Today, do people who define themselves as biracial and multiracial experience prejudice and discrimination? How have celebrities like Tiger Woods and others changed our perceptions of race and ethnicity?
In my sociology class we were able to pick from some topics and i chose this one, but I am having a hard for I do not know the extent of this problem or much about it all. Any input or help would be VERY greatful.
This is what i have so far…
Today, do people who define themselves as biracial and multiracial experience prejudice and discrimination? How have celebrities like Tiger Woods and others changed our perceptions of race and ethnicity?
First of all many do not know the meanings of what many of the racial expressions mean. Ethnicity refers to statuses based on cultural heritage and shared “feelings of people hood.” An ethnic Group is a category of people set apart from others because of distinctive customs and lifestyles. Minority Group is a category of people who are set apart for unequal treatment because of physical or cultural characteristics. Prejudice refers to preconceived judgments about a category of people. Racism includes beliefs and attitudes that on racial category in inherently superior or inferior to another.
No matter where you go, you will receive some type of racial prejudice or discrimination. It’s a sad fact that is still plaguing the United States today. But celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Derek Jeter, and so on have opened up doors to people who never knew anything beyond there own ignorance. The fact that people of different ethnicities and minorities are “people” just like anyone else is a fact that many have not come to terms with.
- Edited 1/27/2005 2:58 pm ET by sofreshnsoja
- Posted: 1/26/05 4:12 PM ET by sofreshnsoja
what do you mean by : “I am not a racial person”?
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Quote of the week…Racists don’t play fair. They will use insane logic, backwards thinking, and the kitchen sink all to convince you that your belief system isn’t as good as theirs. The Dogon–1/24/05
1/27/05 1:15 PM
I SIMPLY asked for help on the topic, not a RUDE remark back from you. SHEESH
1/27/05 3:00 PM
what the heck was rude about asking a question?
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Quote of the week…Racists don’t play fair. They will use insane logic, backwards thinking, and the kitchen sink all to convince you that your belief system isn’t as good as theirs. The Dogon–1/24/05
1/27/05 3:10 PM
can anyone explain what was rude about asking a questions?
————-
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Quote of the week…Racists don’t play fair. They will use insane logic, backwards thinking, and the kitchen sink all to convince you that your belief system isn’t as good as theirs. The Dogon–1/24/05
1/27/05 3:15 PM
Perhaps the poster means that he or she is “White”. That’s the way that I read it. Or maybe she’s a “Human”?
1/27/05 6:59 PM
I couldn’t tell if s/he meant not ‘racist’ or what. So I asked. We see how that went
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Quote of the week…Racists don’t play fair. They will use insane logic, backwards thinking, and the kitchen sink all to convince you that your belief system isn’t as good as theirs. The Dogon–1/24/05
1/27/05 7:03 PM
Happy birthday!
1/27/05 7:06 PM
thank you very kindly
Multiculturalism is already here.
Come experience it!
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Quote of the week…Racists don’t play fair. They will use insane logic, backwards thinking, and the kitchen sink all to convince you that your belief system isn’t as good as theirs. The Dogon–1/24/05
1/27/05 7:10 PM
I think that the kind of racism that multiracial people experience really depends on what “race” they appear to be. I’ve experienced discrimination, but as a “apparantly white” person, it’s only as a result of the inevitable disclosure that I am not what I appear to be or an assumption that I am hispanic, which doesn’t happen much because of the way that I speak.
I don’t get followed around shopping centers or refused a job based on the color of my skin, so my daily life is not infused with racism. That’s not true for all multi-racial people though. Many look like some ethnicity or another and suffer exactly the same racism that anyone of color experiences.
Multiracial people have different issues that are not really “racist” in terms of power structures – many deal constantly with other people defining them or telling them how they should define ourselves. It makes absolutely no difference how they define themselves – somebody is going to come along and either demand that we do it differently or insist on doing it for us.
As an example, a half Japanese person may be told by a Japanese family member that he is not Japanese and that he is inferior to a pure “Japanese” person. A “White” person may insist that he IS “Japanese” and may resent it if he calls himself a Hapa, biracial or another term representing his mixed background. Yet a third person of any background may insist that he “choose” one or the other.
1/27/05 7:15 PM
i totally agree with you, but unfortunately some do experience it.. it’s like sitting on the fence with me..
