# Should white people be offended when a person of mixed race calls themselves .......? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 12, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276 "2005-12-12T17:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/61 "2005-12-15T21:00:51Z")
Oh, and as far as Halle Berry tells it, her white mom had her look in a mirror and tell her what she saw. She saw a black woman, and her mom said that’s what the rest of the world will see, so that’s what she goes with. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/62 "2005-12-18T04:52:17Z")
I’m half human. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/63 "2005-12-18T04:55:16Z")
Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/64 "2005-12-18T05:31:25Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Cite? You too? ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/65 "2005-12-18T19:03:13Z")
People should be able to call themselves whatever they want. I guess I was a little curious when Halle Berry called herself African-American despite the fact that her white Mother (who raised her) was in the audience. That struck me as disrespectful but then I don’t know her family situation. I think Tiger Woods has it right. ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/66 "2005-12-18T19:27:30Z")
Back to the OP’s theme…no, I don’t think white people should be offended if someone who is of mixed race calls themselves somthing other than white. The same should hold true for others if someone of mixed race calls themselves white. For example, Mariah Carey can call herself black but if she were to call herself white she’d be considered to be “selling out” or denying her black heritage. That strikes me as hypocrtical as no-one would say that Halle Berry is denying her white heritage by calling herself black. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/67 "2005-12-18T19:51:26Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Back to the OP’s theme…no, I don’t think white people should be offended if someone who is of mixed race calls themselves somthing other than white. The same should hold true for others if someone of mixed race calls themselves white. For example, Mariah Carey can call herself black but if she were to call herself white she’d be considered to be “selling out” or denying her black heritage. That strikes me as hypocrtical as no-one would say that Halle Berry is denying her white heritage by calling herself black. I would think Mariah could call herself white, isn’t she 3/4 white? I have noticed she doesn’t usually call herself anything, except occasionally I have heard her say mixed. I could be wrong about the 3/4 parts but that is what I have heard, and I have never heard her call herself white or black. I have heard Halle call herself African American. If she chooses to call herself said, it is only fair that anyone or I respect her personnel decision. I always like to answer the race question as Human or Other as opposed to white or Caucasian. If they take the question down to nationality, I will answer mixed or Italian. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/68 "2005-12-18T20:12:45Z")
I agree that people should call themselves whatever they want. I just think there is a sense (or a pressure) that if you are half-white and half-an other, that you should identify with the ‘other’. ---
**Author:** ![lalaith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@lalaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalaith)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/69 "2005-12-20T04:10:14Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > Why doesn’t it seem like the caucasion in that person ever gets equal billing? Because it gets star billing every day. If I didn’t remind people I’m Japanese no one would ever remember. Just the other week I was having lunch with a woman I’d known for years. She went into this elaborate description of how sushi was made. I finally had to cut her off by pointing out that she was telling a Japanese woman how to make sushi. What I really felt like doing was reciprocating the discussion by instructing her on the difference between leavened and non-leavened bread. After all, she’s a practicing Jew, what would she know about that topic? The irony is that I’m more Japanese than anything else (50%) and that my facial features strongly resemble my Japanese mother. But my mother (full blooded Japanese from Tokyo) did not have epicanthic folds to her eyelids, so I do not. And epicanthic folds seems to be **the** distinguishing characteristic expected for the Japanese – though many do not have it. So with me you have an epicanthic foldless face sitting on top of a very German- Irish body and covered with pale skin (my mother’s natural skin tone was also pale) topped off with a head of hair that looks Italian or Hispanic and the assumption that most people make is that I am white. As I am not forgetting my heritage and I don’t want other people to forget it, I will frequently proclaim my “Japaneseness” though I really prefer to call myself Amerasian, not just because I am, but because I like the sound of it. So much prettier than Asian-American. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/70 "2005-12-20T17:23:44Z")
Looking over your past posts, I can’t understand why the hell you are not yet a member, **lalaith**. :dubious: I loved your comment about jellyfish. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/71 "2005-12-20T18:02:10Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > I admit I think of Tiger as the barrier breaking ½ Black & ½ Asian. He’s not half black. His father is half black, 1/4 native American, 1/4 white. Woods is [cablinasian](http://www.salon.com/april97/tiger970430.html). ---
