One of the questions I am most often asked on the campus of the University of South Florida: "What are you?"
I am fortunate enough to have been blessed with a very multi-cultural group of friends growing up. I actually was such good friends with them that, until middle school, I didn't even realize we were different skin colors. What were my two best friends' ethnicities in elementary and middle school? One was Native American, African American, and White -- she was commonly mistaken for puerto rican though by those who didn't know her. My other friend: African American and White.
It astonished me how many different racial slurs I heard when I got to the middle school level. Kids from other schools (the richer schools) didn't really experience as wide a variety of culture. Their elementary schools didn't have "culture week" where they brought food, sang songs, did dances the represented who they were ethinically. And if they did have a variety of races, friendships were most definitely segregated. It was just a sad scenario to walk into after so many years of naive acceptance.
Ignorance is a driving force of racism (of most prejudice actually), and that is what those children were bred to understand. Not that their race was any better necessarily, but more that the cultural differences made certain kids "weird" or "abnormal". Growing up in a not-totally white America made my life experiences far more interesting.
So, when answering that above question of "What are you?" I normally laugh it off and make it a joke, saying "I'm white. Nothing more. Nothing less. Just white." The huge difference between where I come from and where I am now is that there is so much cultural diversity on this campus that I feel there is no point to describing my own ethnic background. First, because I'm a lot of things, and second, because I'm not visually ANY of those things except their common denominator of skin color (white if you haven't caught on). But that was one of the main reasons I chose this school. It's cultural diversity amazed me, and I wanted to be a part of it, even if I never would truely feel like a part of it.
It's unfair though, that I have become so self-concious of my own beginnings. I am have become almost ashamed that I am not a minority. I strive to let it be known that my grandmother was Jewish just so I won't feel so ethnically lacking. I ache to be able to identify with others of my culture, but because mine is so generic, I know I won't be able to do so. I am a German, Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, English, Russian Orthodox Jew, Austrian, Newfie (from Newfoundland if you didn't know) mutt. It's amazing how many races one can be, without being a difinitive race at all.
I blame this partially on the American system. So much DE-emphasis is on race that no one can identify with it anymore. Even as a whole, America categorizes people. If you've ever had to file your race on a national test sheet you know the options well. You are either: White (non-Hispanic), Black/African Am., Am. Indian/Alaskan Nat., Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, White - Hispanic, or Other. It's amazing how narrowly the lines are draw. Most kids learn to identify with their race that is most minority based (basically whichever isn't white). This means that, if you're black AND white, you identify with your African American heritage (better chance for scholarship).
Is our country doing the right thing in down-playing race and religion? Shouldn't someone be proud of their heritage whatever it might be? Opinions please.
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When asked my race, I always respond Alaskan Native. I don't want to be defined as "white" (no matter how pale I am). I am of the opinion that they should not worry about the demographics and just accept that the longer we give privalidge to anyone because of their race, we're only hurting the future (because, as I see it, students in high school that identify themselves as "ghansta" and are likely to "pop a cap up in'ere" should NOT be in AP English IV, especially if they've never even read Dr. Seuss).
Nicholas Aden
Self-Promotion
My Creative Writing
Great post - I especially like your point about people identifying with whatever is the most "minority" about them. For example, my roommate last semester was quarter white, quarter Puerto Rican, and half black, but she completely identified as Puerto Rican and black. She would constantly go on about how white people are so racist and idiotic and about how she hates white culture, but somehow not Puerto Rican culture...? It was very confusing... when she was talking about how "all whites" (her actual words) are racist, was she including her own white grandmother in that statement? Her white grandmother who, by the way, married a Puerto Rican man in a time when it was definitely not ok to do so?
I like answering what I am when people ask but I understand that some people don't. There is really only one thing I think they can say though not I'm white I'm black because I don't think we should really look at ourselves as different races because that is where all of this prejudice and discrimination originates from identifying ourselves as different from each other but the greatest retort to a question of what are you is, "I am an [ place your country name here]"
Think globally act locally.
Always listening.
I have never really experienced much feeling when filling out the ethnic circles on a standardized test, except for, perhaps, a bit of bewilderment or even anger at the fact that other ethnicities get bonus points (scholarship wise) for being a minority. Yes, I understand the whole "trials of the past," but I do believe it is year 2008 and not, say, 1964 during the Detroit Riots.
I have, however, always felt great hesitation in filling out my religion. Deep set hesitation from a lot of scorn and rejection, and I've always wondered why giving such a statement of faith (or non-faith, in my case) was required. It's as though they are just looking for another thing to judge you on.