Biracial question?

Question

I find that many people that are mixed racially, usually only refer to themselves as being just one of those races when they should explain that they are mixed. I find this most prevalent amongs White/Black people, though it is not limited to that combination. I myself am White/Asian mixed, but I never say iam one or the other I always say iam mixed. I just find that some people that mixed shut out their other side. Why is this? Again I said most not all. :)

Answer 1

That's because a lot of people think that if you look black, then you are black. That's true no matter how little black you actually have in you. Look at the golfer Tiger Woods. He's only a tiny portion black but many people insist he's black even though his ancestry is mostly Asian. That's because he has darker skin so he must be black.

Answer 2

I am also biracial and since I was a child I always considered my race to be other, so when forms asked what my ethnicity is I would check other since American isn't considered a race yet. I fell I was scrapped off the melting pot because I have such a diverse ethnic background.
I think people that tend to only claim one race over another is probably more a function of upbringing, if traditions of a certain race are more predominant in the home, the individual is more likely to claim that race. There is also apperance even though I have black, white, and native american heritage I certainly don't appear white. So the features people have also lead people to associate with a specific race. Its very rare to see a mulatto that could claim to be white anyway, and if their entire life others around them viewed them as being black well there is the answer. It isn't always how the person views themself but how others view them.

Answer 3

Depends on which one they asociate themselves with, I guess.