Posted by American is good for me, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 30, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Actually, in the old days that mix was officially called 'mulado'. (not certain of spelling). It is time and would be SO much better if we could all just BE AMERICANS !! The forms with the boxes need to be so long to cover white grandma, black grandpa, chinese mom and cuban father, but now living with chinese mom's new Philipino guy friend ! ! This whole thing is silly & divisive...it only serves to grant public benifits and give EVERY college applicant admissions, scholarships, and loans.....NONE of which are available to white males any longer. I think 45 years of these games is long enough time to treat every American EQUALLY...NOT by the color of their skin, or the 'classifications' they check. WHY would they WANT to segregate themselves. Thankfully, our CA Supreme Court just ruled this month that PROP 209, which, CALIF VOTERS VOTED FOR 16-17 years ago is the LAW and our institutions BETTER start OBEYING THAT LAW ! ! (AGAINST Jerry Brown's suit). Now we need the initiative that does away with BOXES...students are SO confused with their mixture, they don't know how many boxes to check...how many generations are they expected to tract back...it gets longer with each generations. SO silly. SO UNAMERICAN. All should self-identify as proud AMERICAN.. Shame on anybody that doesn't feel being American is enough.
Posted by SteveP, a resident of the Parkside neighborhood, on Aug 31, 2010 at 9:38 am SteveP is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Rae, uncle homer was right---whack was the correct term for the person occupying the White House, which was no doubt what he was inferring with his initial question.
Posted by Rae, a resident of the Mohr Park neighborhood, on Aug 31, 2010 at 11:32 am
"Actually, in the old days that mix was officially called 'mulado'."
The term is "mulatto" and it was one of several that were commonly used during slave trading to describe how "black" an individual was, i.e how far back their black ancestor was. It looks like the "old days" aren't long gone with someone like "unclehomerr" still making up derogatory "descriptive" racial names to call Americans of mixed heritage.
As far as the term "African-American" goes . . .
Somebody better hurry on over to, oh say, Boston or New York, and tell all those proud Irish-Americans that they are "SO UNAMERICAN", that they should "self-identify as proud AMERICAN", and "shame" on them for identifying themselves as Irish-Americans! Maybe someone should tell all those police and firefighters who belong to their large and active "Emerald Societies" that they are "UNAMERICAN".
Oh wait, that already happened during the 1800s/1900s when “proud native Americans”, who seem to have forgotten they were immigrants themselves, fueled anger against the influx of Irish immigration trying to escape the famine in Ireland. The Irish were portrayed as alcoholic, dishonest and criminal. The Chicago Post wrote, "The Irish fill our prisons, our poor houses...Scratch a convict or a pauper, and the chances are that you tickle the skin of an Irish Catholic. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in this country." Irish immigrants were considered aliens whose Catholic religion meant they would never give the United States their true allegiance (that argument was still brought up as an issue when JFK campaigned for President in 1960). Catholic churches were burned. It was common to see "Help Wanted - No Irish Need Apply" signs.
In fact, a nativist political party, the “Know Nothings” or the “American Party”, was formed to fight Irish, specifically Catholic, immigration. Participation in the American Party was limited to native-born Protestant men. The 1854 party platform included planks on a 21-year naturalization period (it would be a long time before these immigrants could vote!), severely limited immigration from Catholic countries, restrict public school teacher positions to Protestants, mandated daily Bible readings in public schools, and restrict public office to native-born Americans of English and/or Scottish lineage and Protestant religion. Web Link
In a letter written in 1855 to Joshua Speed, Abraham Lincoln wrote “As a nation, we began by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes" When the Know—Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty —— to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy [sic].”
Does any of this sound familiar in today’s world of right wing political efforts to belittle and demonize those who are "different" than they are . . . whether by race, culture, sexual orientation, or religion . . . Just substitute "Muslim" for "Catholic" . . . now does it sound familiar???
Posted by Arroyo, a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 31, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Remember, Mr. Obama will be the same color when he's defeated as he was when he was elected. Job performance and the inability of his "team" to get this economy going will be his undoing -- not the color of his skin.
Posted by unclehomerr.., a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Aug 31, 2010 at 8:25 pm
Rae: I'm glad we're not speed-dating. We'd be sitting, arms folded, toes tapping, daggers being stared.. and, just waiting for the bell. Let's just accept that we're incompatible. Unreconcileable differences, as they say.
If leaping to conclusions were an Olympic event.. you'd be a proud American gold medal winner!!! Salute the flag and sing The Stars Spangled Banner!
As for me.. I am a Massachusetts native.. native born Americam, Irish American ancestrey, and practicing Roman Catholic. And, I think, a pretty decent sense of humor.
Whack was entirely a humorous post.. and a couple of folks here got the joke and seemed to enjoy it. You, on the other hand, launched into a lecture on society and the humanities. It's what the slang dictionary would call 'over the top'!
You don't seem to be enjoying life too much. Is it that tolerance and diversity thing?? Or, maybe the 'hopey, changey' thing that isn't working in your life.
Maybe the whack at the next table will be more to your liking... I'm gonna get a drink.
Posted by And..., a resident of the Another Pleasanton neighborhood neighborhood, on Aug 31, 2010 at 8:59 pm
SteveP said:
"Rae, uncle homer was right---whack was the correct term for the person occupying the White House, which was no doubt what he was inferring with his initial question."
Steve, the Ugandan-born English teacher in my Catholic high school (yay unclehomerr!) did a very admirable job teaching our class the glaring difference between "inferring" and "implying". What you meant to say was "no doubt what he was implying with his initial question." rather than "inferring". If Mr. Jones is not readily available for consultation, I suggest referring to the dictionary for assistance.
Posted by SteveP, a resident of the Parkside neighborhood, on Sep 1, 2010 at 8:51 am SteveP is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
And....I'd like to imply you leave your basement, get dressed and go find a job instead of ignoring the subject of posted content and focusing on minutiae.
Posted by SteveP, a resident of the Parkside neighborhood, on Sep 1, 2010 at 8:57 am SteveP is a member (registered user) of PleasantonWeekly.com
Rae said "Just substitute "Muslim" for "Catholic" . . . now does it sound familiar???"
Since you've appointed yourself PC police chief and defender of lost causes, explain when, in modern times, that any Catholics have used their religion to organize and justify the killing of thousands of innocent people.
At this point you've gone so far off the deep end, there's no bringing you back (not that anyone wouldd attempt to). Man, are you whacked out..............find another windmill to tilt at.
Posted by Pleasanton Mom, a resident of the Apperson Ridge neighborhood, on Sep 1, 2010 at 9:00 pm
SteveP, are you suggesting that Catholics in today's America are killing thousands of people, so it's okay to be prejudiced against Muslims? Cuz that sounds totally reasonable.
View in an RSS Reader
E-mail this topic.
Print this topic.
