Fishsticks Your card has officially been revoked...

I’m half white, half black, best of both worlds:)

I think it’s more like the worst of both races.

I checked at the synagogue he’s not on the roster here . No Jewish card either.

I checked at the CVS. He's sitting on the shelf in a box with a Massengill label.

Worse of both races:

Ah yes, where what you have below the belt is a small penis and empty pockets...

LMAO

I only claim black when it’s convenient for me. If I’m applying for a job I put down white as my race. If I’m at a hood party in south central LA, I claim black. Lol.

Fishsticks

I'm gonna start referring to you as LarrySP-EP

Haha..I'm gonna laff every time :)

No no... Larry Lil'DEP

No no... Maybe just LDEP

No no... BALD nigga (Broke Ass Lil Dick)

Hahaha... I'm gonna laff every time :)

I'll just say...unheard of for someone to be mixed, black and white, and have the nerve to say I claim black or white when it's convenient. It's obvious your black is in question for that simple statement. I know white people who are more black than someone like you who actually has part that ethnicity.

Ch3II obviously couldn’t tell I was joking.

^^^ Most here are above third grade humor.

ROTHLMFAO

SJG

I will admit that his joke went over my head. It sounded genuine until he noticed he got called out.

OMG I just looked at this thread logged out even SJG is laughing at you fishsticks, that’s pathetic.

Maybe Fish Sticks should apply to be a NAACP chapter President! I’ve heard they aren’t too choosy about who they hire....

Idc about the joke. I don't think society should judge what a mixed person identifies with. Mixed people can identify as white and black separately, or both together. Whenever they feel like it. They were born as both black and white.

One term I do identify with is "mulatto." It is not derogatory to me, but is to some other mixed people. It literally means, "black and white."

@NinaBambina,

I thought it was Spanish for "mule." If so, it is kind of a *little* derogatory if you think about it, no? But I'm sure most people who use that term don't intend to offend. Just like the word "oriental." I'm sure all those old white people who use that term aren't secret Klansmen

@nina - mixed guy here. I'm sure you could get in a debate with burlington here that it's not based on "mule" but instead has arabic origins meaning exactly what you said. Both sides have strong arguments there, so it's a wash. The N word also has a more seemingly reasonable etymology, so let's not let the potential arabic based meaning blind us there. That said, while it's accepted in the the Americas outside of the US, in the US itself, it's considered deragatory and has been used as such in it's history here.

I personally do take offense to it given its historical use in the states and treatment of half black/white people, which in some cases was worse than the horrid treatment of blacks. To me, it's on par with someone calling me the N word. You're welcome to your own decisions of course, but I implore to reconsider your acceptance of the M word.

Mulatto isn't nearly as derogatory as the N word. That's a fact.

If you're offended by mulatto, I won't call you it. Simple. But I know plenty of mixed people who call themselves mulattos. I also know some who are offended by it. The N word is offensive in every way.

When I visited the Caribbean, in place like Dominica, for example, one of our trolly drivers (a very dark skinned man) got into a conversation with my mom, and casually called her a mulatto. She confused and said, "I'm not a mulatto, my daughters are mulatto." He said, "No. HERE, your daughters white, YOU are mulatto." He wasn't saying it offensively, and she didn't take it offensively. She took it as learning something new.

If I tell someone I'm mixed, that could be mean mixed with anything. People always think I'm Italian, Middle Eastern, Latina, etc. If I say mixed, then I have to explain what I'm mixed with. My dad is white and mostly Ukrainian. My mom is mostly black, but not dark skinned and mixed with a few other things. So when people ask what I am and I want to tell them in the simplest terms, I say mulatto, because that's exactly what I am. And I am proud to call myself that. It's not as offensive as someone being called a n*gger, especially since mixed people are treated generally a step above black Americans, although most mixed people have been called n*ggers, too.

Nina, I respect that you're intelligent, and often know your stuff. But the reality is you don't know everything, and this is one topic I can sense your passionate about (in a take back the word type of way), but are not as educated on as you think. As I said before, I know it is accepted in central and southern america, but the countries there are not the United States, and that word does have a negative connotation here despite what they do there. It was and is often used the same exact way as the N word and it is as negatively powerful as it when someone uses it purposely in that manner. The difference I will concede to is that more people ignorantly use it without understanding the negative connotation of it. Ignorance of how negatively the origins of the violent past of the word was used doesn't excuse making it acceptable for common use.

