Where do we legally or socially stand on the one drop of blood colors the person

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   bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years ago

   Where do we legally or socially stand on the one drop of blood colors the person?
   
   We call Obama the Black President, but being half black, and half white parent wise how did we make that determination. Or does skin color trump DNA.
   The one drop of blood was the standard in the South, but is that still true now, and it is true for the entire country?
   How do we really know how many drops of each he has? And remember it is the government that wants to now your gender, race, color etc.
   
   

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   Ericdierkerposted 8 years ago

   A very interesting question indeed. "One drop" to my knowledge was first a discriminatory concept later evolved into a brotherhood concept and now an historical reference. My full drop neighbor and I had a great running conversation on this while Obama was running. As antagonists I claimed him as white and he claimed him as black. He told me in great length the crap he put up with growing up in the South and how he saw the one drop rule applied in heinous ways. I told him of growing up in the Southwest and color was just color, at least to us kids.
   I hope that it is a certain badge of honor. My son is a clear half-breed of different "races". So are a lot of his classmates. So much that we cannot tell just what "race" they are.
   Knowing that there are still a fair amount of bigots out there, I still believe that all our drops are important yet not important. I think it would be fun to require DNA testing and ancestral histories for all running for public office. We would soon not care a twit about what is assumed race.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting answer to this question. And that is why, I think the government is discriminatory when it requires gender, race, and ethnicity for their check boxes.

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      Ericdierkerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Although I can see valid reasons for it in some cases. It should be a thing of the past. What am I? Am I my family tree or a part of my family? I am adopted without parentage knowledge. What am I raised by whites but without confirmation of my race.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Are you American?

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      Ericdierkerposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Citizen of the USA

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I meant that after your heritage story, as a placement between your citizenship and your heritage. I am American first, heritage follows, and that was my point, no disrespect intended, but I think you understood my intention.
      Thanks

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3. 93

   lisavollrathposted 8 years ago

   The government leaves it up to the individual to identify their own race. On most government forms, you're asked to tick a box identifying your race. I think on most forms there's also a box for mixed race now, as well.
   
   I would prefer to leave this up to the individual. If you are of a mixed background, it's up to you to decide which you identify with. If someone says, "I am black.", I'm not going to argue with them. (Barring, of course, people like Rachel Dolezal, who claim a racial background falsely.)
   
   As an example, I'm of Italian and German heritage, but all my ethnic identity has come from the Italian side. If someone asks about my ancestry, I tell them I'm Italian. Even though I loved my dad, I don't identify with the German side at all.
   
   I'm not sure it really matters how much of one blood or another someone has, unless you're trying to determine qualifications for a Native American tribe. I think what matters is how people identify themselves.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Why should the government need this information?
      So far they haven't used it for any benefit to the country?
      with all the mixes in people today there is no point having people Pick which box to check. Is it going 2b used to discriminate 1 ovr another

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   dashingscorpioposted 8 years ago

   
   
   I believe most people just go with how individuals identify themselves. In other instances it is their physical appearance.
   Lots of people look at actor Wentworth Miller who was the star of a TV show called "Prison Break" and most people consider him to be white. In fact most of his TV & film roles have him cast with having white girlfriends/wives, parents and siblings.
   Miller has said, "my father is black and my mother is white". His paternal grandparents were both black, and had African-American, Jamaican, English, German, Jewish, and Cherokee ancestry.
   The reality is most African Americans ancestry probably contains a variety of bloodlines. The government and individuals however just choose to "simplify" by having boxes labeled (white, black, Asian, Latin, and Native American) on census reports.
   When people look at president Obama they see him as black mainly because he could never pass for being white. People see Wentworth Miller (pictured) and they see white.
   I guess it's one of those "in the eye of the beholder" things.

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