April 26, 2009

A Letter (?) on Multiraciality

Dear Ms. Cogito et Histoire de la Folie,
Wow, that's a mouthful. I remember, some number a weeks ago, when you and I were discussing your non-fiction essay in which you discussed race. I remember your spot-on segment about your friend you met while on vacation and we somehow came to discuss the very Time cover which you referenced in your post. I think you sum your opinion, one I agree with, up rather nicely when you say, "One day, far in the future, our concept of race will become so dilute that racial discrimination will be virtually impossible.
Tradition will be maintained, but culture individually innovated."

The one point which I take issue with is this. You wrote that, "In fact, that racially plural, digital face does not represent the people of the future; we're here right now, and guess what? We've always been here." While I agree that "We are here right now," is true, stating that multiraciality is not so much for the future but rather for the present, the absoluteness of "We've always been here" bothered me slightly.

The more I think I about it, the less I realize I know. My sense of the history of multi or biraciality is quite limited. Specifically, I think of the terms mestizo and mulatto created at the time of the conquistadores. My mind then moves onto the children between slaves and slave owners, like those of Thomas Jefferson. More recently I think of Nazism, Hitler, and the value he placed on Aryan children, leading to what are called "Lebensborn children," lebensborn meaning "Source of Life." Essentially that Nazis sought out and relocated "racially pure" children who would be able to repopulate Germany during the Third Reich. (Interesting subject. For more read here and here).

I forget what my point was, but I also remembered Sudie last year talking about Loving v. Virginia, a few days after Mildred Loving had died. I guess all I'm trying to say is that history seems to have a pattern of fighting against multiraciality, so perhaps Time was trying to convey this sense of a growing acceptance? Though, one only need look around the internet, googling "Aryan children" should do it, to find some truly horrific people completely against any "mixing."

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