Additionally, you think that mixed race individuals were treated better than their fully black peers, you have a little bit of reading up to. In many cases they were treated worse, because not only were they treated as if they were black (ever hear of the "one drop" rule?), but the also had to deal with jealously and personal hatred from their white family (and sometimes from their black family as well).

Word like mualatto, quadroon, octoon, half-breed are all about apart of that hatred directed towards individuals with mixed black heritage. Again, you are welcome to make your own decisions, I just simply ask you to do a little more research on the decision you are making from the United States point of view. Your decision from there is none of my business as long as you at the very understand it's your choice for you alone, and that you don't refer to other biracials as thar word unless the approve of it first.

"Additionally, you think that mixed race individuals were treated better than their fully black peers, you have a little bit of reading up to. In many cases they were treated worse, because not only were they treated as if they were black (ever hear of the "one drop" rule?), but the also had to deal with jealously and personal hatred from their white family (and sometimes from their black family as well)."

I didn't say "were," I said "are," and I am talking about socioeconomically. Mixed people generally don't have it worse than people who are obviously black. First, many mixed people can be "white-passing," or at least pass for "non-black," and not have to face as much scrutiny as blacks. Second, colorism exists both in regular society and in the black community. Mixed people (black/white) tend to generally have lighter skin and thus are treated better. Mixed people were not treated worse than blacks, that's insane. If we were in the slavery days, I probably would've never even touched the cotton field; I'd be sleeping in the house. Let's be real, here. Sure, dealing with jealousy sucks, but it's not really something to cry over on any large scale. Being mixed has difficulties, but I can at least admit that as a lighter-skinned person, I have certain privileges that my black friends and family do not have.

And I was explaining mulatto to you and how it is casually used and not derogatory in other places (not just Latin America, either). Everything is not based on North America, so it IS important to know that mulatto since a term of reference in the Caribbean, South America, even Spain. "N*gger," however, is still not accepted in any of those places thus to assert those two words have the same level of offensive context is absurd.

It is also a regional and cultural word. My friend went to an art school that attracted kids from all over the country and all over the world. One American mixed kid called another a mulatto, and the other mixed kid got mad. This led to a discussion between the two mixed kids about how one of them thinks it's socially acceptable and the other did not.

Like I already told you, I'm not going to called you a mulatto, because you are offended on the other hand.

Myself? I get asked my ethnicity all the time. I'm not going think of you and start saying, "well my dad is mostly Ukrainian, my mom is mostly black of the northeast Africa region and maybe a few other African regions, I believe a little Indian as well, probably a little British mixed in and possibly a little Irish, too." No, I'm going to say I'm mulatto. If someone is that interested, I'll go into depth, but since it's something I literally get asked every time I work and I don't feel like explaining it over and over, I will use mulatto if I please, because that's what I am. Sorry.

I will end my side of the debate by saying I find it interesting that someone who likes to present themselves as educated refuses to even submit to saying they'll research it further. I'm not saying to give any ground to me, but I am saying if you ever want to grow from being smart to being wise, you must never turn down an opportunity to learn more or at least see what the other side says. At least take that as a lesson, no matter how much ever fiber of your being is telling you to fight that notion.

Anyways, as just an observation, it is quite funny how this word is truly the most divisive, non-unanimous slur (or not, depending on your view) that we have in the U.S. Some mixed people vehemently defend it's use, while other mixed people passionately protest it.

Non-mixed people standing on the sideline watching the debate are just wondering what the holy fuck is going on and leave not knowing what to do. My advice to them is to go the route with the least possibilty of getting your teeth knocked.

"I will end my side of the debate by saying I find it interesting that someone who likes to present themselves as educated refuses to even submit to saying they'll research it further."

