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From: Jen O.
Date: 1/19/01
Time: 12:35:26 PM
Remote Name: 208.37.109.21
First, the introduction. I'm Jen, and I'm a senior journalism major. I was supposed to work for The Trenton Times, but I had an internship offer from a national magazine. After two weeks at the internship, I quit. And I learned an important lesson: I utterly, absolutely, with-all-of-my-heart-and-soul despise journalism. I love writing, but I can't stand the bullshit and politics of journalism. I'm a computer geek at heart, and my terminal never expects me to make small talk or be impressed with it because it can make its own sashimi.
So, race. What is race? What defines it? What makes someone Hispanic or Asian? Should a Sri Lankan be considered Asian? Should a Portuguese be considered Hispanic? Is society going out of its way to place people in nice, easily identifiable groups? Are we being boxed in?
Is my Jamaican-by-way-of-England friend rightfully annoyed when he's called "African-American"? Should Mavis Leno (Jay Leno's wife) be mocked for comparing the plight women in Afghanistan to that of "African-Americans in South Africa" under apartheid? Aren't we all just majorly confused?
I've had my own experience with the question of race. Among other things (my family got around), I'm Portuguese. The U.S. Census Bureau doesn't consider Portuguese or Brazilians to be Hispanic, yet many Americans do. After all, if your name is Pedro, is someone going to care that you're from São Paulo City or Lisbon and not San Juan or Mexico City? Universities that have Hispanic Studies departments almost always include Portuguese and Brazilian studies, and there's a debate within the Portuguese community as to how we should be described.
Some want to be Hispanic. (And really, how does one decide what is "Hispanic"?) Others want, to paraphrase Chris Rock, to ride out this "white thing" and see where it takes them. Others, damn it, want to be Luso-American. I don't know where I stand. My boyfriend's family obviously thinks that I'm at least part Hispanic because I'm (ahem) lovingly referred to as "The Spic." And if I don't want to eat one of their typically Italian desserts, someone will inevitably say, "Yeah, she probably wants fried ice cream instead."
A link that you might find interesting in regard to this issue is: http://www.dnet.net/portugal/hispanic.htm
So, again, what is race? Is race just heritage? Is race based on where your ancestors lived and/or migrated from? Is it how others perceived us or how we perceive ourselves? Or is it an experience? Can a doctor of Mexican descent who lives in Malibu and doesn't speak Spanish relate to an unemployed Mexican in Echo Park who can't speak English just because they share an ethnicity?
And a question to end all questions: Is Spanish actor Antonio Banderas Hispanic or European? Or Hispanic-European? Or just nuts for marrying Melanie Griffith?
Here's a treat: http://www.dailycal.org/article.asp?id=4235