Donald Trump has the Harris campaign in a dither because he claimed Harris is an East-Indian rather than "Black".
People of East-Indian descent make up about 1.3% of the US population. People who identify as "Black" make up about 13% of the population.
The obvious solution is for Harris to submit her DNA to a reputable, commercial site like 23Andme.com Of course, it would have to be proctored and the sample submit with many other samples to ensure the test was truly double-blind.
The test results will identify, within a few percentage points, the origins of the DNA in the sample.
The questions that would raise
It won't happen for a multitude of reasons. One of them is "What percentage of sub-Saharan DNA qualifies a person to legitimately identify as "Black"?
Let's suppose for a moment that the answer is 25% or more sub-Saharan DNA is the threshold.
Since the "average" US Black has 25% European DNA, doesn't that also mean that they can also identify as "White"? If they can be either and choose to identify as "Black", then that blows the entire "systemic racism advantaging Whites" trope out of the water.
Another reason it will not happen is that if the DNA test comes back showing Harris has infinitesimally small amounts of sub-Saharan African DNA, then either Donald Harris is not her biological father or that Donald Harris is not "Black". The first result would be less devastating than the second because Donald Harris's career (and the institutions that hired him) rode on a wave of "first Black" accolades.
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Rachel Dolzeal... she's black, isn't she?
ReplyDeleteLia Thomas, she's a woman isn't she?
At this point, what difference does it make?
I'm with Anon @11:49 on this question. Choose any category/class that best benefits you at any particular time. To steal and modify a saying by someone famous, 'You can fool some of the people some of the time and hopefully enough when of them when you really need them'. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHow do 13% of the population merit the influence they appear to have? Surely equality means approx 13% representation in any field, not 50%
ReplyDeleteMany years ago now, when "affirmative action" was getting going in the US, I was on a course in Bristol, UK, with a black guy from our company's Cincinnati office. Talking over a couple of beers, he said that he absolutely hated the affirmative action climate - it meant that wherever he went he was automatically labelled as the "token black" under AA, irrespective of any other consideration. He said that it was a really refreshing change to come to the UK and be treated as just one of the team on his own merits.
Deleteremember when warren had her dna tested? She failed miserably, was proven to be a craven liar - and she is still a US senator.
DeleteJamaicans are Americans too.
ReplyDeleteThere you go with those pesky facts again...
ReplyDeleteGary, you've shown that the term means whatever one wants it to mean.
ReplyDeleteThe core of identity politics is deception. And always to one's advantage.
There are an awful lot of "white" Americans "descendant from slaves *in America* that were brought via the trans-atlantic slave trade," as Gary puts it. Ireland, for instance, was largely depopulated in the 17th century as a matter of profitable government policy. The same tribe of slavers who later brought African slaves first perfected their trade on Europeans deemed expendable. The vast majority of white slaves ("indentured servants" is the euphemism used in modern historiography) died either en route or shortly after arrival from abuse, starvation, disease and overwork. The survivors became the "white trash" still sneered at today.
ReplyDeleteJess Watters on The Five along with the cast had their DNA tested. His said he was 5% black which he refers to as 1% now. But if reparations are given with no parameters, then you say you are black why couldn't he apply? He has the proof he's had a black ancestor along with his entire family. Mom, dad, sister, brother, all the kids and grand kids.
ReplyDelete