MFC - Race

[Anonymous]

So many times I've had guys in my room complain that "there are hardly any Black models on MFC," which is a statement I disagree with. I don't know if they are JUST looking on the first page, first few rows of the homepage, but unless they've gone through EVERY single model's avatar photo/profile, how could they possibly know how many Black models are on MFC? It's kind of silly to assume there are hardly any Black MFC models when they're only browsing thumbnail photos in the first few rows on the first page. It would be more accurate for them to say there aren't many Black models in the top 20 list.

MFC also doesn't make it easy for guys to find certain models who are offline. If you're looking for a specific model who is currently not online, you'd either have to A) know how to spell her EXACT model name and type in the URL for her profile page, or B) go to profiles.myfreecams.com and hope that she's on that list.

The list I'm referring to is the model thumbnail photos you see when you go to http://profiles.myfreecams.com. When you go there, it lists about 200 models (sorted by camscore...highest to lowest) who were RECENTLY online.

I've seen different races of models on MFC, and I think that's a beautiful thing. One of the models gets asked so many times about what she "is" (she's a human...duh!) that she now states on her profile "I am Polynesian, Black, and Irish."

Just because we (Black people) are considered a minority doesn't mean we're not there. You just might have to look a little harder for us, that's all. LOL.

 

[Jupiter551]

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Latino aren't the only cultural group though, there are dozens of cultural groups - several huge ones in the US alone. So if a person of east-Asian ancestry can be a latino, can a white person be "African American"? (Or whatever name you would like to label cultural groups consisting of predominantly black people in the US). Can you have black eskimos? Asian anglo-saxons?

I'm just interested where you can take this analogy - not very far I suspect. I understand *why* your ex girlfriend would consider herself latino, I'm just not sure it's valid when you look at other potential examples.

 

[muh!]

What's the best race? :handgestures-salute:

:whistle:

 

[mynameisbob84]

What's the best race? :handgestures-salute:

:whistle:

I'm partial to the 200m sprint myself...

 

[muh!]

I'm partial to the 200m sprint myself...

I'm partial to ability to change skin color.

 

[JoleneBrody]

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Latino aren't the only cultural group though, there are dozens of cultural groups - several huge ones in the US alone. So if a person of east-Asian ancestry can be a latino, can a white person be "African American"? (Or whatever name you would like to label cultural groups consisting of predominantly black people in the US). Can you have black eskimos? Asian anglo-saxons?

I'm just interested where you can take this analogy - not very far I suspect. I understand *why* your ex girlfriend would consider herself latino, I'm just not sure it's valid when you look at other potential examples.

The term Hispanic or Latino is used to describe people with roots to the natives and spanish invaders. A Latino or Hispanic person can be born and raised in Ireland. His genetics, thus resulting in facial features, skin tone, even height are connected back to Aztec, Mayan, Incan.... yadda yadda. There actually ARE blond Latinos who's Spanish genes are a bit stronger. I'm actually related to one
Acknowledging Race and ancestry is not racism, it's culture!
On one hand people say "we are all humans" yeah yeah duh, we know that "why do we need categories?"
Then they say "how boring would the world be without diversity?" <--- Exactly! Celebrate diversity, don't condemn it! Everyone is always so afraid of being labeled racist that some will hardly even acknowledge the difference anymore and shy away like some scared dog getting stared down by a cat.
Hi there! I'm Scott's Irish! My hair looks like a pumpkin and I can't stay in the sun for more than 10 minutes. :-D

 

[Alcon]

I notice when I travel to countries where non-white women are the norm, I easily get attracted to non-white women, but when I am here in the US, or on MFC, I am usually almost exclusively attracted to white women. To me sexual attraction is not just physical, it also has a cultural imprint. I must be able to see the woman within the culture, and her place in it. I may be highly atypical in that. But I suspect not entirely. And I do sometimes feel guilty about my preferences. Because I've been on the other end of it as well and I know it feels horrible to be rejected because of your race, sexually or otherwise.

