Split Down the Middle

Our class recently had a discussion about Anna Deavere Smith. I had never heard of her before we were assigned to read her introduction to Fires in the Mirror. After reading that, then seeing a video of an interview she gave on 60 Minutes, raised a lot of questions about racial communities in my mind. Though learning about Anna Deavere Smith did really focus my thoughts, it was a friend in one of my classes who really inspired most of my questions.

My main question is: Why have I never heard any biracial person describe themselves as “half-white?” I’ve only ever heard them say that they are “Half-something else.”

Case in point, my friend Sarah told me recently that she was half-Vietnamese, her father is white. I didn’t even think about it until she mentioned later that she’d traveled to Vietnam with her mother. That got me thinking… In Vietnam, when meeting new people, did she describe herself as half-white? Or did she say something like, “I’m only half-Vietnamese?” Here in America, which is supposed to be one of the most racially and culturally diverse nations on the planet, why in “white” automatically the default? Why does our terminology make it sound like any other ethnicity added to “white” depreciates it? Why does “white” take precedence?

Is it different in other countries, I wonder, or in other languages? If Sarah’s white father had lived in Vietnam with her mother, would she grow up considering herself half-white? It sounds logical… Surely in China or India, “white” isn’t considered the default or natural skin color. What about in other countries where a majority of the population is white, life France or Sweden? Is America the only country that still seems to place “white” above all other races?

And, in America, why does the “half-white” community seem so much larger than anything else, such as the “half-Vietnamese” category? At least, it does to me, if we place more emphasis on being half-white, is just feels like there would be more people than if we selected another half-ethnicity.

But why do I feel that way? Is it American culture? The fact that I’m white? I want to understand!!

It’s something interesting to think about, right? It also moves my train of thought onto other “half” communities. Well, “mixtures of communities” would be more accurate.

Like, for the purposes of this class, a mixture of sports communities and theatre communities. I wonder how many crazy obsessed sports fans are also adamant theatre-goers. Or what about athletes? How large is the “theatre jock” community?

What about other unlikely mixtures?

For example, I’m not a huge sports fan, but until I came to college, my philosophy had always been: “I live in Louisville and I live in Kentucky. So, whether UofL or UK wins, I can celebrate either way.” That’s kind of a lackadaisical point of view though… What if there are people who are huge fans of both the Cards and the Cats? What do they do during the UofL/UK game?

What about conservatives with many liberal values? Liberals with some conservative values? Are there men who enjoy wearing both boxers and briefs? Who knows?

What about you? Can you think of any communities you are a part of that are a little contradictory? Are you a mixture?