On “Oprah” in 1997 Tiger Woods, a world-famous American golfer, told us that he is not black but Cablinasian. The word comes from the four races that make him up:
- CAucasian
- BLack
- INdian
- ASIAN
According to the Wikipedia, Woods is:
- 12.5% Caucasian (white, particularly Dutch)
- 25.0% Black
- 12.5% Indian (Native American)
- 50.0% Asian (25% Thai, 25% Chinese)
He made up the word when he was 16. He said calling himself black would mean denying his mother, who is not black at all but Asian – half Thai and half Chinese.
Thai Americans say he has a Thai sort of face. Thais see him as one of their own just as much as black Americans do. Woods says, “In fact, I am both… Truthfully, I feel very fortunate and equally proud to be both African American and Asian.”
But because of the One Drop Rule in America, if you look even a bit African you are seen as black. So to most Americans Tiger Woods looks like a black man, not like someone who is Asian or even mixed (unless they stop to think about it).
Woods knows all about the One Drop Rule. It has kept him off of at least one golf course. As someone who has succeeded in such a white sport, he has to know a thing or two about whites. Probably more than most.
Yet Woods says things like, “If people cannot call themselves what they want to call themselves, they cannot call themselves truly free….”
A nice thought, surely, but that is not how it works in America: if you look black you are black. You are stuck with it. For life. Everyone else in American society will see you as black and act accordingly: the police, the judge, the loan officer at the bank, the estate agent, the little old white lady at the bus stop. Even the Golf Channel. No matter what you call yourself.
Tiger Woods is no different, but acts like he is. He seems to be the only one who does not understand he is black:
- When white golfer Fuzzy Zoeller said Woods was “a fried chicken and collard greens eating sambo,” and called him “that little boy,” Tiger spoke with him and forgave him. The white world certainly did not: Zoeller never golfed again.
- When white television host Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel said the younger players should “lynch him in a back alley,” and then laughed about it, Tiger said, “We know unequivocally that there was no ill intent in her comments” and “a non-issue in our eyes. Case closed.” The Golf Channel was not so understanding.
- When the state of South Carolina flew the flag of the old South, the one from slave days, and the NAACP asked Woods not to golf there, he said, “I’m a golfer. That’s their deal, not mine.”
Maybe he is trying to lead us to a new age where skin colour no longer matters. Or maybe it is what Nas said: a character flaw.
See also:
Sat 17 May 2008 at 19:07:55
have no issue at all in him wanting to acknowledge his parents, but what offended me they way he announced that he was calablasian. he did it in a fashion that seemed to present blackness as something he did not want to be associated with. as if blackness was a deeply horrible shame.
oh well. he’s a loser.
Sun 18 May 2008 at 06:31:47
he did it in a fashion that seemed to present blackness as something he did not want to be associated with. as if blackness was a deeply horrible shame.
lifeisannoying Says
I agree with the above. Even with all of that, blk folks still feel proud of him. It’s funny that he is on the dark end of the spectrum and he wants to talk about his mixed hertage when people who are much lighter like Alisha Keys make no big deal out being mixed race.
Mon 19 May 2008 at 02:02:15
Tiger Woods is multiracial. But given the sordid history of race in America, vast majority of Americans consider him Black and nothing else, despite his diverse ancestry. Eighty to ninety percent of Blacks(me and my family included) are multiracial and multiethnic. Again, given the polarization of race relations in America, we’re Black.
I wish sociey is beyond such mentality but, again, given the sordid history, it’s never going to happen.
I wish Tiger and his family all the best.
Stephanie
Tue 20 May 2008 at 09:05:59
Acknowledging your parents is one thing but trying to deny your “Blackness” is something else. Like LaRenya says most Blacks in the US, Caribbean and Central/South American have a mixed background but in my eyes that does not make them any the less “Black” but again it’s a choice one makes. To be and love your Blackness or to run away from it and try and hide in some other identity.
Tue 20 May 2008 at 23:07:13
He is using his mother as an excuse. Halle Berry sees herself as black. No one thinks she is denying or disowning her white mother by doing that.
Mon 26 May 2008 at 12:59:49
Tiger Woods is right to describe himself as multi racial, multi ethnic. The one drop of black blood rule was racist to keep darker peoples in line and the white people have priviledge. If your great great grandmother sixteen generations was black and you have white skin and green eyes, are you still black? We black people need to refine ourselves, if you have two parents, who are black, you are black, if you have one black and one white, native american, Hispanic, Chinese or whatever you are biracial or mixed race. We want to claim everybody, who has black blood is black. It is an insult, no wonder black women get upset and confused, because some black man are clearly calling for mixed race women, and they like the look they have, we call a black person black and she is clearly mixed racial or multi ethnic, very fair skin, green eyes and curly blonde hair and black person with African features, woolly textured hair, dark skin, dark eyes. How can we compete with that, the women are clearly different and from different racial groups. Let people who are multi-racial celebrate, who they are and black people with black parents, mother and father celebrate who they are. Those people who created the one drop rule were possesed by evil because they felt being white, they were a pure bred, and they wanted to stop, the interracial matings between people of mixed races, so if you looked white you passed for white to survive. Same way like the pencil test in South Africa, the re-classification of white, black and coloureds, but it is too late then, and certainly too late now. Mixed race people birth is increasing. Quoting the one drop rule is not relevant in this time now, so why are quoting this test. The whole of white southern americans have black blood maybe they should be regarded as black too. Halle Berry can say she is black but she is mixed race, now she had a daughter with a white man, what is she going to claim her child as now. We don’t need to add Halle Berry, Alica Keys or Mariah Carey as black people. Let us celebrate Estelle, Angie Stone, Beyonce, Kelly Rowland, Dr Benjamin Carson, we had enough fine and worthy black people already. The whole of Africa, West Indies, Guyana, Brazil, is full of worthy black people, who are doing great things, we waste so much time concentrating of racist, demon processed Europeans, who have no power, most of the Jim Crow lot are dead, and dying or very old and with all the lyching, burning, killing. They still could not stop the hand of God. Grand-parents are alive to see their sons marrying black, native american, Hispanic or whatever and they cannot do anything about it. Tiger Woods, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kvaritz, celebrate them as people of colour, not but black, don’t insult black people and it is not helpful to have a discussion about Tiger Woods, because he is nothing to with us and we need to get on with our own lives and get our money and be wealthy ourselves and we can help ourselves and remove the BET rubbish, how they are showing black women. I wish Tiger Woods and his family, all the best, he is great inspiration for a people of colour, but we are great inspirations ourselves.
