race, why do we always choose the more exotic if we are mixed?

Question

why is it that we always choose the non-white descent rather than the white? If your great great grand mother was native american and everyone else in your family was white, wouldn't you claim to be native american? if you are 1/64 african american, but you appear 100% white, why is it that you will choose to be called african american? why is it that on wikipedia one person is half cherokee and half Irish is listed as only native american, while a person who is 1/32 cherokee and the rest american is listed as cherokee? do white people hate being white, and are obsessed with finding non-white roots in their family histories so that they could have a reason to call them selves non-white?

Answer 1

Tanned genetics are popular. Medias like using those. But never pitch black, nor white: "tanned" look. People are ready to do and say anything just to look "cool". In the 80s, people smoked to be "cool". And now people give themselves skin cancer in tanning salons to be "cool".

Answer 2

I think a lot of white people don't like to be white, or more specifically, white Americans, because white Americans don't really have their own culture. Sure, they could claim to be English or Irish or French, but people don't believe them when they do that. For some reason it's more acceptable to just say "My great-great-great grandmother was a Cherokee princess, so that means I'm Cherokee too!" and go around telling everyone that they're Cherokee.

I am white, have Native blood and am an enrolled tribal member, but I don't tell people that I'm full-native. I say mixed-native. Because if I said full-native (like so many unenrolled white people try to do) then I would be lying.

Answer 3

It's funny because I'm half English wasp and half Brooklyn-style Irish/Italian (not that this is a racial mix although I'm sure some would disagree), and when people ask me what I am, I usually just say Irish/Italian and leave it at that because it's my slightly less white side. I don't know, there's just something uncool about everyone thinking you're just another white boy from the suburbs.

Answer 4

To be white is to be conventional, to be uninteresting, to be bland, and to have very little ethnic history or background. Even little children get this message. Ask a small child what they are, and see if they don't identify with a more exotic possibility.

Answer 5

I usually just refer to myself as a mestiza. (means mixed blood/race in Spanish) My mom is Filipino and my dad is white. I'm proud of my Filipino heritage (spanish and chinese) as well as my dad's heritage which is german and dutch.

The only time that choosing becomes problematic is when I'm filling something out (especially online) and it asks me to choose which race I identify with more. When this happens, I choose either other or I refuse to answer.

Answer 6

Politically and biologically not correct: Human races don't exist.