'I Missed The Memo - When Did Obama Become "Black"..?'

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

When I raised,
If you were half anything, half something else, that was called "mixed".....

Now Barak Obama is half-black/half-white....To me, he's "mixed", neither black nor white.....

And to back me up (so to speak, but not literally) even Tiger Woods has stated that he's NOT black....& Tiger acknowledges that he's of mixed descent....

So when did Obama become black? - I must have missed that memo....

[Snuffy]

No Panther I tried that argument and you and half a dozen others supported Obama's claim that he calls himself black so he's a black man and not a mulatto ...

Its in all his books that he's claimed to be black.

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

No Panther I tried that argument and you and half a dozen others supported Obama's claim that he calls himself black so he's a black man and not a mulatto ...

Its in all his books that he's claimed to be black.

Negative on that Snuffy,
I've never accepted Obama was black......& if I did, it was merely in context to previously stated language...

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

Addendum: Do I accept that he's got some black in him? heck yes! - Closest thing to black president that we have....

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

No Panther I tried that argument and you and half a dozen others supported Obama's claim that he calls himself black so he's a black man and not a mulatto ...

Its in all his books that he's claimed to be black.

And finally,
To back myself up, here's a post I made on 19 Nov 2008 last year (below)


To say that Obama is black is basically saying that you're legitimizing the notion that if you're half-black, you ARE black - regardless of what you're mixed with.

(Tiger Woods is a good example of someone who is half-black that does NOT call themselves black...)

And I'll get off the soapbox now...:D

[USCG76]

Im fricken colorblind. There is no such thing as black or white. This term is used to much in ignorance. Basically scientifically in a nut, it boils down to your skin pigmentation and climate/enviroment of your born raised area and genetics. Now explain Obama Ethnic backround ?? should be the question.

[Snuffy]

Might I jiggle the memory some?

http://quartermoonsaloon.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4639&postcount=11

[CybrSlydr]

IIRC, to claim an ethnicity, you have to be 12.5%.

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

Might I jiggle the memory some?

http://quartermoonsaloon.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4639&postcount=11

That's a statement of observation of others by me, not a statement of agreement...read it again - carefully :)

Anyways, I've stated my position on this in Nov 08 & now - No reason for me to keep on :)

[Uncleal]

Depends on what the meaning of "is", is :biglol:

A Democrat once thought he was wrong, but he was only mistaken :biglol:

[MaskRider]

In the eyes of affirmative action Obama is BLACK. He's close enough for government work.

He's black when it suits him. White when it suits him and tan is grand too sometimes.

You know the NAZIS kept very close track of each citizens fractional blood lines and racial mix. It was their quaint way of determining which citizens were entitled to which "rights" and which would be denied those rights. We're heading down the same road- in fact we're pretty much there. That's what those little check boxes on applications and census forms are all about.

BTW One of the things I have always admired about Tiger Woods is that he has never allowed himself to get dragged into the racial identity game. Refuses to play.

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

In the eyes of affirmative action Obama is BLACK. He's close enough for government work.

BTW One of the things I have always admired about Tiger Woods is that he has never allowed himself to get dragged into the racial identity game.

Agreed....

[Blue Devil]

...because there is no such thing as a "Mulatto Liberation Theology"...

[Uncleal]

Because I've never heard of mulatto reporations money

Follow the money with a Politcian, especially a Democrat :faintthud:

Do mulatto's celebrate Quansa ?

[Toastmaker]

It's just a matter of political expediency for him. On those forms with the nasty little race boxes to check - he could legitimately check "white" (caucasian) or "black" (of African descent).

I recently checked the "Hispanic" box and an HR person objected in front of me because I do not "look" like what she thought Hispanics should look like, I suppose. (like, Benicio del Toro, or something and I wasn't wearing a sombrero either)

I informed her, as if it was any of her ****ing business, that my father's parents were born in Galicia, Spain and if I wanted to refer to myself as "Hispanic", I could damn well do so!

I'm beginning to really enjoy screwing with bureaucrats !


:beach3:

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

I informed her, as if it was any of her ****ing business, that my father's parents were born in Galicia, Spain

Yeah...
Lots of folks forget about Spain.....

(Incidently, my sister's Godfather is a Spaniard..)

