Hispanic Fanatic

1 Comment for this entry

• Jean
  November 21st, 2012 on 6:24 pm

  I want to discuss two tocpis which caught my interest in this brilliant lecture. First, I was shocked to find out that some Asian s identify themselves as white. The idea doesn t make any sense when we see those with obvious physical and social characteristics that add fallacy to the claim. I ve heard that some Latino s identify themselves as white too, but I m sure it isn t as prevalent as in the Asian communities. I think those who identify themselves in this manner are suffering from a crippling psychosis. To look yourself in the mirror and see something completely different from what you really are is just plain crazy in my opinion. It s the equivalent to a hallucination. Even if you re a white person who was born and raised in the blackest region of Africa, you are still a white person. You can only share a nationality with people (African/American) not a race (if you are of a different race and not mixed). I m African American and was born and raised in a white suburb for most of my life. However, I would never think of calling myself anything else but African American, because that is not what I see in the mirror, it is not evidenced in my lineage (though I do have white and indigenous in my lineage, however it s so tantamount that if I claimed myself as the former or latter I would be contradicting myself), and that is not how I perceive or would want the world to perceive me. To forsake your (race of) people in that matter is a sign of shamefulness. If you are so ashamed of your race and seek to identify as one that is totally different from you, you are suffering from an oblivious mental disorder. It s either that or you re fascist.I also found it interesting to see that there was an actual correlation and study between race, popularity, and education in America. It is a devastatingly tangible phenomenon which proves that racial groups are the one s holding themselves back from educational progression. In other words, outside forces do not make such an impact on education and popularity. I used to have poor grades in middle school, yet at the time I had a lot of friends. As I grew older and started to put away the childish aspects of my life, I began to start making more effective efforts in my schooling and self-image. However, in that span of time, I began to lose a significant amount of my friends of color (and some white friends who didn t care much about their education). I was quickly labeled as a nerd and a loser (A term which can never be applicable if the person who is calling you that is an underachieving student herself) among my peers. In contrast, some of my white, Asian, and other forward thinking African-American friends grew closer to me. Yet, till this day I can only count the number of friends I have using my right hand. This makes me want to emphasize that college has been such a huge blessing in my life. I feel as if I m surrounded by my equals; not only pertaining to other races, but to people of my own race as well. College students, for the most part, are made up of forward thinkers who congratulate people who are succeeding in their lives. Back where I come from, success often results in condemnation, defamation, and on a few occasions, crucification. It’s a damn shame if I can be frank.