I don't personally feel that racism necessarily has to be a component of one's preferences in sexual partners, real-life or virtual. Someone who is not particularly attracted to a certain race or ethnicity is not necessarily harboring feelings of hatred or superiority; it's just that certain aspects of physical appearance don't happen to push the right buttons, in the same manner that someone might not find blondes, tall women, girls with tattoos, women who smoke, or BBWs appealing. I myself happen to not be very physically or sexually attracted to Asian women, but that does not mean I consider them inferior or sub-standard -- it's just not my thing. True racism is a too serious, complex and insidious phenomenon as to be defined or indicated by who one prefers to pleasure themselves to on a silly cam site.

Again you're misreading me. I never said that someone who is not particularly attracted to a certain race or ethnicity is "harboring feelings of hatred or superiority". In my case, it's quite the opposite - I'm aware of the factors that determine who I am attracted to, and uncomfortable with it. Attraction is partly a cultural construction. It's not entirely physical. For example, women who smoke was once a huge glamor symbol in Hollywood, denoting sophistication and rebelliousness. Today, it's considered a sign of weakness or at the very least indifference to health. The physical aspects of smoking haven't changed, but the societal attitude towards it has. I contend that this affects what is considered attractive, and, in turn, what we consider attractive. The same could be said of dress, hair styles, and ethnic or racial features.

"Race" (or ethnicity, as you prefer) as I mean it is essentially a social construction. It is not defined by genetics. It is defined by the way society treats it. A mulatto in New Orleans, at the turn of the 20th c. who is 7/8ths European by genetics, is still effectively black if society denies them access to white institutions and subjects them to Jim Crow. A Brazilian woman descended from African slaves is still Hispanic or Latino if Spanish is her first language and she identifies as such. As is a Mexican woman descended from American Indians with not a drop of Iberian blood. And so on. What's important is how we interact with one another and identify, not necessarily artificial categorizations from the 19th century.

 

[Nordling]

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Latino aren't the only cultural group though, there are dozens of cultural groups - several huge ones in the US alone. So if a person of east-Asian ancestry can be a latino, can a white person be "African American"? (Or whatever name you would like to label cultural groups consisting of predominantly black people in the US). Can you have black eskimos? Asian anglo-saxons?

I'm just interested where you can take this analogy - not very far I suspect. I understand *why* your ex girlfriend would consider herself latino, I'm just not sure it's valid when you look at other potential examples.

You're confusing "race" (an artificial construct but it's with us until we figure out how to dump the term) with ethnicity and language. A Latino (or Hispanic when it's Spanish) is any person whose First Language is Spanish, Portuguese, Italian--a Romance language. It doesn't matter what their "race" is. In America, sadly, we have the "one drop rule" which isn't a law but it's still how people identify themselves as "black." So Barack Obama is "black." I suppose you could also say he's "Anglo" since English is his native language although by convention that's not the norm. This is why it can be so confusing; these terms and ways of looking at fellow humans are not scientific; they evolved over time in a background of bigotry and ignorance.

And we haven't even brought in stuff like religion or politics. lol

 

[BoltEyeAm]

I've seen different races of models on MFC, and I think that's a beautiful thing. One of the models gets asked so many times about what she "is" (she's a human...duh!) that she now states on her profile "I am Polynesian, Black, and Iri
Just because we (Black people) are considered a minority doesn't mean we're not there. You just might have to look a little harder for us, that's all. LOL.

I primarily watch asian girls. I don't belive any are in top 20 now but I have over 50 on my friend list. So yeah it takes some looking around. As a sugestion to any minority models, put your ethnicity/race in you profile tags. There are many times ill search "asian" and the results shown are just girls who have "asian" in their username or girls who tagged themselves as such. You will benifit by showing up in these searches.

 

[Nordling]

Race is an archaic idea, and I don't think anyone really wants to be called by the name of whatever race they belong to. I didn't say Latino was a race. I said that it would make sense for Latino to fall into the Caucasian grouping.

