Do You View Your Race or Ethnicity as a Core Part of Your Identity?

[Gaf Zombie]

And if not what are your thoughts on those that do?

To me being black is amazing, warm with brotherhood, and oftentimes draining all in one. I couldn't imagine a life where I'm not black. I can imagine being a woman, or a football player, or gay. But not white or asian. Maybe I'm just racist.

What are your thoughts?

 

[El Bombastico]

Latinx get no love :-(

 

[GYODX]

Yes, Puerto Rican. I identify and feel most comfortable around other Puerto Ricans, particularly those born and raised on the island.

 

[Renna Hazel]

I do, because no one knows what I am thus it makes me feel somewhat unique. I personally don't make a big deal about it but everyone else does so it now stands out to me in my head.

 

[sphagnum]

I couldn't care less about my ancestry/race/ethnicity etc. As a white guy, I had that sort of privileged upbringing where it was all about how I'm an Individual with a capital I.

Christianity was far more important to me.

 

[BadWolf]

Nope, couldn't care less.

 

[Aureon]

Where i live (central Rome, Italy) 99%++ of the people i interact with are white, as i am.

Race is certainly a political argument, but very rarely a daily life consideration about anything.

 

[Kitsunebaby]

I figure one of the greatest privileges of being white is rarely having to think about my race. My Icelandic or Scottish ancestry can be neat to think about, but it ultimately has nothing to do with me.

 

[FluxWaveZ]

I looked at the thread title and got really confused as to how the answer for anyone could be "no." Huh, TIL. Makes sense when you're not constantly a minority where you live.

It's not like I have strong ties to my ancestry, but my ethnicity certainly informs how I behave depending on who I'm socializing with.

 

[P-Bo]

Poll could definitely use more options.

And unfortunately no, was raised divorced from my heritage.

 

[hrœrekr]

Non white here, and couldn't care less.

 

[Sorel]

I identified with the culture I was born in, i.e. mediterranean/latin/Hellenic.

 

[Royalan]

Yes, absolutely.

And, even if I didn't want to, I wouldn't really have a choice.

 

[Blue Sky Noise]

race no ethnicity yes (irish)

 

[Brinbe]

tough question. Filipinos occupy such an interesting place within the Asian community, especially 'Filipino Americans/Canadians'. tough to answer because I can feel a part and apart from the general 'asian' umbrella in various ways and that definitely has an effect on how i view identity. but it definitely plays a part, especially considering what's going on in the country right now.

 

[Deleted member 3815]

Not in my youth and 20s due to internalised racism, cheers for that white folks, but now I do and that I was wrong to try and reject it.

 

[Strike]

Yeah.

 

[sphagnum]

I figure one of the greatest privileges of being white is rarely having to think about my race. My Icelandic or Scottish ancestry can be neat to think about, but it ultimately has nothing to do with me.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, it's basically this. I can read about Norway and think "Oh hey, I had an ancestor there somewhere", but I have no deep yearning to sail the fjords. Racially I don't think of myself as white, or being defined by whiteness. I am, and I know it, but I don't think about it on a day to day basis. Ethnically I feel no sense of pride or shame or anything about having any particular European ancestry - it means nothing to me on a personal level.

 

[Sadsic]

i have a moderate connection with being jewish but otherwise i feel entirely untethered from modern reality in terms of having some sort of identity that is an ingroup

 

[Anti-Pessimist]

Hispanic, and no I don't.

 

[Neoxon]

It's kinda weird for me. I recognize who I am (black), love it, & support the black community whenever possible. Hell, most of you know how vocal I am about representation. But I'm not sure I would say that me being black is a core part of my identity, namely because I'm not sure what it means to have it be a core part of my identity in the first place. To be honest, I'm not sure how I'd know if I'm connected with my blackness (& how to do so if I'm not).

I do plan on working on that, though.

 

[Cipher Peon]

My gender (nonbinary) and race (hispanic) mean nothing to my identity or self expression.

 

[PrivateWHudson]

Not at all. Occasionally I'll think about how I wish I were "more" of something though. Being a white guy, race isn't a bonding thing, and as far as ethnicity, I'm not enough Irish, English, Ukrainian, or Italian to really feel like a part of any of those communities. If I ever identify with a group, I guess it would be the Italians since my grandmother would speak Italian with her sisters. The other side of my family has been in the US forever and have lost all of the old world traditions.

 

[RockmanBN]

Hispanic. Not at all.

 

[Pet]

Yes, my gender and race are a core part of my identity, not just because of who I am, but also because of how others treat me.

 

[Akira86]

yeah it kind of dictates the box i exist in

 

[Mona]

German, Irish, French

dont give a shit, the only thing i know is i occupied myself in the 40s

 

[Deleted member 5865]

I dont mind who I was born as but my hobbies/life mission has very little to do with my race (black)

 

[PlanetSmasher]

I don't really feel any particular kinship with "white people" as a monogroup. I typically think of myself as half-Italian more than anything else. That's the culture I came from, especially since my family wasn't even considered white when they moved here 80 years ago.

That doesn't mean I don't know I'm a white person, but it sure as fuck doesn't make me take any pride in "whiteness".

