Oo..*goes and reads article; bookmarks it; spreads the awesomenss* Thanks for the rec!
I've always been a bit bemused by the Spanish colonial approach, which is to a.) intermarry, and b.) specifically each group of people with a particular set of heritages (e.g. mestizo, cholo, cuarterón de indio, castizo, etc.). Spain certainly isn't the only country to do, and Spanish certainly isn't the only language rich with such words, but I find it very interesting that there isn't as detailed a set of labels in American English. The only non-slang that immediately pops to mind which isn't directly imported from another language is mulatto, and that might arise mostly from the philosophical and ethical dilemmas posed by having certain children of people with privilege being designated as not having that privilege.
Language shapes how we think about things. And I must admit, reading through some of the other comments, that you've also made me change my mind about identifying myself as 'white.' The important things, whether ideas or people, are never just black or white. And the historical fluidity of those categories (am still mind-boggled over how 'Irish' people were once not considered white in America, but now they are) should remind us not to take our present-day social categorizations as Gospel truth, so to speak.
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I've always been a bit bemused by the Spanish colonial approach, which is to a.) intermarry, and b.) specifically each group of people with a particular set of heritages (e.g. mestizo, cholo, cuarterón de indio, castizo, etc.). Spain certainly isn't the only country to do, and Spanish certainly isn't the only language rich with such words, but I find it very interesting that there isn't as detailed a set of labels in American English. The only non-slang that immediately pops to mind which isn't directly imported from another language is mulatto, and that might arise mostly from the philosophical and ethical dilemmas posed by having certain children of people with privilege being designated as not having that privilege.
Language shapes how we think about things. And I must admit, reading through some of the other comments, that you've also made me change my mind about identifying myself as 'white.' The important things, whether ideas or people, are never just black or white. And the historical fluidity of those categories (am still mind-boggled over how 'Irish' people were once not considered white in America, but now they are) should remind us not to take our present-day social categorizations as Gospel truth, so to speak.