Agree. The concept came about in the 19th century with little thought to science. It should be abandoned.

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Race is really about genetics and, therefore, lines of ancestry. That's why facial features (especially underlying bone structure) is often a good guide to someones race (until they contain significant percentages of multiple, diverse lines of ancestry and people get confused). On the other hand, while the language you speak and the country you were born in often correspond to your race, there's nothing that actually ties them together.

So (and I'm sorry to say this so bluntly because I know this is a touchy subject and people can get very upset about racial identity), your girlfriend, being of Chinese descent, was Chinese, not Latino. In the genetic view, the reason that you could group Latinos and Hispanics with Caucasians is that they share some ancestry with Europeans (most notably Iberians, but some others as well). That said, I think this is where definitions of race become influenced greatly by social factors, since most Latinos / Hispanics are likely a combination of genetic heritage that includes South or Central American native ancestry (which itself is likely a long-past offshoot of Asian ancestry). What I find interesting here is that there are plenty of people who would categorize Hispanics of mixed ancestry Caucasian, and yet there are plenty of people who would say that a person with "even a single drop" of African blood is Black rather than White.

Finally, a couple of words about the census. First, it's important to note that the census numbers regarding race do not add up to 100% anymore now that people of mixed race may now choose more than one. Second, while the categories of race on the census form might (and I stress might) be "scientific" the resulting numbers aren't really, because what is really being answered is what race people perceive themselves to be, not necessarily what race they are.

She was Hispanic. "Latino" is a little more cloudy, admittedly. One of the problems with "Hispanic" is, it doesn't include Brazilians, who generally speak a dialect of Portuguese. The two terms are not interchangeable either. "Hispanic" is about language, whereas "Latino," at least how it's used in the US refers more to American native populations. The usage note in my American Heritage dictionary explains it better, but also adds some more confusion, IMHO:

Usage Note: Though often used interchangeably in American English, Hispanic and Latino are not identical terms, and in certain contexts the choice between them can be significant. Hispanic, from the Latin word for "Spain," has the broader reference, potentially encompassing all Spanish-speaking peoples in both hemispheres and emphasizing the common denominator of language among communities that sometimes have little else in common. Latinokwhich in Spanish means "Latin" but which as an English word is probably a shortening of the Spanish word latinoamericanokrefers more exclusively to persons or communities of Latin American origin. Of the two, only Hispanic can be used in referring to Spain and its history and culture; a native of Spain residing in the United States is a Hispanic, not a Latino, and one cannot substitute Latino in the phrase the Hispanic influence on native Mexican cultures without garbling the meaning. In practice, however, this distinction is of little significance when referring to residents of the United States, most of whom are of Latin American origin and can theoretically be called by either word.·A more important distinction concerns the sociopolitical rift that has opened between Latino and Hispanic in American usage. For a certain segment of the Spanish-speaking population, Latino is a term of ethnic pride and Hispanic a label that borders on the offensive. According to this view, Hispanic lacks the authenticity and cultural resonance of Latino, with its Spanish sound and its ability to show the feminine form Latina when used of women. Furthermore, Hispanickthe term used by the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencieskis said to bear the stamp of an Anglo establishment far removed from the concerns of the Spanish-speaking community. While these views are strongly held by some, they are by no means universal, and the division in usage seems as related to geography as it is to politics, with Latino widely preferred in California and Hispanic the more usual term in Florida and Texas. Even in these regions, however, usage is often mixed, and it is not uncommon to find both terms used by the same writer or speaker.

"Race," by the way, is a very crude way of talking about human populations. The entire world population is of mixed ancestries. At best, "race" is only a "rule of thumb," and let me repeat, most anthropologists and others in related fields have pretty much abandoned the term--it is NOT scientific.

