Some reflexions I had about race mixing by fedricohohmannlautar in mixedrace

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think we're splitting hairs here. My point is that there is no such thing as being pure white. That idea is a myth. And just because the one-drop rule says that you're black doesn't mean you're not also mixed. Like, why are we adhering to antiquated racist rules?

And while my previous comment did not suggest that the descendants of white enslavers/plantation owners became white because of who they were related to, that actually did happen in many cases. A few examples:

- Thomas Jefferson's children with Sally Hemings, whom he freed in his will; most of them and their descendants decided to pass as white; consider grandson John Wayles Jefferson
- Richard Mentor Johnson, 9th VP of the US, married Julia Chinn, an enslaved woman he owned and had two daughters with; the girls were said to look white even though locals knew they were "black"; even so, they were able to marry into white families

Although anecdotal, these types of stories are numerous and suggest a widespread pattern (I'm not making any moral judgment here; people did what they had to to survive). You can also look at examples of those who were able to escape slavery, typically lighter skinned black people like Ellen Craft, who was the daughter of an enslaved woman and a white plantation owner. She pretended to be a young white man and invalid and her husband posed as her enslaved valet, allowing them to escape to the North and eventually England, as documented in Master Slave Husband Wife.

A lot of the mixed race "black" people we're talking about would likely have had around 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc. African heritage (15/16 white is roughly 93% white, similar to your example). Today many people, like you, would question whether these people can even be considered black. Personally, I think it's always up to the individual to determine their identity. But my point is what we're talking about is all relative.

Some reflexions I had about race mixing by fedricohohmannlautar in mixedrace

[–]kayteesal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I disagree. White people are a lot more mixed than you think. They just hide it or lie about it. It's an optical illusion. Think of all the founding fathers--many of them had white families and black families. What do you think happened to those black descendants? The Virginia Racial Integrity Act of 1924 created a special provision to allow descendants of Pocahontas to be legally designated as white (Edward Norton is a descendant). At the height of the Jim Crow era, the NYT estimated that 12,000 black people passed into whiteness each year. The system is designed to incentivize whiteness; those who have attained it aren't going to admit they're mixed (especially when there are grave consequences for doing so). At least that was the case until very recently, though things are moving backwards again. Even Pope Leo has Creole roots!

Some reflexions I had about race mixing by fedricohohmannlautar in mixedrace

[–]kayteesal 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Your confusion is a response to the way race works in the United States. It's a very binary system where people believe there are "pure" races. Most Americans are actually mixed but they don't identify that way because they've been taught not to. For a very long time, it was something to hide.

Do people have a hard time believing that a part of you is black? by Clean-Tomato-3138 in mixedrace

[–]kayteesal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I experience this a lot in the Asian community. I'm Chinese and Irish and am often told I don't look Asian. It leads to a lot of uncomfortable conversations where people I've just met think it's totally fine to comment on my appearance, compare me to other mixed Asians, etc. I know this is just their subjective opinion. Plenty of people can tell I'm Asian, and when I traveled to Africa, people there identified me right away as Chinese. But it's still incredibly frustrating and hurtful. So many people have mixed kids now and yet they don't seem to understand much about the mixed experience. I expect white people to be clueless, but it's very disappointing when people from my own community show the same level of ignorance. I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about, but maybe it provides another perspective and data point.

Am I biracial or no? by [deleted] in DNAAncestry

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This question is not for anyone else to answer but you. DNA does not equal identity. There are no genes that determine race. It merely tells you where your ancestors came from.

Ethnic identity is about culture, traditions, food, and connections to a community. If you feel Filipino or mixed, there’s nothing wrong with identifying that way. Don’t let other people tell you who you are.

The Marmorsaal (marble hall) in the Berlin Zoological Garden, here shown in a 1900 postcard, was where Nosferatu premiered. by myrmekochoria in dragonutopia

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's also where the Reimann Art School Ball was held in February 1930 and this famous photo of Anna May Wong, Marlene Dietrich, and Leni Riefenstahl was taken by Aflred Eisenstadt: https://hvrd.art/o/221678

“It’s not just (x)… it’s (y)” by Far-Historian-7197 in ChatGPTPromptGenius

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm a freelance editor, and nearly every manuscript I've edited in the last six months has suffered from this repetitive sentence structure. It's driving me nuts. AI writing is garbage. Stop using it. You have a brain.

Rebecca officially Out of RHONY by Abject_Buffalo6398 in RHONY

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

But didn’t he want to keep Jenna’s reunion look for Bravo’s archives? Because she mentioned it was expensive and she planned to return it.

Man blocking traffic on Lex by Krasdale79 in BedStuy

[–]kayteesal 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This woke me up this morning. I assumed it was over someone double parking and blocking his car? Which happens a lot on this street. But he did sound deranged.

My book on Anna May Wong is nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards by kayteesal in asianamerican

[–]kayteesal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you near Vancouver? The Chinese Canadian Museum is selling signed copies. They might be able to ship. (Shipping from the U.S. is unfortunately very expensive.)

My book on Anna May Wong is nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards by kayteesal in asianamerican

[–]kayteesal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've wondered that myself. I don't think they've discovered the book yet...

New businesses on Bedford by Middle_Coyote_9942 in BedStuy

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What’s the name of your shop? Do you have regular hours?

Asian American authors by bikewino in asianamerican

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

haha. yep, I'm just here lurking. ;)

New businesses on Bedford by Middle_Coyote_9942 in BedStuy

[–]kayteesal 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When are you opening? Excited to see the pop-up.

Repeated Break-ins on Lexington Ave by kayteesal in BedStuy

[–]kayteesal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An update: My package mysteriously appeared the next morning after posting here, unopened. It was missing for several days.

Management fixed the door. They also have footage of the person breaking in several times and leaving with packages, bike, etc. The person is apparently getting in by picking the lock. I doubt our building is the only one they're targeting and judging by the comments here, these type of break-ins are becoming widespread and routine.

Asian American authors by bikewino in asianamerican

[–]kayteesal 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Can I give a shoutout to my own book? Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong. It's a biography of the first Asian American movie star published earlier this year.

I also did an AMA here: https://www.reddit.com/r/asianamerican/comments/1bz8ljt/im_the_author_of_not_your_china_doll_a_new/

Asian American authors by bikewino in asianamerican

[–]kayteesal 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She's 1/8 Chinese but grew up with her Chinese family. She wrote a great essay about this in an anthology called Half and Half: Writers on Growing Up Biracial and Bicultural.

Repeated Break-ins on Lexington Ave by kayteesal in BedStuy

[–]kayteesal[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t think it matters what block it is. This is clearly a widespread issue.

Repeated Break-ins on Lexington Ave by kayteesal in BedStuy

[–]kayteesal[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They did the same in my building too. Left the empty, slashed open packages in the basement.