What Turns You OFF When Reading an Interracial Romance? Showing 601-650 of 1,097

[Shiree]

Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva wrote: "Ree- Im sorry you went through that! I definitely applaud ANY outlook that allows someone to put their work out there and live with the results, good and bad. Like I said- I already know I couldnt ..."

Thank you Savannah, now there are some in it for the money and they got the game down pack. They will walk over you and knock you down to make that sale, like a used car salesman. They will write what is popular. They will write it the way anybody want it, and they will white wash it if they have to because the want to do this for a living so they can quit that 9-5 they hate. I was that way with the first book I every wrote. Both characters where white and I was going for the brass ring. Zebra Romance back in the day was my dream goal. I sold my self got my book asked for a second look but I didn't know how to edit, so I got knocked out in the final round when I end up rewriting and ruining everything they loved about the book. I stopped writing for 10 years because I became scared that I wasn't good enough, that I wasn't educated enough and never could be. Then eBooks gave me the chance to learn from my mistakes and each year I continue to learn more about my craft. I can only hope I'm getting better technically even if the subject matter isn't one that is excepted by all.

Ree

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Popular tropes fade and they are seldom what brings me back to an author even if I enjoyed one book. At this point (after loving romance for so long) I am always looking for a different twist on even the traditional tropes I love. Something has to seperate it from the pack. Sure, Twilight spawned a new era but there is only so many were/vamp love stories anybody wants to read lol. Same with billionairres knocking up or trussing up regular women for dom crap. There are an infinite number of ways two people can come together so I dont see why more cant be explored. When I express a wish in romance its a lot less specific than storyline. lol I say write what moves you! The only thing I take points off for is when I feel the execution didnt live up to the promise.

[Lola]

I think this is amplified by the fact that so many of these books are e-books only. You can't just go over to the bookstore, take a copy off the shelf to read the blurb and skim over a few pages and decide whether or not to surrender your $10 bill for the book.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Good point Lola! If i isnt on Amazon witha free preview option, its a risk. If fhese were library books I wouldnt complain so much.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Paganalexandria **wicked juices bubbling over** wrote: "Okay I just discovered something that turns me off, though it might be construed a little reverse racially prejudiced. I really do not like most interracial erotic books written by white people tha..."

OMG, whenever I see IR erotica books which features the "BBC" (and I'm not talking about the channel that gives us Doctor Who, lol), or "white housewives cuckolding their suburban hubbies with a big black stud" I seriously want to write to these authors and let them know how incredibly offensive that is. BW/WM IR might have its issues, but I don't see us pulling that kind of racefail.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

I run like pantyhose on a construction worker when I see WW/BM books, so I honestly had no idea...

[Paganalexandria]

TheFountainPenDiva wrote: "OMG, whenever I see IR erotica books which features the "BBC" (and I'm not talking about the channel that gives us Doctor Who, lol), or "white housewives cuckolding their suburban hubbies with a big black stud" I seriously want to write to these authors and let them know how incredibly offensive that is. BW/WM IR might have its issues, but I don't see us pulling that kind of racefail. "

My eyes were semi-blinded by a whole collection of crazy someone was pimping, right before my post. Romance I'm open to, but some of the erotica horrifies me. Examples (not real titles): Breeding My Black Baby Momma or Colored Concubines, though it's tagged BW/WM I can't be the target audience.

[TinaNoir]

I read an article recently about self pubbed authors who simply target niche audiences. They read the books that are being marketed toward that audience and simply write to re-package the tropes.

Some authors have had a lot of success with this especially with non-discerning readers who are finding their niche under-served and feel that .99 is no big loss.

I read a synopsis of a book where the blurb said 'If you like Scandal and Olivia Pope you will love this book." Read the sample of this "erotic romance" and the "heroine" was the most ratchet piece of mess I ever came across. Calling people the n-word, thinking other women were bitches and jealous of her. Just awful. Did a little research on the author and found out she is WW who cranks out books targeted to a specific demographic. She also has a bunch of m/m books.

The sad thing is, she had a fair amount of reviews on this book.

Interesting other thing, the 'White husband being cuckolded by wife with black men' books are written primarily by white men. Apparently that is a kink that turns the crank of a sub-culture of white men. I don't think BW we are the intended audience for those. Who knew?

