biracialgal's Blog

As Christmas is near, we see many images of Santa. I am sure many parents have told their kids to be good or they won't get any presents Santa Clause. Honestly, I have a problem with Santa. It is a lie parents tell their kids until they are old enough to realize he's not real. Then the poor kids are devasted to know it was not true. People are fine with lying to the kids. Sure, this is very minimal compared to what other parents do, but surely why should parents keep up this farce? I come from the perspective of someone who was raised knowing Santa was not real and my mom was buying the presents. Other people might say they want their children to believe because it is tradition. Who said tradition was correct? And do all parents do it because it is traditional? Or just following other people? Honestly, their is a commercialization of Santa where belief in him is encouraged. The more kids that believe the more pictures, toys, songs, books they will want of Santa Claus. It is just really sad.

Honestly, I don't mind kids knowing about Santa and all of the various tales that go along with him. But to believe in him and as if believing in him means that is the true meaning of Christmas?!!! Come on! We might as well tell kids to believe in every mythology such as Greek, Roman, and Norse mythology. Children are lied to enough with what they keep out of schools these days. Can't we give them some truth?

I have been pondering the question from above and have not really come to a clear answer. Many people ask why bad things happen to good people and that I have an answer for or at least I feel I understand why that happens. What I don't understand is why good things are happening to bad people all the time. Some people suggest that God is not loving because He allows bad things to happen. But I believe evil is a result of mankind not God. And wouldn't the idea that God allows good things to happen to bad people be proof of His love and mercy?

Tell me what you think whether you are religious or not.

I saw this new website called dnatribes.com. They are offering people the chance to send their dna to labs and these scientists will found out what cultures are in your blood. The package is $200. I would think it would be more.

Anyways I just want to know if people are interested in knowing every single culture they came from.

If you then knew all of your cultures, would this change how you identify yourself in terms of ethnicity?

Lately, I have been reading a lot of articles that question Barack Obama's "blackness" or whatever that means. Many people feel that he cannot be called black because black refers to the black american culture which Obama is not a part of since he is African. I completely disagree with this notion that he is not black. Of course he is black. And he is American. He grew up with the American culture. Maybe he wasn't necessarily around a lot of black people, but still that doesn't take away his culture. And furthermore people should correctly identify him as biracial and ask him if he chooses that identity. More people need to recognize he is biracial, but that doesn't mean he has to identify with that. In the media, he is portrayed as being solely identified with being black. If that is so, then why is everybody judging him? I think members of the black community need to stop this prejudice amongst our own people. It's ridiculous. If you want to support Obama, then support him. Don't be hung up on his race.

In today's world, one sees more and more multiracial/biracial peoples. This is due to the increase in interracial marriages which have become more common. Most people who are mixed used either multiracial or biracial. Some do not use any terms. But for those who are half-black and half-white, some use the term mulatto to describe their ethnicity. If you look it up in the dictionary, it says a child of one white parent and one black parent. However, many people do not know the history behind this word. Til the time I was an junior in high school, I used the term mulatto to describe myself since I discovered the word in 8th grade. When I saw the word in a literature book, I thought finally here was a word to describe my ethnicity. When I was a junior in hs, I discovered some of the history behind this word. Turns out mulatto comes from the time period when the Spanish empire rule in Mexico, Texas, and other territories. The Spanish categorized peoples in the New World by race starting from the pure-bred and born Spaniards and down to the Natives. There were interracial relationships going on simultaneously and therefore multiracial/biracial children were born. To describe some of these new peoples, the Spanish used words like mestizo and mulatto. A mestizo was someone of Native and Spanish ancestry. A mulatto was someone of European and African ancestry. However, this term also meant mule. Granted the word mule itself means mixed, but mule is still a derogatory term. A mule is an infertile animal used for hard labor. It is the mixture of a horse and a donkey which are two different species. I have some major problems with what is behind mulatto. First of all, I am not an infertile animal and I am not the mixture of two different species. We are all one species and one race. There are just different ethnicities and cultures. I am not concerned with the "stubborn as a mule" statement, but the how the Spanish used this word. Those categorized as mulattos and mestizos were second-class citizens in the Spanish empire. I am certainly not beneath anyone simply because I am of mixed ethnicities. In terms of my identity, I personally use the term biracial.

The purpose of this blog is for people to know some of the history behind this word. I think those who are black and white should stop using this word to describe themselves. I would feel insulted if anyone called me a mulatto, but I know other people would not. I would just like your thoughts are this subject whether you use this word or not to describe yourself or those who are half-black and half-white. Should we continue to use this word or not?

When you are biracial or multiracial, people tend to not to be able to identify what race you belong to. It is a guessing game and for most people like me people often identify us in the wrong race or culture. I tend to be viewed as Mexican in Texas and Puerto Rican in New York City. On top of that, most people think I am someone else's child other than my actual parents (dad-white mom-black). It is terribly frustrating and extremely rude. I just wanted to know if anybody else experiences this wherever you are from. Tell your story.

I think that it is really important for more people to recognize multiracial and biracial peoples in this day and age. I think it is absurd that people are still staring at us and our parents like we are freaks in a zoo. I did not realize I was entertaining other humans by having a different skin color than my parents. Our community needs to start taking steps towards gaining support for our people. I believe that one way to move forward to that goal is to have a multiracial/biracial option on government forms, applications, tests, etc. I am sick of their being just an "other" option. However, people are divided about this issue and I want to know what you think. Should there be a multiracial/biracial option and what would be the consequences of having this option?