I actually asked a similar question in a GD Thread a few days ago based on an article I saw suggesting that Obama’s Presidential run might be a difficult to sell to blacks (or at least to some of the old-line civil rights establishment).
Daps to all of my Negro brothas and sistas up in here.
“Light, bright, damn near white.” Black mom & white dad.
I was raised by the maternal side of my family (never known father, and no real desire too meet him) and have never felt mixed unless somebody was making some reference to my skin color. Did you grow up with both cultures?
Of course, the Onion comes to the rescue…
Were you Worf or La Forge?
Ben Nye says that my skin color is “cafe au lait”. So yep, that’s me.
Hey, in that case, you will not be enormously far from Blackie Street, should you ever need a change of place, 
(not that I can recall anything of interest there except a very good violin repair shop).
btw if you you add in a lot of postgrad students from various African countries, plus quite a number of unfortunate asylum seekers, there are more than your approximated 100 black people around, in my bit of the city anyway, but I’m of the white though not enough to give out light colour. Wouldn’t that be a nifty trick, though, to give out light? Plus very handy for possible power cuts.
Dunno about your place, but I had a Nigerian friend who went to visit London, went out in Brixton etc and met something of the same sort of attitude from the London (often ex-Caribbean) black people he met. He was pretty much flummoxed by that, I think. I don’t know if that is widespread of it was just his bad luck.
[hijack]
I know you’ve lived in the US, so I find it strange that you can’t understand that in an immigrant culture, it’s generally accepted that one’s ancestry can have an effect on one’s personality. If I say that I’m an Irish-American (which I am, half, anway), I’m not saying that I’m Irish, I’m using a shorthand description of my family’s background.
IME, Americans have a different conception of what “nationality” means from most Europeans, at least. Here in BG, there are Bulgarians, Turks, and Roma. It is very strange to me that my Turkish students - who were born in Bulgaria and are Bulgarian citizens - call themselves Turkish (in Bulgarian!). To my mind, they would be better described at Turkish-Bulgarians, because it takes into account that they have a different cultural background than the majority population, but makes it clear that they are Bulgarian citizens. That’s just an example. IMO, it’s possible that we’ll start to see more of these hyphenations in Europe with increased immigration. Or maybe it’s so foreign to European ideas of nationality that it won’t happen. But either way, is it not so hard to see that in a country where virtually everyone is an immigrant or the descendent of immigrants, that it’s sometimes useful to define where your ancestors are from?
[/hijack]
Sorry about that.
Um…not black. These “why does it matter!!!” comments kind of make me roll my eyes. Yes, we all know it’s wrong to judge on the color of someone’s skin, but when we’re talking about racial issues, it can important to know where someone’s coming from. If I start a “Who’s a Jew?” thread, will you come in and tell me that it doesn’t matter, you love us freaky Jews just the way we are? Geez.
Maybe my estimate is a little on the low side, I can’t claim I’ve done the necessary research, really!
It’s just really noticable for me when I go to other big cities to visit friends. I’m originally from a town near Bristol, and when I go back or to Birmingham or London, I realise the level of ethnic diversity that there isn’t in my part of Glasgow.
I know Blackie Street, or know roughly where it is. Is it around the back of the Goat? I went to a party there recently, and I used to live at the bottom of Kelvinhaugh Street.
Hah! I’m a nerd, work indoors and I’m Norwegian! I hardly believe it possible to be whiter.
(Though, actually, I went out, once. In 1960 . . . for twen–*choking noises’)
I was Worf before Worf was cool. I had a friend make me a Classic Klingon outfit back in the early '80s and wore it to conventions in Atlanta. I still wear the goatee I grew for the role.
It’s turned pretty white, though.
I think it was the “Fess up” part of the thread title that got people’s back up. Makes it sound as if I’m accusing people of something bad.
[QUOTE=Biggirl]
I think it was the “Fess up” part of the thread title that got people’s back up. QUOTE]
I think all the black people read you just fine, though.
I think all the black people read you just fine, though.
I don’t think it’s possible to be any whiter than I am, except that my last name is Gonzales.
No, I’m not Spanish. Nor am I Hispanic in any way, shape, or form. It’s a very, very long story. But the point is, I there is not a trace of anything from the Ethinic Foods section of the grocery store in me. I am white white WHITE. I can’t even tan. It’s awsome. If it weren’t from my straight-outta-Compton ghetto booty (which the Hispanics out here LOVE), I’d be the whitest bitch on the planet. I can’t jump, I can’t dance, and I can’t belt out soul. I am not jive with the funk.
Basically, Africa is the ONE continent my ancestry does not represent (except, perhaps, Antarctica - but I cannot confirm that because some of my ancestors had some weird predelictions. I may be part Penguin).
~Tasha
Ah, but penguins actually are half black.
Speaking of the thread title, it keeps putting Weird Al’s parody of Michael Jackson’s “Bad” in my head.
White guy checking in. Slight hijack: My fiancee is Native American…a mix of Cherokee, Seminole and Sac & Fox…other than her beautiful “Native” eyes and high cheekbones she’s whiter than me.
We’re gonna need to see some evidence for that claim.