That's not really something you want to have said, because not only have I researched racial societal issues on an individual level (since it pertains to me), I've researched it from an academic point, gotten different viewpoints by traveling outside the US, and have lived my entire life as a mixed person. So please, check yourself on that statement. Furthermore, I'm pretty sure you just admitted that some mixed people have no problem with it while others do, which is exactly what I just said, so I'm baffled as to why I need to do research now when this is a topic I've researched for over a decade now.

I won't call you a mulatto because you are offended by it. I myself am not, so I'll call myself a mulatto all day long. I like the name.

As a side note, but related... let's be clear that there is a big difference between "nigga" and "n*gger," the latter being historically and currently offensive. Then black people took the word and used it, and started calling each other "nigga" as a "term of endearment," so being called a n*gger didn't make them feel so powerless. As a much smaller scale example, let's say a man starts going bald. He then starts calling himself "baldy" and "cue ball" to take away the power of people who use it against him so that it's no longer as hurtful.

I am a mulatto. I really don't care if someone disagrees with me calling myself something that I am and that I'm proud to be. You can be offended by the term, you have every right. That's why I said I wouldn't call you that. I have mixed friends who call themselves mulatto. Me, my sister, and one of our mixed friends used to call each other the Mulatto Triplets.

You keep repeating yourself without adding much of anything new like you have something to prove to me. I already have my opinion made on this and you on this topic, and you have yours I'm sure. We're done here, relax.

Well, I was correcting you.

And I was sleeping when you typed that, so I was indeed a pretty relaxed mulatto.

Why are you trying to convince Nina that she should be offended. More power to her if she isn't. Why does it even matter to you how she interprets it?

Here's how I address this issue when it (rarely) comes up:

ME: What's your background?

PERSON: Mulatto.

ME: Can *I* refer to you as that?

I get different answers. Possibly because I'm as white as whitey can white, the needle leans towards me not using that word. One guy replied, "You can call me 'Mike'."

Point being, simply asking that question avoids potential awkwardness.

^I agree. If you are not biracial, and know someone is biracial or multiracial, it is nice to ask what they prefer to be called because a lot of mixed folks have had to deal with identity issues growing up.

Flag - a21985 doesn't want to be called that, and I respect that so I won't call him that. But I agree.

I also think it's sad that some people (especially mixed people) have been brainwashed into thinking mulatto means "mule," which is exactly what the racist white people in slavery days wanted them to think. Mulatto was an acceptable word for mixed people, its origins predate American slavery by hundreds of years. But racists during slavery here got mad that some "mulatto" people had more land than them, or made more money, so they made up that mulatto means "mule," and consequently *some* (not all) mixed people ate that shit right out of their hands and stopped identifying as such.

@ish - I think that's the fair approach. Like I said before, go the route with the least potential to end up with getting your teeth kicked in. That's good advice for most things in life.

@flag - some mixed race individuals don't truly understand the painful use of this word in the US, or try to justify it by it going by what they do in the Carribean or what the original mean of the word was prior to slavery. Believe me, as Nina will tell you, the debate over this word is not a rare one amongst us mixed folks, unless you are of mixed black heritage, it's a foreign debate. Similar conversations take place when it comes to whether use of the N word with the a rather than er is acceptable. I don't really expect you to understand.

@nina - It's Moorish origins are pretty cut and dry, so I'm not debating it's etymology, but stateside it began being used as a slur somewhere down the line like you just said, and since ignorance of that runs rampant, many of us have condemned it's use regardless of what other countries do. If per one of your last responses earlier, your use of it is in a take back the word type of manner, I can respect that 1000% more than just using it because of it's original intended use outside the US.

very interesting thread, potato, putato, tomato, tumato.

the only thing i gained from reading all the comments is that nina will accept her role as a concubine,
"If we were in the slavery days, I probably would've never even touched the cotton field; I'd be sleeping in the house. Let's be real, here."

"know your role and shut your mouth" - The Rock

"...the only thing i gained from reading all the comments is that nina will accept her role as a concubine..."

If that's the only thing you gained from reading this thread, then you don't read.

