Metheshrew
My parents taught me from a very young age that I am neither white nor black but both. Under my parents's roof I was always biracial, but when I went to school or any social gathering outside of the house there was always probably a 9/10 chance I would be labeled as black if the subject came up.
That's probably because the vast majority of labels, are based on appearance.
The same way I'm often mistaken for Irish, simply because I'm a pale redhead. I'm actually of Scottish ancestry, though. Close, but not so close.
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It doesn't matter if some of my facial features are features that our society commonly associates with white, because my dark skin always makes me black. Now, mind you, I don't mind being identified or described as a black woman and I certainly am not offended by it. It's just something that always made me curious.
This is just not a personal experience, either. I've noticed it with public figures and entertainment. President Barack Obama is half white, but he is most often identified as black. Halle Berry is half white as well, but she is often labeled as black too. I haven't noticed this happening with any other ethnicity besides black, but if you guys know of any please let me know.
There are others, but they're more labelled by presumed ancestry, as opposed to a color. Such as "Asian", and "Native American", or "Latino", etc.
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It seems it doesn't matter if a person is Black and White, Black and Asian, Black and Mexican, or any other ethnic mixture with black. It seems that no matter what kind of features that person has that they will always be seen first as black and only black.
That's because black skint is a dominant trait. So if you have a black parent, you're probably going to come out with particularly dark skin. So you'll be more easily identified as a "black" person.
That's not to say it's a 100% certainty. I used to work with a man who had a black father, but he himself is identifiably white.
What it all comes down to, is that few people give enough of a damn, to actually "study" you, so as to make the "proper" call. They just go by first glance. You're black, I'm Irish. *shrug* No sense trying to fight it.