Why is a person with a black parent and a white parent classified as Black?

Question

Tiger Woods is deemed Black but, because his mother is of Asian blood, couldn't he be deemed Asian just as well?

Barack Obama's mother is White (with possible Native American blood) so couldn't he be classified as White if he so chose?

In other words, when does the percentage of non-Black blood override the designation of being "Black"?

Wow! So far the answers just raise more questions. Basically, it is is the eyes of the beholder, right?

Let's expand the question... What about half Asian, half White people? I don't hear the "racist" clamor here or am I deaf?

Answer 1

You ask this question as though there is a group of racial classification police regulating the labels placed upon people. People are not yet so color blind that someone like Tiger Woods is going to be perceived as Japanese. Nor does Obama look like another typical white boy. It is also possible that people can place whatever arbitrary labels on themselves or others that they wish. I have a cousin who is half black but she looks white. She calls herself white. It may be as simple as what you look like. Compare it to how you would draw the line between what constitutes a blond or someone with light brown hair.

Answer 2

White society is paternal, the condition of the mother is passed on to the offspring. So as long as the mother is black so is the child. Also, they had a law that if you have one drop of black blood you are black. this was done to keep slavery alive.

Answer 3

while Liberals quit classifying human beings then racism will bypass away. It replaced into the Liberal media that labeled Zimmerman as a white hispanic as a results of fact it lends credence to the thought that it replaced right into a racially stimulated hate crime. That replaced into the 1st time I had ever heard that component era or something like it aside from the reference madeby the supervisor in "Little huge guy" "Ah confident the Black White guy, no longer as grotesque as a results of fact the white guy yet in simple terms as loopy!"

Answer 4

This is a popular question. Fact of the matter is, there is not percentage. America and every other country views any person that is mixed, is not pure white. Stupid assesment, but true.

Answer 5

one drop rule. we dont make the rules we just play the game. Besides, Tigers mom is Thai, and if you don't know compared to Japanese are Chinese thai people are black.

and the above answer is right in Africa bi-racial kids are considered white. or coloured.

Answer 6

I remember once my bi-racial friend saying that in Canada, he's considered black, but in Africa, he's white.

I suppose the colour goes with the dominant race...or racism...

Answer 7

The one-drop theory. One drop of "black blood' disqualifies you from being anything other than "black".

Answer 8

the black blood line is dominate. not saying blacks are superior, the blood line dates back farther than any other.

Answer 9

Actually, scientists have said that the darker gene is the more dominant gene.

Answer 10

Its the black features, that simple. Are you black?