Toulon

Here's a little history including the one drop rule to hopefully help you understand.

"To be considered black in the United States not even half of one's ancestry must be African black. But will one-fourth do, or one-eighth, or less? The nation's answer to the question 'Who is black?" has long been that a black is any person with any known African black ancestry. This definition reflects the long experience with slavery and later with Jim Crow segregation. In the South it became known as the "one-drop rule,'' meaning that a single drop of "black blood" makes a person a black. It is also known as the "one black ancestor rule," some courts have called it the "traceable amount rule," and anthropologists call it the "hypo-descent rule," meaning that racially mixed persons are assigned the status of the subordinate group. This definition emerged from the American South to become the nation's definition, generally accepted by whites and blacks."

F. James Davis is a retired professor of sociology at Illinois State University. He is the author of numerous books, including Who is Black? One Nation's Definition (1991), from which this excerpt came from.

      Sneakylong

      It's just like you to cherry pick to paint a picture that fits with your confirmation bias. This is ONE person's definition. It's not based in fact it's based on opinion. A person with one white parent and one black parent is not black nor are they white. You want to confuse this issue for some bizarre reason. Is it because you want to belive Obama was the first black president? He wasn't. Again, he was the first not all white or half black president, or half white president. Not black. Kaepernick is the same.

      By the definition you've applied I'll bet if Ancestry.com was around to test all the presidents before Obama we've had a one drop of blood black president long before him.

      This is from the same source you cherry picked from:

      Not only does the one-drop rule apply to no other group than American blacks, but apparently the rule is unique in that it is found only in the United States and not in any other nation in the world. In fact, definitions of who is black vary quite sharply from country to country, and for this reason people in other countries often express consternation about our definition. James Baldwin relates a revealing incident that occurred in 1956 at the Conference of Negro-African Writers and Artists held in Paris. The head of the delegation of writers and artists from the United States was John Davis. The French chairperson introduced Davis and then asked him why he considered himself Negro, since he certainly did not look like one. Baldwin wrote, "He is a Negro, of course, from the remarkable legal point of view which obtains in the United States, but more importantly, as he tried to make clear to his interlocutor, he was a Negro by choice and by depth of involvement--by experience, in fact."

      ----Oh, and let me add...I think you unwittingly did something here. How have blacks been characterized in this country? Not well. Less than whites. This is a disparaging definition to say that ANYONE with a single drop is black relegating them to status of less than a white. As in...a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Pretty sad. Sadder that you chose this to try and prove your point.

          Toulon

          I can't argue with ignorance. Believe what you want. Some might call them alternative facts.

              Sneakylong

              No. You can't argue with common sense and facts. You know as well as I do black people used to count as...well, I'll let the Washington Post tackle that issue: "We used to count black Americans as 3/5 of a person."

              Your post, like I said, unwittingly reminded of this FACT. One little drop of "black blood" and a person was thought of as only 3/5 of a person. Having any black blood was an awful stigma and there you were trying to "educate" me about how I just didn't understand. You did a terrible disservice for your argument and moreso for African American's everywhere. That's hard to do.

              It's unbelievably sickening that things used to be that way. The fact remains...Colin Kaepernick and Barack Obama are no more black than they are white. I'm sorry you struggle with that. It's just reality.

                  Toulon

                  Since 2013 the Census Bureau has basically allowed the one drop rule and counted babies with as little as a small amount of Hispanic or African American, Native Amercan (minority) blood as non-white. If the government says you're non-white then what are you?

                  The one drop rule was a social and legal determination as to race. People who have an ancestor as non white can identify with that race whether it be Black, Hispanic or Native American. So hopefully we can agree on that.

                  I really don't know what your argument is. The one drop rule was the law for many years as a way to discriminate. Now that people want to identify as a minority race as a matter of pride you say you can't do that. You say you must use all of your ancestry and not exclude one over the other. If your mother was white and your father was black you can't claim to be black.

                  The fact is people who are of a mixed race ancestry can identify with the so called minority race. But your argument appears that they must state both or all of their ancestry and not claim one over the other.

                  That's ludicrous and there's no law mandating that (that) I'm aware of. Using your logic everyone needs to have a DNA test and state all regions / races of their ancestry and must not identify with one over the other.

                  Again, I have no problem if someone wants to use the one drop rule and identify with the minority race if they choose to do so. You have some weird issue with it for some reason.