Tue 17 Jun 2008 at 16:23:11
Tiger is CRAZY. He doesn’t see himself as a human being. He needs to know BLACKS are the first and oldEST man on the planet. BLACK GAVE LIFE TO ALL OTHER HUMANS.
Elin is not beautiful at all. I just don’t see it, sorry.
I wonder if he’s gonna trade her in when she gets old because those women age fast and you know how black men are. They are not attracted to old white women.
Moe
Wed 18 Jun 2008 at 06:09:55
He is young and kind of in his own world. He will snap out of it. Give him time.
Tue 24 Jun 2008 at 05:34:34
tiger woods should be able to identify himself with whatever he chooses.
people like to stir up trouble. reporters like to ask him stupid questions about the lynching and such JUST to upset black people.
and the naacp needs to mind their own business sometimes.
stop worrying about tiger woods and do something about education in american. equal quality of education for black children.
i am tired of people who don’t care to acknowledge their blackness or who want to push it as far away from them as they can. they can do what they want.
let’s not focus on them anymore, then.
and if people think we are ugly w/o mixed people SO BE IT!! it’s not what they think it is what WEEEE think.
forget tiger woods! i don’t like gold anyway!
Wed 25 Jun 2008 at 00:35:52
Good point, but the trouble is Tiger Woods is world famous, he is not just some fool who lives down the street. What he says is heard by millions of people and it affects how they think of blacks. And if you live in America that matters because it shapes your life as much as bad schools can. You can have way more education than most white people, but that does not stop them from looking down on you and making things hard for you.
Tue 1 Jul 2008 at 16:46:17
I guess by people’s logic here if a Sikh from India is confused for an Arab he should just assume he is Arab. Yes many Americans will still perceive Tiger as Black. Others won’t. But perception is an exterior thing. One of many influences that create a personal identity. Obviously for Tiger it was enough to put the BLA in Cablanasian. So there was no denial of his Blackness. ut there was no denial of his Asianess, Indianess and Europeaness either. In fact, as pointed out the majority f his ancestry is Asian, and Asians do recognize him as one of their own. If anything, Tiger’s identity is half Black and half Asian because those were the identities of his parents.
Wed 2 Jul 2008 at 07:49:03
In words he has said he is both black and Asian but he comes off as someone who either thinks he is not black or thinks he is beyond black.
Wed 2 Jul 2008 at 07:52:41
Living in America and being seen as black is “one of many influences that create a personal identity”, but as influences go it is a pretty big one.
Thu 3 Jul 2008 at 16:44:59
If you are mixed in Identity, then you are not Black. You are of Black Ancestry. He isn’t White or Asian either. That makes perfect sense. If he had been raised Black then he would be ethnically Black. He wasn’t. Blackness is obvioulsy a big influence as you see many people of mixed ancestry identify as Black, but the influence is not absolute nad many others do not identify as such.
Thu 3 Jul 2008 at 19:55:46
You are making it sound as if being black is a choice. In American society it is not, not unless you can pass for white. How ever you were brought up and live (your ethnicity), you will still be treated as black (your “race” ) by most Americans if you look part African. It is unfair, it does not make much sense, it is rooted in what made sense to Anglo slaveowners long ago, and maybe it will change or weaken over time, but that is the way it is now. I do not make these rules. They are just a fact of life, like gravity. And when someone like Tiger Woods tries to act as if he is not black he seems delusional. He may be rich and famous but in many white American minds he is still that word that starts with n. I thought I made that clear in the post.
Mon 1 Sep 2008 at 02:33:22
Tiger is more Asian than he is black.
In South Asia there are plenty of Asians who have the same complexion as him.
Mon 1 Sep 2008 at 03:53:51
LOL, Jake.
He’s black/Asian (w/ smaller does of other ethnicities, as are most African Americans). Woods is very black-looking. Abagond articulated the politics that come with that in this post quite clearly.
As I said in another post about some people’s perceptions of “mixed” blacks, if Woods weren’t famous, and he was a wanted suspect or with his white wife in the wrong place at the wrong time, no one would be laughibly trying to validate/justify him by saying “he’s not really black” or “he’s actually mostly Asian, I know some Thais that look like him”.
I think we all know what they’d be saying then! LOL.
Mon 1 Sep 2008 at 11:27:51
Right: Tiger Woods can only talk like he does because he is so famous. Otherwise he would just be plain old black, case closed. At least in America. And any talk of being Cablinasian would seem sadly delusional. In America you do not choose your race unless you are ambiguous looking. Tiger Woods is not ambiguous looking to Americans: he looks black.
Tue 2 Sep 2008 at 20:35:11
its funny that black people get so worked up when a successful bi-racial person wont state ‘I am black’. they act like its themselves in that position, when its not. Its tiger woods there, he made those golf shots. hes the pro, not you.
If he wants to represent all of his ancestry then so be it, even if he looks more black than he does his other racial backgrounds…
now if he was poor, as other posters have stated already…your right. Tiger would be laughed at and seen as delusional for not going with ‘black’. a poor man has no rights, he has to go with whatever he is labled as. But Tiger is wealthy enough to state how he views himself without fear of the black community lynching him socially.
Also for those who are ‘holding’ out for Tiger to ’see the light’ [lol] and come out as black…dont hold your breath. his wife is white and thier kid looks white. his mixed ancestry is showing through now it seems..black genes are strong obviously but a ‘drop’ does not literally equal a drop.
Once a ‘mixed’ black person starts mixing with non-blacks. the genes dont carry that far!
Sun 28 Sep 2008 at 22:58:58
As a mother of bi-racial children, I will be teaching my girls that they are half white and half black… because that is what they are. Based on me and my husband’s physical characteristics, I am inclined to believe that my ancestry is from a European existence, while my husband is from an African existence. The same is true of our parents and our parent’s parents. No one knows if myself or my husband has Asian, Indian, Arabian, Latino or any other racial blood in our biology. However, the most we can surmise is that based our physical characteristics and that of the generations before us, we primarily identify ourselves as being white and black respectively… our ancestry does not suggest otherwise. However, my girl’s ancestry does, thus, I expect them to acknowledge themselves as such. To do otherwise and consider themselves black (because of our our simple-minded society and our history’s racial misfortunes), would be to embrace a way of thinking that is primitive and ignorant, not to mention, unfair to the millions of multi-racial children and the parent’s of those children. Society should allow us to be who we are and not clump us in groups. This is done out of selfishness and overblown pride – people want to identify with something or someone that makes them fell better about themselves or to have some control over society. As this country continues to mix the races and become full of brown-skinned people, my belief is that people will appreciate themselves for who they are and we all will embrace the wonders of discovering how unique as well as how similar we all may be. Hopefully, time will erase the evil history that still continues to enslave us mentally – that continues to insist that we must classify ourselves. The real answer to this silly reality is to KEEP IT REAL AND BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF.