[Zommoz]

I am Puerto Rican (more precisely, Newyorican) and have always struggled with the conversations of race in the US because there seems to be only two sides. I beg your indulgence for two true stories:

1.) I was about twelve years old and walking down Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, a black neighborhood at the time. A black man stopped me and rudely asked "Yo, whiteboy, you got a quarter?" I was offended, not being white. I said "First off, I am not white, I'm Puerto Rican and second off, I don't have a quarter and if I did I wouldn't give it to you!" and tried to get around him. He responded by pulling out a big knife and saying "In this neighborhood, you either black or you white, so up the money." so I gave him everything I had in my pockets.

2.) In the late 90's, I was in Montgomery Alabama for an Educators Summit on the Civil Rights Movement. We visited a Baptist church where the Minister was kind enough to get some of his congregants to talk to us about their experiences. In my group there was an older (in his eighties) gentleman who everyone referred to as "The Professor" as well as a younger (forty-something) man who I'll call Bob. Bob seemed very uncomfortable. He sat scowling with his arms crossed over his chest and said very little during the hour-or-so long discussion. There were 3 or 4 teachers, myself included, mostly from the northeast and about 8 or 9 locals, the congregants. About forty minutes into a great conversation, I said "I am from New York City and am used to seeing people of all races. Here in Montgomery I have not. Where are all your Asians, Middle Easterners, South Americans?" At this point Bob leaned forward, elbows on knees, and said the first words I heard him utter; "Son, you don't seem to understand...There's black folk and there's white folk. That's all!" This got a great laugh out of everybody (again, myself included) except The Professor who sat scratching his chin, recalling memories. When the laughter subsided, The Professor said "Well Bob, that ain't exactly true. I remember, when I was a kid there were these families that used to come through here every year to help with the harvest. Mexicans or South Americans or some such." I assumed he was referring to the migrant workers. Latinos. My people. Just the folks I had come to get answers about! I said "So Professor, where did their children go to school? Did they attend the white schools or the black schools?" His reply, without missing a beat was, "Why, they didn't go to school at all!" This was greeted with even more laughter... only this time I wasn't laughing with them.

I have always been in between, accepted and rejected by both sides. Now when I am confronted with one of those forms that asks me what race I am, I check "Other" and write in "Klingon" because it is obvious to me that there really is no room in this country for "Other".

[RickN]

Sooner everyone gets over this race horse **** and judges people for who THEY are and what they do, the better the world will be.

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

Rick,
It might be possible to get rid of race but not ethnicity - hence all the 'hyphen' people we have in the USA....(Italian-American, Irish-American, German-American, Asian-American...and so on...)

[RickN]

It should be American-Irish, American-Asian, etc. I am of Polish decent with some American Indian, German, French, etc thrown in, and enjoy all my family roots, but first and foremost I am a citizen of the USA.

To my mind if someone wants to be Italian, African, or whatever first, move there.

[Snuffy]

I guess ... the next question I have then P is this:

Why the hell did you bring this subject up again?

:confused:

If there's no argument or point of contention I should say, then why even bother?

You're not defending him one way or the other .... you just felt like throwing some trolling bait out?

[MaskRider]

It's just a matter of political expediency for him. On those forms with the nasty little race boxes to check - he could legitimately check "white" (caucasian) or "black" (of African descent).

I recently checked the "Hispanic" box and an HR person objected in front of me because I do not "look" like what she thought Hispanics should look like, I suppose. (like, Benicio del Toro, or something and I wasn't wearing a sombrero either)

I informed her, as if it was any of her ****ing business, that my father's parents were born in Galicia, Spain and if I wanted to refer to myself as "Hispanic", I could damn well do so!

I'm beginning to really enjoy screwing with bureaucrats !


:beach3:

As an example of how goofy the process has become: I have a friend, a nice lily WHITE lady originally from South Africa. She immigrated (legally) to the USA about 25 years ago, became a citizen and ended up opening a very successful hair salon. She got her original seed money from the small Business Administration after checking the box classifying her as an American of African descent. She qualified as a member of a disadvantaged minority. We still get big chuckle out of that.

BTW the SBA is the Government agency responsible for maintaining and managing the official list of government certified Disadvantaged Minority Groups. The politics surrounding this Health Reform project is lively. The politics surrounding which groups get added to that DMG list is vicious.:D

[Snuffy]

Rick,
It might be possible to get rid of race but not ethnicity - hence all the 'hyphen' people we have in the USA....(Italian-American, Irish-American, German-American, Asian-American...and so on...)

And that's where the problem lies. Too many people equate ethnicity with race ...

If you're born in this country, or any country for that matter, it doesn't matter where your parents came from, if the law of the land dictates its you become an American despite your other heritage.

