Black People : The Tragic Mulatto

Whiteness is a political construct

I think that the idea of half-whiteness is a political construct, meaning that it has no real basis on a biological plane. What does it mean to be 'bi-racial'? When the slave-master raped the enslaved African woman and she bore a child, was that child considered 'bi-racial' or 'half-white'? No, because the political designation had not yet been created. In fact, the term 'white' was not a legal term until it was needed to divide the Africans who were enslaved from the europeans who were enslaved. The terms 'mulatto' and 'quadroon' and 'octaroon', etc were political terms used to divide Black/African People at critical times, just as the term 'bi-racial' was created to divide Black/African People during this critical time.
I would ask the person who believes themself to be 'bi-racial', what part is white and what part is Black? It is a political dimension, not a racial reality. It is the same with people who say they are part french, part german and part Black. The first two are nationalities, not races.
Now, I believe there are people who are caucasion, or people who have no melinin, but very few of the people in the u.s. who call themselves 'white' are true caucasions. The primary reason 'whiteness' exists is for the privileges conferred upon those who are allowed to pass for white. Most of those people who call themselves white are 'passing' and we co-sign an un-written set of codes by conferring special status on those we decide are too light to be Black. Those who call themselves 'white' need us to treat them as 'white' so they can enjoy the privileges of not being Black.
Again, 'bi-racial' is not a separate race, it is a political designation or construct. That is why it is such a volatile subject; it has no basis in logic and therefore arouses a strong emotional reaction.
When caucasions procreate with people of color, the offspring produced is not caucasoid, because the offspring has melinin in their genetic structure. It is not 'half' anything; it is a whole human being of color. To cling to some concept of whiteness is clinging to a non-existant racial category which will lead to emotional, political and cultural confusion.
 
THANK You, Bro. Old Soul for expounding on this topic. Race--"Black"ness and "white" ness--as we know it, or as it has been defined to us, is a political construct.

If blonde-haired Carol Channing, the Broadway actress of “Hello Dolly” fame, is a Black woman (since her father was a light-skinned Black man) as she said she is in her autobiography, Just Lucky, I Guess" then any person that we may think is white can be Black.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Channing
 
panafrica said:
... I don't consider them black, unless they consider themselves to be black!

This is what is called the "privilege of choice".


It's important to note that being biracial does not exclude one from warriorhood. We are talking about the "tragic mulatto". I want to be clear on this distinction.

Therefore, the tragedy of the "tragic mulatto" is their attempt to divest themselves physically, culturally, spiritually from anything that even resembles our ancestors. Their attempts amalgamate, assimilate, and sub-integrate, will ultimately result in a permanent minority status within the framework of white-supermacist Western society. They will never fully gain the the white acceptance they seek.

The "tragic mulatto" is one the many consequences of interracial coupling.


Peace,
Lazarus
www.sonofthediaspora.org
 
oldsoul said:
I think that the idea of half-whiteness is a political construct, meaning that it has no real basis on a biological plane. What does it mean to be 'bi-racial'? When the slave-master raped the enslaved African woman and she bore a child, was that child considered 'bi-racial' or 'half-white'? No, because the political designation had not yet been created. In fact, the term 'white' was not a legal term until it was needed to divide the Africans who were enslaved from the europeans who were enslaved. The terms 'mulatto' and 'quadroon' and 'octaroon', etc were political terms used to divide Black/African People at critical times, just as the term 'bi-racial' was created to divide Black/African People during this critical time.
I would ask the person who believes themself to be 'bi-racial', what part is white and what part is Black? It is a political dimension, not a racial reality. It is the same with people who say they are part french, part german and part Black. The first two are nationalities, not races.
Now, I believe there are people who are caucasion, or people who have no melinin, but very few of the people in the u.s. who call themselves 'white' are true caucasions. The primary reason 'whiteness' exists is for the privileges conferred upon those who are allowed to pass for white. Most of those people who call themselves white are 'passing' and we co-sign an un-written set of codes by conferring special status on those we decide are too light to be Black. Those who call themselves 'white' need us to treat them as 'white' so they can enjoy the privileges of not being Black.
Again, 'bi-racial' is not a separate race, it is a political designation or construct. That is why it is such a volatile subject; it has no basis in logic and therefore arouses a strong emotional reaction.
When caucasions procreate with people of color, the offspring produced is not caucasoid, because the offspring has melinin in their genetic structure. It is not 'half' anything; it is a whole human being of color. To cling to some concept of whiteness is clinging to a non-existant racial category which will lead to emotional, political and cultural confusion.

This is deep. :thinking:
 

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