Sun 28 Sep 2008 at 23:17:01
You might want to read what I wrote about being biracial:
http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/biracial/
and this about the Browning of America:
http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/mulatto-nation/
and this one about Korean adoptees should be helpful:
http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/korean-adoptees/
Here is a good blog about being biracial by a biracial woman:
http://lightskinnededgirl.typepad.com/
Here is a book about growing up biracial. I heard it was good:
Danzy Senna: “Caucasia”
http://www.amazon.com/Caucasia-Novel-Danzy-Senna/dp/1573227161
All that said, what you are talking about is at least a hundred years away. At least. In the meantime, if you live in America and your children look black then people will see them as black whether you or they like it or not. Unless you look ambiguous, your race is not something you can pick. The good old One Drop Rule:
http://abagond.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/one-drop-rule/
To me Tiger Woods seems delusional. We do not live in Cablinasia but in America in 2008.
Mon 29 Sep 2008 at 00:20:34
“As this country continues to mix the races and become full of brown-skinned people, my belief is that people will appreciate themselves for who they are and we all will embrace the wonders of discovering how unique as well as how similar we all may be”
**************
I highly doubt that. Once America fully becomes a brown skin nation…we will resort to an extreme form of colorism like Brazil. Let’s face it, the lighter you are, the more status you get and the darker you are, you’re invisible unless you have money. Doesn’t matter what people call themselves, How you appear physically determines how one will be treated in life. White skin privilege and instuitional racism will never end in America.
Mon 29 Sep 2008 at 06:50:35
Actually Aba,
Mixed by Angela Nissel was be a better suggestion for a book about life as an offspring of a black/white parentage. It’s a humourous light read but it manages to give an in-depth glimpse into the complex experience of living as a “biracial” individual in America.
I read Walker’s memoir around the time it was first released. It’s meandering and often dull. It’s more about her personal exploits and her strained relationship with her famous mother than her personal struggles with race. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Mon 29 Sep 2008 at 17:21:28
i understand what brianna says and what she wants from life, but i feel that it is unattainable. Of course a child is 50% mum and 50% dad. and they are biracial, but that was not our intial gripe. if tiger had come out and said, ” i’m biracial” then that would be ok! but he said it in a way that seemed to indicate that being mistaken for a black man was a horrendous mistake. that would be offensive to black people.
Thu 25 Dec 2008 at 23:22:45
I am half black and half Thai. I don’t care how America labels me..that is what I am. Period.
Thu 1 Jan 2009 at 08:03:16
Tiger Woods is 100% right and justified in believing that he is Cablinasian…anyone who opposes that by sticking one label down his throat is truly the idiot.
All this race crap is so dumb…the US is NOT the deciding factor of what’s black and what’s not. Tiger is considered Black in America, but not everywhere else…so you cannot then say he’s black…it’s all subjective. Plus race doesn’t even exist…it’s a social term.
People REALLY need to read some damn books and acquire actual knowledge…not racist tradition.
Mon 2 Feb 2009 at 04:00:35
Tiger is considered Black in America, but not everywhere else…so you cannot then say he’s black…it’s all subjective.
I agree it is subjective but America isn’t the only place where he’d be considered Black. Race may have been created in America but it has now carried over across the globe. About half the people who are classified/classify themselves as Black in the UK have one white parent, and it is similar in Canada as well as several other “first world”/”major nations”. (When I say major I am speaking in terms of finances and global power not saying that any country is better than another.)
Even in Latino countries where a number of dark-skinned people are not considered “Black” they are distinguished, judged, and separated by their skin tones. Brazil has more brown and dark-skinned people than light-skinned people but the majority of wealthy people are the light ones and even though many people are aware of this if they were to collect five people and line them and say “guess which one is Brazilian” most people would still probably pick a lighter person than a dark one.
Personally, I like Tiger Woods and I root for him each time. I don’t care that his wife is White and I don’t care if he classifies himself as Black and Asian equally, though the creation of the term Cablinasian was really odd and a bit irritating to me. But at the same time I do think he does distance himself from the Black community and the Black label. He claims to not want to deny either side of him but it seems like he doesn’t have a problem denying his Black side. If someone were to classify him as Asian, I doubt he’d object and say “No, I’m Black too.” But at the end of the day I think society has and will continue to show him that whether he likes it or not he is at least in part a Black man, but I’ll continue to root for him to win each tournament whether he embraces the Black community or not cause he seems like a nice, classy guy.
Tue 3 Feb 2009 at 04:28:09
I respect and admire him as a golfer, but when it comes to race he seems somewhat delusional – something he can get away with to a degree because of his wealth and his name.
Good point about whether he would deny and distance himself his Asian side as quickly.
Mon 9 Feb 2009 at 05:59:44
Jennifer, I do believe you’re right when you say that:
“He claims to not want to deny either side of him but it seems like he doesn’t have a problem denying his Black side. If someone were to classify him as Asian, I doubt he’d object and say “No, I’m Black too.””
And yes, the US is not the only country in which he would be considered Black. If he was in Brazil, however, he would be white, simply because he is wealthy. In the US, no one can deny that the “Black” race is defined by having only ONE “Black” African ancestor, except if you’re predominantly white. Because many “white” people, especially those in the western hemisphere whose family had anything to do with slavery, do have African and/or Native blood. Yet no one is walking around calling them “Black” if it’s 10 generations ago, and no one in their immediate family resembles a “Black” person by any means.
And as dumb as the one drop rule is, law also stated that a person has to be 1/8th “Black” to be considered “Black (Plessy v. Ferguson).” So really, what is “Black?” A term created by a group of people to justify slavery, oppression, and social standing in an economic society. Simply put, race does NOT exist, it was created…therefore Tiger Woods, is not Black or White, or Yellow or Brown…well actually, he is kind of brown…but a human of the male species. Race doesn’t exist, it is not genetic, only labels passed down from one generation to the next. Again, he is justified to not throw himself in a box that the rest of society has fallen willing, and blindly, into.
Mon 9 Feb 2009 at 07:47:16
Tiger Woods would never be considered white in Brazil. Ever. No matter what anyone has read on Wikipedia or any other faulty internet source.
Brazil, determines race the same way the U.S. does, by phenotype and ancestry. It’s just that attitudes towards racial mixture has historically been far more liberal in Latin America, so that complicates things. This explains the color consciousness that defines these societies, the same way general white supremacy defines the U.S.
