I would respond to that by referring the answer to Tommy Steele (start at 2.17), and specifically the phrase “Being an American is adding something, it isn’t subtracting”. America is a country of immigrants - just because someone came from somewhere else and retains their accent and aspects of their home country’s culture doesn’t mean that they aren’t also American. That is entirely the point of the rather cheesy Disney clip linked to.
I’d argue that Ferguson is more Scottish than Pacino is Italian. Ferguson was born in Scotland and moved to America when he was 21. Pacino’s ancestors were from Italy but Pacino was born in the United States.
Where I live in Alaska, many tribal members belong to clans, and because the clan line goes on only from the mothers side of the family, some of the clan members are white.
For example, The mom married white, children from this union are still clan, grandma married white, children from this union are still clan…
Also, for this tribe, clans are almost as important as tribe.
My SO is part of the tribe, so I end up at tribal events.
I find it confusing when people, I perceive to be white are so fully a part of clan and tribe.
I imagine that they do not suffer from racism.
Do these white native only self identify? As they are fully accepted by clan and tribe.
Am I being racist in my perceiving them to be white?
The tribal members have certificates of Indian blood to enroll for BIA purposes. And I imagine some of the white people have a degree of blood.
But as far as the tribe and clan defining themselves racially, I am not really sure.
Well, almost. You can’t actually interbreed with humans, after all. But I believe there’s an ancient Ashkenazi technique for getting some foreign DNA inside the eggshell.
I understand what you are saying, but delineating the lines of membership to victimization is kind of a stretch. Presumably, there is more to being in a clan/tribe than experience with racism. There’s the culture and history and all that jazz.
If someone were to say that I’m not really black because I can’t possibly have had the same experience with racism as someone who’s darker-skinned, I’d be pissed. Being black isn’t one particular experience–but it is especially not something that’s inherently tied to racism and tales of woe.
That said, one reason why racism sucks is because it isn’t easy to “pass” under the radar when you find yourself around certain people. Most people can’t distinguish a random Jewish person from a gentile. But an anti-Semitic person will pick up on any clue and go to town with it. Last name ends in -stein? Ooh, you’re one of them, aincha? A person in a clan may be able to pass just fine 99% of the time. But as soon as a racist finds out about their roots, the white sheet comes out. Racism is irrational like that.
I am not in disagreement here.
My family are all born and raised in U.S. We are Mexican American.
I have heard a light skinned family member get angry for being mistaken as a white, and another light skinned family member hear the same type of -I thought you were white- comment, and decide it was a compliment.
Then, I compare this with the very dark skinned family members, that have been racially profiled, threatened with deportation, accosted for a green card (they are citizens), heard every racial slur imaginable…even though all of our family members have similar culture, history, language, “and all that jazz”, it seems that some of us attract more racist attention.
Being Mexican American is not just one particular experience either, but IMO, the darker family members suffer from more racism.
Also, I’m not sure how representative these views are but it seems hispanic immigrants have less favorable views towards african-americans than whites do:
