What Happens When You're a Light-Skinned Latino

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This isn't autism related but this is something similar lot of us have dealt with with our autism. I just learned people of nationalities get this too.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/fernando- ... mg00000063

I am sure the guy wasn't trying to be a bigot but I am sure he learned something new. After all he does have Mexican friends so I know he doesn't hate them or look down on them. I am thinking his friends get crap for their nationality so he is telling this new guy how lucky he is for his skin color.

I find the comments interesting too.

I was once driving a grandmother and granddaughter home from somewhere(I drive taxis and limos). the granddaughter had blond hair and blue eyes and they were speaking a foreign language and by the accent I was thinking Swedish but I asked anyway.the granddaughter is from spain and was speaking Spanish.and was vistiting her grand mom in Vermont.

it makes sense being that spain is such a big country with different subcultures and different dialects of Spanish and maybe up 6 or 7 different languages spoken in spain.spanish is as diverse a language as English.where I grew up the say stuff like pahk ya cah or use ya blinkah or im from medfud wheye you from,oh im from bevahly.my father worked in a town called Holyoke but it was pronounced huhyuk

I was once talking to someone online and he showed me a picture of him and it made me think of someone who is Italian so I asked what his nationality is and he said he was American and then I made a remark he looked Italian. He took offense and I didn't understand why. Is being Italian bad? Now I know he probably thought I was being racist and I suspect people don't mean to be when they make those remarks and would also be as clueless as I was.

I remember another time in high school I asked my uncle if he was African American (he is black) and he said he was Jamaican. I said I didn't know Jamaicans were also black. No one took offense to that. Maybe because they were family so they knew it was innocent than racism and I was just curious so I was asking questions.

When a small child makes a racist remark, everyone knows it's innocent because small children aren't capable of racism and they say exactly what they mean, no intention behind it. But when an adult does it or teens, people assume the worst so they take it the wrong way. I wish they wouldn't and just educate the person instead and say instead, "Now you know not all Latinos have dark skin. You learn something new."

This song by Cher is discussing what this thread is about.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0itzW8Siqg[/youtube]

Ironically the promotional video for this 1973 song would easily be considered offensive today.

I'm biracial - my mom's family is various kinds of Latino, and my dad's family is very white, probably Irish (maybe Scottish, we don't know) people. I look white, though; there's a slight cast to my skin, I think, but I have light skin, straight brown hair, and blue eyes. Bullies at school used to call me racist because the one friend I had in the one class I had with the kid happened to be white, while I wouldn't talk to the bully who happened to be black. Being biracial was an excellent comeback. I know nonwhite people can be racist, but the kids at my school don't usually think things through that far.

It's interesting how some people play the race card. I think some are paranoid.

Race is an arbitrary construct. Biologically, there are no "races.' There are differences in physical appearance, caused by adaptation to environments.

Africans aren't in a different sub-species as Caucasians. Same for all other "races." We are all Homo sapiens sapiens.

I don't typically go around looking for this stuff. Somehow, it finds me.

I think there is a liberal genre of discussion, which tries to educate people, about when they're being insensitive.

Firstly, if someone is intentionally mocking you, he doesn't need this sort of admonition; he already knows he's being a jerk.

Where people are comfortable with their origins, prettymuch nothing you say will be taken in an offensive light, so long as you're not deliberately trying to be hurtful. Friends and family are able joke among themselves, at least a little. Is this how you intend to be taken?

When people are uncomfortable, nothing you say will come across right. If you're trying to be supportive, they will act patronized. To me, acting as though you are perpetually aggrieved is an example of racism and tends to worsen dialog between the different races.

The line of discussion is arguably along the lines of agitprop, or propaganda, intended to agitate. With no offense intended toward the OP, I am admittedly agitated. On this note, I'll be taking a break, shortly.

As I recall, Huffpo did a story about why it was inconsiderate to call Lupita Nyongo exotic. She was later questioned about looking like a prostitute, so played the race card. Then, having annoyed so many people, was found to be having sex in public.

If we're supposed to be judging people, based on their moral character, what was so bad about saying their clothes, cooking, or proportions are unconventional. Lots of art is like that. Or, what if Mexico is poor. So are the protagonists in many stories. Does it make you a bad person, or is it being said hurtfully?

One of my darker friends was surprised, because it was very hot outside, and I was working. My hands were pink, and he thought I may have burnt them.

My beard gets bright orange, when sunlight shines through it, and I am taller than most -- particularly in some ethnic enclaves.

I occurs to me that I am a different race. I am conspicuous, depending on my surroundings.

Look at the name of this website, and tell me how could you ever hope to be well-adjusted if you won't admit stuff like that.