All the hoopla over Woods’ race, or any other black celeb whose a product of interracial marriage, is more about how blackness is viewed in the U.S. than “multiracism”. That’s why people are dissecting Woods’ background instead of Keanu Reeves’.
Mon 9 Feb 2009 at 19:13:55
“If he was in Brazil, however, he would be white, simply because he is wealthy”
I wonder if he’d correct someone and say he’s part black and part asian too or is being considered as white the ultimate aspiration for people.
@mynameismyname
There is a phrase “money lightens” but you’re right, at best, Tiger phenotypically is pardo(brown). White as Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen, I don’t think so.
“All the hoopla over Woods’ race, or any other black celeb whose a product of interracial marriage, is more about how blackness is viewed in the U.S.”
I agree
Tue 10 Feb 2009 at 03:11:26
Wow, some people have obviously NEVER heard of a socioeconomic standing.
And no, mynameismyname, Brazil does not determine race the same way the U.S. does. Brazil doesn’t have a one drop rule. Brazil doesn’t say an 1/8th of “Black blood” allows a person to be subject to segregation. How about you read up on a few things…using a unbiased approach.
Ancestry is simply that, ancestry, but it does not define a person racial or ethnic identity in Latin America. Whiteness is emphasized a lot more in Latin America…not blackness. This is coming from a person who is a product of Latin America. And FYI, Brazil doesn’t use the same racial classifications as Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, etc. And Wikipedia, or any other faulty internet source is NEVER MY SOURCE. My statement of wealth contributing to being a definition of whiteness in Brazil is based on personal, first account statements. Phenotype does NOT determine how a person is identified, or identifies themselves in every country. Again, get off of your biased United States racial classification system. And if you’d like to get on scientific level, race doesn’t exist. Black is NOT encrypted in Tiger Woods DNA…nor is Asian, White, or Native American. Those are all man-made titles and classifications.
Tue 10 Feb 2009 at 04:22:17
There’s no need to argue.
You can rest assure that Woods would never be considered “white” in any country EVER.
Especially not in the color conscious society of Latin America. No matter how much money he has. Were Pele or Seu Jorge ever considered “white” or something other than black in Brazil? Hell no. It didn’t matter that they had money and fame.
Also, like you, I actually know some Afro-Brazilians and other black Latinos. Many of them appear “racially ambigious” but guess what? They consider themselves black and were regarded as such in their home countries. Like I said, the liberal attitude towards racial mixture is the only thing that seperates Latin America from the U.S. in terms of racial classification, essentially.
You’re right, race is man-made, but it’s potent enough for you to argue down someone’s blackness or racial label, isn’t it? Why is it that these online discussions about the need to disable racial classification occur when arguing against someone being “black”? What does “black” represent that so many people want to argue that it doesn’t apply to them or someone else?
You know the answer to that.
Race may be a scientific myth, true, but by judging by the undertones of comments like the previous one, it sure is a VERY REAL social concept.
Tue 10 Feb 2009 at 04:50:07
“And if you’d like to get on scientific level, race doesn’t exist. Black is NOT encrypted in Tiger Woods DNA…nor is Asian, White, or Native American. Those are all man-made titles and classifications.”
***********************
I think everyone is aware that race does not exist and yet everyone is still discussing categories and classifications of what constitutes white in different countries.
What is white, what is black, what is asian, what native american, etc…What is biracial, mulatto, metizo, zambo, tri-racial, or multiracial? None of terms biologically exist but people still use them everyday and it’s on the census forms which makes race socially significant to some people.
Tue 10 Feb 2009 at 05:48:00
mynameismyname
You are aware that today’s standards of race are not the same as a century ago, or even before that? I don’t know where you live, but go ahead and ask a person that would be considered an Afro-Boricua what they are, and 9 times out of 10 you’ll hear, “Boricua, cien por ciento.” Not, I’m Puerto Rican, but I got African roots. Go ahead and ask a seeming Afro-Dominican what they are, and in the majority of cases, you will NOT hear them say “Black,” even if you ask if they consider themselves to be Black. BTW, all of “Latin America” is NOT the same when it comes to self-identification. And a person “blackness” is an issue in the United States as oppose to their “whiteness” (or anything else), simply because what group of people criticize when a person of African decent doesn’t label themselves as being 100% Black, or being Black at all. Wow, this one is going to be a shocker…BLACK PEOPLE! “Blackness” is an issue because Black people go with the “You still Black” comment all the time. United States citizens do nothing but pull “multiracial” people every way, until they’re forced to choose.
But back to Latin America…you’d be surprised by how many that come from African ancestry do NOT acknowledge it. They’ll acknowledge the European side before they’ll say, “yea…I’m Black too.” I live this life everyday, so please, don’t try to school “blackness” in Latin American society and families. There are people, like Tego Calderon, who are proud of their “blackness,” but didn’t acknowledge it until he moved to Miami where BLACK PEOPLE constantly reminded him that he was Black, seeing as he has nappy hair and dark skin. And really, how many Hispanic/Latino people do you know that claim Hispanic/Latino is a race? How about almost every Hispanic/Latino person, the media…I can go on…and on.
Look up Rafael Trujillo…a Dominican leader that tried to racially purify the DR…meaning make it WHITER…and in the process of making the DR whiter, he murdered many Haitians, because they were Black. Case in point, most Dominicans do NOT associate themselves with “Blackness.” If they don’t have to be Black in their own island, why be Black in the U.S.
So, my dear, you stand corrected. Their are countries where Tiger Woods “whiteness” will shine through. But he’s more Asian, so I’m sure that might the “race” he’d prefer to go with. Did you know that in the DR, curly hair is frowned upon…especially in the work place. And don’t even get me started on KINKY curly hair. Point being, people get in where they fit in. Brazil is a large country, and every part of it doesn’t see everything the same way. Kind of like how the Southern US doesn’t always do things the same way that the North does…hmmm…doesn’t that sound familiar…American Civil War, anyone? Since we’re talking about “whiteness,” go ahead and tell an true Irish person that they’re the same as the British because they’re both white. I wonder if you’ll get punched first…or making cussed out…?
So spare me any further discussion…but if you want to continue to talk about it, I got answers for days. There are Brazilian people that are of “Black” African decent that will tell you that they’re NOT Black. And there are people of European decent that will argue with you and tell you that they are NOT white, whether they’re from Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, etc.