And saying I "will" accept my role, as in present tense? I didn't know legalized chattel slavery in the US was still occuring. And if it were, (past tense), I wouldn't have "accepted" that role. That role would have been given to me via hereditary inheritance. I wouldn't have had a choice. But it would have been better than picking cotton from dawn till dusk and freezing my ass off at night while trying to muscle up some scraps to feed my family with. Again, privilege. I admit I have some.

And saltynutz is a good name for you here. You're very salty. Your nuts are probably no different.

i clearly dont see any PRIVILEGE in a slave that has the BENEFIT of sleeping inside, compared to one thats picking cotton.

If i was a slave, I would hope to get sick and die. But Im not as smart as you Nina, you enjoy that cozy bed in this hypothetical if we were slaves scenario.

Are you trying to be ironic? Privilege = having benefits. Literally.

It's not an "if we were slaves" scenario. WE wouldn't all be slaves. Are you black? Are you half black? If so, if you were in the US, especially the south, you can bet that you would have been a slave. It is common knowledge that the variation of slavery in the US was determined on skin color; the darker slaves worked in the field and had little clothing and scarce food and slept in shacks at best; the lighter skin generally were "house slaves," and cooked, served, cleaned, and were clothed. Their lives were rarely "cozy," as they were still slaves/property. Mulatto slaves were treated best, yet some were forced sex slaves for the master and his pals (you'd probably call them mistresses though, as if they had a choice) or even offspring of the master (Masters regularly raped their black slaves). That's why they were kept in the house. Masters either wanted to watch them, enjoy their company, and fuck them... OR they were sons/daughters/grandchildren of the master.

Clearly you should either educate yourself on slavery, or just stop talking about it. No one became a slave because they wanted to. They didn't aspire to be slaves.

i understood your post as a brag to being a house slave compared to a field slave.

"If we were in the slavery days, I probably would've never even touched the cotton field; I'd be sleeping in the house. Let's be real, here. Sure, dealing with jealousy sucks, but it's not really something to cry over on any large scale. Being mixed has difficulties, but I can at least admit that as a lighter-skinned person, I have certain privileges that my black friends and family do not have."

and you go on to say
"Mulatto slaves were treated BEST, yet some were forced sex slaves for the master and his pals (you'd probably call them mistresses though, as if they had a choice) or even offspring of the master..."

In my opinion, it reflects your ignorance to the subject matter. There's a term for this....Uncle Tom...keep reading your books so you can enlighten me.

Saltynutz, again, you're just a salty individual.

We weren't even talking about slavery until a21985 and I got into a discussion about the term "Mulatto," since we are both mixed. I implore you to read the thread instead of simply being fixated on what I said.

You certainly ARE a salty ass individual.

My being mixed would have made me a house slave and not a field slave. PLEASE educate yourself on American slavery before making a fool out of yourself displaying your ignorance; or do you just NOT CARE? Is this just another attempt to try to put me down? If so, you failed miserably as you always will. Please read your history books.

And trust me, I'm no "uncle Tom" in the present day. First, I'm not a dude. Second, many people here will tell you that I'm very adamantly pro black rights and pro civil rights over here.

Would you rather me LIE and say, "as a mixed person, I would have gone through the exact same struggles as a 100% African slave"? NO. That would be a lie, and would be terribly irresponsible and selfish of me if I pretended I don't have privileges as a mixed person that blacks don't have. That's telling the truth. That is not "bragging," and it's disgusting that you call it that to fit you're little salty Nina-hating persona. Half my family is black and I would never act better than them, but I WILL take their side and acknowledge the history that has shackled them and, by extension, me. Don't you dare try to turn my blackness against me, you piece of human waste.

I asked you if you were black. No response on that. Also no answer on whether or not you are mixed. So until your dumb, historically-illiterate ass has something of substance to add, why don't you moonwalk the fuck off this thread? Because you're speaking mad garbage right now, lil dude.

I haven't walked in your shoes and won't be so presumptuous as to think I understand your perspective and sensitivities.

My comment was simply to say that it is pretty clear that Nina is not ignorant in regards to this issue, and it seemed that you were obsessed with lecturing her about how she should feel.

I'm kinda shocked that someone who has obviously felt the backlash of racism is arguing that all people of a certain race should feel a certain way because they are a member of that race.