scientifically speaking, the only race is the "human" one. I think it's important to have an identity, though and that it's okay to want to hold onto something that's uniquely cultural.

[StoryJunkie]

I said "yes" since I started studying it long ago in the before time.

For me, it had no negative connotations, since in the city where I grew up, differences were celebrated, and I thought that's the way it is everywhere.

However, casting my naivete aside, I found within my own family, because of the problems with language when they first immigrated, they were discriminated against by WASPs. Pretty much embracing the British culture helped ease the transition, although alot of people who settled in the area where I grew up (Scots mainly) also were discriminated against by the English. (The sheep farmer thing). My dad would tell the story, however, of the time when they had moved to Detroit, and because my dad had red hair (he was 5 at the time, just starting school), he was the center of unwanted attention from those of African descent. He got pretty good at throwing rocks in defense, and they learned to insult him from a distance.

Even though we were European, I found that my Great-Grandfather had basically been a slave. He was Ukrainian, but had to take on his Polish over-lord's name and religion for the favor of eaking out a living on the diminishing parcels of land. (Yeah, you're thinking, Ukrainian Catholic or Roman Catholic, what's the difference? It's still Catholic! Well, there's a shitload of difference apparently, but well, that wasn't my war)

I notice in the town where I live now, the East Indian women that I meet are super obsessed with "lighter" skin. I find this obsession baffling. Who cares? They're absolutely beautiful as far as I'm concerned. I'm amazed they make this an issue. Maybe because blonde and blue-eyed is rare and held in esteem? Although I've seen Plenty of ugly blonde haired-blue-eyed people around here, and I can tell you, there ain't nothin about them to write home about.

Because of my heritage, I have features that others have mistaken as native American. I play it for as long as I can. I really enjoy the uncertainty on other people's faces, even those of Native American descent. I always get a double look from them.

People wonder. They are curious about who you are and where you're from. I don't know why this is a way of forming an opinion of you, or what, or maybe just a thing like: "hey, the weather's fine now" or "How 'bout them Canucks?"

For a long time, there were no "go faster" machines. Venturing into an unknown land where your language wasn't known was a life-threatening accomplishment...if indeed it was accomplished. Perhaps "they were never heard from again" was the ending to many many stories of exploration. Now we don't have that fear or that spirit of adventure, so we make them up. (Oh yes, you fine young cannibal)

EDIT: It seems a pity you distinguish between the English/German heritage of your mom (I'm guessing you are closer to her than you are to your dad), but did not say what part of Africa your African ancestors are from. At the moment, we are in the process of hiring an Electrical Engineer (young quiet fellow) who hails from North Africa. It would be neat to know what part of Africa your dad is descended from, although I guess so many generations have gone by it would be difficult to track.

[Guest lightgoddess]

Meh, race doesn't matter to me. I'm more impressed by a well spoken semi-intelligent person than your average idiot, regardless of race. As far as I go, I'm just a plain old white American chick. I know that I've got English, German, and American Indian blood running through my veins, but that still just makes me a white American chick. Actually, that makes me a white American chick with weird shaped eyes. lol

As a matter of fact, those of us born in the USA are AMERICANS regardless of our heritage, skin color, or where our ancestors come from...

[redsliver]

Ethnicity? Fuck it, you're either an asshole or your not, that's how I judge people.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

EDIT: It seems a pity you distinguish between the English/German heritage of your mom (I'm guessing you are closer to her than you are to your dad), but did not say what part of Africa your African ancestors are from. At the moment, we are in the process of hiring an Electrical Engineer (young quiet fellow) who hails from North Africa. It would be neat to know what part of Africa your dad is descended from, although I guess so many generations have gone by it would be difficult to track.

I honestly don't know what part of Africa my dad's family is from save for the western countries like most African Americans. And honestly, by now, it's probably safe to say that there's a little bit of everything in there. There's also traces of Native American (though you've got me beat at which tribes) on both sides.

When you have family that came over during the slave trade, there's really no real way to to figure out which came from which country. My dad used to say Ivorian simply because of the size of outr heads (big).

