I decided to cheat: my confession

[IfTheLightTakesUs]

Earlier this week I decided that I will fill in the "African-American" box on everything. I'm hoping this way I'll get a better chance at a better school. I had been conflicted with marking it earlier, knowing that north africans like myself are included in the "white" category. I figured I should try to abuse their crappy racial system as much as I could.

Yes, that may have been anti-climatic to many of you, but to me it's a big thing.

[visigodo]

Good for you kid! Use the system to your advantage. I’m a Spaniard and nobody would ever know it, until I open my mouth here in the U.S. Although I can fill out the original people’s of Europe box. I am more Hispanic/Latino in the true sense of the word. More so than any Mestizo or Indian I know, so I have every right to circle that box as well.

So until these silly Americans correct their form of racial classification, we have every right to fill these boxes they have set-up.

[Josh]

IfTheLightTakesUs said:

Earlier this week I decided that I will fill in the "African-American" box on everything. I'm hoping this way I'll get a better chance at a better school. I had been conflicted with marking it earlier, knowing that north africans like myself are included in the "white" category. I figured I should try to abuse their crappy racial system as much as I could.

Yes, that may have been anti-climatic to many of you, but to me it's a big thing.

Heck, since you're Egyptian, you can probably trace all of your ancestry or close to it back to Africa within the last 500 years. That's more than any American black can say.

[alexandrian]

IfTheLightTakesUs said:

Earlier this week I decided that I will fill in the "African-American" box on everything. I'm hoping this way I'll get a better chance at a better school. I had been conflicted with marking it earlier, knowing that north africans like myself are included in the "white" category. I figured I should try to abuse their crappy racial system as much as I could.

Yes, that may have been anti-climatic to many of you, but to me it's a big thing.

I hate it when people do that. Honesty is the best policy instead of selling out your heritage to get a better chance at school. Why don't you try earning your acceptance? Besides, I wouldn't be too happy, I know of a few Morroccans and Egyptians who filled out African-American in the racial box, got accepted, and when the school found out they weren't black, were then expelled. Affirmative Action is demeaning to black people and is nothing but reverse racism. What happened to a meritocracy? Since when does being "black" or "hispanic" make you as eligible for college as getting a 4.0 I'm not making this up, in U Michigan which used to do things on a points scale, being of AFrican-American descent got you as many points as getting a 4.0, what bullshit.

Anyway, since you're using the system, I hope you get accepted, find success, and don't get caught (if its a big school, you probably won't)

[Josh]

Alexandrian said:

I hate it when people do that. Honesty is the best policy instead of selling out your heritage to get a better chance at school. Why don't you try earning your acceptance? Besides, I wouldn't be too happy, I know of a few Morroccans and Egyptians who filled out African-American in the racial box, got accepted, and when the school found out they weren't black, were then expelled. Affirmative Action is demeaning to black people and is nothing but reverse racism. What happened to a meritocracy? Since when does being "black" or "hispanic" make you as eligible for college as getting a 4.0 I'm not making this up, in U Michigan which used to do things on a points scale, being of AFrican-American descent got you as many points as getting a 4.0, what bullshit.

Anyway, since you're using the system, I hope you get accepted, find success, and don't get caught (if its a big school, you probably won't)

Well, I think very few people would look at him and say, "That's a white man," because he has posted his pic and he looks Caucasoid, but not what is considered white, at least in the US. On the other hand, he is American, and he can trace all of his ancestry to Africa, so tecnically, that would be the more honest choice (yes, I know, to most Americans, African=Negroid).

[alexandrian]

Josh said:

Well, I think very few people would look at him and say, "That's a white man," because he has posted his pic and he looks Caucasoid, but not what is considered white, at least in the US. On the other hand, he is American, and he can trace all of his ancestry to Africa, so tecnically, that would be the more honest choice (yes, I know, to most Americans, African=Negroid).

They might not say "thats a white man" but they will say, if they see him, "thats not a black man". Do keep in mind that the US Census Bureau does define African-American as being "the descendant of one of the original inhabitants of sub-Saharan Africa. It also defines "white" as being "the descendant of one of the original inhabitants of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa". Also, it doesn't take away from the fact that this is basically blatant lying and he is using and taking advantage of a flawed, socially detrimental system.