Kat is right, race…even though it doesn’t exist…is VERY significant to some people. Which is EXACTLY why certain people are trying so hard to stick Tiger Woods solely in the BLACK category. If Tiger Woods’ family was from Brazil, Black people, and the Black media would not be associating themselves with him…the same way Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Rosie Perez, and Rick Gonzalez have not been on the cover of Black magazines, or mentioned in Black media…Only people like Christina Milian, Tatyana Ali, and Gina Torres have gotten any recognition by the Black community because they have portrayed “Black” people in some shape or form. But good old Fat Joe is in because he’s a rapper, but he’ll never ever say that he’s Black. David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Vladimir Guerrero, Johan Santana, Robinson Cano, and Bernie Williams, will not be on the list of great Black baseball players of 2008…or 2009…or 2010. So I guess that proves my point again…Latin America and the US don’t see race the same way.
Tue 10 Feb 2009 at 21:55:28
I’ve heard everything you’ve said several times from countless other anonymous internet posters. You absolutely said nothing new. At all.
And, baby, I can recite the history of Africans in the Americas (the Latin regions, espcially). I can tell you Trujillo’s entire life story if I wanted.
So you ain’t educating me about diddly squat. LOL.
If you read my previous post, you would have read that I personally know many Afro-Latinos, many of whom don’t appear “traditionally black” yet: THEY SAY THEY’RE BLACK AND THEY WERE REGARDED AS SUCH IN THEIR HOMELANDS.
Christina Milian and Gina Torres are two celebrity examples (you internet people love using those to justify your views) you use. Both of those ladies have always identified as black to the press. It’s not as if the typical person in the U.S. (and I argue, even in Cuba, where they both originate) wouldn’t come to that visible conclusion anyway. Even if they persisted that they were something else.
(Footnote: Milian and another Afro-Latino, Rick Gonzalez, were racially slurred in Prague while filming the horror flick, “Pulse”. They were slurred with taunts and racial epithets used towards blacks. And Tiger Woods would be be considered white, right? LOL.)
Also, get your information straight, Tego ALWAYS knew he was black. No one had to “remind” him. LOL. That’s hilarious. He’s from one of the blackest parts of Puerto Rico. His songs document the joys and perils of black life in PR.
I notice that the previous poster ignored what I’ve said multiple times. Race is a social construct but it’s a damn potent one. Why else would people be so adamandant about people not being “black”? What in the world does “blackness” mean to people that drives so many people to passionately argue that it doesn’t apply to themselves or someone else?
Please riddle me that, if you so desire to respond.
Tue 10 Feb 2009 at 22:20:14
DM_88: I understand that ideas about race are different in Brazil, and I can understand that in Brazil Tiger Woods could say he is not black and maybe not raise any eyebrows, but to say he could pass for white that is just too much.
Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 04:04:15
Damn, I must be the ONLY that can read ENGLISH here…I could have sworn that I wrote on a socioeconomic level, Tiger Woods could be considered white in Brazil. White in this case would be strength, power, wealth…all qualities that Tiger posses in the US. Racially, his “blackness” would not be shoved down his throat like it is in the US.
And as far as Tego goes, he has said that when he moved to Miami, ultimately it was the Black kids that embraced him but they all resembled each other. However, the major barrier was the fact that he spoke Spanish. Which was unusual to these Black kids. And yes, where Tego grew up in PR is a predominantly Black town. I’m quite aware of that. But when many Afro-Puerto Ricans come to the US, they don’t consider themselves Black,until some Black person continuously let’s them know that they’re still Black.
And as far as Christina Milian and Gina Torres go, it’s funny how you only spoke on them. Where’s your defense on all of the Afro-Latinos that I spoke about. Why aren’t they mentioned for their “blackness” in the Black media. And may I say, Afro-Latino is a US term…as well as the general term defining native Spanish speakers. And again, where’s your defense for all the MLB players that I listed? Since you CLAIM to be such a history buff, especially on Dominican history, since you can tell me Trujillo’s life story, why are you not mentioning the lack of Black pride in the DR…especially since the majority of the island is of Black African decent?
It’s interesting, mynameismyname, how you indeed sound like a Wikipedia article. The same Wikipedia in which you mocked. And “LOL,” there’s nothing funny in senselessness. And I’m not trying to educate you at all. You’re the one taking it personal…sweetie. You obviously must be ethnically Hispanic yourself, since you feel that you can speak on just about everything Latin American. Or maybe not, since you’re speaking on other people’s experiences. All of this is everyday for me. In my family, in my best friend’s families, in my closest friend’s family. I am surround by this crap everywhere I go, so you’re not telling me anything I haven’t lived through.
Oh, and let me not forget…Rick Gonzalez and Christina Milian got some slurs thrown their way in Prague…slurs of the Black persuasion. Wow! Surprise Surprise! In a sea of white, where the concept of Hispanic-ness is largely a Western ideal, two people that carry traits of any Blackness would be taunted. Who would have thought?!?!? Note the sarcasm. I wonder if that would have happened to Mariah Carey…? Seeing as her “Blackness” is oh so apparent and all.
And sure, I’d love to respond to your “mind teaser.” Race is a social construct. A few people know that. Most people think that race truly is in a person’s DNA. But those people are idiots…but I digress. And yes, “potent,” as you described it, is the PERFECT word. And black is dirty. Look the word up in the dictionary. Most Black people, are no where close to the color Black, same goes for White people. Yet the word white is a positive word. I believe you’re smart enough to understand that black is associated with negativity, and the Europeans, throughout history, have justified slavery, segregation, and all that other good stuff by Blacks being beneath Whites, even throwing in religion saying truth to that. And if you ever heard of WASPS, groups of people like the Spaniards, Portuguese, Italian, and Greeks weren’t included in their reindeer games, because they didn’t fit the “white standard.” Black has been noted as the most horrific thing to be associated with. Yet ironically, the majority of Black people go along with the social, mental, and emotional oppression that was conjured up hundreds of years ago. But the people who acknowledge being of African decent, but don’t place themselves specifically, or solely, in the “Black” category get criticized and ridiculed by the Black community. Wait, that’s true for everybody. Because like I said, Ryan Howard is the great Black hope of baseball, not Big Papi. I recall reading in Ebony, “Where have all the Black faces in baseball gone? Where are the Black heroes like Jackie Robinson for the Black youth to look up to? They’ve been replaced by Black and Brown faces of Latin American.” Blah blah blah.