[EveKnight75]

I'm East Indian. Well, mostly. My paternal grandparents immigrated to Bangladesh from east India during the religious wars, so the blood is East Indian. My maternal grandfather was from west Bengal but he had a lot of Pakistani heritage. The same applies to my maternal grandmother, but she looked Pakistani as opposed to Bengali.

As far as I know, my dad's side of the family came to Bangladesh to escape religious persecution. My mom's side of the family has a strong Pakistani background but they had to stop speaking Urdu because they didn't want to be killed by a mob during the Bangladeshi independence war.

As a result, my older aunts/uncles and my maternal great-aunts/uncles speak Urdu, my paternal great-aunts/uncles speak Hindi, every relative in my grandparents' generation speaks better English than my cousins in Bangladesh, and my cousins in Bangladesh speak Hindi thanks to cable TV. Don't worry, they all speak Bengali.

So in that respect, I guess I can get away with Indian subcontinent as an answer. But I can't. See, the thing is, our coloring is unusual. I have red hair and green eyes, making me one of the few natural redheads on the planet with beige skin. My sister has dark blonde hair and hazel-gold eyes. My great-uncle (by blood) has blue eyes. My mom and her siblings all have reddish hair (one of my uncles has bright red hair). My dad's sisters are both blonde and he himself had gold eyes.

I'm pretty sure that there's European blood in there, because Kashmiri just doesn't seem to cut it with our features and coloring. My great-uncle confessed that it likely holds true for both sides of my family, but the records would have been either hidden or destroyed for safety reasons.

You know what else is funny? As far as the U.S. and Canada goes, a lot of people mistake us for Mexican. (That is, myself, my sister, and our cousins on both sides). It was especially bad back in N.Y.C. I decided to learn Spanish, became fluent in it, then messed around with people's heads just for the heck of it. Even then, I learned Spanish not out of spite, but because I sincerely wanted to learn it. I love learning new languages and I'm pretty good at it. So I guess that makes it OK.

I suppose that my life might have been simpler if people didn't make an issue about ethnicity. God knows that plenty of us have a convoluted ethnic background. But then again, I don't think I would have taken the trouble to find out about my ethnic background and discover an interesting family history. I mean, my cousins in Bangladesh don't know much about theirs because they never bothered to ask, but my cousins in North America know plenty about theirs, because their ethnicity came into question.

Honestly, I wish that people wouldn't judge others based on something as miniscule as skin color. I wish that they wouldn't judge by ethnicity either, but I don't find ethnicity to be a miniscule thing. Ethnicity is a combination of many different factors, including important things such as culture, history, geography, and genetics. (Nothing offensive meant by that last part).

[CainTheEternal]

Something I feel strongly about.

I believe we should, as americans, abandon our "ethnicities". I don't want to be a Puerto Rican-American with Dominican-American and Italian-American best friends and a Biracial-American girlfriend (Pixagi). I want to be an American. I am very patriotic in this way. I believe that as the melting pot we should destroy some of the labels that seperate us. These celebrations of heritage, sexual orientation, religion need to all be stopped. Most people cannot celebrate differences, only be bothered by them.

It'd be great to allow for all people to forget how they are different from each other.

No more hatemongering. It'd be beautiful.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Something I feel strongly about.

I believe we should, as americans, abandon our "ethnicities". I don't want to be a Hispanic-American with Dominican-American and Italian-American best friends and a BiRacial-American girlfriend (Pixagi). I want to be an American. I am very patriotic in this way. I believe that as the melting pot we should destroy some of the labels that seperate us. These celebrations of heritage, sexual orientation, religion need to all be stopped. Most people cannot celebrate differences, only be bothered by them.

It'd be great to allow for all people to forget how they are different from each other.

No more hatemongering. It'd be beautiful.

...don't I know it.

[Guest Big Samurai]

Doesn't mean a thing to me. My LJ FL has people of all colors and origins on it, and they're on there because they're bright, friendly folks. I, myself, have a really bizarre ancestry, as well, so ... I don't judge.