[Paganalexandria]

Tina wrote: "Interesting other thing, the 'White husband being cuckolded by wife with black men' books are written primarily by white men. Apparently that is a kink that turns the crank of a sub-culture of white men. I don't think BW we are the intended audience for those. Who knew?
..."

Those tend be so weird and badly written, I always assumed they were meant for men. LOL Kind of like Penthouse Forum Letters.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Those "Breeding" books.......((shudder)).

[Desperado]

This has less to do with reading an IR so much as buying one, and while it's prevalent in all genres/sub-genres, I see it the most in IR: overpriced IRs. There are so many IRs by NTM (new to me) authors that I'd like to try but I just can't see myself paying the prices a lot of them go for. $4.99 for an 80-page novella? I'm sorry but....bitch, please. I can't. I'm that stereotypical starving college student who gets the majority of my books from Ye Ode Library but even if I wasn't, I couldn't see myself spending that much on so little. A lot of the IR authors I've come across are indie, which already has me feeling apprehensive because of the plethora of grammatical errors that are found in indie books. But then you also want me to pay $5 for a book that's less that 200 pages (and a lot of times, less that 100)? The absurd prices prevent me from trying a lot of authors I'm interested in. I wish more IR authors were like Sienna Mynx. I pay $6 for a 300+ page romance and if I'm not always satisfied with the level of enjoyment I got from said book, I am confident that I got my money's worth.

[Lola]

I'm so with you on the overpriced books. Quite a few books I passed on because of the price-page ratio. I would rather pay $6 for a 300+ page romance. Especially if there is good plot development and not so much sexual trope.

[Desperado]

Lola wrote: "I'm so with you on the overpriced books. Quite a few books I passed on because of the price-page ratio. I would rather pay $6 for a 300+ page romance. Especially if there is good plot development..."

Exactly! I've found that most of the IR books that I've read that are 300+ pages do have good plot development, which is why there's such a big page count. Whereas those $5 80-page novellas are so short that the plot/world-building aspects are bound to suffer if the author wants to get that requisite intimacy scene in.

[TinaNoir]

LethalLovely~I'll Tell You My Sins & You Can Sharpen Your Knife wrote: "This has less to do with reading an IR so much as buying one, and while it's prevalent in all genres/sub-genres, I see it the most in IR: overpriced IRs. There are so many IRs by NTM (new to me) au..."

Heh. I came across a book just like that today. Put it on my TBR and will pay attention if the price drops, but no way am I paying $7.99 for a book that is 74K words (which according to industry standard is approx. 200 pages) by a first time author.

I'll happily pay that amount for an author who is a favorite, I already do. But yeah, not for that price to page ratio.

[Justine]

Stacy-Deanne wrote: "What things turn you off or displease you when reading an IR novel/romance? What are some things that you don't like to see specifically in terms of the story?

Best Wishes!

http://www.stacy-deann..."

Bad editing: bad grammar, misused words,names of characters being changed, description of the physical looks of characters changed.

Books touted as interracial only to find out the hero has a fully black parent.

Hero or heroine is of a particular lifestyle yet the author does no research to make that lifestyle described believable.

CEOs of major corporations who are in their 20s. This is not believable.

Contrived inane drama.

Sex acts that go on and on and on and on.

Overly descriptive sex acts that serve no purpose and lend nothing to the story.

BDSM.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Justine.....well dayum! lol Well summarized!

[Mstcat]

Books touted as interracial only to find out the hero has a fully black parent.

This comment confuses me, so help me out here please. Why is it okay to tout a book as an IR book when the heroine has a fully black parent, but it isn't an IR book if the hero has a fully black parent?

I guess this bothers me because I read someone once refer to the hero being half black as a "taint" as if black is bad. I'm sure that isn't what you meant @Justine so please don't think that's what I'm implying, but that persons comment just got to me...

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Not that you were speaking to me Mst (lol) but just want to chime in with a personal observation.

For me, it matters because the entire draw of IR is based on me as a black female who is attracted to white men. As long as the heroine identifies as black, there is a mental click lol. If the hero looks like half the brothas I know, fine and fascinating as he might be, that still negates the I in IR.

[Mstcat]

Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva wrote: "Not that you were speaking to me Mst (lol) but just want to chime in with a personal observation.