So why don’t you riddle me this. Why do people call themselves Black? Why do Black people get so defensive when a person doesn’t claim to be 100% Black? Why are Black people about the only people that have a problem with Tiger Woods not saying he’s Black, and that’s it? Why do many White people take a person’s racial and/or ethnic identity with a grain of salt, but Black people have to challenge it? Of course ANYONE can be racist…but when it come to “blackness,” that’s on the heads of the people that identify as being Black. They’re the ones that make a big deal out of “Blackness.” Why is that? And why I’m asking questions. Why do some people prefer ebonics over English? Why do Black men wear pants hanging off their asses? Why do Black women snap their fingers and roll their necks? Why do Black people say “I’m keeping it real” and in turn keep it real ghetto and uneducated? Why do Black people make fun of the other Black people who who talk “white” and actually want to get an education? Why are Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, (and according to some) Barack Obama EVER mentioned as being sell-outs? Why is being in a gang, shooting people, robbing people, and living life like Lil’ Wayne cool? Why is the population of Black people in jail so high? (And before anyone decides to attack me, I know all Black people aren’t that way).
Hmm…now why in the world would Black EVER seem negative…?
Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 09:00:34
In reply to DM_88. i thought you might have something worthwhile to say until you started spiting out distasteful stereotypes about black people. No not every black man wears his trousers round his knees, not every black woman rolls her eyes or clicks her fingers and utters keeping it real,some black people are very educated. In conclusion i can only presume that you do not like black people and despise them. You cannot say all those things and know any black people because it isnt true. It isn’t any more true than stereotypes about white or asian people. we all have variation within. Race is a construct but we humans use it to catagorise, cultures and people , its not pc, but it is the truth.
ps you are a troll.
Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 09:21:36
lifeisannoying: a troll am I?
Wow, that cuts really deep? Yea, not really. I said not all Black people are this way, and I know all Black people aren’t as I described above. I know many Black people, and I’d be what many would call a partially Black person…so the joke’s on you. I answered a question presented to me, why people disassociate themselves from “blackness.” Black is a negative word. Like I said, open a dictionary and look it up. Black people are associated with those stereotypes that I listed above. Not all Black people fit into those stereotypes, but let’s be real ‘lifeisannoying’…There are NO Black people that fit any of those stereotypes? None? Yea…there are many. And there are many Black people who feel that living the life of a stereotype is what defines being a true Black person. How many rappers and ball players are idolized by the “Africa-American” community? Now how many politicians are idolized by “Africa-American” community? Like Katt Williams says, “don’t worry, I’ll wait!”
So if I’m a troll, then you’re simply delusional for thinking that no Black person fits the bill of a stereotype. I LOVE educated Black people that don’t feed into a stereotypical lifestyle. Since you think that I don’t know any Black people, I’ll have you know that over 90% of the Black people I know fit the above stereotypes. Under 10% actually care about an education, or saying no to drugs, or dressing to impress. Shows how much you. But thank you for thinking that I had some good stuff to say before YOU completely misinterpreted how I ended my post. And btw, race was invented to separate people…justify why one group reigns supreme over another. But sorry, let me shut up before I keep making sense.
Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 15:48:55
Here is you mistake, you are using the black swan analogy, if you’ve never seen black swan you will assume they don’t exist. well you cannot base your assumptions on only the people you know, (you could be a loner living alone whose friends are magicall beings on BET!!). I’m black my family is from the caribbean and emigrated to england in the 1950’s we have been striving to escape poverty ever since, through business and education like many others that share our background and , the fact that you can blithly say 90% of balck people are just lazy slack ignoramuses is cutting to me. It’s just offensive!!
There are black communities outside the African american sphere. We are all diverse.
However back to the topic of Tiger Woods.
Allow me to say just this, if he had said “i’m biracial” that would have been truthful and ok. but the way he recoiled from being (mistakenly) called black made it seem as if being seen as being black was just as heinous as being caught in a pedophile ring. that is what offends me, there is nothing inherantly wrong with blackness. that’s just my two cents!
I’m English and cannot reliably say who African American idolise in terms of politicians, but i will just throw out a few Adam Clayton Sr, Martin Luther king, Barrack Obama, Colin Powell, Angela Davies (yes she is a politician in my opinion).
but her in england we have Bernie grant, paul boeteng,Diane abott and David lammy.
shove that up your pipe and smoke it!!!
Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 16:15:49
Thank you, Lifeisannoying. Finally, an internet poster with some sense.
“DM88″, has deep issues with black people. That was evident in his/her initial posts. As I repeatedly pointed out, the term “black” appears to have a shameful quality to someone with “DM”’s mindset. Their hateful, ignorant rant above confirms this.
Get help. Get educated. Get off the internet. Embrace your heritage(s). Learn to love yourself.
That’s all I have to say to “DM88″. I’m done.
One last thing: Since you’ve convinced yourself that those god-awful, no good African American “race” loses sleep over what race Tiger Woods considers himself, why did Fuzzy Zoeller racially slur him? Why did his own white “friend” joke about hanging him? Why do so many whites refer to him as “Nigger Woods”? What about them? Are they forcing him to be “black”??? Consider that.
Wed 11 Feb 2009 at 17:22:36
Lifeisannoying,
We can also add countless black mayors (Maynard Jackson, L. Douglas Wilder, Kwame Kilpatrick and Marion Berry before the scandals, etc., etc.), lawyers (Johnnie Cochran, Clint Howard, etc.), intellectuals (Michael Eric Dyson, Thomas Sowell, Cornell West, Henry Louis Gates, etc.) and businessmen (Bob Johnson, James Johnson, Earl Graves, etc., etc.) to the list of highly respected pop figures, outside of the entertainment/sports sphere, in African American circles.
Wow, what hateful ignorance on the part of that specific poster, “DM88″.
One thing I love about anti-black people of color like that poster is how they flip the script and point the finger at black folks for all of their wrongs. As if whites aren’t racist and didn’t create the nasty game of white supremacy and racial hierarchy. And continue to perpuate it.
Thu 12 Feb 2009 at 05:53:25
It amazes me that when a person, no matter what their skin color is, says anything about Black people that isn’t something that a Black person wants to hear, they automatically get on the defensive. And no, I don’t hate Black people…and I don’t hate myself. I am very educated, I I was ignorant, or simply stupid, I wouldn’t be able to carry on in this conversation outside of saying that Tiger Woods is or is not Black. And by the way, lifeisannoying, you did state yourself that you were basically feeling everything I said until you ran across my answer to why some Americans feel the need to disassociate themselves with “blackness.” So mynameismyname, I guess the person you finally have on your side isn’t truly backing you up. Yes yes, I hate Black people! Is that what you want to hear? Well that’s not the truth. I guess Oprah and Bill Cosby hate Black people too, seeing as they spoke on the negativity within the Black community and the negative influence of rap music. Wait, I get it…if a Black person EVER mentions a bad thing about Black people, they’re now a sell out, or somehow get knocked down on their “Blackness” scale.
