Uncomfortable topics: Let's talk about race

[Phox]

Ah. Every time I think about this "culturally white" I think "how is that a thing?" Seriously. 

[Elder Iptuous]

perhaps it means like Uncle Ruckus from Boondocks?

[LMNO]

I just realized: by your ex's theory, Nelson Mandela is culturally white.



And, just saying, so is Samuel L Jackson.



So, yeah.

[Cain]

I am culturally Naavi.

Also black people = poop is an analogy which never gets old:

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I just realized: by your ex's theory, Nelson Mandela is culturally white.



And, just saying, so is Samuel L Jackson.



So, yeah.

I'm going to have to point this out to him.

Also, Cain, "culturally Naavi" 

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

This might have been covered before, but I'm a forgetfulspag

Is there a not-racist word for "mulatto"? Cause I'm pretty sure that's an awful racist word, but I don't know anything else that communicates the idea clearly, and I don't want to offend anyone by saying things like "mulatto girls are the hottest." And they totally are.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

This might have been covered before, but I'm a forgetfulspag

Is there a not-racist word for "mulatto"? Cause I'm pretty sure that's an awful racist word, but I don't know anything else that communicates the idea clearly, and I don't want to offend anyone by saying things like "mulatto girls are the hottest." And they totally are.

"Mixed".

It actually describes any admixture, whereas "Mulatto" is specifically half-black, half-white. It goes:

1/2 black = Mulatto
1/4 black = Quadroon
1/8 black = Octoroon or High Yellow
1/16 black = Hexideciroon, "A Little Dirty" or "Russell"

[East Coast Hustle]

"mixed-race" or "multi-ethnic" sound a little overly PC but they both get the job done.

And yeah, they totally are.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

"Mixed race" could just as easily apply to "half-asian," though.

Although half-asian chicks are pretty hot, too...

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

"Mixed race" could just as easily apply to "half-asian," though.

Although half-asian chicks are pretty hot, too...

Is there some kind of problem with "half-black"?

For that matter, how often do you find yourself making blanket statements about the sexual desirability of various races? Because, honestly, I'm thinking that if this is a linguistic need you frequently find yourself struggling with, there may be other issues you need to address.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

"Mixed race" could just as easily apply to "half-asian," though.

Although half-asian chicks are pretty hot, too...

Is there some kind of problem with "half-black"?

For that matter, how often do you find yourself making blanket statements about the sexual desirability of various races? Because, honestly, I'm thinking that if this is a linguistic need you frequently find yourself struggling with, there may be other issues you need to address.

I don't see how it's too much different from "I like blonde chicks" or "native american girls have sexy cheek bones" or "arab women have the most beautiful fucking hair ever" or "asian women remind me too much of creepy porn." Physical attraction is based on physical characteristics, and race is one way of grouping together people with similar physical traits.

And you're right, half-black is a perfectly acceptable term. I guess the hyphen just makes it feel a little clumsy.

[Cain]

Well, it becomes an issue when racial requirements figure into your dating plans, like, in the words of one of our more notorious posters, "I wouldn't date anyone less than 15/16th's white".  Mercifully, the question of how they would figure out the borderline cases was not brought up, due to a bunch of whole other racist comments concerning rape and Black History Month and so on.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

"Mixed race" could just as easily apply to "half-asian," though.

Although half-asian chicks are pretty hot, too...

Is there some kind of problem with "half-black"?

For that matter, how often do you find yourself making blanket statements about the sexual desirability of various races? Because, honestly, I'm thinking that if this is a linguistic need you frequently find yourself struggling with, there may be other issues you need to address.

I don't see how it's too much different from "I like blonde chicks" or "native american girls have sexy cheek bones" or "arab women have the most beautiful fucking hair ever" or "asian women remind me too much of creepy porn." Physical attraction is based on physical characteristics, and race is one way of grouping together people with similar physical traits.

And you're right, half-black is a perfectly acceptable term. I guess the hyphen just makes it feel a little clumsy.

It's not different from the middle two of those statements; they are also blanket statements about the sexual desirability of various races. Which brings me back to the question, do you often find yourself making blanket statements about the sexual desirability of various races? If so, why? I'm just confused by why that would be a common conversation.

Mind you, your genitals are not bound by the typical rules of social good behavior; there is no affirmative action in sexual attraction. But it is a little weird to say things like "Asian women remind me too much of creepy porn" because you are categorically dismissing all Asian women, rather than being open to meeting and relating to them as individuals.

Also, newsflash; almost nobody likes it when you tell them that they're attractive because of their race. Nobody. You can say "you have beautiful hair!" and it's a compliment, but it feels weird and creepy when someone says "mixed-race girls have the most beautiful hair!". Do we? All of us? Oh, that's nice. We're interchangeable.

Racial generalizations can be useful in certain contexts. In a medical context, for example, you can say that black women are at higher risk for heart disease, and that's valid. In a social setting, however, saying shit like "Native American girls have beautiful cheekbones" just makes you that one creepy-ass white guy.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

In my head, there is a major disconnect between "this huge swath of humanity doesn't do much for me visually" and "I would never consider getting to know someone from this huge swath of humanity."

And no, this is not a conversation that comes up basically ever, I just figured this was an acceptable place to ask the question since it's not something you bring up in polite company.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I understand wondering whether there is a socially acceptable word for mixed-race people. I was just curious about the example you gave.

It might be helpful to keep in mind that in general, there are very few occasions when the exact percentage of someone's ancestry is relevant. In almost all cases where it is relevant, it is for directly racist reasons. For example, the reason there are specific words for the percentage of African descent in a person's lineage is because they were words used on the auction block. Light-skinned black mixes, usually the offspring of a slave owner and his slaves, were especially desirable for house servants and sex partners, and fetched the highest prices. It was said that a high-yellow such as myself made the best "mistresses".

If you're not buying or selling people based on their breed, for the most part there's no need for a special name for it.