For me, it matters because the entire draw of IR is based on me as a black female who is attracted..."

I see where you are coming from Savannah and I understand your perspective. I'm sure it is one that a lot of people share. But what if the man doesn't look like half the brothas you know? One of my best friends has a son who has blond hair and blue eyes like his daddy, but his momma is Afro-Amer. (seriously the nerve people used to have in asking her if she was the nanny!) Does it make a difference then?

I suppose it is just a matter of personal preference. I guess I just feel that an author isn't mislabeling her book or selling it as something that it isn't if it (the issue of an interracial hero versus interracial heroine) doesn't count both ways. But then someone like me could care less if the man happens to be of mixed race or not. My motivation for reading this type of book is that I love seeing love in all of its many hues. I love reading black love, black/white love, black/hispanic love, etc. because that has been my experience through life. I just love men - all of 'em! LOL!

[Liane]

It burns me up when the Author doesn't write BOTH MC POV's. I really don't understand why they think the readers don't want to read both POV'S

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Ive gotten to be known on my Favebook page as the celeb crush girl, Mst. I adore all sorts of men. But I cannot lie...I tend to be drawn to a lot of white men. But hot is hot and I have dated all kinds and appreciate the umm...fineosity of all kinds hehe!

I think the particulars are always going to fall on the side of averages with readers. Alot of us know a black parent who ended up with a blonde and blue baby-genetic suprise lol. Hell an old white woman in walmart asked ME if I knew of anyone looking for a position because her daughter was "looking for a girl and you (I) was just SOOO good with that baby"..my daughter. LOL! She has grown into looking more like she came from me but early on......toss up. Anyway, I think when it comes to reading, when we hear biracial, we think of the average biracial physical mix. Light skin, maybe light eyes, finer hair texture but still obviously part black. When I say I want to read a book about a black woman and a white man, thats just what I want. But I DEFINITELY get what you're saying...its...semantics either way I guess.

[[deleted user]]

Definitely see @mstcat's point. I find that the biracial hero vs heroine is shunned vs revered. Sometimes I wonder why it's acceptable for women to be fair skinned but accepted as black but biracial men with black men are often emasculated or not seen as desirable, or black enough or even white enough.

[[deleted user]]

I tend to be the most excited with someone who wouldn't pass the paper bag test. But I find that even some biracial people wouldn't pass this either. Was reading an article how black women's stereotypical characteristics are celebrated....as long as they're not actually on black women. Or on mixed race women. And my fair skinned sistas, you deserve recognition and representation too! I just wonder why this doesn't translate well when it comes to the hero vs the heroine

[[deleted user]]

@Mstcat totally agree with that interracial comment. For me that hits close to home. My boyfriend is a mixed race man, a black Haitian father and a white Colombian mom. I wouldn't say he looks "white", but he doesn't have that stereotypical bi-racial look with the light eyes and the light brown skin. He's as white as a white guy. So even though he's only half black, I consider myself to be in an interracial couple.

It appears as though when a woman is mixed race in a book, it's considered interracial when she's with a white guy. But when a woman is with a mixed race man, he's a brotha and it's not interracial. Will someone please explain that to me? Cuz I'm hella confused about that.

[Desperado]

Libertad wrote: "@Mstcat totally agree with that interracial comment. For me that hits close to home. My boyfriend is a mixed race man, a black Haitian father and a white Colombian mom. I wouldn't say he looks "whi..."

Chiming in as a biracial woman (AA via my mother and Tahitian via my father) I don't get the double standard of a biracial man (one of the ethnicities being AA) being considered a "brotha" as well. I definitely wouldn't pass the "paper bag" test. My skin is medium brown and my hair is kinky as hells. The only thing I really got from my dad is his nose and softly slanted eyes (and his acute stubbornness to the point where I'd totally bite my hand off to spite my face since even God couldn't get me to do something I didn't want to do). Hell, my brothers (who have a different father than I) look more stereotypically biracial than I do despite having two AA parents. To me an IR features one or both protagonists who come from one different-or multiple-ethnic backgrounds. I admit I'm more attracted to Caucasian and Hispanic men IRL but I'll gobble up any book featuring an IR couple, whether they be Asian, Hispanic, Caucasian, Middle Eastern, Native American, et cetera. I'm fascinated by IR couples in general (and the trials and tribulations associated with dating/marrying outside of your ethnicity), so I'd definitely go for a male protagonist who was part AA.

