Halle Berry

[krcit]

I think Halle berry is a nutter. I also think dragging a custody battle through the press is disgusting.

 

[jrmasm]

I don't think the intent is to deny her white genes. In fact, Halle has never been bashful about her lineage. The rule i'm referring to is the 1 drop rule which was created during slavery in an effort to not taint the white race. Basically, if a person had as little as 1 drop of black blood that person was considered black...sad, but true and it is still applied and practiced today.ETA: when a biracial child is born, the race is checked as black. The race of the parents are listed, black and white, but the childs race is listed as black. True.

It totally makes sense that someone would hold on to that idea.

 

[hereyago]

I also heard that Kim Karadashian was seeing her baby's DF, so Halle made a comment about she didn't want a reality star around her kid. However, if she is using race as part of her custody fight, then she should be ashamed of herself. Honestly, you can't play the race card when it suits you. Considering she is half white herself. A little hypocritical.

 

[bicker]

I doubt that anyone in this thread knows enough to classify either parent in any substantive way. All we ever see is what the media chooses to show us, and often that's shaped both a combination of what celebrities choose to share with them (typically the positive), and what the media itself can fabricate from incomplete "facts" (typically the negative). The vast majority of all reality is actually more neutral than anything else, so the one thing we can be sure about is that we rarely hear anything more than a very very small portion of reality.

I do think that a lot of folks feel that it is fun to traffic in disparging perceptions of celebrities, without much regard to whether it really is firmly based on reliable and comprehensive understanding. I don't think it really serves any constructive purpose - more likely it is significantly destructive.

 

[shortbun]

It totally makes sense that someone would hold on to that idea.

What?? This is the culturally accepted norm(by both Black and White peoples) and the one set down by law as well when it comes to birth certificates and the U.SA. Census. Why don't you know that and why would you try to turn it into racism?
Unless maybe you think it's 'better to be one or the other??? Would THAT be your issue? In other words, why do you care?

 

[eliza61]

Society will see her as black, look at Obama- our first "black" president, even though he is biracial. I don't disagree with Hallie's view but I think its sad that she doesn't acknowledge her dd's fathers part in making her.

yes she is. she's such a little cutie too.

but what really gets me, and not just with Halle Barry and her situation is that she too is the child of an interacial couple. her mother, who I have read she is very close too, is white. so WHY deny one side of your heritage? can't you embrace both? must we DEFINE our children that way. IMO, this is exactly how hate and lack of tolerance develop.

whooo, wait a minute guys. Halle nor the President make up these rules. for the most part this is pretty much how White america has made the rules for the last say 200 years. Last time I checked a history book, President Obama pretty much is the first and only black president we've had. what's the issue with that?

This hate and lack of tolerance did not just suddenly developed. heck there was a big uproar when the census was changed to say biracial.

Now you get all shocked and shaken that it's like that? the president is a little younger than me and as far as I know if either one of your parents is black the child is black.

Believe me, we did not come up with these rules.

 

[okeydokey]

I wish celebrities would keep their private lives, private. The rest of the world does not need to know the details of this custody battle.

 

[eliza61]

It no longer surprises me what any star or starlett does any more. Celebrities live in a land far, far away.....

 

[Mermaid02]

I always thought the "one drop rule" was put in place by bigots to keep black people "in their place" sort of speak. Why anyone would continue this baffles me.

 

[shortbun]

whooo, wait a minute guys. Halle nor the President make up these rules. for the most part this is pretty much how White america has made the rules for the last say 200 years.

This hate and lack of tolerance did not just suddenly developed. heck there was a big uproar when the census was changed to say biracial.

Now you get all shocked and shaken that it's like that? the president is a little younger than me and as far as I know if either one of your parents is black the child is black.

Believe me, we did not come up with these rules.

I'm pretty sure Black Anmerica embraces these norms as well. Why is there a need for 'blame?' Seriously, no blame necessary.

 

[kwelch10377]

I doubt that anyone in this thread knows enough to classify either parent in any substantive way. All we ever see is what the media chooses to show us, and often that's shaped both a combination of what celebrities choose to share with them (typically the positive), and what the media itself can fabricate from incomplete "facts" (typically the negative). The vast majority of all reality is actually more neutral than anything else, so the one thing we can be sure about is that we rarely hear anything more than a very very small portion of reality.

I do think that a lot of folks feel that it is fun to traffic in disparging perceptions of celebrities, without much regard to whether it really is firmly based on reliable and comprehensive understanding. I don't think it really serves any constructive purpose - more likely it is significantly destructive.

I think you can say this about a lot of threads on here. Many times we don't know the whole situation, just what is being told to us. That doesn't mean that we can't have a discussion or opinion on what we do know or are being told.

 

[nvsnot]

It totally makes sense that someone would hold on to that idea.

