https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:52:32 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-287784 Sat, 08 Sep 2012 19:27:15 +0000 JennyD 287784@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow. But:</p> <p>The first time I brought my (now) husband home for dinner, to meet my parents, the first thing my mother asked when he left was "is he white?" !!! I asked her if it mattered. She didn't have an answer, but it's never come up since.</p> <p>He's 1/4 Lebanese, 1/4 Native American and 1/2 Scandanavian. He can "pass" for a lot of things though. She's never said anything about the baby's skin colour. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-287041 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 20:03:47 +0000 Mrs. Pen 287041@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrsdaredevil: OMG that's terrible!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-287032 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:50:18 +0000 Rainbow Sprinkles 287032@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Honestly, stuff like this totally annoys me to my core. However, although I do not see the world in terms of black and white, I do think that there is a white/minority (therefore "two" groups) disparity in terms of privilege and lack of privilege.</p> <p>Once someone told me that I looked very "exotic" but that I was too articulate to be anything other than "white." How insulting. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-287021 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:41:37 +0000 sunny 287021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: Ooh in that case I apologize! I didn't realize it wasn't that universal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-287017 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:40:18 +0000 Andrea 287017@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Coco Bee: if someone asked for my color, I would say yellow. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-287005 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 19:28:35 +0000 Mrs. Pen 287005@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@regberadaisy: do you identify yourself as "yellow"? I've never actually heard Asians refer to themselves as yellow! </p> <p>yeah that is a weird thing... the weirdest part is that she just approached you about that... how odd!</p> <p>@bluestriped bee: hahah I laughed at that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286975 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:51:42 +0000 mrbee 286975@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sunny: this may be too much nitpicking, but there are many part Asians who don't like the term hapa! I think it's more of a Hawaiian thing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286971 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:47:04 +0000 mrsjazz 286971@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I know people who lump Asians in with White people under one group. And I know people who lump everyone into one group (all people of color) against White people. Race is not just a black and white thing and that person who said that to you was ignorant--especially if you don't identify as being one race. </p> <p>Race in America is so tricky. I remember my friend (from Turkey) and I were both describing a mutual friend and I described him as the big Black guy and she described him as the big Italian guy. We were both right! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286968 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:40:33 +0000 PawPrints 286968@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I grew up in an extremely diverse area, every ethnicity you can think of represented, and yet, I was in high school before I found out that Asian people aren't considered white.</p> <p>There is a LOT of education needed in the US on the subject of race, and I suspect that people who don't learn about it in college just never do. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286961 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:32:05 +0000 regberadaisy 286961@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow - that is extremely ignorant. I would have replied nope, I'm yellow! Ha! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286955 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:26:36 +0000 sunny 286955@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>on the state PKU test form, there were options for white, black, hispanic, asian, other and a few more. </p> <p>i wasn't sure what to check for LO who is hapa like mrbee &amp; kids so i picked "other". :P</p> <p>i figure LO will self identify at some point and decide for herself. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286949 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:21:10 +0000 Arden 286949@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I agree with Andrea. You do run into a lot of ignorant people! :) </p> <p>I think that's an odd thing to say. I've never thought of race as a black/white thing, but maybe that's because I was raised globally in lots of cultures.<br /> I'm not very American in reality, so maybe I just don't "get" the thinking here... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286942 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:10:45 +0000 Andrea 286942@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Um, who is this person? You run into some really ignorant people. Sorry about that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286850 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:53:36 +0000 pastemoo 286850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bluestriped bee: LOL! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286827 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:41:31 +0000 MamaMoose 286827@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Um.... Has this person never filled out a form in her life? Did she not see that there are like twelve boxes to chose from?? I don't think its bad to ask some in an intelligent manner what race they consider themselves to be (like our discussion not long ago about President Obama) but to tell someone what race they are is just absurd. I don't get people sometimes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286826 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:41:09 +0000 BSB 286826@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Never heard or experienced that before.</p> <p>Funny story... My history teacher in high school told me I was the color of 'parchment' paper. I wasn't offended, it was just weird to hear. Guess, I would rather hear that I have yellow skin then 'parchment' skin. My good friend who is african american was there in class with me when it happened. After class, my friend was joking around saying she was waiting to hear our teacher call her a brown paper bag. Haha. Some good times in high school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286822 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:38:27 +0000 Mrs. Train 286822@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I grew up where I was one of the few white kids in my school and neighborhood so I have been aware of races from an early age. I am appalled that some one would say there is white and black and that's it. I can also not even comprehend trying to tell someone what race they are. It's completely rude. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/race-in-america#post-286816 Fri, 07 Sep 2012 16:34:02 +0000 mrbee 286816@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yesterday, someone told me to my face that I was white (I am half German/Irish, and half Japanese). I laughed and asked her why, and she said it was b/c there are two colors: black and white. And since I'm not black, I must be white.</p> <p>I wasn't offended, but told her that she only thinks that b/c she is ignorant. </p> <p>It did get me thinking though. A lot of Americans have said something similar to me... either implicitly or explicitly suggesting that the term "race" refers to white versus black. I find that perspective isn't very inclusive of other groups like Native Americans, Hispanics, Asians and many many others. Also, it's just not a very useful perspective for sorting through the rainbow of colors that make up modern society.</p> <p>Gosh, I hate to think how confused she will be by our 1/4 white, 1/4 Japanese, 1/2 Korean kids!</p> <p>Do you guys ever encounter this attitude towards race? How do you deal with it?</p> <p>ps Pro tip: never tell someone what race they are. </p>