[Paganalexandria]

*Incoming Politically Incorrect Thought warning*

I am a southern girl, and some things are unfortunately ingrained in my thinking. The one drop rule being one of them. That's why the half black hero/black heroine pairing doesn't qualify as IR in my eyes. I would be just as annoyed with half black herione/black hero read being tagged IR. It wouldn't matter how light their coloring, I'd group them with being part of us anyway. Those books should be tagged multicultural, IMO.

[TinaNoir]

I think ultimately, individually, each person needs to decide what they consider as IR when determining how to categorize what you read. But I am kinda with Pagan here. Wrong or right (mostly wrong) there is a big historical tradition of 'claiming' folk as black based on the one-drop rule.

Historically and culturally, most AA-biracial folks have found it either easier or more in alignment with their personal philosophy to identify with their phenotype (what they look like) rather than with their genotype (what they genetically are). Yes that is mind set is changing slowly. But still I think people ultimately need to decide how they feel themselves.

Personally, I would not call a romance b/t, say, Halle Berry and Lenny Kravitz as IR. Halle is biracial but she very strenuously identifies as black. Lenny strongly identifies as biracial, but they don't feel IR to me.

But, pair Halle with Olivier Martinez or Lenny Kravitz with,say, Lucy Liu then both those pairings feel IR to me.

I am married to a white guy, so my IR reading preference tends to be bw/wm.

[[deleted user]]

I guess I'm just confused because Halle berry is just as much white as she is black, her being with a white guy shouldn't count as interracial if her being with a black guy doesn't count. The whole one drop rule is also confusing.

Being a black woman of Latin American descent I have to confess, In Latin American it's the opposite. If you are part white, then you are not "black". You can consider yourself something all together.It sounds silly, right? I guess that's why the whole concept of the one drop rule sounds silly to me.

Every book I pick up in the romance genre features a bi racial woman, not a black woman. Has me wondering how is that interracial?

[[deleted user]]

Interesting road this thread is taking.

I have to agree, being Afro latina, and having mostly Latino friends who are black. Some do not identify as black. And would rather identify as white due to white heritage if there is a choice.

So it is confusing. I'm not sure anyone has the right to tell someone how to identify but I think the one drop rule is problematic.

[TinaNoir]

Sooo off topic...LOL...but.

Race as Americans define it, is a social construct, not a biological one. How Americans define race is different than how other countries identify race. It is made of up visual and ethnic signifiers, as well as a shit-load of history, some psychological conditioning and yes, some pride too. Truth be told, when you shake the family tree of a lot of people you aren't finding anything too racially pure. In the end it comes down less to what you actually are than what you define yourself.

To use Halle again as an example, she is biracial. But she has stated over and over that she is black. same with Kidada Jones (daughter of Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton). Their reasons for doing so are eerily similar. They feel like they look black, they are coded as black so they identify as black. It sounds effed up, but in the end both women have said they gained a lot of peace once they did this. And to me it is disrespectful of their self actualization to shake my head and say 'No you are ...'

Meanwhile Rashida Jones does not identify as black. She identifies as biracial and Jewish. And frankly when I see her on tv or in movies I don't code her as black because she doesn't herself.

In books, I think I go through the same mental processor. If the heroine or hero (via the author) identifies a certain way either through dialogue or explicit description then I am going with that.

But again, I think it is up to the reader to decide what works for you when it comes you what you define as IR or multicultural in books. There are some people who feel that a Spanish or Italian hero and a white heroine is IR. I don't personally but I can see why some people would.

[Paganalexandria]

Tina wrote: "Meanwhile Rashida Jones does not identify as black. She identifies as biracial and Jewish. And frankly when I see her on tv or in movies I don't code her as black because she doesn't herself.

In books, I think I go through the same mental processor. If the heroine or hero (via the author) identifies a certain way either through dialogue or explicit description then I am going with that. "

Biracial is valid, it only personally gets the side eye when it's obvious somewhere in the tree mother Africa has roots, and your trying to convince me that's not the case. And on top of that, your looking down your nose at Black people. In that case, I'm claiming you, even if you don't want me to. Keep in mind, in my part of the country there most of Latin people are of Mexican heritage. I personally haven't run into the afro-latin thing in real life with anyone that wasn't actually biracial (black/spanish parents).

