Why do people call Obama "black"

Last time I read he had a white mother. So that makes him mixed, no ?

 

Yes, we all acknowledge that. But people still go by what someone looks like.

 

He calls himself black. His loss for not acknowledging his complete racial makeup. As far as what the public calls him. Polls say the majority of whites and Hispanics call him biracial while majority of blacks and Asians call him black.

 

Agreed, for the same reason that people refer to Tiger Woods as black. I wouldn't believe any poll that suggested the majority of whites view him as bi-racial. If that was the case there wouldn't be so many of the slights toward him directed specifically at black heritage. We are what people perceive us to be in their eyes, regardless of the facts.

 

Interesting. Yeh that totally means he is bi-racial....I wonder whether he chose to go with black instead as a marketing tactic? Do you think people would have reacted differently to him, had he not said he is black? Thoughts??

 

Absolutely. People can never deduce a person's identity unless they are told otherwise by that very person. No one can "see" a multiracial identity. They just see the following: Skin and physiological features commonly associated with a certain group.

 

While I get what your saying I don't agree. A few hundred years ago when the US was starting out in Jamestown there were white people and they were black people. Obama does not look neither. When those people started having children together they produced light brown variations of skin tone and looks. In the 19th century folks stop separating the two and called people with both phenotypes black. But just b/c you call an apple and orange doesn't make it an orange. They still have a mixed phenotype. Yes some people with 2 black parents also have that phenotype but only b/c they have a mixed ancestor it was carried down from. As interracial relations continue to rise eventually you will also see people whom carry a white phenotype produce light brown children.

 

You would think by what you see there is no way that so many whites voted for him but they did. Just b/c those negative people are loud doesn't mean the represent the majority.

 

Absolutely they would have. He would have loss the black vote if he would have choose not identify as solely black. In his book it was clear to me that he was worried about black people thinking he was distancing himself from his blackness.

 

I've commonly seen Mexicans who look Asian, Asians who look Mexican, Indian women who look Spanish and Spanish women who look Middle Eastern.

Isn't it flawed thinking to label yourself by your perceived looks, even though your culture and continental origin might be otherwise ?

 

Ummm yes they Mrs Duke? How are things on the plantation today

 

Again I disagree. You can "see" multiracial for the most part. Ofcourse there is some who look white or black alone even though they are multiracial. But many choose not to see it b/c first generation multiracial people are not the only ones caring the phenotypes.

 

My Mum once said to me that she thinks in the future there will be no more race because relations between people of all the different colours in the world over time means that there wont be race distinction anymore. I think that would be nice. After all, that's what racists are afraid of really. I hope it happens. Probably not in my lifetime, but I still think it's beautiful. Maybe then people will just be people and racism will die out. That would be brilliant.

 

You must really think that black people look alike do you? Not the smartest thing to say. Not all black people have the same hue or skin tone, and this is without the mixing as well. Not all blacks have big lips, eyes, noses and "customizing hair". We all have varied differences within our own group without mixing.

And again, you're ignoring that people in this country are particularly ignorant and won't think about things like that. They only see what's commonly seen from a physiological standpoint and that's how people identify someone. It's not about history and that part bears no relevance in how people view things today.

That's very seldom would anyone asks, "What's your background?" Commonly, people would assume a singular background or ethnic identity as opposed to a mix. And if they do, then they generally have a better grasp at the human genome.

 

Totally BBW

 

I said none of those things. Of course Africans and Europeans, and Asians all have different features and none look Alike. But it doesn't change the bottom line fact that the West Africans looked nothing like multiracial people no more than white people do. To get multiracial you need to be multiracial why b/c multiracial is a combination of phenotypes. Black alone does not create that and white alone does neither. Consider this Khoisan people in Africa were considered a whole different race b/c of their differences. They all also called light skinned in the US they wouldn't even be light skin.

I absolutely acknowledge the ignorance of the US people when it comes labeling people. But just b/c you label something wrong don't make it true.

 

because he said himself was black....and it seems its not good enough for some people. Its like you are saying "I don't care what you say you are, I'm going to tell you what you really are"

...silly.


And sillier still its STILL motivated by skin tone/hue even thought the simple minds don't want to admit it. My grand father is/was Irish. Not Irish American. Born and raised in Dalkey Ireland and moved to the US in his 20s; married a black woman inPassaic New Jersey.

What foolishness would it be for me to walk around talking about "I'm multiracial" or even sillier for me to start trying to figure out percentages of my racial make up.

 

Well actually that's not true. People whom looked mixed tend to get asked about their background regularly. That don't include all those that notice and say nothing.

 

On the contrary, there have been instances in which black couples can produce lighter skinned children with different hair color or eye color and white couples producing darker skinned people. They are very rare, but they do exist. Often times, the environment can contribute to that as well.

 

So if he said he was solely white would you call him white? I don't know if there is any truth in it, in fact I don't believe it but some folks think Leona Lewis identifies as white so do you call her a white woman?