There was a latino/white comedian not too long ago believe it or not on BET entertaining a black audience. And he was getting into their faces about the race thing, and when the audience was in somewhat of an uproar, he settled them down and said ... okay I'm going to prove what I'm saying about nationality ...

Then he asked the audience, ... mostly blacks, who by indication claimed to be "African-American", ... "How many of ya'll been to Africa?" The house was silent. There wasn't a one in the audience that could claim to be from or have visited Africa.

He said, something on the order of this: "I just proved my point ... Ya'll are born Americans ... Yer not Africans ... So start acting like Americans."

I honestly feel very much the same. If you're born in this country and you're 3 or 4 generations into being born here you are an American citizen, You're not African, You're not Irish, You're not Columbian ... You're American.

I have Scottish Heritage, but I don't go around calling myself a Scottish-American ... nor do I call myself an Amercian Scottsman ... I'm an American, plain pure and simple.

The same of any other person born in any other country, you are that nationality despite your heritage and background.

Get over it.

:hunter:

[MaskRider]

Snuffy if there were special government programs, loans, set asides and freebies- entitlements- for Scottish Americans, there would be a box there for you to check.

Would you check it?

Those boxes are there for more than nice to know info. There are all sorts of special rights/entitlements for folks who check the correct boxes.

[Snuffy]

Chris, No I wouldn't ... though I have Scottish heritage, I am so far removed from my Scottish roots that I wouldn't feel I was being honest in checking the boxes.

The only thing some people have and cling to is their pigment. And since I'm not pigmented beyond being identified as a caucasan then that's what I'll select every time.

And besides, as I said, I'm born in this country, I am an American first, put a box for entitlements for an American citizen, then I'll check the box, but I believe in making my own way in life and not living for a handout because some government agency thinks I need to be supported by the government.

I am not sorry. I will not be appologetic.

[RickN]

Very good Snuffy. I qualify for some of the Indian benefits but never bother with.

Besides what would I do with all the government cheese? :ugly25:

[MaskRider]

Chris, No I wouldn't ...

Good for you. Yes I too am a member of the same pigmentarily challenged ethnic group as you- Scottish/Dutch American- from way way back. But I am simply and proudly just an American, too.

Chris

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

The only thing some people have and cling to is their pigment.

Depending upon where you live,
I'd argue that some people cling more to their ethnicity than pigment....

Growing up in Chicago, I saw a mix of pigment clinging & ethnic clinging groups.....Black, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Polish, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Lithuanian just to name a few...

[Blue Devil]

Ethnicity in America is for Foreigners, Immigrants, Native Americans, ...and picnics.

It's where you or your family were from, ...before you became a Citizen.

If you were born here, ...pass the potato salad.

If you do hyphenate, ...and you don't spend at least three months out of the year at the hyphenated Country, ...you're as big a fraud as Odinga.


I was born a poor black child...

-- Navin R. Johnson -- The Jerk (1979)



Now, to a much more important issue...


...Growing up in Chicago...

Who has the best ribs...?

[Toastmaker]

Uh oh !! Food fight comming - Sound general quarters ! Prepare the boat for crash-dive!


;)

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

:biglol:.....

Ribs eh? Fat Willy's or Carsons....

Pizza, my personal favorite is My II (If it's even still open...)

[Hans Jaeger]

:biglol:.....

Ribs eh? Fat Willy's or Carsons....

Pizza, my personal favorite is My II (If it's even still open...)

Being an air force guy, you've probably heard of Giovanni's near Wright-Patterson AFB.

Foggy and his wife treated my wife and I to a pizza at Giovanni's on our trip there a couple of weeks ago. Superb pizza!

[Panthera Pardus Nigresco]

Hans,
I've never heard of it.....:o

But then again, I've never been to Wright-Patterson either.....

[Blue Devil]

:biglol:.....

Ribs eh? Fat Willy's or Carsons....

Pizza, my personal favorite is My II (If it's even still open...)

Logged for the next trip to Yankee-land (now Red Square West)

I already gave you directions to the Pearly gates of Rib heaven, ...Holden Market.


Speakin' of the Mason-Dixon line...

If you ever venture south of it (yes, Bossier city is in Yankee-land, ...damn the maps) and find yourself in the Southern slender of Baton Rouge and have a taste for seafood...

Tony's Seafood Market & Deli (http://www.tonyseafood.com/)is about the finest anywhere.

"So good it'll make ya want to slap ya Mama...."

Plan ahead and go early, ...as there is always a line and they do sell out, ...especially boiled crab. (which look like Panther's Panzers)