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

I have zero shame in raising my biracial children to identify as black. We live in the good old US of A and I am teaching them that when America looks at them, rest assured....they are black. We acknowledge their mixed heritage the same way I assume most whites acknowledge being part Irish or Italian...whatever. They know on their father's side they are French, Italian and German. And on their mama's they are largely untraceable African American. We have told them the proper terms and urge them to embrace the facts but are PREPARING them to live in a world that does not really give a damn whats really in the pot if they think they know the main ingredient.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

And I dont care if its the guy who is biracial or the female. Its all in how they identify and the physical attributes though if I come across a biracial male lead who LOOKS white but identifies as black, it would be a true exception to my rule LOL! I will gladly read it and see how I feel.

[[deleted user]]

I dont mean to stir up anything, as I do not personally identify as white, but I know many Afro-latinos who are often the only blacks in an otherwise non black family. Many blacks cant help it if their heritage isnt United States based first. And many non-American born Afro-latinos are robbed of an education, and those who arent, dont have the luxuries of learning about the blacks who have contributed to their heritage.

Mexico has a very small African root. It's not as strong as it is in the Caribbean and South America, but I've been schooled by many natives myself, that Blacks do exist in Mexico.

I always get frustrated when people assume being Afro-Latino means you have one African-American/Black parent and one non Black parent. Both of my parents are black, coarse hair, dark skin, pretty much exactly characteristics I dont to see in books. I've been told I cant be Latino because my hair is "nappy", and told I cant be black because my heritage "others" me. So the talk about race is a frustrating subject for me, because it seems like Im the only one not allowed to decide how I am identified.

Some Afro-Latinos are mixed race, but many Blacks who arent Latino, are as well.

Trying not to deviate from the conversation here. But I just wanna see a me with a Nolan Funk XD Is that too much to ask?!?

[Paganalexandria]

Paganalexandria **wicked juices bubbling over** wrote: "Tina wrote: "Meanwhile Rashida Jones does not identify as black. She identifies as biracial and Jewish. And frankly when I see her on tv or in movies I don't code her as black because she doesn't h..."

Guinevere I wasn't trying to offend I just meant my personal experience with that mix. One of my step mothers is half Mexican and black, and my half sister and brothers; they all identify as black, so this isn't an issue in my real life. I'm not saying there are no black people from Mexico, just what I've met in my real life experience. Not online community stuff, just my personal real life day to day stuff. Not trying to marginalize anyone, but this is just not an issue for me. Kind I never met a full blooded Native American person (friend from work)until five years ago (I'm 42), and he was a Oklahoma transplant. Until hanging with him, my only knowledge of that culture came from a book, or TV, so never gave it much thought really.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Guinevere wrote: "I dont mean to stir up anything, as I do not personally identify as white, but I know many Afro-latinos who are often the only blacks in an otherwise non black family. Many blacks cant help it if t..."

I'm glad you brought this up Guinevere. Unfortunately in this country (can't speak for anywhere else) the whole idea of "Afro-Latinos" is one no one really talks about. But it's also one of those issues that exposes the divide between American-born black people and those from Spsnish-speaking countries.

For most people in the U.S. the only Latinos they've been exposed to media-wise are J-Lo (who gets lighter and lighter every time I see her), Eva Longoria, Dominican baseball players (many of whom are very dark-skinned) or "illegal" immigrants. Again, another reason why we need more variety/better representation in the media.

[[deleted user]]

I took no offense to anything XD I hope you don't think I was. But Fountain Pen Diva is right, Afro Latinos don't really have true representation. I mean there was better, well, shit ANY representation featuring blacks from different cultures, but as sad and ashamed as I am to admit, while I wish Afro Latinas had more to see, that I don't fight much for it because I find that having black women in positive or at the very least complex roles is enough for me to feel as though I can see myself.

Throughout parts of my youth transitioning into adulthood(28 btw) I've been told my triplet(already a twin) could be Camille winbush, and while she's not Afro latina, we do favor a lot of the same features.

