TBD

ggw wrote:

chaz wrote:

atomic wrote:

James wrote:
It sounds like your kids go to the same school as mine.

Last year she was the only white girl in her kindergarten class, this year she is one of three. And at this point, it doesn't seem to be an issue.

chaz wrote:
You know what is a beautiful thing?  Children and race.  My kids go to a really diverse school, it's about 20 percent white, probably 40 percent hispanic, and the rest a mish-mash of islamic, asian, indian, black.  Seriously, it's a freaking melting pot.  These kids give not a single shit about race.  Since no single group is particularly predominant, the kids don't group together by race at all.  Last year my daughter had kids in her class with origins in 14 different countries!

When my kids are describing a new friend or classmate I've never heard about they never use the terms in the paragraph above as descriptors.  It is by far my favorite thing about the school and the community we live in.  I'm envious of this experience they are having as little kids. 

It gives me hope for the future, man.

Edit:  It also makes me sad knowing that eventually the adults in a lot of these kids lives will fuck this all up for them.

Where do you live?  If I have kids I plan to send them to the Park School in Baltimore.  I don't know if it is diverse or not.  Though they talk about diversity the photos of children on their website does not seem diverse at all.  Hmm..

It's pretty easy to find out online the demographic breakdown of any school.

Park School

Ethnicity   
White 80%
Two or more races  9%
Black 8%
Asian 3%
Hispanic 1% 10%

What?  No islamics?

chaz wrote:

atomic wrote:

chaz wrote:

ggw wrote:
"Islamic" is a race?

yawn

Well he is right.  My sister is Islamic and she is as white as she can be with her pale skin and blonde hair. 

Fair enough.  It was easier to say that than Islamic countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Julian, wrote:
This conversation is reminding me of the scene in Mad Men where Pete Campbell waxes that he'll have to convince his mother that her new nurse, Manolo Colon, is the European type of Spanish or she'll never go for it.

hutch wrote:
hispanic is not an ethnicity either

I am a white hispanic. there are entire nations full of white hispanics… are spanish people hispanics? according to the US definition yes.. but they are also white… have you ever seen some of the hispanics from spain that are white, blonde and blue eyed?

then you have black hispanics… dominican republic, venezuela, cuba, etc.

hutch wrote:

Julian, wrote:
This conversation is reminding me of the scene in Mad Men where Pete Campbell waxes that he'll have to convince his mother that her new nurse, Manolo Colon, is the European type of Spanish or she'll never go for it.

fuck you dude don't be a spoiler

Julian, wrote:
My apologies. From all the child-rearing discussion, I assumed I was in the Prestige Television Thread and the SPOILER WARNING was in effect.

chaz wrote:

hutch wrote:
hispanic is not an ethnicity either

I am a white hispanic. there are entire nations full of white hispanics… are spanish people hispanics? according to the US definition yes.. but they are also white… have you ever seen some of the hispanics from spain that are white, blonde and blue eyed?

then you have black hispanics… dominican republic, venezuela, cuba, etc.

The stats they publish on demographics are pulled from data provided by the students/families themselves.  So however the people identify, that's how they will be represented.

hutch wrote:

chaz wrote:

hutch wrote:
hispanic is not an ethnicity either

I am a white hispanic. there are entire nations full of white hispanics… are spanish people hispanics? according to the US definition yes.. but they are also white… have you ever seen some of the hispanics from spain that are white, blonde and blue eyed?

then you have black hispanics… dominican republic, venezuela, cuba, etc.

The stats they publish on demographics are pulled from data provided by the students/families themselves.  So however the people identify, that's how they will be represented.

to say hispanic is an ethnicity is just stupid.

I mean what are we really saying here? Are we saying "hispanics" have native american indian blood in them?

think about it… if that is what we're saying then why is the ethnicity "hispanic" and not "native american indian"?

chaz wrote:

hutch wrote:

chaz wrote:

hutch wrote:
hispanic is not an ethnicity either

I am a white hispanic. there are entire nations full of white hispanics… are spanish people hispanics? according to the US definition yes.. but they are also white… have you ever seen some of the hispanics from spain that are white, blonde and blue eyed?

then you have black hispanics… dominican republic, venezuela, cuba, etc.

The stats they publish on demographics are pulled from data provided by the students/families themselves.  So however the people identify, that's how they will be represented.

to say hispanic is an ethnicity is just stupid.

I mean what are we really saying here? Are we saying "hispanics" have native american indian blood in them?

think about it… if that is what we're saying then why is the ethnicity "hispanic" and not "native american indian"?

Maybe the color wheel should be utilized?

Or maybe just no collection at all.

hutch wrote:
I mean what are we really saying here? Are we saying "hispanics" have native american indian blood in them?

hutch wrote:
the term hispanic is an American invention to give a name to people from the "south" who are "different" and "not like us"…

vansmack wrote:

hutch wrote:
the term hispanic is an American invention to give a name to people from the "south" who are "different" and "not like us"…

Or Latin (Hispanicus), but whatever helps you sleep at night.

vansmack wrote:

hutch wrote:
the term hispanic is an American invention to give a name to people from the "south" who are "different" and "not like us"…

Or Latin (Hispanicus), but whatever helps you sleep at night.

RatBastard wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
ratbastard, do you object to being called Caucasian?

I have no concern what-so-even what others call me.  It has zero impact on me. 

RatBastard wrote:
Although by the technical definition of eh term I am not a member of that group.

RatBastard wrote:
On a side issue, I would find it rather silly to refer to me as European-American.

sweetcell wrote:

RatBastard wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
ratbastard, do you object to being called Caucasian?

I have no concern what-so-even what others call me.  It has zero impact on me. 

agreed.  so why do you take issue with the term "african-american"?  it doesn't affect you, you aren't part of that group.  it's a term that african-americans are comfortable with and self-identify with, so why would you care?

or is there another, deeper issue here?

RatBastard wrote:
Although by the technical definition of eh term I am not a member of that group.

Definition of CAUCASIAN (from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caucasian)
1:  of or relating to the Caucasus or its inhabitants
2:  of, constituting, or characteristic of a race of humankind native to Europe, North Africa, and southwest Asia and classified according to physical features ?used especially in referring to persons of European descent having usually light skin pigmentation

oh look, it has two definitions (AKA a subtlety).  referring to "whites" as Caucasians is accepted use.

RatBastard wrote:
On a side issue, I would find it rather silly to refer to me as European-American.

you know what's silly?  calling European-Americans "white."  you (and i) are not white.  we are peach, or pink'ish, or whatever… but compare your skin to a piece of paper and you'd have to be blind to think that you are white.

this is my new cause.  i shall not rest until the term "whites" is never, ever used again to describe Caucasians.  JUSTICE SHALL BE MINE!!! I HAVE TRUTH ON MY SIDE!!!

vansmack wrote:
I was speaking of the Latin language.  The word Hispanicus has existed for some time (long before America, for example), and was used by the Romans to describe folks from the Iberian Peninsula.

You might try taking a breath every now and then.

atomic wrote:


I care because it doesn't make sense.  I have a friend who is from Africa who and moved to the United States.  He is an African American but he is not black.  What if you have a black person who was born in the US who moves to Sudan.  Is he an African-American-African?  They picked a name several times before.  I don't like the constant changing of terms.  And if they are going to use terms use ones that actually make some sort of sense.