 

[Jupiter551]

You're confusing "race" (an artificial construct but it's with us until we figure out how to dump the term) with ethnicity and language. A Latino (or Hispanic when it's Spanish) is any person whose First Language is Spanish, Portuguese, Italian--a Romance language. It doesn't matter what their "race" is. In America, sadly, we have the "one drop rule" which isn't a law but it's still how people identify themselves as "black." So Barack Obama is "black." I suppose you could also say he's "Anglo" since English is his native language although by convention that's not the norm. This is why it can be so confusing; these terms and ways of looking at fellow humans are not scientific; they evolved over time in a background of bigotry and ignorance.

And we haven't even brought in stuff like religion or politics. lol

I think you're confusing Latin and Latino - I know they come from the same word and are only one letter apart but the connotations are quite different. Call a French person, or a French-Canadian a Latino and I'm sure they will gently but *firmly* correct you. It would also mean that 115 million black Africans are actually Latino.

I think a group have people have a right to contest the terms they're labelled with, and I highly doubt residents of French Polynesia feel Latino is an accurate and honest name for their identity.

Even "Latin" is debateable frankly, it's a weird term and if you want to get technical Latins are the people of the ancient peninsular now grouped together as Italy. In a later bastardisation of the word it ended up representing some of the peoples who were conquered by the Roman Empire and who kept significant elements of their language (hispania is the name in latin for the roman province of 'spain'), still when a word strays so far from its roots it loses all meaning. What meaning would it have to call all Romance-language speaking peoples Latin? Considering other Indo-European language groups aren't clustered in such an artificial manner.

If you want to talk about artificial divisions and categories how about that one - affiliation based on ancient root languages :shock:

 

[Nordling]

You're confusing "race" (an artificial construct but it's with us until we figure out how to dump the term) with ethnicity and language. A Latino (or Hispanic when it's Spanish) is any person whose First Language is Spanish, Portuguese, Italian--a Romance language. It doesn't matter what their "race" is. In America, sadly, we have the "one drop rule" which isn't a law but it's still how people identify themselves as "black." So Barack Obama is "black." I suppose you could also say he's "Anglo" since English is his native language although by convention that's not the norm. This is why it can be so confusing; these terms and ways of looking at fellow humans are not scientific; they evolved over time in a background of bigotry and ignorance.

And we haven't even brought in stuff like religion or politics. lol

I think you're confusing Latin and Latino - I know they come from the same word and are only one letter apart but the connotations are quite different. Call a French person, or a French-Canadian a Latino and I'm sure they will gently but *firmly* correct you. It would also mean that 115 million black Africans are actually Latino.

I think a group have people have a right to contest the terms they're labelled with, and I highly doubt residents of French Polynesia feel Latino is an accurate and honest name for their identity.

Even "Latin" is debateable frankly, it's a weird term and if you want to get technical Latins are the people of the ancient peninsular now grouped together as Italy. In a later bastardisation of the word it ended up representing some of the peoples who were conquered by the Roman Empire and who kept significant elements of their language (hispania is the name in latin for the roman province of 'spain'), still when a word strays so far from its roots it loses all meaning. What meaning would it have to call all Romance-language speaking peoples Latin? Considering other Indo-European language groups aren't clustered in such an artificial manner.

If you want to talk about artificial divisions and categories how about that one - affiliation based on ancient root languages :shock:

Well, yeah, it is confusing and not all groups agree on how to use terms. I'd just as soon the drop "Hispanic" and "Latino" altogether. (read the dictionary usage note in my post just above your last one). As far as language, "Latin" now means "in the Romance language family" as opposed to Germanic, Slavic, etc. and these are sub-families beneath "Indo-European." I have to admit I had been using "Hispanic" as a Western Hemisphere subset of "Latino," which the dictionary says is wrong. "Hispanic," they say included citizens of Spain itself, whereas "Latino" should only be used for "Latin Americans."

Blechhhh! And I once thought being of Norwegian Ancestry was simple. lol "Scandinavian" technically does not include Icelanders but does include Finns; however, "Nordic" includes Iceland and the Faroe Islands but not Finnland. lol And the Norwegian language can be described as Danish with a Swedish accent. lol

Well, except Norway has two languages, the less common one tends to be more like Icelandic or Old Norse.