[englishwitch]

I have never had a problem with the colour of someones skin. but i've met people who have played the race card and shoved their ethnicity in my face. they make it a problem, not just for me but for everyone. They're always saying how whenever they go anywhere people treet them like crap. To that i have to ask, how do you treet them? if you treat people like shit from the second you meet how do you expect them to react? sometimes a few manners is all thats needed.

it's not only whiute people who can be racist.

[Guest Melody Fate]

Something I feel strongly about.

I believe we should, as americans, abandon our "ethnicities". I don't want to be a Hispanic-American with Dominican-American and Italian-American best friends and a BiRacial-American girlfriend (Pixagi). I want to be an American. I am very patriotic in this way. I believe that as the melting pot we should destroy some of the labels that seperate us. These celebrations of heritage, sexual orientation, religion need to all be stopped. Most people cannot celebrate differences, only be bothered by them.

It'd be great to allow for all people to forget how they are different from each other.

No more hatemongering. It'd be beautiful.

Yes, yes, yes. If I could reach you, I'd give you fudge, cookies, and my cats if you wanted them.

It annoys me that no one is American anymore! "I'm Irish American!" or even "I'm 1/3 Italian American, 1/3 Dutch American and the other third is a combination of blah, blah, and blah."

According to those rules, I'm Scottish/Irish American. But honestly, an Irish Setter and a Scottish Terrier are closer to being Irish and Scotch than I am. I am completely American.

It irritates me too that when they call for those "Political polls" they always want to know if I'm Latino or African American. They're usually automated and they give some little blah blah speech about it being necessary. Why is it necessary? I could see if the issue pertained directly to that particular ethnic group, but "Do you think prayer should be allowed in the classrooms of public school," isn't an ethnic issue. And what are they saying, that being African American or Latino gives you more of a say, or less of a say?

If you were born in another country or spent many years in another country then came here, I understand saying, "I'm Such and such American." You're steeped in the culture, you really are both. But for me to say I'm "Scottish American" is rather insulting, as if being Scottish is nothing, I don't have to know anything about the country or the history or what it's like to live there, all I have to do is be fair skinned and have someone in my family with a last name that began with Mc and yup, I'm Scottish!

[Guest ChibiShiva]

To me, skin color is as important as hair color or sexual orientation: I don't care. You respect others, I'll respect you. Even if you're Black or White or Asian, to me, it's not important. It's who you are that matters to me. Not skin.

Where I live at the moment, we don't like differences. We're islanders; difference means attacks. We're white, heterosexual, French-speaking with French and Acadian ancestry at roughly 90% - the remaining 10% is of Irish/Scottich and Protestant/Anglican ancestry, and they speak English. Between the French-speaking and English-speaking, there's some kind of cold... and we live at the same place. We see outsiders as an aggression. We have a large tourism activity, and we barely seem to like it because they "invade" the streets, the markets, the ferries...

I can understand why we don't like others (English-speaking people SOLD the Islands, and Acadians were deported by the British - so when I say we take it as an aggression, it's true). But that doesn't mean I'm for that, heck no.

Ghettos don't help with the problem. In Montreal, I live in an Italian/Asian/White neighborhood, a few African-American families here and there. Most Asians (Chinese) are located south on the island in Chinatown - a lot of African-American are at Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. I'm not saying it's "bad" so to speak, because when you move, you want to be with people like you for a while. But in Chinatown, don't expect to be spoken in French, yet English. They don't KNOW the languages. They didn't learn it, they didn't NEED it since they are around Chinese people, who don't need English or French to communicate. So when they go outside of Chinatown, some have big problems with speaking another language.

But it's not all of Chinatown that doesn't speak French/English. And all African-American families aren't in Hochelaga.

Damn, can't finish this post, I have to go >_<.

[Nanaea]

I voted 'yes.' I am a typical American melting pot hodgepodge of German, Native American, Irish, (about in that order), plus a little bit of this and a little bit of that for good measure. I am proud of my Native American roots and consider myself, first and foremost, Native American even though I'm mostly German. That is my ethnicity, that's the culture I respect and feel most closely aligned with, so that's what I call myself.