[Indigo.plume]

I had an interesting experience with my first husband. I've always strongly identified as African American, because that's how I was classified when I started going to school, that's how I was treated in any social settings, and I went to an all black church with my paternal grandmother. She was one of those light skinned/redhead African Americans who probably could have "passed." She always treated me as if I were the lowest person in the household. I was darker than my beautiful older sister and my half-white cousin. Now, I know she was just colorist, but back then it hurt.

Fast forward to years later... As an adult, I joined the military, where I met and married a Mexican man. He was born in the US, but both of his parents were Mestizos from Guadalajara, Mexico. I identified as African American, but I am mixed race, and I never mentioned the fact that my mother is Latina. When he met my family, he was very upset with me for what he called "denying the Mexican side of my culture."

Now I have two children who look straight up light skinned Mexican, and I identify as mixed. I look like my African American father, not like my Spanish descent Mexican mother... so it feels weird to me. I especially don't like the comments/looks I get from other African Americans who think I am just trying to be pretentious by identifying as mixed. I tell my kids that they can identify however they want, and they both prefer to say they are half African American although they are only a quarter. I wish race wasn't such an issue in this country; it is confusing.

When I read IR, I just want a good story. I don't want to have to think about whether or not the hero and heroine are "legit" in whatever race the author identifies them as. I love that being "black" can be just about anything (from Halle Berry to Alfre Woodard) as long as you have some African genes and want to identify that way.

[Arch , Mod]

In my opinion, I think that biracial people, should identify themselves as being biracial, because they are. To me, when a biracial person identifies with 50% of their mixture, then they are denying the other race. If people don't want to accept a person saying they are biracial then that's their problem. Biracial people shouldn't let the denial be their problem.

My favorite biracial heroine is Alyssa Locke (Mother black/ Father white). She identified herself as being black and that's how other seen her.

A lot of half-white, half-black people don't come out looking a certain way. Some come out looking like a white person or at least a white person with a tan. Some come out looking like they were conceived by two black people. (TBC)

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Carol wrote: "This discussion line is both an eye opener, as well as very intimidating for anyone attempting to improve their writing in the IR genre. Honestly I am even more confused than I first was when I sta..."

LOL, it does feel at times kind of contradictory, doesn't it? Still, I think all the criticism and commentary are coming from an honest place. If we as readers and writers didn't give a rat's ass about this genre, we wouldn't be so emotionally invested in its success. We want it to be the best. To prove our stories are just as awesome as any mainstream romances out there. That our authors are just as, if not more, talented than those who constantly end up on the NYT Bestseller lists.

In the end though, write the BEST stories that speak to you authentically, but be prepared for those who may not get it. You may cross your t's and dot your i's, but that may not be enough. That has NOTHING to do with your talent and drive and EVERYTHING to do with how personal the experience of reading is for each individual. I have things I like and things I don't, and no matter how freaking awesome your story is, if skmething about it falls into my "things that annoy the living crap out of me such as wimpy heroine syndrome", there's nothing you or readers who loved your story can do to change my mind. Remember that and it will save your sanity *grin*.

[Desperado]

Arch wrote: "In my opinion, I think that biracial people, should identify themselves as being biracial, because they are. To me, when a biracial person identifies with 50% of their mixture, then they are denyin..."

The issue I have with your statement is that you're pretty much telling other people how to feel. If you want to identify people who come from multiple ethnic backgrounds as biracial, great! Do your thang, gurl! But you can't tell those people that they should identify themselves as biracial too.

As I previous mentioned on another post, I am biracial. Generations of black people on one side and generations of Tahitians (or Polynesians) on the other. Physically, I look black. The only physical traits my dad passed on to me are his nose and his slanted eyes (and probably his big ass feet). So should I identify as Black (an ethnicity I look like) or biracial because of my full-blooded Tahitian father? When people pass me on the street, I'm sure most of them categorize me as Black-and I'm okay with this. A lot of casual friends/acquaintances assume the only ethnicity in my background is Black-and I'm okay with this. But my friends who've met parents (or seen pictures of them) know I'm biracial. If the subject ever comes up, I am more than happy and proud to say I'm the product of a Black woman and a Tahitian man. But being biracial is not something I feel I need to scream from the rooftops and it's definitely not something I feel that I need to identify myself as just because someone else identifies me as that. And the same goes for being identified as Black or Tahitian. So consider me Black. Consider me biracial. Hell, consider me Tahitian. It doesn't matter to me because the way I see it, my ethnic background is only a small part of who I am. I am so much more than the genes past on to me from my parents.