Maybe this forum is a very bad place to discuss all this.

 

[Just Me]

Regardless of the way language is used and how some would like to categorize people. We are all of the human race. I for one am sick and tired of the blatant racism by MFC and other institutions by not allowing non homo-sapiens their rights. I would like to see more diversity in the cam model population. Where are all the non-human models? :lol:

 

[schlmoe]

Regardless of the way language is used and how some would like to categorize people. We are all of the human race. I for one am sick and tired of the blatant racism by MFC and other institutions by not allowing non homo-sapiens their rights. I would like to see more diversity in the cam model population. Where are all the non-human models? :lol:

Dude, you're just not looking in the right places.

 

[inkydoo]

She was Hispanic. "Latino" is a little more cloudy, admittedly. One of the problems with "Hispanic" is, it doesn't include Brazilians, who generally speak a dialect of Portuguese. The two terms are not interchangeable either. "Hispanic" is about language, whereas "Latino," at least how it's used in the US refers more to American native populations.

[Quote from American Heritage Dictionary snipped]

"Race," by the way, is a very crude way of talking about human populations. The entire world population is of mixed ancestries. At best, "race" is only a "rule of thumb," and let me repeat, most anthropologists and others in related fields have pretty much abandoned the term--it is NOT scientific.

As is often the case, words have different meanings and histories within different fields of study. So while many anthropologists and others have, as you say, moved to the word "population" instead of "race", the word "race" as used by genetic researchers, biomedical experts and even forensic anthropologists, still refers to genetic (or heritable) characteristics, geography of ancestry (not to be confused with a given individual's birthplace), and physical appearance. While Anthropology and other social sciences argue that "race" is an invalid and unscientific term, Biologists and Geneticists tend to reject this claim (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewontin's_Fallacy). I take the view, as some others have, that within their own contexts both points of view can be correct. As such, I recognize in my original post that "race" can be and often is a social construction (by pointing out that definitions of Hispanic and Black are socially constructed in very different ways than their genetic definitions).

And part of that social construction (and one of the reasons social sciences are hesitant to continue giving it so much power) is a history of racism and bigotry in those definitions. One of the reasons I value the definition of race as something genetic is its ability to take racial categories away from the bigots and racists. For instance, if you accept the validity of genetic or ancestral race, "one drop" rules become a joke. Other overly-simplistic definitions of race, such as the idea that any individual is of a single race, quickly fall apart as well (as you recognize by pointing out the problem of calling Barack Obama black rather than Anglo (though I would suggest that mixed-race alleviates this problem, admittedly at the cost of having any specific meaning)). Eventually, as more and more of us recognize that differences in race (social constructed or genetic) aren't signs of inferiority and superiority, but rather are to be valued and we all have kids together, actual genetic differences will begin to fade away, making it significantly harder for social differences in race to be recognized and used as the basis for bigotry (this is where my cynical side reminds my idealist side that people will only find other ways to be bigots).

Though it has the odd effect of actually diminishing some of the differences I value (there are plenty of others that will remain), I find it a strangely hopeful vision.

 

[LadyLuna]

Alright, so here's what I've taken from this thread so far:

-90% of the people in teh US are not black
-90% of north american models are not black
-what exactly race means is not understood by most people, because there is no formal definition that spans all fields

 

[caireen]

Though I do think there is probably an accurate representation of women of all skin colours on MFC, it's pretty difficult to find one that's not white or asian anywhere near the Top 20. Is the number of non-white, non-asian models that have a 'good' cam score proportionate to the general population/ number of white and asian women with a good cam score? I don't think so.

 

[Jupiter551]

Though I do think there is probably an accurate representation of women of all skin colours on MFC, it's pretty difficult to find one that's not white or asian anywhere near the Top 20. Is the number of non-white, non-asian models that have a 'good' cam score proportionate to the general population/ number of white and asian women with a good cam score? I don't think so.