I think where we run into trouble is when we talk about race. To me, ethnicity implies culture, roots, language, traditions, whereas race implies skin color. I'm going to be completely honest and admit that race is something I struggle with (*dons flame retardant suit*). The city I grew up in was predominately middle to upper class white folk but it was across the river from a predominately lower to middle class black neighborhood. Everyone knew you didn't go there after dark because bad things happened. Gangs, drugs, prostitution and violence were common place. However, despite the social attitudes that were prevalent in the area, I was raised to be open minded and to respect everyone. I never got lectures on equality or diversity, but I was never subjected to bold faced prejudiced at home either.

Well, that's not entirely true. My grandmother used to talk about one of my grandfather's co-workers. She always said, "He was colored, but real nice" like nice black people are the exception, rather than the rule. When my high school sweetheart got engaged to a young lady of Nigerian descent my grandmother saw the announcement in the newspaper and said, "And he was such a nice boy too. I wonder what his parents must think?" Me, I was just happy he found someone to love.

Over the years I've had friends of different beliefs and different races and I truly believe that it doesn't matter what color a person's skin is…it's what's inside that counts. But growing up in that area left it's taint on me. I don't always like my gut reaction. When I see a black person, especially a young male, the first thing I notice is that they're black. Why? I know it shouldn't matter. I wouldn't say, "there's a white guy," or "there's a Mexican guy...." It really bothers me that I instantly make that distinction and I always try to correct my internal voice when it happens with, "Skin color doesn't matter. S/he's a person just like me."

Now, to be perfectly honest, I should probably admit right here and now that I get wary when I see any young male that looks like a gang member. Perhaps it's not just color that makes me react like that, but the ghetto gangster look which makes me lock the doors, or clutch my purse a little tighter. Or maybe I'm more prejudiced than I think I am? No. I recognize it and I try to control it, to counteract it. That's got to be a good thing - right? Maybe if I keep doing it, eventually it will become second nature?

I was in college when Boyz n the Hood came out. My boyfriend and I decided to go see it. Of course the only movie theater that was playing it was in the black neighborhood (can't show something like that in a white neighborhood, can we?). So we went on opening night (first and last time I ever went to a flick on opening night!). We were the only two white people in the entire theater. I thought the movie was great but at the end of the movie, when everyone started leaving, the whole audience started chanting "Kill the whites!" I remember thinking, "WTF? Did they even watch the same movie we just watched?" We had to sneak out the side door and wait for the mob to thin out before we could get to his car and get the hell out of there. I might have been able to blend in with my dark hair and tan, but my blond-haired, blue-eyed WASP looking boyfriend? No way.

So, um…what was my point again? Oh, yeah, now I remember. I really wish I could look at people and just see people. I really wish it wasn't a constant process of reminding myself that we're all the same underneath it all. Society as a whole needs to change and until that happens basically good people, like myself, will continue to struggle with something that shouldn't even be an issue. That's part of why I love the internet so much. It's colorblind.

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

So, um…what was my point again? Oh, yeah, now I remember. I really wish I could look at people and just see people. I really wish it wasn't a constant process of reminding myself that we're all the same underneath it all. Society as a whole needs to change and until that happens basically good people, like myself, will continue to struggle with something that shouldn't even be an issue. That's part of why I love the internet so much. It's colorblind.

It's not bad when you're using it as nothing more then a PHYSICAL distinction. Don't worry about that. Saying someone is "black" is the same as saying someone has blue eyes. When you're describing a person hoping someone will recognize them, it helps narrow things down some (eh.. depending where you are, obviously.)

It's when that distinction causes you to think of them in a certain way is when it's bad.

[CainTheEternal]

At my job there are no ethnicities... customers can't remember what we look like seconds after we leave that field of view...

"I need to find the guy that was helping me."

"Okay, what was his name?"

".. I dunno." We wear name tags.

"...O-kay, what did he look like?"

"...I don't remember..."

"Was he short tall? Fat or thin? Black or white?"

"... I don't remember... can you help me find him?"

See? Best Buy is now a utopian society where skin color is completely imaterial... along with all other physical attributes.