**Author:** ![lalaith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@lalaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalaith)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/72 "2005-12-20T18:04:43Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > Looking over your past posts, I can’t understand why the hell you are not yet a member, **lalaith**. :dubious: Because I’m cheap. I just discovered The Straight Dope and this message board 3 months ago. I lurked occasionally debating if it was worth doing a paid membership. Since I kept coming back here I decided it must be worth it. But because I’m cheap, I’ll become a member when my free 30 days are up. That’s in 28 days. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/73 "2005-12-20T18:33:05Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > He’s not half black. His father is half black, 1/4 native American, 1/4 white. Woods is [cablinasian](http://www.salon.com/april97/tiger970430.html). Excellent, as I said in another post, People should call themselves what they want. I like the idea of Human. I don’t make a habit out of studying people’s racial background; I just knew that Tiger had made a point about his Mom being Asian. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/74 "2005-12-20T18:36:14Z")
Ah, so you don’t wanna havata’ pay for a year, when you can get a year and thirty day. Gotcha. 😉 Wewll, it’s been enjoyable reading your posts. Glad to see you’ll be sticking around. ---
**Author:** ![sjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e5b9ba/32.png) [@sjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjc)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/75 "2005-12-20T21:34:50Z")
I’m glad the “Italian’s like blondes” thing more or less died down, but it got me thinking about it so I went off to do a bit of informal research. My maternal grandfather is Italian (from Sicily), but I grew up outside of any real Italian-American community. I imagine my mother passed along some Italian-American cultural things, but her father wanted his children to be American and married an American (northern European descent). So I can’t speak very much from personal experience. What I _did_ do is go to the Miss Italia website and click on the thunbnails of all the contestants who looked blonde. I checked with the description below to see what they were idetified as and kept track of those that said “capelli biondi”. Out of 100 contestants, about 19 were blonde. I may have missed a few that were hard to tell from their thumbnails (they are very small!), but I think my count is about right. Many, if not all of the contestants were dyed blonde, as evidenced by their dark hair roots. Clearly the Italian beauty standard allows 81% of the Miss Italia contestants to not be blonde, but 19% isn’t such a small number considering the incidence of blond hair in the general population (not just in Italy, but in most countries outside of Scandinavia\* I believe). I’d also point out that I read somewhere that Roman prostitutes dyed their hair blond, so blondness was a sign of attractiveness. \*an interesting piece of information I came across (on Wikipedia) was that Sweden has the highest percentage of males and females bleaching their hair. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/76 "2005-12-20T21:36:55Z")
**sjc** Sure pick at an old scab. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/77 "2005-12-20T22:38:02Z")
Quick question for LaLaith. Is it reasonable to assume that every Japanese person knows how sushi is made (beyond the basic concept)? I’m from Ireland and I really don’t know to make an Irish stew or even soda bread. I don’t think it follows that just because you are from a certain country that you are instantly an expert in the local dish (other than eating it of course). ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/78 "2005-12-21T01:23:46Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Quick question for LaLaith. Is it reasonable to assume that every Japanese person knows how sushi is made (beyond the basic concept)? I’m from Ireland and I really don’t know to make an Irish stew or even soda bread. I don’t think it follows that just because you are from a certain country that you are instantly an expert in the local dish (other than eating it of course). I think the polite thing would be to ask before “lecturing” someone on the native cuisine of their country/culture. ---
**Author:** ![lalaith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@lalaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalaith)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/79 "2005-12-21T01:31:30Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > Quick question for LaLaith. Is it reasonable to assume that every Japanese person knows how sushi is made (beyond the basic concept)? I’m from Ireland and I really don’t know to make an Irish stew or even soda bread. I don’t think it follows that just because you are from a certain country that you are instantly an expert in the local dish (other than eating it of course). I think it’s fairly reasonable to **ask** the person first before going into what amounted to a full scale lecture on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![lalaith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@lalaith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lalaith)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276/80 "2005-12-21T01:34:41Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I think the polite thing would be to ask before “lecturing” someone on the native cuisine of their country/culture. Oh my gosh. LOL The response we used to have when this happened when I was a kid was to say, “Jinx, you owe me a coke.” 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-white-people-be-offended-when-a-person-of-mixed-race-calls-themselves/335276.md?page=5)