ETA: And when it's necessary for me to identify myself as a certain ethnicity (say on an application) some days I'll check the "Black" box and some days I'll check the "Other" one. I'm not trivializing my ethnicity. It's not that I don't feel that my ethnic background matters. It's more that I feel that it's a very small aspect of myself that matters. It definitely doesn't matter enough that I feel like I should stress out about whether I'm this ethnicity or that ethnicity or if people think I'm this one or that one.

[Paganalexandria]

Arch wrote: "In my opinion, I think that biracial people, should identify themselves as being biracial, because they are. To me, when a biracial person identifies with 50% of their mixture, then they are denyin..."

In all honesty this issue has a lot to do with age. I'm over forty, so the whole biracial option is fairly new. I grew up with people just casually just saying they're "mixed".I mean the census didn't even allowed you to pick more than one race until 2010. my generation saw the biggest boom of interracial couples, after our parents discovered free love in the sixties. My whole family is melting pot because of that. I have half sister and brother that are part Mexican. My step brother I was raised with since four, has a Jewish mother, and me just a plain ol' cocoa puff. The funny thing is my step-brother's children, though their mother is very brown, look much more biracial than him. He is just kind of "light-skinneded" (our joke), but his daughters have green eyes, sons lighter skin, and they all have straighter hair. You are right about genetics being a trip.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Okay, I'm about to get seriously political here but I think it's a way of seeing biracialism (Black mixed with other ethnicity most definitely) that maybe some here have not thought about.

And there IS a political element to it. Remember that "Black" as a designation/category has always had a LOT of negative (and untrue) baggage attached to it, in this country especially (but dark-skin regardless of country also comes with baggage). Granted, society may copy/steal our various styles of music, dress, speech, etc. but no one actually wants to BE black, to deal with the loss of privilege and the everyday micro/macro aggressions black people operate under.

For a lot of Black people who have what are commonly thought of as "black features" and who are citizens in a country that still can't/won't honestly deal with racism, when they see or hear biracial black people either choosing not to identify with black (or, as I mentioned to Guinevere and Libertad at one time, black people from the Islands or from Latin America) or being showcased constantly in the media as THE acceptable face of blackness, it feels like a visceral slap in the face. A rejection of the struggle for equality, of history. So yes, there's some serious resentment happening. There's also a numbers game involved. The more black people who identify as such tends to translate into socio-political power, which we all know still does matter.

So yes, we claim Tiger Woods (despite him identifying as "Cablasian", which is his right) just as we claim President Obama, Mariah Carey and Halle Berry. It's a numbers game, but also a way to give a big middle finger to a society that still devalues blackness.

[Tea]

Arch wrote: In my opinion, I think that biracial people, should identify themselves as being biracial, because they are. To me, when a biracial person identifies with 50% of their mixture, then they are denying the other race.

Arch, I think I get what you're saying, but I can't disagree more if I'm understanding it correctly.

People should identify as... however they identify. In the U.S. (and perhaps in other places, as well), of course, there's a caveat to that: a person must be prepared that a lot of people aren't necessarily going to see the person as the person sees themselves. Whether used to claim someone or to other them, it's a legacy of the so-called "one drop rule" and the attitudes that supported it. But none of that means that it's okay to go to another extreme and disparage a person for embracing a part of their heritage that they are most comfortable embracing.

Keep in mind that in the U.S., most people who would be categorised as "African American" aren't exactly "racially pure", so calling oneself "bi-racial" and saying the one identifies with only "50% of their mixture" can be equally inaccurate.

My family decided to dispense with the confusion and (for the most part), call ourselves Black while still acknowledging that we have European, Native American, Asian, and categories-we-mightn't-know-about ancestors.

We aren't denying anything.

I'd love to see a MC whose family overtly took that approach. It might erase some of my particular turn-offs if at least one of the characters were so practical and prosaic about race in the United States.

Edited to add a 5 before "0%" and change an "is" to a "can be".

