Black Face, Brown Face, Red Face, Blue Face

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

On Johnny Depp: we're working with a group of Navajo who've had their shit fucked up from irresponsible Uranium mining on their land, Depp has ponied up for them and I know throwing money at causes doesn't make everything okay, but they've given us the impression that he's not so much a "Cherohonkey" as it was put earlier in the thread. That said, major concerns about how the character is written.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

People dont see race only if its one white person talking to another white person.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Why do you say that Zoe Saldana is not black, or imply she isn't?  She looks black, and not just her skin tone. Wikipedia suggests that her dad is Dominican.

This is just something that is bugging me, and nobody has to get hostile with the response, because I am well aware I'm derpy as hell in this subject.

Thought she was spanish. The wiki page says she claims pride in being Latina.

Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race, so there are lots of Black Hispanics.

[GrannySmith]

I have no moral judgement on the issue, to paraphrase Bebek Sincap Ratatosk, I don't see race, i just see genes going around in a circle 

Easy for you to say, paleface.

i'm just going to say the obvious about how do you make assumptions about my skin colour. Unless paleface has some sort of an uknown to me cultural meaning I also refer you to my previous answer and to:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1893020/

I see race. I see weight, I see hair colour, height, clothes, uniform. If I had to describe someone who was black, I'd say he was a black guy. I ain't going to fuck about with african-scotsman or person of colour or whatever euphemistical bullshit I'm supposed to. By the same token I aint going to decide that, just since the dude is chinese or an albino or a midget that he's ... something other than that colour or height.

Is skin colour what makes a person of a certain race? That's an interesting definition   
I would use skin colour, weight, hairstyle, etc also to describe a person. But i think black could be nigerian or north american or indian, etc, yellow could be chinese, latin american, north american, etc, white could be new zealander, swedish, italian, etc. So the skin colour alone doesn't say much to me. Unless you're green. Then you're martian scum 

People dont see race only if its one white person talking to another white person.

all generalisations are wrong 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yes, skin color and ancestral geographic origin are the only things that defines race.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I have more to say on the acting topic but I have to go to work now. BACK LATER YOU SPAGS.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I have no moral judgement on the issue, to paraphrase Bebek Sincap Ratatosk, I don't see race, i just see genes going around in a circle 

Easy for you to say, paleface.

i'm just going to say the obvious about how do you make assumptions about my skin colour. Unless paleface has some sort of an uknown to me cultural meaning I also refer you to my previous answer and to:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1893020/

I see race. I see weight, I see hair colour, height, clothes, uniform. If I had to describe someone who was black, I'd say he was a black guy. I ain't going to fuck about with african-scotsman or person of colour or whatever euphemistical bullshit I'm supposed to. By the same token I aint going to decide that, just since the dude is chinese or an albino or a midget that he's ... something other than that colour or height.

Is skin colour what makes a person of a certain race? That's an interesting definition   
I would use skin colour, weight, hairstyle, etc also to describe a person. But i think black could be nigerian or north american or indian, etc, yellow could be chinese, latin american, north american, etc, white could be new zealander, swedish, italian, etc. So the skin colour alone doesn't say much to me. Unless you're green. Then you're martian scum 

People dont see race only if its one white person talking to another white person.

all generalisations are wrong 

Depends on what youre generalizing. People have an inherent tendency to recognize obvious differences between themselves and others. In western societies white is considered the default skin color. You only have to turn on your tv to notice this. Unless youre white at which point you wont notice until its pointed out to you.

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

On Johnny Depp: we're working with a group of Navajo who've had their shit fucked up from irresponsible Uranium mining on their land, Depp has ponied up for them and I know throwing money at causes doesn't make everything okay, but they've given us the impression that he's not so much a "Cherohonkey" as it was put earlier in the thread. That said, major concerns about how the character is written.

It's great that he did that, but we don't know the motivation. Worst case scenario, advance damage control re: the Tonto thing.

And I haven't seen the movie, maybe it totally skewers the whole Lone Ranger thing. Tonto was a fink who was totally up the Lone Ranger's ass and didn't give a flying fuck at a donut hole about his people, right? That NEEDS to be mocked. There's a slim, slim, SLIM chance this thing could redeem itself. Maybe.

And I thought Granny Smith had to be joking, too. But a quick skim read looks like a digging in of heels.  Going to re-read.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

As far as the acting thing goes its not like the actress playing uhura is putting on facepaint for the role. For native americans a lot of them also have european ancestry so what percentage of background is acceptable? What about antonio banderas playing an arab?

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

As far as the acting thing goes its not like the actress playing uhura is putting on facepaint for the role. For native americans a lot of them also have european ancestry so what percentage of background is acceptable? What about antonio banderas playing an arab?

The 13th Warrior was an exercise in suck, anyway. 

I'd stay away from the blood quantum thing, for the most part. The thing with Depp is, as a casual observer I've never seen him particularly involved with Native things on any level, and now that he's playing Tonto he's got "ancestry".

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Well if its level of involvement what about someone who is exactly half navajo but has never been involved in navajo activities? What about the guy who played chakotay? If i recall hes mexican american.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

Robert beltran i think his name is

[Anna Mae Bollocks]

Well if its level of involvement what about someone who is exactly half navajo but has never been involved in navajo activities? What about the guy who played chakotay? If i recall hes mexican american.

I don't have the answers, Twid, just my opinion and the lines are blurred and inconsistent. (Look at the blood quantum laws as opposed to the "one drop" law they used to have for Black people  )

Personally, I'd have to take into account whether he was uninvolved because he didn't even LIKE Navajo culture, or if he was a paper genocide baby raised outside the culture.

Chakotay guy, IDK. Need to look into this.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

No worries. Im merely posing questions for consideration. I dont know much of anything about native issues. Ive only known one native american and i didnt know he was one until he told me. I figured he was latino or something.

[Cain]

Robert Beltram's parents were Mexican-Americans, though with some indigenous ancestery somewhere.  He considers his ethnic background to be Latindio.

Johnny Depp's an interesting case, as he has in fact been adopted by the Comanche tribe, and while Indian culture is tribal, my understanding is that doesn't extend to ethnic background.  While some Comanche have considered his honorary membership to be brown-nosing (not unfairly, I might add), he is effectively part of the tribe regardless.