[Guest Melody Fate]

At my job there are no ethnicities... customers can't remember what we look like seconds after we leave that field of view...

"I need to find the guy that was helping me."

"Okay, what was his name?"

".. I dunno." We wear name tags.

"...O-kay, what did he look like?"

"...I don't remember..."

"Was he short tall? Fat or thin? Black or white?"

"... I don't remember... can you help me find him?"

See? Best Buy is now a utopian society where skin color is completely imaterial... along with all other physical attributes.

My friend got scolded by a customer service manager for describing her salesman as a black gentleman. No kidding. She wasn't saying anything bad about him, in fact, she wanted to tell the manager that he'd been a huge help, but she forgot his name and when asked to describe him, she said, "Well, he was about six feet tall, maybe taller. Very handsome, and black."

The manager (a white woman) said, "Oh? And the fact that he was black make it surprising he was able to help you? Are you saying you're not used to finding helpful black people?" In this very accusing voice.

She responded with, "No, it means you're an idiot."

She found the guy herself, thanked him, and wrote a letter to the corporate office. But really, why has it become a crime to mention the color of someone's skin if you're white?

I can understand if you say it in a degrading way. If my friend had said, "He was very handsome and smart for a black guy," then I would have smacked her myself. But she was only using skin color as a way to narrow it down from the many about six feet tall males who work for Best Buy.

[Nanaea]

It's when that distinction causes you to think of them in a certain way is when it's bad.

I couldn't agree more.

[quamp]

So do your best Dan Quayle inpersonation and say "Dear, I think our new neighbors might be ETHNIC!!

- The Dead Milkmen

I have to agree that it depends on the context in which it's being used. If the person is merely saying they are of a certain race, then they are celebrating their heritage. However, if it's in the context of "we won't hire any of those Czechs here" (I'm about 45% Czech, btw, and have nothing against my fellow Czechs) then it's a bad connotation.

[Guest lightgoddess]

The manager (a white woman) said, "Oh? And the fact that he was black make it surprising he was able to help you? Are you saying you're not used to finding helpful black people?" In this very accusing voice.

She responded with, "No, it means you're an idiot."

Ok, how did this lady get to be a MANAGER?!?!? That's the most retarded thing I've ever read in my life! Think she would have been offended if your friend had been waited on by a white guy who shaved his head and she called him 'that white neo-nazi-looking guy'??? Really, stupidity should be painful. lol

[Guest Melody Fate]

Ok, how did this lady get to be a MANAGER?!?!? That's the most retarded thing I've ever read in my life! Think she would have been offended if your friend had been waited on by a white guy who shaved his head and she called him 'that white neo-nazi-looking guy'??? Really, stupidity should be painful. lol

Probably by being overly condesending and taking it upon herself to scold everyone with pale skin.

Some people make it their crusade in life to bring white guilt to everyone. There was a big campaign in our city a few years ago, and there were billboards that pointed out that it was wrong to say things like, "He was very smart for a black man." Some people (mostly white and always stupid, I must say) missed the point and seemed to think that any time you pointed out someone's skin color it was degrading, instead of identifying.

It's all in how you say it. My friend didn't mean anything degrading at all and I thought she made that pretty clear, it was merely identifying. The manager apparently felt that any white person mentioning someone as being black... well, she must be doing it, because deep down, she was surprised that black people could be helpful.

It's all crazy. I'm very pale and the parts of me that aren't smattered with freckles are fairly pinkish. Me and some of my friends tease each other sometimes about our skin colors, trying to be more exact. "You peach bitch!" "You peice of pink trash!" so on and so forth.

I like my friend's daughter who used to wish people came in colors like Neon green and purple. When I asked her why, she said, "Because at least that would be more interesting."

[Guest Alien Pirate Pixagi]

Probably by being overly condesending and taking it upon herself to scold everyone with pale skin.

Some people make it their crusade in life to bring white guilt to everyone. There was a big campaign in our city a few years ago, and there were billboards that pointed out that it was wrong to say things like, "He was very smart for a black man." Some people (mostly white and always stupid, I must say) missed the point and seemed to think that any time you pointed out someone's skin color it was degrading, instead of identifying.

