Black Irish
Wise Guy
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I just don't see how a sensible society can accept what Rachel Dolezal did as anything but contemptible and wrong.
I just don't see how a sensible society can accept what Rachel Dolezal did as anything but contemptible and wrong.
I actually have a somewhat parallel experience to this situation within my family. My younger brother, who is adopted, is bi-racial (my parents are both white). His birth mother was white and birth father was black. He is fairly dark skinned, and is often "mistaken" as "just black". In fact, as he has gotten older (he's in college now and I'd say that he started this in high school) he consistently identifies himself as black when speaking about himself, and not as bi-racial. I've often struggled with understanding why he feels that way and seems to "ignore" his "whiteness". I don't have a problem with how he characterizes himself, but now that this situation has come up, I think it lends credence to the idea that it could be a result of coping with being adopted. If you think about it, you've probably already struggled to get your head around the fact that your biological parents gave you up for adoption (right, wrong, or indifferently), and now you see that others in your family clearly look different (this woman's case she has black siblings, also adopted), and it's a situation ripe for some psychological/emotional issues to deal with this. My parents took my brother to sessions with a psychologist to address some behavioral issues, and I don't know what they ever got into, but perhaps seeking counseling will help this woman deal with these apparent issues as well.
I actually have a somewhat parallel experience to this situation within my family. My younger brother, who is adopted, is bi-racial (my parents are both white). His birth mother was white and birth father was black. He is fairly dark skinned, and is often "mistaken" as "just black". In fact, as he has gotten older (he's in college now and I'd say that he started this in high school) he consistently identifies himself as black when speaking about himself, and not as bi-racial. I've often struggled with understanding why he feels that way and seems to "ignore" his "whiteness". I don't have a problem with how he characterizes himself, but now that this situation has come up, I think it lends credence to the idea that it could be a result of coping with being adopted. If you think about it, you've probably already struggled to get your head around the fact that your biological parents gave you up for adoption (right, wrong, or indifferently), and now you see that others in your family clearly look different (this woman's case she has black siblings, also adopted), and it's a situation ripe for some psychological/emotional issues to deal with this. My parents took my brother to sessions with a psychologist to address some behavioral issues, and I don't know what they ever got into, but perhaps seeking counseling will help this woman deal with these apparent issues as well.
The big difference here is that she is not adopted. Her brothers are, but those are her biological parents.
Hopefully your brother can work through the psychology of his situation.
I'll just share my perspective. Having bi racial kids and nieces and nephews, including black nephews, all of them don't really 'disown' their whiteness, but that's what they are seen as in society, just black, or Hispanic or whatever. I remember seeing Halle Berry interviewed years ago and she was raised by her white mother, but her mother told her, 'You're black, because that's the way the world will view you"
That's the way I've always looked at it with my kids too...
I'll just share my perspective. Having bi racial kids and nieces and nephews, including black nephews, all of them don't really 'disown' their whiteness, but that's what they are seen as in society, just black, or Hispanic or whatever. I remember seeing Halle Berry interviewed years ago and she was raised by her white mother, but her mother told her, 'You're black, because that's the way the world will view you"
That's the way I've always looked at it with my kids too...
Having no special knowledge of these situations, this is what I would intuit to be true. A large part of how a person often views themselves is how others view them. To the random guy on the street, a biologically-mixed individual is going to be classified as "black" especially if the appearance of the individual makes it difficult to see any racial mix. It makes sense to me that, as a result, most biologically-mixed individuals would classify themselves as black.
I blame GrangerIrish24 for this:
Rachel Dolezal was in a SEX TAPE when ex-husband forced her to perform 'sex acts' | Daily Mail Online
You HAD to put this out in the universe and now this...
I've always thought that having the ability to turn oneself into a black person would be a white liberal's ultimate wet dream. And lo and behold someone has done it! MSNBC should give this woman a round of applause for achieving the dream for as long as she did.
It's funny because it's more than just kind of true.
Look at the bright side, at least it's not Bruce Kaitlin Jenner Kardashian...yet
I'm seeing a "Lifetime" movie coming out soon.
I'm seeing a "X Videos" channel coming out soon.
Even my sick butt doesn't find it funny, is it supposed to be???