Column
MEGAN TAROS
Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: Opinion
My people invented math and democracy, figured out the earth was round, made primitive chocolate, discovered the imaginary number pi and fought a down and dirty battle with the Spanish to gain independence.
For those who are anthropologically savvy, I'm sure you have discovered that I mixed two cultures in my statement and probably sound a little crazy.
I did, however, mix the two intentionally to create one meaning, and did not chaotically scramble them together for any apparent reason.
I am Greek and Mexican, and while it sounds normal when read, at times people often succumb to the idea of racial barriers, even if they are not racist at all.
While racism has become a hushed idea more often than not in this country, people still unwittingly fall victim to believing in racial stereotypes and boundaries.
Often times, people will express disbelief when discovering a friend is dating someone not of their race or that a person is mixed.
People even shrug off racial jokes, assuming everyone understands where they are coming from, as if the stereotype is recognized and prevalent in society.
Even now, people are being judged by the color of their skin or their physical features and the narrow-minded idea that a person must be strictly of one race is still present in the shocked expressions and remarks made when a person claims to be of mixed race.
I, for example, have been subject to many strange assumptions, including: I had to be white because of the way I talked, I had to be Mexican because of my mom's accent or that I must have been the product of another marriage just because my dad is white.
Of course, no one means any harm when they fall into these tiny ever-present borders between races.
It is difficult to fully adjust to any change in social norms, especially since most people who unintentionally do it have not been exposed to such things.
That is not to say that people should not be careful when figuring out who a person really is.
For those who are anthropologically savvy, I'm sure you have discovered that I mixed two cultures in my statement and probably sound a little crazy.
I did, however, mix the two intentionally to create one meaning, and did not chaotically scramble them together for any apparent reason.
I am Greek and Mexican, and while it sounds normal when read, at times people often succumb to the idea of racial barriers, even if they are not racist at all.
While racism has become a hushed idea more often than not in this country, people still unwittingly fall victim to believing in racial stereotypes and boundaries.
Often times, people will express disbelief when discovering a friend is dating someone not of their race or that a person is mixed.
People even shrug off racial jokes, assuming everyone understands where they are coming from, as if the stereotype is recognized and prevalent in society.
Even now, people are being judged by the color of their skin or their physical features and the narrow-minded idea that a person must be strictly of one race is still present in the shocked expressions and remarks made when a person claims to be of mixed race.
I, for example, have been subject to many strange assumptions, including: I had to be white because of the way I talked, I had to be Mexican because of my mom's accent or that I must have been the product of another marriage just because my dad is white.
Of course, no one means any harm when they fall into these tiny ever-present borders between races.
It is difficult to fully adjust to any change in social norms, especially since most people who unintentionally do it have not been exposed to such things.
That is not to say that people should not be careful when figuring out who a person really is.
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