[Desperado]

Tea wrote: "People should identify as... however they identify. In the U.S. (and perhaps in other places, as well), of course, there's a caveat to that: a person must be prepared that a lot of people aren't necessarily going to see the person as the person sees themselves. Whether used to claim someone or to other them, it's a legacy of the so-called "one drop rule" and the attitudes that supported it. But none of that means that it's okay to go to another extreme and disparage a person for embracing a part of their heritage that they are most comfortable embracing,"

*LL claps* PREACH IT! If you go by the definition of biracial (concerning or containing members of two racial groups) then yes, I am biracial. But some days I consider myself Black. Some days its easier to let certain people (I live in the South, where prejudice and racism is very much alive and well) assume I'm completely Black rather than explaining that a)yes I do have a Tahitian father and b)Yes, I know I don't look like there's another ethnicity in my biological makeup. I've come across more people than I'd like to admit who think I'm lying when I tell them, like I'm saying it just to sound "exotic." So some days I'm Black. Some days I'm Black and Tahitian. And more days then not I'm just Aimes, who has a mother who taught her how to cook and a father who taught her how to play chess. Aimes, who has a mother who was almost always the disciplinarian and a father who bought her tampons/pads when she started her cycle.

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

I dont think its embracing someone elses issues with race to prepare a kid for the world they live in. I can preach to high heaven that they should claim every ancestor in the tree, but at the end of the day, THIS is the country and world they will need to make their way in. And this world sees black lol. people arent crazy- they look at them and damn well know chances are they are biracial. Why make an issue of pointing it out when there is nothing to be gained by it? If it were beneficial to their success in life to go around emphasizing the duality, Id be all for it. As it is, the only benefit is what they can gain by learning things about their ancestry and having them identify as black doesnt take that opportunity away from them. My job as a parent is to prepare them for the world we live in not the one I wish I could give them.

[[deleted user]]

@lethal *clap clap clap* weird how I'm not biracial but I've been told the same thing! I'm not sure how other people view Cubans, but from my point of view, there isn't really anything exotic about black Cubans. Outside of maybe many born there are much more Afro centric.

I laughed and cried when a woman told me my mother must have lied to me about being Cuban because my hair was too nappy XD I couldn't believe someone would say that to me, but I blame it on the miseducation of blacks in Spanish speaking countries.

Race is a painful subject to talk about, but atleast no one is choosing to ignore the issues on this thread, even if our opinions are completely different.

I guess since I'm in an IR, my desire to read outside of white men sometimes comes from white folk wanting to ignore the problem. I still can't get my bf of 3 years to have a conversation about race without wanting to change the subject or breaking down. That's why I'm not opposed to men of color, mixed or not, being of a different race than me in my lit because I imagine I may get something different from it.

And no I don't want to just read a story that surrounds around the differences of race. But asking a person to ignore is almost asking them to ignore the struggle that comes with it.

And as like most of you, if you're like me, that's a hell of a lot to ignore...

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears]

Guinevere wrote: "@lethal *clap clap clap* weird how I'm not biracial but I've been told the same thing! I'm not sure how other people view Cubans, but from my point of view, there isn't really anything exotic about..."

Seriously, the only Cubans most Americans know well is Desi Arnaz from I Love Lucy or Gloria Estefan, lol. Maybe a few baseball players. Be that as it may, dark-skinned Cubans/Afro-Latinos just don't factor into this thinking. For better or worse (usually worse), people like to categorize things into nice, tidy boxes. This is black, this is white, this is latino, this is asian--and don't go confusing things *grin* or heads will explode.

[Arch , Mod]

I am black. I'm not African-American. But what if I had a white mother and a black father. Why should I say that I'm black? Black would only be 50% of my mixture, so what should I do with my 50% white portion?

(BBL)

[Savannah- Quad Motherin' Book Readin' Diva]

Arch as long as you are grown and aware of the potential ....slights and hardships associated with being PERCEIVED as black in this country, Id say call ya'self what you want. Besides, what is there to DO with either side? Lol race is what it is. Not much to done about where one falls even if its straddle a fence.
Its mental. I have no issue with adjectives. And what others choose to do is no skin off mine. I am merely referring to what I feel is my duty as a parent. Anything beyond that is none of my business or concern.