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John Byrne
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Grumpy Old Guy

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Posted: 27 January 2023 at 10:15pm | IP Logged | 1 post reply

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So, Obama is White?

Ever feel like some researchers have too much time on their hands?

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ron bailey
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Posted: 28 January 2023 at 4:49pm | IP Logged | 2 post reply

As someone who spent their formative years outside of the U.S. in a predominantly non-white country, I have always found it exasperating how Americans interpret race both socially and legally. 
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 29 January 2023 at 1:46am | IP Logged | 3 post reply

Racism is a form of retardation, and I use that term in the sense that the word exists for, and certainly not to demean challenged individuals. I don't know why, but there are a percentage of people... let's call them idiots, who seem immune to any real growth away from simplistic dividing up of our species on a superficial skin color basis.

I (and Keith Richards) have news for them: we are all from Africa if you go back far enough. Some of 'us' left that area of the planet earlier that's all, and in fact one bunch, my 'white' (pink) bunch, now carry a small percentile of Neanderthal DNA. So all the 'black' people, however black you want to distinguish anyone as being... and many 'white' people have more recent black ancestry (as opposed to further back which we all have)... are more Cro-Magnon (bigger headed) than my 'whiter' folks are. Black people are the most human if you consider Cro-Magnon more so than Neanderthal.

Some of my best friends might be Australopithecines. Obama was simply one of the better, more intelligent, and human presidents... people who supported him regardless of skin are who can take some credit for him getting there. I'll be in his species if he'll be in mine (to misquote Bob Dylan).

I sure wish we could grow up from this stuff... hundreds, thousands even, of years of this below kindergarten business? It's like seeing people playing with their own poop or something. No more new Confederate statues today anyway, I guess maybe there is a little progress happening, and can only hope it's not one step forward and two steps back (where is that voting rights act restoration). :^(

Edited by Rebecca Jansen on 29 January 2023 at 1:49am
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Rodrigo castellanos
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Posted: 29 January 2023 at 5:56am | IP Logged | 4 post reply

As someone who spent their formative years outside of the U.S. in a predominantly non-white country, I have always found it exasperating how Americans interpret race both socially and legally.

As a White Latino (if there's such a thing) with strong ties to the US and Canada, I find it equally exasperating and/or funny depending on my mood of the day.

No other country in the world is so obsessed with categorizing race and putting people in boxes as the US, and I mean both racists and anti-racists. The latter, while "well intentioned" kind of annoy me even more in a strange way.


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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 29 January 2023 at 6:19pm | IP Logged | 5 post reply

Recently there was a program on PBS detailing how southern racist politics in the U.S. was studied and used by the Nazis in their own eugenics obsession for racial purity. Beware grand visions on utopias of equality I say, whether race based or not, because variety is seen in nature (or God's creation if one wishes) to be the real strength over time... the greater the variety the stronger... and if it hasn't been the U.S. saved from the brink by minority voters numerous times in living experience I don't know who else has kept it from a state those of January 6th would have in mind with their Confederate and Trump flags.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 29 January 2023 at 6:27pm | IP Logged | 6 post reply

A science fiction novel I read in College—it might have been by Poul Anderson—indulged in a wry bit of social commentary by having one of the characters observe that White people ranged in skin color from very pale to very dark, while Black people ranged from very pale to very dark.
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ron bailey
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Posted: 29 January 2023 at 7:41pm | IP Logged | 7 post reply

... and I mean both racists and anti-racists. 

I am concerne that the term "anti-racist" may mean more than merely "non-racist", i.e. just not being racist. 
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Steven Myers
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Posted: 29 January 2023 at 9:34pm | IP Logged | 8 post reply

Neil DeGrasse Tyson noted that Obama could be the first white President if he was elected in some African countries. Race is very much a social construct, and we make a big deal to see the "first" of anything. But note that no one seems to care about the second Catholic President.

I don't think teaching history or pointing out injustice is bad. We have progressed greatly, but we still have work to do. 
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Rebecca Jansen
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 2:06am | IP Logged | 9 post reply


 QUOTE:
But note that no one seems to care about the second Catholic President.

That's because he is on the record as saying he wouldn't impose his beliefs upon others like a Catholic supreme court justice has.

I'd like to believe that progressed greatly part, but we've seen things go really badly with large increases in racisit rhetoric and violence since the voting rights act was put away as no longer needed. Also the door seems more open to race based legislation in many states.

Edited by Rebecca Jansen on 01 February 2023 at 2:10am
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Stevie Thomas
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 10:35pm | IP Logged | 10 post reply

The portion of the document that JB started the thread with is just talking in terms of statistical analysis by the National Center for HealthStatistics, and they changed their standards for determining race for a number of good reasons, laid out on pages 5-6 of this document (mostly boils down to providing uniformity for tracking race over time). 
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Michael Roberts
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Posted: 01 February 2023 at 10:59pm | IP Logged | 11 post reply

I am concerne that the term "anti-racist" may mean more than merely "non-racist", i.e. just not being racist. 

———

It does and it should. If you are a “non-racist” but turn a blind eye to racist systems and allow them to perpetuate, what exactly is the value of your non-racism? 
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Rodrigo castellanos
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Posted: 02 February 2023 at 4:05am | IP Logged | 12 post reply

I am concerne that the term "anti-racist" may mean more than merely "non-racist", i.e. just not being racist.

It does and I consider myself to be an anti-racist, of course.

But in the context I was mentioning it also kinda means that activist anti-racists tend to not let the categorizing rest even for a minute and are very confused if someone is maybe more than just one thing, or when presented with any situation that challenges their perceptions (like my white latino thing which I find funny most of the time but can get annoying).

Or the over compensating. 

Best example I can find in pop culture is GET OUT's father in law making sure Daniel Kaluuya's character knows he would've voted for Obama a third time if he could.

They're a big part of Peele's satire in general, both in his film and TV work, and huge in shows like ATLANTA and that was kind of what I meant.

While "well intentioned", it gets confusing and sometimes honestly kinda weird. 

With straight-up racists, at least you know what you're dealing with.






Edited by Rodrigo castellanos on 02 February 2023 at 4:13am
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