                      Toulon Whenever someone has one white parent and one black parent why are they thought of as: black?

                      Colin Kaepernick is not black. Barack Obama was not black.

                      REALLY? You're a geneticist now?! OMG The ignorance in this statement. If you're a darker shade of brown - significantly darker and are readily identified as "black" then, you may choose to consider yourself a person of color. How a Caucasian is allowed to even think, let alone express such ignorance in this day in age is mind-bogglin!

                        rsvman I do think that African-Americans often don't get a fair shot, and are treated poorly by police officers more often than whites. They are more likely to be convicted, more likely to serve longer jail sentences, and more likely to get the death penalty versus whites accused of the same crimes.

                        So it probably shouldn't surprise anybody that they are gunned down unnecessarily more frequently than are white people. This is something that needs to stop.

                        When he first started all this ruckus I wasn't sure of his motivations and thought it was somewhat disrespectful of the flag and the anthem. As time has passed and I've had time to think about it, I think it accomplished the goal of getting people talking about a problem that needed attention.

                        If the end result of all this is that steps are taken to actually prevent racial disparities in law enforcement, then in the long run it was obviously a good idea. If all that comes out of it is a series of Nike commercials and a bunch of guys arguing on internet forums, then it was a waste.

                        Yes, yes, and YES! Exactly!

                          limpalong Our son, a combat veteran with almost 15 years in the U.S. Army, has posted the 'Oath of Enlistment'. His comment is very simple. He is sworn to support and defend the Constitution, not a piece of cloth or a song. That Constitution guarantees certain freedoms and liberties. He is prepared to sacrifice all for the ability of Americans to peacefully protest and/or dissent without fear of reprisal. He and his wife both take issue with those who suggest CK's kneeling is disrespectful to our active duty military and veterans. Personally, I believe a meme that depicts CK with our soldiers as they are exiting a landing craft... and attempting to show it as him disrespecting our military... is significantly more disrespectful than CK exercising the rights those soldiers are willing to die for.

                          Damn straight!

                            johnnydoom I don't know your son, doubt his sincerity or begrudge his opinion, but I know dozens of veterans and active military and not a single one of them shares the view that your son has in this matter.

                            Then you have a limited circle of friends because there are many.

                              Par4QC I'd have to question this statement. If true, why were there not discrimination suits filed? If it could be proven.

                              Hello! Perhaps it's because impoverished folks can't hire the better attorneys. 'Ya think?

                                  johnnydoom Freedom gives Kaepernick the right to protest how he wishes. ........ To that end I respect your freedom to see the issue as you do, but I have chosen not to support this particular means of protest.

                                  Do you even understand what he's protesting? It isn't an anthem, a flag, and it isn't war veterans or members of the armed services.

                                    Are you trying to tell me our justice system is based on how much
                                    money one has or can spend on a lawyer? I never heard of such
                                    an outlandish idea.

                                    johnnydoom .....I did what they told me to because I was taught that from birth.

                                    Hilarious -from birth. I'm guessing you were born white. Such objective, informed egalitarianism.

                                    Once again I'll ask the Caucasian members of this forum if they truly believe that a white father teaches his white son how to "behave" when pulled over by the police for no reason but the color of his skin? Because you can rest assured that black father's do teach their sons this. Why is that?!

                                        professor

                                        Yes. My father, who was present in my life growing up taught me to respect authority. And the fact that I haven't been gunned down or have a criminal record might have as much to do with the fact that I had a father at home teaching me right from wrong and to exercise some intelligence in certain circumstance as it does with me being caucasian.

                                        And with that, I'm bowing out of this fucking stupid thread.

                                            professor Not only from birth, but I am still learning. And since I said I was through with the non-golf thread, I’ll leave it at that.

                                              professor Because you can rest assured that black father's do teach their sons this.

                                              That is about the funniest thing I've read. This year!

                                              You know this to be a fact?

                                              Do you have the figure for white fathers being present in a child's life vs. black fathers being present in a child's life? I'd like to see that stat, please. While you are at it, throw out the stat of whites vs. blacks that are incarcerated. Show us who obeys the laws, after they are told/shown by their father to do so.

                                              Like others here....I'm done with this idiocy.

                                                  professor One last reply...

                                                  They should not have to hire 'better attorneys' if there is such discrimination going on. Where is Jesse and Al, and the NAACP? Surely someone has taken notice the last 100 yrs.. ???