[bumpkin]

Hello All,

Just wondering what your thoughts were on the term "mixed"? Is this acceptable terminology for a multiracial child?

Thanks

[echaos]

My only involvment with families of mutliple races is through friends.

My first thought when I read this was "NO" that is not an acceptable term, but then as I started to write my first sentence, I realized that I had written "families of mixed races"..... hmmmm something freudian going on I'm sure!


I think my issues are with the context of how it is used:

1. Stranger on the street says "Is your child mixed?" brings to mind a puppy who is a mixed breed.

2. Someone saying " Our family is made up of mixed races" doesn't bother me at all.

What are your thoughts on it?

[Missy M]

As the mother of three bi-racial kids I personaly don't like the term "mixed" b/c in the past it was a derogaroty term often combined with "breed". I prefer the term bi-racial because it describes what they are..."of 2 races" and the word mixed almost implys that they are less than "pure."
I know from experience that my kids (all grown) are in favor of the term bi-racial also.....MissyM

[bumpkin]

Well, I was reading through the transracial threads and saw many ways of describing achildren - biracial (lots of controversy over this term - both in a politically correct sense and whether a child is 1/2 something and 1/2 something else) transracial or multiracial - which feels like a mouthful to me and not and mixed. I feel that mixed seems really more accurate as many achildren and adults alike are "mixes" of many races and also seems more "user friendly" if you will - not so standoffish as to make people feel you are making a statement. I'm looking for help with educating myself on this issue. Part of our job as aparents is to educate others and I just didn't know if the term is considered derogatory.

Thanks for the response.!

[bumpkin]

Missy M - what if they are 3 or 4 races ? Would they use transracial or multi racial? Is it that I'm not use to hearing the term multiracial or transracial that it seems like a mouthful. Like postal carrier rather than mailman it seems politically correct, although correct non the less for many people. Thanks for enlightening and please continue

[Missy M]

Originally posted by bumpkin
Missy M - what if they are 3 or 4 races ? Would they use transracial or multi racial? Is it that I'm not use to hearing the term multiracial or transracial that it seems like a mouthful. Like postal carrier rather than mailman it seems politically correct, although correct non the less for many people. Thanks for enlightening and please continue

I really can't answer this question since its not the way we veiw ourselves and our kids; Hubby is white, I am black and those are the two races we refer to. I am sure that from a political standpoint I am not "purely black" and he is not "simply white" as his paternal grandad was Irish and his great grand-mother maternally was Native American. I just know that I am not comfortable with the term "mixed" although it is the politically correct term; in these instances I guess I'd prefer multi-racial....MissyM

[Opus]

Our daughter is biracial and our son is Hispanic, we use those terms to describe their ethnicities as indivduals. We prefer the term multi racial when discussing our family as a whole but also realizing the term transracial is used often.

I agree with Missy regarding the term "mixed", combined with breed it is a dated and derogatory term.

[qs mom]

My cousin is Bi-racial. What is sad about our society is that there isn't a 'box' for multi-racial people.

When he went to school, his mother was a little confused as to which box to check regarding race - does she check white and offend his African American family or check African American and offend his white family? And what happens if he wanders away at a school event and they look at the information card and it says one or other and they overlook him because they're either looking for a white kid or an African American kid?

There is only one race - the human race / mankind.

[Missy M]

q's mom posted:"My cousin is Bi-racial. What is sad about our society is that there isn't a 'box' for multi-racial people."


I strongly agree with this statement. I am the color of um....Oprah and Whoopie; my daughters are as light as Jo-Lo, one is a curly blonde with grey eyes, the other has dark almost black straight hair with red highlights and hazel eyes, my son is bald, was dirty blonde with blue eyes and could easily pass for white. Their birth certificates list them as *Caucasian*...only! I the color of Oprah gave birth to 3 white kids...according to the state of Texas. The hospital explains that just as they list them under their fathers last name they also list them as his race. There wasn't a box for bi-racial kids. Thats sad.
BTW: when faced with this as kids my daughters would go ahead and check the "white" box and my son the "black" box; they didn't have a chance to be honest; until one of them stepped outside the box and wrote in Bi-racial.
I have an issue with everyone not obviously "white" being listed as "black"....ugh!!! MissyM

[redhedded]

I immensely dislike the term "mixed." My grandfather, who was Caucasian/Native American was constantly referred to as "mixed" and "half breed" as a child. Important to note that he was born in early 1900's. He later did not identify himself within a category but spoke in terms of his (and others') Indian and Irish heritage when telling old stories. I am sure that he never used the term biracial but if required to choose would have chosen to indicate Indian (his preferred term). My best friend who is AA uses the term "mixed" to describe anyone who might be of various races; of course, looks are deceiving. I always use the term biracial and multiracial when describing someone who is of more than two races; we consistently use the term (when necessary, which is not often) to describe our family. Transracial is only used when describing the "across the races" of our adoption or family structure, such as marriage. Because of our Southeast Asian and Eastern Indian family practices, we are more often used to a "transcultural" identification. (heehee we do not use any of these identifying words at home, only with others)

[bumpkin]

Thank you all for your responses. As usual it has been a lesson and an education. I guess that "mixed" in general, is not an acceptable term. I learned something new today.

Best
Bumpkin

[mom2jazzygirl]

I don't like the term 'mixed'. I think it brings up connotations of very derrogatory terms. And yes, it reminds me of mixed breed which you would refer to an animal. Children are not animals.

In our home (which we obviously cannot carry over into life but wish we could) we've skipped the explanation entirely. We have chocolate and vanilla children. With my 4 siblings, we describe what type of chocolate they are. (2 are milk chocolate, 1 is semi-sweet and 1 is dark chocolate--you could also call him coffee but my father detests coffee and doesn't see that as a positive description, lol). My son is milk chocolate. It may be that we will add almond and cinnamon children (or something else who knows) before we are done building our family as well. The other words we use identify their cultural background and not their racial make-up. I have an Oklahomian brother, a Kentuckian sister, a Jamacian-American brother, a Kenyan-American brother and an Ethiopian-American sister. My own son is Sierra Leonian-American. It may be a mouthful, but since they are all first generation Americans its also much more accurate to who they are.

As for having to choose race on a form, its not legal to require it. I quit check marking anything on those forms 15 years ago. I'm not about to re-start now. They are simply so NON reflective of reality. Sometimes, I really wish that society were less hung-up on trying to put us all in categories and more willing to accept we are all HUMAN.

[sienna]

q's mom and Missy M--

Why do we need to check any box? Why are we a society that is always driven by color? At some level, we need to stop this racism. What does color have to do with intelligence, motive, etc.?

Sienna

[Missy M]

Originally posted by sienna
q's mom and Missy M--

Why do we need to check any box? Why are we a society that is always driven by color? At some level, we need to stop this racism. What does color have to do with intelligence, motive, etc.?

Sienna

Sienna...while I will be the first to agree that we shouldn't have to check any of those boxes, in this society in which we live we are expected to, and when we don't the form is brought back to us as incomplete. I agree that color has nothing at all to do with intelligence, motives,lifestyles or anything else that matters niether does race, but no one is asking my opinion. I feel I have done my best towards *equality* and proving that I am not driven by color by marrying and producing kids who look nothing like me...LOL. Perhaps if the rest of the world would only follow suit.... we could do away with racism and titles altogether....MissyM

[BethanyB]

Hey everyone! I just wanted to say that I think the term biracial sounds better, however, many agencies list their biracial programs as "mixed race" programs. Just thought that was interesting.