And again, interesting how you skip over all of my points and get right to the criticism. And I NEVER said 90% of Black people were the way I described…I said 90% of people I know. I just because I know them, that doesn’t mean that they’re my friends. I also said that anybody can be racist…so you know what that means. I’m acknowledging that yes, WHITE PEOPLE CAN BE RACIST TO. And you accuse me of pointing the finger at Black people…you must have skipped the part where you’re denying that Black people can do wrong, and all aren’t good…just as all aren’t bad. But keep believing that you have a valid point. And I don’t believe in race, never have and never will. So I’m not feeding into anyone’s game of white supremacy and racial hierarchy. I don’t go off of opinions, only facts. My opinion is that you two are childish idiots…but that’s only my opinion, so it’s not necessarily true. But I do know this for a fact, Tiger Woods is not considered Black in every country, anyone can be racist, prejudice, and discriminatory. You lack of acceptance that not one Black person can be negative end of the totem pole is absurd. STUPID if you will. And you two are VERY biased. That’s apparent. And I’m never done. Oh yea, here’s another fact. Tiger Woods does not associate himself with being labeled as a Black person. How about you shove that up your pipe and smoke it. So anyone can argue on these boards as long as they want. He’s still “Cablinasian.”
Oh yea, let me not forget to say that a person of color I am. But a person of color who is smart enough to know that in the US, white’s may have invented the ‘you must be Black’ attitude…but it’s the Black people that continue it…of course White Supremacists as well. Which again, is precisely why the only people labeling Mariah Carey as Black are Black people.
Have a Blessed Life!
Thu 12 Feb 2009 at 12:24:33
They are not being defensive: you say all kinds of wild things, not very well stated and then find yourself misunderstood. That is why you later have to clear up what you meant to say. The three of us read quite well.
I agree with both of them that you do seem to have trouble with the fact that others see you as “partially Black”, as if there was something wrong with being black. That is just the way Tiger Woods comes off too.
Fri 13 Feb 2009 at 21:37:07
Damn, yall niggaz is on crack! Straight up. Tiger Woods is not biracial, he’s more asian than he is black, and he’s got every right, poor or rich, to call himself whatever the fuck he wants to. He ain’t like those uppity niggaz that only say they black, even if they half white & was raised by they white parent, because they think they can’t get ahead by not sucking up to black people. I’m all for Obama, but that’s the type of shit he’s been on.
Since everyone wants to bring up Latin America, my mom is from the Dominican Republic & my pops is from Puerto Rico. No matter how dark their skin is or how nappy they hair is, it’s gonna be a cold day in hell before they ever call themselves black. I use to spend my summers in DR, & nobody called themselves black. The darkest people would call themselves white before black.
Black Americans are viewed in a bad way by a lot of people. Why? Walk around a black neighborhood, since yall niggaz wanna act like some white person pulled those stereotypes out of their ass. I get some of yall niggaz is tryna overcome & shit, but yo, keep that shit 100.
Sat 14 Feb 2009 at 02:52:34
I have a strong feeling that “Jesus” and “DM_88″ are the same person. Or at the very least, cyberspacers of the same ilk (i.e. posters from the same website).
I actually currently live in a black neighborhood. When I walk around, I see clean grass, humming birds, etc. It’s a normal suburban area. It’s pricey as hell, so it ought to be.
What Tiger Woods considers himself wasn’t the gist of what Abagond was saying. Actually read next time. No one cares about him and what race he claims to be. That wasn’t the point.
Like I said, “Jesus”…that stitled, misused slang lets me know that you’re either the same person as “DM_88″ or some type of troll.
Sat 14 Feb 2009 at 03:21:06
Jesus and DM_88 do not have the same IP address, but they do come from the same town.
Sat 14 Feb 2009 at 03:30:26
Jesus: of course there are blacks who fit the stereotypes, but most of Black America is not like what you see on television. I have lived in places with drugs and hookers and gunfire, but I have also lived in quiet, middle-class neighbourhoods that were just as black – like what mynameismyname is talking about, though probably not as upscale.
Sat 14 Feb 2009 at 03:44:14
@Mr. Jesus
You are an unfortunate troll and your fake ebonics/slang is not fooling anyone.
I live in a predominately working class black neigborhood and I see no stereotypes in areas you’re describing. I don’t know where you live but please, return to school and get your GED.
What’s more insulting is your deliberate use of poor vocabulary and grammar. Don’t call people “niggaz”. It’s wrong and plain rude.
Like mynameismyname said, what Tiger calls himself was not the point of the discussion.
Mr. Jesus’s fake slang/ebonics in addition to his misinterpretation of everything that was previously said is completely nonsequitur.
Sun 15 Feb 2009 at 00:36:10
what’s the black community like in England? Or France? Or in other parts of European countries. I’m curious to know how they view themselves versus how we Americans view ourselves
Sun 15 Feb 2009 at 16:45:41
I can only answer for the uk really, but over here, we are quite diverse in our backgrounds and i feel that it makes it easier to live amongst the white mainstream. Thye have to get to know you rather than dismissing you all as one homogenious population.
when i was growing up the black population was largely african- caribbean, but now it is predominataly continental african.
we are largely accepting of each other. In the 1980’s there was friction left behind from the legacy of colonialism, ie “those wild west indians/ those ignorant africans”
. My west indian community is decreasing rapidly with it’s rapid assimilation and intteracial marriage rates combined with people choosing to return to the caribbean.
But all in all i love it, my self image , my heritage and my community and country.
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 10:57:30
It seems like West Indians marry whites far more readily in Britain than they do in the States. Is that true? And if it is, why is it so?
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 11:07:14
The fake Ebonics and use of “niggaz” shows that Jesus looks down on blacks. And if Jesus and DM_88 are the same person, then it is further proof that DM_88 hates being part black. Is it a Dominican thing?
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 16:51:56
I know one Dominican and there is one time that really stands out for me when he expressed shame at being too dark. We were in a room and there was a white girl who was talking about how pale she was (she wanted to be tanner). Remarks like that are made all the time and it really isn’t something I would have thought twice about until the Dominican boy said something like, “You guys are making me feel so dark now.” It was odd because I don’t understand why any person of color would compare the darkness of their skin to a very pale white female, and it was also insulting because I was sitting right there. And I have darker skin than him. There was another time when me and a group of people were outside and I overheard a Dominican boy talking about how he was “getting so dark” with all the sunlight, and how he looked, “almost black now.” I turned around and he smiled at me. I thought it was because he was embarrassed or because he didn’t want me to think he was insulting me. The one Dominican girl I knew had very light skin, but got perms and straightened her hair, and also applied makeup to make her eyes look more “oriental.” So this isn’t a judge of all Dominican people, it’s just the attitude that I have met with the very few Dominicans I have come across.