5/3/05 9:21 PM
I think that the both of you are right. I am also multi-racial. MY father is black and apache indian and my mother is white and I feel that if people can’t look at you and tell exactly what you are then they can be very mean and hurtful and sometimes not realize it. I knw from personal experiance. Just 2 weeks ago I was at school (in college) and a woman came in to do a performance trying to get people to register to vote, more specificlly black voters (very pro black), and after the show I went up to speak to her and tell her want a good job she had done and that I really enjoyed it. But when she stepped off the stage she stopped and spoke to a little older black couple, then she stopped and put on a fake smile for to white girls, then I went up to her and she looked at me like I was the scum of the earth and she walked away. Mind you I have a light (tan) complection and dark black curly hair and freckles (LOL a wierd comb if you ask me. but I live with it. ) any ways, I went to try to speak to her again, thinking well maybe she needed to get to the table that was signing voters because that is where she stoppped at, she looked at me with a half herated smile, that looked to me like a “why are you talking to me” kinda smile or a “get out my face” type of thing. ANd that really hurt. And feel like That was because she looked at me (i look slightly hispanic) with frecklles and curly hair, didn’t know what I was (but definatly not black (but I had some somewhere) and she felt that she was better than me. I got over it but it still hurts and it happens to people everyday!
9/25/07 12:09 PM
people are mean in this world try not to let it affect you b/c it does even years later..
9/25/07 3:26 PM
I know. My step mom and my dad say the same thing. I try not to let it get to me, it’s just some times I can’t help it. But I am getting better at it. But thanks for the encouragement!!
9/25/07 8:23 PM
your so welcome, just realize God made you special for a reason, sometimes its a problem for others, just don’t let them succeed in making it a problem for you.. love yourself..
10/2/07 7:47 AM
sometimes the ignorance of people just boggles my mind. I try to be positive and not let it bother me but sometime I just can’t help it. I’m growing and trying to get past what people say and teh infamous question “what are you” but sometimes it’s hard to do, but like I said I’m growing little by little.
10/2/07 10:42 AM
I think society is still kind of bias. (Just my opinion.) I hear people talk about Tiger, for example, and they say stuff like not being true to his race. I think some people just have too much time on their hands lol. He’s being true to his heart and his race. He can’t be anything that he doesn’t feel and why should he? He has an Asian mother and some people want to dismiss that as though she doesn’t factor in his life. I think that in your heart you identify with what feel and the rest just ties in somehow. He could be Black, Asian and a very very small part Indian and if he choose to follow his Indian ancestors than that’s his right. I think that it’s even harder for famous people because people want to identify with them. They want to say that the person is like them, maybe related or even live vicariously through the celebrity and when the people come to realize that the famous person doesn’t share that view than the person feels a little thrown away because the connection wasn’t made. This is just my opinion.
4/30/05 8:07 PM
being bi-racial i’ve experience discrimination from both sides during my up bringing.. and sadly to say i’m more welcomed now by whites than i am by some blacks, not all blacks, there are some that are confident in themselves and don’t feel ill will towards me… and i must say not all whites either, so i guess its better than it was, just not as bad as it use to be among the whites.. unfortunately it maybe based purely on jealous behavior than skin color, but it’s often brought up, my co-workers call me a half-breed, even tho they try to put as a joke, but they mean it.. they tell me, this year we’re going to chip in a buy you a tan in the bottle so you can have some color.. it’s gotten to the place that i feel miserable on my job, i’m pounding the pavement looking for another job, probably to run into it again from either side.. but i’m at the end of my rope there, i’ve left a few days last week in tears, almost to the point of quitting and not even having another job to go to, but i know i’ve got to get out of there i can’t take it anymore..
maybe we should consider b/c of the racial problems that blacks experienced in former days, it has brought about some racial tension against those that are bi-racial.. discrimination among a race of people.. lights and darker skinned blacks.. spike lee did a movie called “school days” which best describes the hidden race problem within a race, which he was the first to bring it out into the open.. it goes back to the days when blacks that were seperated as house slaves, and field slaves.. and b/c they felt the lighter skinned blacks were allowed to live in the house, and not work in the fields that life was somehow better for them.
5/3/05 9:18 PM