This is bothering me.

[Triple A]

People, I thought that learning could make me learn why this happens.
Why are half black half white people (like Obama) always seen has black if they are as much white as they are black?
:confused:

[Dumb]

Because "white" is the default; if you can't claim to be a cracker, and if you don't quite look like a cracker, then you belong to the "other."

EDIT: I want to add that, as a gringo cracker myself, I use these two terms in a playful, ironic manner. The second anybody asks me to stop, I will do so.

[Tommy4ever]

This is not always the case. For example, in South Africa mixed race people are called ''coloured'' and are pretty much treated badly by both the black and white community.

In many countries thoughout history mixed race people have been treated differently than people who are more clearly of one race - an example would be mestizos in Latin America.

So, I guess it all depends on the culture of the society your in.

[southernmissfan]

In the United States, there was (and it exists to this day culturally to a large extent) the one drop rule: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_drop_rule

Anyone with "black" features were/are considered black, not white. Likewise, there was and probably still is the phenomena of individuals who are "black" yet can and do pass as white. The whole thing reflects a sense of white supremacy, where if you are "tainted" with blackness you are no longer white. Yet it is utterly silly, considering the whole white/black category is illogical at best. Not to mention the huge extent of racial diversity that exists, particularly in this country. I imagine you can find your average Klan member or neo-Nazi and look at their ancestry and find Native Americans, former slaves, etc.

[Raightning]

It's worth just reminding ourselves here that the entire concept of 'race' throughout all of history has been a product of the ruling classes following a policy of divide-and-rule in various forms.

At one point, the Irish were grouped in with Africans as "non-white". There is no rhyme or reason to race whatsoever, and it's important to bear that in mind. In other words, don't think about it too hard.

[Fulanito de Tal]

People, I thought that learning could make me learn why this happens.
Why are half black half white people (like Obama) always seen has black if they are as much white as they are black?
:confused:

The purpose of racism was to twofold. One, Colonists needed to dehumanize the inhabitants of the Americas in order to take the land. Two, they needed someone to work the land for free. Therefore, someone came up with the idea of creating two out-groups based on physical characteristics and highly focused on skin color: Blacks and Indians.

To support this ideology, the "races" needed to be shown as being different and incompatible with whites. Therefore, laws banning miscegenation were enacted to show a divide between the races. People were not able to be "interracial" because blacks and whites were not allowed to conceive offspring. This made the divide between whites and blacks more apparent. When people started having mix-race children, it logically nullified the racist ideology. So, whites pushed a new ideology to support that the biological inheritance given by a black parent trumped the white parent's. Children that were mixed-race were damaged and fell under the black race. This guaranteed that racist ideology still prevailed and it contributed to the labor force.

This ideology has been passed down through the generations as part of the dominant Anglo American culture.

[Dumb]

The purpose of racism was to twofold. One, Colonists needed to dehumanize the inhabitants of the Americas in order to take the land. Two, they needed someone to work the land for free. Therefore, someone came up with the idea of creating two out-groups based on physical characteristics and highly focused on skin color: Blacks and Indians.

The landowners were initially willing to use whites for forced labour, too; before long, however, black slaves and white indentured servants were banding together in revolt, so the landowners realised they had to divide and conquer by giving white indentured servants some preferential treatment.

[stella2010]

It doesn't matter

[Rjevan]

Off-topic posts split and moved here (http://www.revleft.com/vb/term-cracker-t153319/index.html?t=153319).

[Dragovich]

People, I thought that learning could make me learn why this happens.
Why are half black half white people (like Obama) always seen has black if they are as much white as they are black?
:confused:

Look up the one drop rule. Blacks now more or less embrace the one drop rule.

[Fulanito de Tal]

Look up the one drop rule. Blacks now more or less embrace the one drop rule.

Go on...