Agreed, and it would be interesting to see what % of members were non-white, non-asian as well - does the ethnicity of members influence their choice of lady? There seem to be a lot of Indian guys on MFC, but mostly as guests.

 

[caireen]

Though I do think there is probably an accurate representation of women of all skin colours on MFC, it's pretty difficult to find one that's not white or asian anywhere near the Top 20. Is the number of non-white, non-asian models that have a 'good' cam score proportionate to the general population/ number of white and asian women with a good cam score? I don't think so.

Agreed, and it would be interesting to see what % of members were non-white, non-asian as well - does the ethnicity of members influence their choice of lady? There seem to be a lot of Indian guys on MFC, but mostly as guests.

Someone above stated that the the majority of users on the site are white men in the US. I think it's an interesting comment, seeing as how there's really no way anyone could know the skin colour of the majority of users. But I do think that people on the site tend to assume that the majority of other users are white. I get new members in my room making certain offensive comments about asians, without realizing that almost all of my regular high tippers are asian.


I do get a lot of 'giant black cocks' in my room too :roll:

 

[Jupiter551]

I do get a lot of 'giant black cocks' in my room too :roll:

Those guys are definitely white

 

[LadyLuna]

I do get a lot of 'giant black cocks' in my room too :roll:

Those guys are definitely white

False. I had two who proudly showed me their giant black cocks, and two who proudly showed me their slightly bigger than average black cocks. I think one never said anything in public chat, but was a medium black.

*most* are white, medium sized.



btw- the biggest dick I ever saw was white. And there was this one Asian dude who was bigger than most Americans.

 

[Jupiter551]

I do get a lot of 'giant black cocks' in my room too :roll:

Those guys are definitely white

False. I had two who proudly showed me their giant black cocks, and two who proudly showed me their slightly bigger than average black cocks. I think one never said anything in public chat, but was a medium black.

*most* are white, medium sized.



btw- the biggest dick I ever saw was white. And there was this one Asian dude who was bigger than most Americans.

Lol well you'd know better than me about what colour dicks members have but...what I don't get then is why they're like pretty much the ONLY ones to qualify the "giant cock" with a race/colour.

White guys don't often say "giant white cock", I don't think I've ever seen "fat hispanic dick" etc, or "french dick with a dash of german from my mother's side"

 

[Shaun__]

Lol well you'd know better than me about what colour dicks members have but...what I don't get then is why they're like pretty much the ONLY ones to qualify the "giant cock" with a race/colour.

White guys don't often say "giant white cock", I don't think I've ever seen "fat hispanic dick" etc, or "french dick with a dash of german from my mother's side"

I never understood why people who have normal sized dicks, no matter what color they are, lie about the size. That seems like the same as the women who do bra stuffing, because if things go well you are totally going to be found out. You should not go fishing with the wrong bait if you want to catch a keeper.

 

[Nordling]

I do get a lot of 'giant black cocks' in my room too :roll:

Those guys are definitely white

False. I had two who proudly showed me their giant black cocks, and two who proudly showed me their slightly bigger than average black cocks. I think one never said anything in public chat, but was a medium black.

*most* are white, medium sized.



btw- the biggest dick I ever saw was white. And there was this one Asian dude who was bigger than most Americans.

Lol well you'd know better than me about what colour dicks members have but...what I don't get then is why they're like pretty much the ONLY ones to qualify the "giant cock" with a race/colour.

White guys don't often say "giant white cock", I don't think I've ever seen "fat hispanic dick" etc, or "french dick with a dash of german from my mother's side"

Ha! I agree, I've never seen "my fat hispanic dick," but see posts kindred to "want to see my huge white cock BB" at least once a week. especially in black models' rooms. I've also seen "I'm Italian and you know what that means, babe." (the context makes it clear what he's talking about. lol

 

[Jupiter551]

I've also seen "I'm Italian and you know what that means, babe." (the context makes it clear what he's talking about. lol

that he runs a pizza parlour!