Also, after reading Drown by Junot Diaz, I felt I received a little bit of insight in how Dominicans regard being black. And I don’t know if anyone has seen this http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/part2/index.html ,but it also gives some insight into how Dominicans and Latin Americans, as a whole, view being black.
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 17:11:33
You know, Serendipity, I’ve heard so many people on the internet talk about their witnessed encounters of Carribean Hispanics, especially those of the Dominican variety, displaying a lack of regard for their African heritage and for other blacks, in general.
Yet, strangely enough, I can’t say I’ve really seen that in real time. And I grew up SURROUNED by Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. Some of the most militant, pro-black people I know are PR and Dominican. (A few of them are famous). They have talked about how some people of their nationality were obsessed with assimilating into white America and had problems with accepting their black heritage yet I never saw that on a large level.
Almost all of the PRs and Dominicans I’ve known (and trust me, I’ve known plenty, even have some in my family)acknowledged their African and Taino roots. How couldn’t they? It’s written all their faces, their culture, their langauge, their music.
For perspective, Dominicans (and PRs), have the highest rate of classifying themselves as “black”, on the U.S. Census.
That Miami Herald series on Afro-Latinos was deeply flawed. You should have seen the angry reader response they received, from people who felt very misrepresented.
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 17:16:19
Ah, well, I don’t have the same experience as you surrounding Caribbean Hispanics, and I will put the Miami Herald in disregard. Yes I did see the angry reader response, but I didn’t know what to think about that.
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 20:26:38
In response to abagond, comment 53.
i cannot really answer why so many men from my particular background date out, but i can provide my opinions on why.
lots of my white female friends have had curiousity about black men and once they reach sexual maturity in their teens they can go out with black men, it just so happens that in your teens you tend to form deep loving relationships that become long term, thus with white women being more ubquitous than black women, of course we have a situation where 50% of black men of West Indian heritage are with a white spouse. it was in a report in late january, that my community will soon dissapear. sad!
Mon 16 Feb 2009 at 22:38:41
That is way different than at least the New York region where it seems like less than 5% of West Indian men marry white.
Sat 28 Feb 2009 at 20:52:56
“The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance.” Viktor Frankl
Re: A nice thought, surely, but that is not how it works in America: if you look black you are black. You are stuck with it. For life. Everyone else in American society will see you as black and act accordingly: the police, the judge, the loan officer at the bank, the estate agent, the little old white lady at the bus stop. Even the Golf Channel. No matter what you call yourself.
Perhaps Tiger Woods and Viktor Frankl are wiser than you. Your last freedom is not what others think or do. Yes, there are those who define reality by color. There have also always been those who refuse the definition. Tiger Woods is not the enemy.
Sat 28 Feb 2009 at 23:31:35
(blushes) I guess the reason I am sensitive to your comments is because I am considered white and my wife is considered black. There are still those who judge us because they wish to impose their decisions on us. That does not make them right.
Re: I agree with both of them that you do seem to have trouble with the fact that others see you as “partially Black”, as if there was something wrong with being black. That is just the way Tiger Woods comes off too.
That is not how Tiger Woods comes off to me. To me he comes off as someone who accepts a larger reality.
Re: I respect and admire him as a golfer, but when it comes to race he seems somewhat delusional – something he can get away with to a degree because of his wealth and his name.
He seems that way to you, and he may seem that way to others. To me he seems to love all humanity. I have a difficult time understanding why he is the one who has delusions.
Re: In words he has said he is both black and Asian but he comes off as someone who either thinks he is not black or thinks he is beyond black.
It’s not clear to me how saying you value your African-American heritage as much as your Asian heritage is a slight to either heritage. I would think a healthy person raised in a loving environment would feel the same way.
Re: You are making it sound as if being black is a choice. In American society it is not, not unless you can pass for white.
It is never our choice how people treat us. Yet, we still can fight the definition. To me, you are making Tiger Woods the one who is perpetuating the perception that others define who we are. To me, you are the one who is accepting that reality. I personally would prefer to stand with Martin Luther King.
Re: the trouble is Tiger Woods is world famous, he is not just some fool who lives down the street. What he says is heard by millions of people and it affects how they think of blacks. And if you live in America that matters because it shapes your life as much as bad schools can. You can have way more education than most white people, but that does not stop them from looking down on you and making things hard for you.
I would stand against Tiger Woods too if he indeed said anything implying black people are inferior. That, however, is not what he said. He said he valued his heritage in all its colors. He said he valued his father as well as his mother. It is sad that a society such as ours fosters even a few people thinking that is a bad thing. Tiger Woods is not the enemy.
Another point of view is that Tiger Woods both embodies and celebrates the best of humanity. I see nothing wrong with Tiger’s heritage or his feelings toward it.
Fri 24 Apr 2009 at 11:31:37
“I would stand against Tiger Woods too if he indeed said anything implying black people are inferior. That, however, is not what he said.”
Yeah, seriously, wtf people? I don’t get what the problem with Tiger Woods saying he’s of mixed race. As an Asian I don’t get why it’s “bad” he says he’s half Asian. Like we don’t count. Thanks, guys.
Sat 25 Apr 2009 at 15:48:50
LOL. It is not the Asian part – most black people are mixed with something – it is how he acts like he is not black.
Fri 26 Jun 2009 at 00:38:17
just out of curiosity,did tiger ever date a black woman?i think it’s good of him to not deny he is asian,but i kind of agree that he emphasises that too much and it makes it seem like he doesn’t like to be considered black,atleast that’s how it looks,i wonder if he will ever be asked what he considers his kids to be..lol,that would be a funny response from him,and since you look black you are,then if his kids look white,what? they white because they look white even if they have “black blood”? just curious how he would respond and how the rest would think about his kids
Fri 26 Jun 2009 at 17:15:22
He is rumoured to have dated Tyra Banks, but he mainly goes for white women:
http://www.whosdatedwho.com/celebrities/people/dating/tiger-woods.htm
Wed 1 Jul 2009 at 12:06:02
I doesnt matter what anyone thinks he is or should be, what matters is what he thinks he is. being mixed race is not only about how you look but also about which culture you better relate to, he may feel he relates better to asian culture?
being mixed race i do not want to be called black because im not black. i dont want to be called white because im not white. im mixed and i dont see why thats so hard for some to understand.
in africa where i grew up i never get asked stupid questions cos everyone knows im mixed race. in the western world you’re made to feel like you have to choose between the two. well if i have to choose i’ll go for nothing cos im just as white as i am black and im neither white nor black.