Say Anything Blog

Sorry to be so long,
but I had to share:

Lateesha Rodriguez: Now, as a blactino woman, I believe we deserve our own race category to forge an identity, Jerry. That’s how I feel.
Jerry Springer: Did you just say “blactino”?
Lateesha Rodriguez: Yes, I did. I’m a blactino-American.
Chinegro Woman: Wow. Uh, first of all… first of all, you don’t even look latino. You look black. You’re… You’re black. Second of all, I’m of mixed race, and I’ve struggled my whole life as to whether I’m Chinese or whether I’m black.
Lateesha Rodriguez: Chinegro! What you are is chinegro!
Chinegro Woman: Chinegro?
Lateesha Rodriguez: Chinegro! There you go!
Chinegro Woman: Chinegro?
Lateesha Rodriguez: You are a chinegro!
Chinegro Woman: What the
[bleep]
Chinegro Woman: is chinegro?
Lateesha Rodriguez: That’s what you are! Chinegro is you!
Chinegro Woman: That’s some bulls…
[bleep]
Chinegro Woman: .
Jerry Springer: OK, as I understand it, you brought a mixed-race flow chart with you. Why don’t we bring that out?
[Crowd shouting and booing]
Lateesha Rodriguez: [to a random heckler] How you doin’, sugar? All right. I’m gonna call you later. Mwah. All right.
[Crowd laughs]
Lateesha Rodriguez: Take a look at this…
[she unveils the chart]
Lateesha Rodriguez: Blactino, blackasian, hispasian, OK? Now, for the Asian subcategories,
[to the Chinegro woman]
Lateesha Rodriguez: I got you, sister. We have chinegro right here. That’s you. Chinegro.
Chinegro Woman: That’s not a word! That’s not a word!
Lateesha Rodriguez: Yes, it is, sister. We have koreagro. Japegro, OK?
[Crowd laughs]
Lateesha Rodriguez: Chispanic, koreaspanic, and last but not least, check this out, y’all… japanic.
[Crowd cheering]
Lateesha Rodriguez: That’s how I flow with it!
Jerry Springer: Do you believe the government should recognise these racial subgroups?
Lateesha Rodriguez: Yes, Jerry, I do.

Here’s a copy of the comment I made at Samaths’s post.

Samatha, your post makes it seem that the multi-raciality is a new thing whereas it is as old as mankind itself.  It’s part of the natural order to interbreed for purposes of genetic diversity.  Conquering nations almost always capture the women specifically for conjugation which of course resulted in multi-racial offspring.

As far as the Americas are concerned, various Europeans, especially the French, mated frequently with native Americans which is why so many of the northern Indians have French names.

Furthermore, immigrants of different races have eagerly flock to this country since its inception.  An example is myself of Czech heritage with ancestors arriving around the turn of the 20th century.  I married a women of Scotish-English decent so you could say that my children are multi-racial if you wish.

The important thing is that I consider myself foremost an American, a citizen of this great nation.  I’m aware of my racial ancestry and often celebrate it at Czech fests but that is very secondary to my real American heritage.

Oh, yes, on forms that ask for yuur race, I leave it blank or put American.

docdave on April 27, 2007 at 01:01 pm

The Supreme Court is a bunch of black robed tyrants

My family is multi-racial: Native American, Hispanic, Asian, African American and various European stock. My best buddy is my grandson, American (African + German + American).

There is no suich thing as people of color, we are all flesh colored. Yes, different shades, tones and hues, but we are all the same color. There is no such thing as separate races, we are all part of the same race - the Human race.

Over my lifetime intermarriages and international travel have already blurred ethnic divisions quite a bit; and I suspect Rob that should the world continue another century there will be no grossly noticeable diffrences in physical characteristics to separate us. Then, as you so wisely stated, we will have found other reasons to hate various groups of people.

No matter the age or state of health, for a military man it is always glorious to tilt at windmills, rescue a fair Dulcinea and be a gallant knight in armor in a glorious cause.

Well, here’s what I posted in response to Docdave:

Actually the current multiracial thing is a rather new phenomenon. In years past a multiracial person was always expected to pick one and only one group to identify with. This is how we end up with blond haired, blue eyed “black” people. What we see today is the rise of a generation with recent ethnic blending (i.e. their parents come from different groups) refusing to abandon one ethnic identity for another.

The existence of a clearly and unashamedly multiracial subset of Americans is forcing us to rethink how and why we assign racial categories.

I liked Debra Dickerson’s take on the matter. We should be seeking truth in labeling.

I think that humanity is far too attached to dividing the world into “us” and “them” for racial categories to ever truly go away. We’ll just make new ones. That’s how we got the old ones in the first place. A bunch of folk got together (for whatever reasons) called themselves people X and everyone else became outsiders. Having racial categories isn’t always a bad thing. Why you have them and what you do with them can be good or bad.

Tiger Woods at the Interracial Draft, when drafted by the blacks:

“Goodbye Fried Rice, Hello Fried Chicken!”

Best was the blacks trading Condi Rice and Colin Powell to the whites for Eminem.

Ah, Dave Chappelle.

I liked Debra Dickerson’s take on the matter. We should be seeking truth in labeling.

Samatha, it’s labeling that divides us not only into racial groups but in skill and socical groups as well.  Not all of that is bad e.g. private institutions favoring one particular group, but in many csses labeling can be devisive. e.g. public institution segragation.

The Supreme Court is a bunch of black robed tyrants

This is an interesting subject.  I am American Indian, Lebanese (Arab), and Norwegian.  Phenotypically, I do not look like a Norwegian, so while I can claim such ancestry, I would not fit in too well in a Norwegian American festival.  I do, however, maintain a home on the reservation, and blend in well enough with my tribe in looks and appearance.  I also have the luxury of fitting in with the Arabic community (although I do not practice it culturally or religiously) because my name is Arabic in origin.  I DO NOT, however, let my ethnic background determine my life, my lifestyle, or my future.  Those people who want to “play” off their heritage should rethink themselves.