- Home
- Business & Marketing (833)
- Editorials (671)
- Entertainment (2033)
- Fashion (1032)
- Highbrid (189)
- Honeys (2876)
- Humor (948)
- Music (5222)
- Need to Know (2224)
- News (2076)
- Podcasts (4)
- ARCHIVE
Wednesday, January 6, 2010 | 10:03am
SOUND OFF: Mariah. Tiger. Obama. Who’s Black And Whose Not?
People call Obama black but Tiger is “caublasian” and what about Mariah Carey?
Recently Mariah Carey appeared on Lopez Tonight [video below]. While being interviewed George Lopez questioned Mariah about her ethnic background. She answered the questioned by basically and simply saying, “I’m black”. This may be a surprise to many (including myself) because for most of her early career Mariah (or her handlers) purposely avoiding having her lumped in as a “black artist”. For the most part her race was kept very ambiguous.
When asked further by Lopez, she revealed that she is indeed of mixed heritage but still preferred to refer to herself as just “black”. George Lopez even offered her to chance to get a DNA test which would break down in detail where in the world al her ancestors were from. She politely declined.
On the flip side we recently talked about Tiger Woods who seems to only acknowledge being black when its convenient for him.
Now if you compare the ethnic backgrounds of both Mariah Carey and Tiger Woods there really isn’t that much different. One could even say that if you were going off of appearance alone, Tiger Woods looks more black than Mariah Carey. So what makes one black and the other something different?
Maybe its just who you ask. For instance, I tend to notice that when it comes to our president Barack Obama, in conversation, my white associates tend to like to refer to him as bi-racial. Almost as if to dilute his “blackness”. However Obama tends to refer to himself as black or African-American.
Now there are people who are reading this that are of the belief that unless you are 100% black you should indeed be referred to as bi-racial or multiracial. Only problem with that philosophy is that there is no such thing as 100% black.
Researchers recently published a scientific report that reveals that the average African-American is actually is of at least 20% European ancestry. We’ve all heard the stories of slaves being raped their owners but few knew that the results were so profound. Does that change what “black” is?
So Sound Off Nation. With people being able to claim being black at there own convenience and science proving that “black” may actually only be a dark shade of gray, then who’s black? Should black even be considered a race or maybe just a culture?
FILED IN Editorials, Honeys, Music, Sports
Interesting question. Bound to draw all kinds of responses.
I think that “blackness” as it is usually used in the African American community is more a matter of experiences than it is of pigmentation. We tend to identify and relate with people who grew up in circumstances that are familiar and similar to those of our own.
Very insightful observation
Black is not a color, or a culture for that matter. Black is the essence of color. All color derives from Black, whereas white is the absence of all color….
I am considered “Hispanic” (a term that I have a problem with because it denotes “possession of Spain.” I, of course, am not the possession of anything, but The Most High)….However, I considerered myself “Black.” My children’s mothers are Black Americans, but don’t consider themselves “Biracial” (even though they have my skin tone). They say they are Black, too…..
Black is original and we are Aboriginal (from the original) people…
One of the many tricks that the Europeans used to take over our lands was “divide and conquer.” This is still working today….If we would just get the fact that we are all from the same Creator, (regardless of what religion you call yourself), then we would realize that we are Black and we would all get along better and eliminate much of the madness that is going on in our families and communities.
Church!!!
They’re all ZEBRAS!
In the infamous words of Paul Mooney “Everybody want to be black but nobody want to be black”. This statement rings true in so many circumstances, especially in Hollywood. There are those who fantasize about being black because we make good music, we’re cool, good athletes, labels that feed into the stereotype. Only thing is nobody wants to be black when you’re being harassed by the cops, or racially profiled or discriminated against because of your skin color. My issue are people who use being black when it’s convenient, perfect example Tiger Woods on the cover of Vanity Fair. ….sad.
Agree 100%
I’m SEEN as black but im indian, irish, african amongst other things that are eitehr hidden or seen in my fam tree. i even got albino black people in my family. she was ORANGE. my fam was part of the trail of tears as well. my last name is irish. if i was CLASSIFIED, Id be multi-racial. my features arent anything but black-ness. well, native american too. but i also believe that “blackness” is a state of mind too. kinda like asking someone how they feel about being themselves in the skin they are wrapped in. but, thats just me.
its a lot simpler than that to me. what is the first thing a white person will notice about you if you’re standing in a crowd of white people that you are black so if tiger wasn’t tiger and obama wasn’t obama in a crowd of white people they would be black shit in a crowd of black people the would be black and as for mariah u would notice that she mixed but she also would be black and more excepted by blacks. dominicans black unitl the speak..lol. its not a state of mind or culture to me. when u see an aussie,irish man or brit they are white they might tell u where they are from or their culture but the are white just the same