It's all in how you say it. My friend didn't mean anything degrading at all and I thought she made that pretty clear, it was merely identifying. The manager apparently felt that any white person mentioning someone as being black... well, she must be doing it, because deep down, she was surprised that black people could be helpful.

It's all crazy. I'm very pale and the parts of me that aren't smattered with freckles are fairly pinkish. Me and some of my friends tease each other sometimes about our skin colors, trying to be more exact. "You peach bitch!" "You peice of pink trash!" so on and so forth.

I like my friend's daughter who used to wish people came in colors like Neon green and purple. When I asked her why, she said, "Because at least that would be more interesting."

These are the same kind of stupid people who get pissed at me for saying I like really dark skinned men. (And when I say dark skin, I mean BLACK! Black like PITCH!) People gave me shit because they seemed to think I was saying something about their personality. I was just saying that people with really dark skin (and a certain facial structure) were beautiful in my opinion. Same goes with my love of Middle Eastern women with hooked noses, Cattish looking Asians and tall skinny white boys. It's not because "OMG, THAT CULTURE!" it's "Hey, that skin tone+that feature+that thing works really well together. Kewl!"

[Guest Melody Fate]

These are the same kind of stupid people who get pissed at me for saying I like really dark skinned men. (And when I say dark skin, I mean BLACK! Black like PITCH!) People gave me shit because they seemed to think I was saying something about their personality. I was just saying that people with really dark skin (and a certain facial structure) were beautiful in my opinion. Same goes with my love of Middle Eastern women with hooked noses, Cattish looking Asians and tall skinny white boys. It's not because "OMG, THAT CULTURE!" it's "Hey, that skin tone+that feature+that thing works really well together. Kewl!"

We've just gotten so paranoid about being PC, that everyone is looking for ways to accuse someone of being offensive.

I've had friends tell me all the time that they generally don't find red hair and freckles attractive. I don't leap up and yell, "THEN YOU HATE THE IRISH AND YOU HATE ME!" I just figure that they don't find red hair and freckles attractive. Exactly what they said. I don't look for hidden meaning.

If someone describes someone to me who I haven't met and mentions their skin color, unless they've been talking trash about the person, I just assume they're telling me so I can form a better mental picture in my mind.

[Nanaea]

We've just gotten so paranoid about being PC, that everyone is looking for ways to accuse someone of being offensive.

Amen, sister!

I had a friend when I was little, like four years old I think. My mom used to affectionately call her an Oreo cookie because her mom was white and her dad was black. I think if she said something like that today she'd prolly get labeled as a racist for it.

I've been trying to pay more attention to my casual observations of the people around me when I'm out and about. Wouldn't you know it. I really do notice other people's skin color/ethnicity. I was driving home yesterday and went past a factory and there were a few guys outside taking a break and my mind went, "Male, dark hair, dark skin, Hispanic; male, light skin, older, white; male, tall, dark, handsome...." Didn't raise any red flags but when I notice someone has black skin my conscious throws up a red flag and accuses me of being racist. WTF? So from now on I'm just gonna try to cut myself some slack. After all, I know I'm a good person.

[Guest ChibiShiva]

My mom used to affectionately call her an Oreo cookie because her mom was white and her dad was black. I think if she said something like that today she'd prolly get labeled as a racist for it.

Oreo cookie? So damn cute ^___^. I get good, warm and fuzzy images when I think about an Oreo cookie, so I'd take this as a compliment. It's a nice, light-hearted nickname... but you're right. Someone out there would still find it insulting because it makes a reference to skin color.

I use skin color as a descriptive as well; "there was this hot guy in the bus... tall, buff, Black, with dreads"... I swear whenever I saw that guy I would swoon. There was about two weeks where he kept getting in the same bus as me, but I'm too shy to talk to him x_x. So everytime he'd look in my direction I'd look away 'cause I'm shy as hell with other guys sometimes; I don't want to be noticed (what a good way of getting noticed though -.-'). I hope he didn't take this as racism x_x.