Well, I know bi and multi racial inviduals who choose not to abide by the rule, but society does it for them. Unfortunately, people are identified by how they look. If they look black or white, society will label them as whatever is appropriate, black or white. Do I think it's fair? No, not now nor was it ever, but to your point that the 1 drop rule is racist...I agree. During the time that the rule was created RACISM had everything to do with it and today racism still has a lot to do with it.

Regarding the article...Halle said she views her daughter as black and agrees with the 1 drop rule, but she also said it will be up to Nahla to choose how she identifies which should be the case for every bi or multi racial boy or girl. Some are up in arms about how Halle chooses to identify, but can any of us really understand what it's like to be biracial if we aren't biracial ourselves?

Imagine if Halle had grown up identifying as white. Imagine how hurtful it would have been for her to enroll in the public school system and realize that the way she chose to self identify had little to do with how the world viewed her and therefore treated her. Halle often speaks about how her high school tried to prevent her from becoming homecoming queen after her peers had elected her. If she were white or society viewed her as white there wouldn't have been a problem with her being homecoming queen, but her school and/or society saw a black girl regardless of her mothers color and she was treated and reminded, probably more often than any of us would care to admit or understand so knowing and accepting how society labeled her was probably wise.

 

[jrmasm]

What?? This is the culturally accepted norm(by both Black and White peoples) and the one set down by law as well when it comes to birth certificates and the U.SA. Census. Why don't you know that and why would you try to turn it into racism?
Unless maybe you think it's 'better to be one or the other??? Would THAT be your issue? In other words, why do you care?

Ok seriously, I have no idea how you ended where you did.



Ok, seriously again, it is not 'better' to be one race or another. Personally I think it's irrelevent.

I do not understand why the 'rule' which was used to classify people so that they could be discrimated against would some that anyone would continue to embrace. ME!! I don't get it.

Pretty darn sure that doesn't make me a racist.

I also do not understand why in 2011 if a child MUST be classified, why this rule would still apply. Seems to be a new classification would be more appropropriate.

Or maybe let's just not classify ourselves by race.

 

[jrmasm]

I always thought the "one drop rule" was put in place by bigots to keep black people "in their place" sort of speak. Why anyone would continue this baffles me.

You said it better than I did. That's exactly what I was thinking.

 

[bicker]

I wish celebrities would keep their private lives, private. The rest of the world does not need to know the details of this custody battle.

I think you're directing blame in the wrong direction: It is the people who care about celebrities' private lives that are the underlying fuel for the fire.

 

[ols386]

whooo, wait a minute guys. Halle nor the President make up these rules. for the most part this is pretty much how White america has made the rules for the last say 200 years. Last time I checked a history book, President Obama pretty much is the first and only black president we've had. what's the issue with that?

This hate and lack of tolerance did not just suddenly developed. heck there was a big uproar when the census was changed to say biracial.

Now you get all shocked and shaken that it's like that? the president is a little younger than me and as far as I know if either one of your parents is black the child is black.

Believe me, we did not come up with these rules.

Who said there was an issue with Obama being black? Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anyone posting that had an issue with it.

I didn't think anyone was shocked and shaken about it.

 

[eliza61]

I do not understand why the 'rule' which was used to classify people so that they could be discrimated against would some that anyone would continue to embrace. ME!! I don't get it.

Pretty darn sure that doesn't make me a racist.

I also do not understand why in 2011 if a child MUST be classified, why this rule would still apply. Seems to be a new classification would be more appropropriate.

Or maybe let's just not classify ourselves by race.

You said it better than I did. That's exactly what I was thinking.

Because in the real world we most definitely do classify people by race.
And those "old rules" that were put in place, are more often than not still in place.

 

[bicker]

I think you can say this about a lot of threads on here. Many times we don't know the whole situation, just what is being told to us.

Yes very true. We almost always only hear one side of the story, and we can almost always safely assume that nothing presented is balanced view of the actual situation being discussed.

That doesn't mean that we can't have a discussion or opinion on what we do know or are being told.

Indeed, including equal consideration of all the alternative explanations for the situation.

 

[Ms Marigny]

ETA: when a biracial child is born, the race is checked as black. The race of the parents are listed, black and white, but the childs race is listed as black. True.

Not always. I am white and my DH is mixed, but considers himself black. When both of our children were born, the race checked was white. Maybe they go by what the child looks like? Or maybe what race the mother is? My children are very light, especially my son. I don't think the average person would think they were black or maybe even mixed.

ETA: I always check "other" on forms or check both AA and caucasian if "other" isn't listed for them. There really does need to be a new classification of sorts.

 

[eliza61]

Who said there was an issue with Obama being black? Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anyone posting that had an issue with it.

I didn't think anyone was shocked and shaken about it.

Sorry, I meant people here seem shock and shaken that Halle and the President classify themselves as Black and not biracial. They are using the classifications that have been imposed on light skinned blacks and biracial people for the last couple of centuries.