[Josh]

Alexandrian said:

They might not say "thats a white man" but they will say, if they see him, "thats not a black man". Do keep in mind that the US Census Bureau does define African-American as being "the descendant of one of the original inhabitants of sub-Saharan Afria. It also defines "white" as being "the descendant of one of the original inhabitants of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa". Also, it doesn't take away from the fact that this is basically blatant lying and he is using and taking advantage of a flawed, socially detrimental system.

If they legally define African-American as specifically sub-Saharan, I guess you are right. I just hope for IfTheLightTakesUs that he will be able to do well in the school he gets into, and that his deciding to call himself AA was just to confirm a spot and not to make up for lack of ability (I don't think you're stupid, ITLTU, I don't know what your academic performance is, but I imagine it's good, as most people who are interested in the topics on this board are at least reasonably intelligent).

[NuSapiens]

If you are from Africa and living in America, then you are an African-American. If any school has a problem with that, speak to a lawyer. Since you are from Africa and not of culturally European origin (I have no idea what you look like), you might have a strong case.

[Anima Eternae]

NuSapiens said:

If you are from Africa and living in America, then you are an African-American. If any school has a problem with that, speak to a lawyer. Since you are from Africa and not of culturally European origin (I have no idea what you look like), you might have a strong case.

Yes, but that's abusing semantics. The box REALLY means subsaharan Africans, and not caucasian northern ones...

[IfTheLightTakesUs]

Alexandrian said:

I hate it when people do that. Honesty is the best policy instead of selling out your heritage to get a better chance at school. Why don't you try earning your acceptance? Besides, I wouldn't be too happy, I know of a few Morroccans and Egyptians who filled out African-American in the racial box, got accepted, and when the school found out they weren't black, were then expelled. Affirmative Action is demeaning to black people and is nothing but reverse racism. What happened to a meritocracy? Since when does being "black" or "hispanic" make you as eligible for college as getting a 4.0 I'm not making this up, in U Michigan which used to do things on a points scale, being of AFrican-American descent got you as many points as getting a 4.0, what bullshit.

Anyway, since you're using the system, I hope you get accepted, find success, and don't get caught (if its a big school, you probably won't)

It looks like you need a bit of a reality check...

No matter what I do, I will always be an outsider in white america. I am not white, therefore I shouldn't be lumped into the same category as whites. Maybe you, with your supposed white features could be thrown into the category, which probably makes you happy. For the rest of us it's not so easy to just work hard enough.

What REALLY pisses me off is that "white" is a socially created term. Meaning, those accepted as white by the general white population are white, I don't remember the last time people thought Osama Bin Laden was white.

Plus, I could say I didn't know, or that I identify with African-American more than white.

Here: quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/meta/long_68176.htm

White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.

Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.

[IfTheLightTakesUs]

Josh said:

If they legally define African-American as specifically sub-Saharan, I guess you are right. I just hope for IfTheLightTakesUs that he will be able to do well in the school he gets into, and that his deciding to call himself AA was just to confirm a spot and not to make up for lack of ability (I don't think you're stupid, ITLTU, I don't know what your academic performance is, but I imagine it's good, as most people who are interested in the topics on this board are at least reasonably intelligent).

Not the people that come over here from brazzil.com / raceandstuff.tk hehe ;D

(Those forums suck)

[IfTheLightTakesUs]

Alexandrian, just curious, do you identify with "white?"

[Josh]

IfTheLightTakesUs said:

Not the people that come over here from brazzil.com / raceandstuff.tk hehe ;D

(Those forums suck)

I didn't look there very long. It looks to me like raceandstuff is a bunch of American blacks that are confused about their identity. Is that what the forum as a whole is in general?

[Brasidas]

In the U.S what makes someone "Black" is having any Sub-Saharan ancestry in your blood. This means that if your Great Grandmother was black you can be classified as Black. This would mean that even if you had only a 1/16th black in you, you would be black. This is something only specific to the U.S because of it's unique history. The "race" classification in the U.S is only a generalization of races. My best friend is from Afghanistan and he is considered caucasian. Funny huh?

[Jazel]

Brasidas said:

In the U.S what makes someone "Black" is having any Sub-Saharan ancestry in your blood. ... This would mean that even if you had only a 1/16th black in you, you would be black....

Then, by that definition, North Africans should be able to take advantage of the "African American" category. They are more than 1/16 black. And, in some cases, much more.

Moreover, since European-Caucasian looking African Americans are allowed to take advantage of the category, it would be absolutely unfair to deny mixed-race Africans who are not visibly European the same advantages.