"My first reaction to questions about the "correctness" or "accuracy" of Obama's racial classification is to undermine the premise of the question itself. The search for the "correctness" of racial identity presumes that a definitive answer can be found.
It presumes that race is a real entity, something fixed, or natural. It seems to deny what scholars have laboured for decades to demonstrate - that the criteria used to classify people in racial categories, the categories used in a given society, and the uses to which those categories are put - vary by place and time. They are, as academics are fond of saying, "socially constructed"."
Source: BBC
It presumes that nobody really cares
ReplyDeleteNo one should care. It's technically a non-issue. Either way, he looks black and is socially considered black. Afterall, the effects of race are mainly based on how someone looks. Popular perception is that he's a Black man. But people have still raised the question. If his skin was two shades lighter, would he still be considered Black? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter but I've heard this discussion among people of all races.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty good article.
Here's an example, when you are Jewish, you could be assumed to be white and there is no prejudice about their religious or ethnic background because you are automatically accepted on site as white. A Black person is seen as Black first because of their appearance.
ReplyDeleteWhen you look at President Obama, do you see his blood, no you see his brown skin. By virtue of his appearance, social standards define him as an African American.
On another note, if we choose to determine our ethnicity by our Paternal bloodline then he is African.
He represents diversity! Isn't that a beautiful thing!
I reread the article, and my previous comment was a bit too off the cuff. It is a good article and had me interested enough to explore and bookmark your site on secondlook, thanks
ReplyDeletemorty
Thanks for the comments. I agree that he represents diversity and it is a beautiful thing :)
ReplyDelete