 

[Glimlocker]

I've always hated the term "white" and the ways it's been used to suppress actually interesting cultural aspects from former European immigrants (we lost all our good food and cultural traditions from most parts of Europe, instead being replaced by an amalgamation of British and strange new capitalism-friendly creations) and how it's simply a way of determining who is and isn't part of the privileged group.

It's all part of a larger racist strategy that lets people of European descent ostracize while also forming a convenient "tribe" that erased cultural division in favor of creating one large group completely devoid of meaningful culture. I wish the term would die out.

I'm glad to be a part of my ethnicity and like to see everyone partake in their own cultures - cultures are incredibly fascinating and make the world an interesting place. They also help create a history - both good and bad - for each individual to examine parts of their humanity.

However, given the damaging legacy of Northern/Western European imperialistic and supremicist ideology, people from those cultures also need to confront and fix the lasting damage those cultures have wrought across the globe.

 

[Deleted member 2226]

No, because I don't have to.

I don't think someone's intrinsic qualities are ever all that defining in the absence of tension related to them. Me being left-handed is irrelevant until they start oppressing lefties actively.

 

[Mahonay]

My racial background is Pennsylvania Dutch. Immigrated here in the late 1600s. It plays no role in my personal background. Just a white ass American who grew up in cities. Being white is an identity in a way that it absolutely affords me opportunities that would not be made available to, or made extremely difficult for PoCs. The way I'm treated by strangers. How I'm treated by police. Etc.


Other than that no, I am deeply embarrassed by my race in my every day life. I am pretty good with not being into a lot of "white people stuff".

 

[Acquiesc3]

Asian and hell no.

It's a weird thing to be proud of to me (race that is) cause culture is about a million times more important.

I guess if we're talking skin color then yeah I like being brown, given the chance I wouldn't change anything. But like.. I'd probably say the same had I been other race/color etc.

 

[olag]

For better or worse being black has shaped certain parts of my life so being asked whether I see it as part of my identity is a bit difficult to answer. Yes I see my blackness as part of my identity , culture and community . But it is also an inescapable part of my life as someone who has been the only black person in their class/work environment.

Most times it fills me with happiness and pride, and other times it is lonely and frustrating.But for better or for worse it is who I am and I wouldnt change it cause for all the frustrations I feel like this perspective has been rewarding for me personally.

 

[ClockworkOwl]

White and no. To absolutely no one's surprise I'm sure, most white people generally don't think about race all that much.

 

[Deleted member 42055]

For as long as I can remember I've always been proud to say Mexican when asked about my heritage

 

[Cels]

you have to think about it when you're a minority. especially in a majority-white country where white people might ask you "where are you really from" or ask you to anglicize your name or try to butcher a few words in a non-english language that might not even be the right one.

 

[Forerunner]

I'm mixed, so no. I never fit in anywhere.

 

[Joeytj]

Guess Latinos don't count?

Lol, as a white looking (but mestizo descent), gay, Mexican growing up right next to the U.S. border, and with half of my family being Latino in the U.S. (and brown/dark skinned as well), it's hard for me to identify with my race, but my skin color was a big deal for others. I was called Snow White, Casper and ghost growing up 😂 but being a white guy in Mexico gives me systematic advantages so I'm not going to play the "reverse racism card" ever.

But I've always struggled with how Americans try and see race as the only identity there is sometimes.

 

[John Rabbit]

And if not what are your thoughts on those that do?

To me being black is amazing, warm with brotherhood, and oftentimes draining all in one. I couldn't imagine a life where I'm not black. I can imagine being a woman, or a football player, or gay. But not white or asian. Maybe I'm just racist.

What are your thoughts?

Click to shrink...

As a white person, we have no discernible culture worth celebrating.

 

[Deleted member 7130]

I have a complicated relation with "my identity" because alienation is a feeling that has thoroughly permeated my entire life. I'm non-white.

 

[Mahonay]

As a white person, we have no discernible culture worth celebrating.

Click to shrink...

American whites really are almost completely bankrupt of culture worth celebrating.

 

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

I'm white but my race means nothing to me as I didn't choose it.

 

[Leland Palmer]

i don't know

 

[Mammoth Jones]

I'm black in America. I have no choice. If I forget, mofos here will surely remind me.

That being said wouldn't trade it for anything. I love being black.

 

[Nepenthe]

I'm black in America. I have no choice. If I forget, mofos here will surely remind me.

That being said wouldn't trade it for anything. I love being black.

Click to shrink...

This is pretty much what I wanted to say.

 

[99nikniht]

For better or worse, my ethnicity is part of my identity. This is especially true since my parents migrated to the States from VN, as Chinese nationals, so I have a lot of impressions growing up in a migrant family.
As a social thing, I get treated differently as well, stereotypes and all that. So, it's a fixed part of my identity, again for better or worse.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

I think the majority of non white people in America would view their race or Ethnicity as part of their identity cause America won't let us forget it.

 

[Quzar]

As a latinx person, no my ethnicity is not a core part of identity. The bigger problem is that my ethnicity is forced upon me to be part of my identity. I have different lived experiences because of my race, sure.

 

[Osan912]

Latinx get no love :-(

Click to shrink...

forreal we are the second largest group of people wtf!