 

[Jessi]

I've also seen "I'm Italian and you know what that means, babe." (the context makes it clear what he's talking about. lol

that he runs a pizza parlour!

I dated a guy who was Italian a couple generations back, and all I noticed different was an excess of body hair, natural greasiness and the desire to remind everyone that he partly was Italian.

 

[Nordling]

I've also seen "I'm Italian and you know what that means, babe." (the context makes it clear what he's talking about. lol

that he runs a pizza parlour!

That's the reality, but not what he means. Think "Italian stallion." lol

 

[schlmoe]

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Latino aren't the only cultural group though, there are dozens of cultural groups - several huge ones in the US alone. So if a person of east-Asian ancestry can be a latino, can a white person be "African American"? (Or whatever name you would like to label cultural groups consisting of predominantly black people in the US). Can you have black eskimos? Asian anglo-saxons?

I'm just interested where you can take this analogy - not very far I suspect. I understand *why* your ex girlfriend would consider herself latino, I'm just not sure it's valid when you look at other potential examples.

can a white person be "African American"

Sure, especially if his Afrikaans family came from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Just going by the example that anyone born in the US is an American, anyone born in Africa is an African, etc.

 

[Nordling]

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Latino aren't the only cultural group though, there are dozens of cultural groups - several huge ones in the US alone. So if a person of east-Asian ancestry can be a latino, can a white person be "African American"? (Or whatever name you would like to label cultural groups consisting of predominantly black people in the US). Can you have black eskimos? Asian anglo-saxons?

I'm just interested where you can take this analogy - not very far I suspect. I understand *why* your ex girlfriend would consider herself latino, I'm just not sure it's valid when you look at other potential examples.

can a white person be "African American"

Sure, especially if his Afrikaans family came from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Just going by the example that anyone born in the US is an American, anyone born in Africa is an African, etc.

Once again, it would depend on who is saying it and where. By convention, "African-American" refers to Black people in America. The Afrikaans dude might be a "Boer-American." lol Ethnic terms are constantly in a state of flux; what's acceptable one day may be offensive the next, or not even used; and one's ethnicity may or may not include their race, religion, nationality or first language. It's very easy to be wrong or even accidentally "right."

 

[schlmoe]

Still not sure why you think Latinos should be grouped with Caucasians though. My first gf after HS was a Latino of Chinese ancestry. (she was born in Mexico and spoke Spanish from birth) If I had suggested that she was white/caucasian/European/whatever she'd have given me a very odd look. The Model AmberSin (now Keri_Rowland) is a Venezuelan black lady living in the US, her native language is Spanish. Why would you group her as a Caucasian?

Latino aren't the only cultural group though, there are dozens of cultural groups - several huge ones in the US alone. So if a person of east-Asian ancestry can be a latino, can a white person be "African American"? (Or whatever name you would like to label cultural groups consisting of predominantly black people in the US). Can you have black eskimos? Asian anglo-saxons?

I'm just interested where you can take this analogy - not very far I suspect. I understand *why* your ex girlfriend would consider herself latino, I'm just not sure it's valid when you look at other potential examples.

can a white person be "African American"

Sure, especially if his Afrikaans family came from Johannesburg or Pretoria. Just going by the example that anyone born in the US is an American, anyone born in Africa is an African, etc.

Once again, it would depend on who is saying it and where. By convention, "African-American" refers to Black people in America. The Afrikaans dude might be a "Boer-American." lol Ethnic terms are constantly in a state of flux; what's acceptable one day may be offensive the next, or not even used; and one's ethnicity may or may not include their race, religion, nationality or first language. It's very easy to be wrong or even accidentally "right."

The white dude from Pretoria calling himself "African-American" is a lot less strange than your ex-gf calling herself "Latino". My point is that "convention" has less to do with it than what the person wants to identify with.