Question: Thoughts On Heritage

[ucla_matta]

I recently came across a book during my thesis research which caught me entirely off guard.

It dealt specifically with issues pertaining to "hybrid vigor" (mixing genes) apropos to interracial pairings.

***Because I can't post a URL, Google search "Breeding Between the Lines" to reference what I'm discussing here.

I've never felt that I was apart of the "latino/hispanic/chicano" community, and frankly, find solace in that. However, when I attempted to bring about discourse with people who consider themselves apart of this group, they seemed overtly offended and fought the theories Ziv mentions--that racially mixed children are, empirically, more symmetrical (attractive) and possess fewer genetic malformations--rude and untrue. Despite years of research and actual evidence to support his claims.

Given my own mixed "heritage", I often site my Caucasian side when asked about identity. For those who are adamant about "brown pride", would this offend you?

[DIsraelTV]

Very interesting question, sorry it took 5 months to get answered... But I think the cliche that beauty is in the eye of the beholder is applicable here. How can anyone make a claim that a people are more attractive than another? They may very well be more "symmetrical," and have less "malformations," but the essence of attraction can't be described by some researcher measuring people. I've seen some very attractive mixed females, but I can't say honestly that they are more attractive than anyone else.

In response to the last question, I can understand that being of mixed heritage would provide some interesting problems... but honestly I am offended when I see mixed people that seem to "hide" the fact that they are who they are. Especially if one's parents were an interracial pair, that means that person is 50% of one, 50% of another. I don't think it's right that people do that disrespect to their ancestors, however I can understand if they didn't have one of the parents around, or maybe the family relationships were dominated by one of the parents, that the child would feel more part of one race than another. It's understandable if that's all they were around.

[DonaDiabla24]

Well I'm over Jamaican, Bajan, Mexican, Afro-chilean, and Portugese descent because people in family didn't believe in borders, countries, or languages. The believe only in flesh and blood, I never hide what and who I'm, but my grandmother wasn't so lucky!