Is this a racist thing to say - (...not by me.....)

[WhatThePuck]

“Generally Mixed race children are the most adorable”

I agree it's a racist comment. The overriding sentiment I get from statements like that is one of condescension.

Yes it's racist. It's singling out a particular group of children because of their race. Mixed race people are hugely fetishised and this starts in childhood with innocent comments like this.

My partner (not white) thinks white women are the most attractive as a group, although he says there are attractive individuals in every race. Would you say that’s “racist”?

It’s almost as if we can’t talk about race without someone branding it racist...

Reminds me of a scene from the film "Mississippi Burning" where the wife of the racist sheriff is playing with her black housekeeper's baby. Her husband pats the baby on the cheek, glares at it and says "funnny how cute their young 'uns are" or words to that effect. A really chilling moment.

It's all about depersonalisation of black people and lumping them into a homogeneous group with common characteristics. It takes away their humanity because the reality is some mixed race kids are cute, some less just like all kids. Refusing to bother to think about all kids as individuals is not on.

Princess, actually yes I would say it is racist because it lumps all white women into one homogeneous group and ignores their individuality.

Racism can apply to all racial groups.

The thing is with racism is that it is a social construct. That is not to minimise it or to say it is not real. But it is not quantifiable.

The term is much broader than the dictionary definition. Racism is a complex, multi-faceted social issue and it’s meaning changes through time and within different societies. So it is not always easy to say A = racist or B = not racist. Of course there are some things that are pretty universally agreed to be racist. But micro aggressions and statements that are meant as compliments will be delivered and received as racist in some circumstances, whereas in other situations, it would not.

Racism is real, damaging and horrible, but it is not a universally quantifiable thing.

Princess, actually yes I would say it is racist because it lumps all white women into one homogeneous group and ignores their individuality.

I wouldn’t say so. He’s not saying every white woman is more attractive than every brown woman, simply that on average he seems more white women he’s attracted to than non white women.

I feel similarly about non white men. Neither of us have ever felt “fetishised” by the other, I don’t see it as any different to saying “I prefer blonde men with broad shoulders”.

I don’t have an issue with people who tell me my mixed kids are adorable either

There is no such thing as race in humankind. That's why it's inherently racist. There is no dogpanda in the playground nor guinearabbit. "Beautiful", "handsome" and "pretty" does not make for "mixed race", "biracial" etc. When you go into that pond, you are already in the deep oceans with sharks : your construct relies on the hypothesis that "pure race " exists, the other hypothesis is that "pure race" whatever that means is not pretty on it's own. You are screwing yourself and everybody else in the name of one comment. Seriously ? People from all background say that. I always find it interesting. Mixing genes from different pole is an amazing live experiment and it can leave us in awe, but let us be clear, not everybody is born beautiful mixed whatever or not mixed whatever.
When you see pretty, just say pretty. It's fine.
I never ever correct somebody saying that though, it usually does not come from a self righteous place.
Ginger hair in not a race. It's like gray eyes or big toes. It is intrinsically different. If you overhear that and you are very very very close to that person perhaps, if you are bothered you could speak up, but a forgetful ear is usually what a gracious friend will have.

@GoatWithACoat

Agree completely.

It's true though.

'Pure breeding' in any animal causes problems and we're all just animals. The bigger the gene pool, the better.

So many new and stupid words appear in threads like these; othering, exoticism, microagression, white privilege, fetishation. Probably more but they're the ones I remember. Sealioning, tromboning and red-flag gaslighting perhaps?

gunnybearMixing ethnicities have more implications on humans than breeding cats dogs maybe that is why people need to find 'stupid' words to describe the issues. People use more complex words than Pedigrees vs Mongrel analogies to help explain their views.
The elite in society still refer to themselves as 'blue bloods' and the mongrels are the commoner. So no not everyone thinks its as simple as mixing gene pools for better genes like in animals humans need a deeper ethical and moral understanding than that.

PrincessPear with respect, it sounds like you are white, so your not being bothered by people saying your kids are cute due to being mixed is really neither here nor there. It is how they and other mixed people feel about it that matters.

Also, as for your husband considering white women most attractive - you don’t say if he is black, but black men fetishising white women due to their perceived worth over black women is a well documented thing. Of course everyone is absolutely entitled to be attracted or not attracted to whoever they want, but what I’m getting from your posts is that because you have married a PoC and have mixed kids you somehow feel exempt from thinking about all the complex ways that race operates in majority white countries.

I reading a fascinating national geographic about this- apparently the attraction to mixed race children goes back to mixing tribes etc to prevent inbreeding. After all what we find attractive is only a social construct- there is no reason spots, day, couldn’t be attractive, just the human view of them.

It's stupid and to an extent discriminatory but not racist.

Hands, I probably do but it's a remnant from growing up in (and moving back to) a very white area. It's something I'm aware of as a failing on my part that I'd like to change.

It is a microagression, so yes a form of racism. It is implying that mixed race people are a homogenous group, or indistinguishable from each other. I would not like it

This - although I don’t think it was meant in a racist way. I think that’s why it doesn’t sit well with people

Don't see how mixed race can imply one race is superior but mixed heritage wouldn't imply one heritage is superior...?

@mummamarnis

"The elite in society still refer to themselves as 'blue bloods' and the mongrels are the commoner."

My parents had inherited titles and I and my siblings had exclusive educations which opened doors for us so I guess I'm one of those you consider elite but I've never heard "blue bloods" used by anyone I know nor "mongrel" nor "commoner".

"So no not everyone thinks its as simple as mixing gene pools for better genes like in animals"

Some people think skull shape of African people shows that this 'race' is closer to apes than white people and we're therefore superior. It doesn't mean that this isn't so stupid as to be unworthy of discussion.

"humans need a deeper ethical and moral understanding than that"

Do we? I find this quite arrogant. As @glintandglide suggested, it is nothing more than ensuring the continuing success of our genes. We're animals. Eat, fuck and try not to die, as I said on another thread recently.

Also, as for your husband considering white women most attractive - you don’t say if he is black, but black men fetishising white women due to their perceived worth over black women is a well documented thing. Of course everyone is absolutely entitled to be attracted or not attracted to whoever they want, but what I’m getting from your posts is that because you have married a PoC and have mixed kids you somehow feel exempt from thinking about all the complex ways that race operates in majority white countries.

I’m the white parent yes, but he doesn’t find it offensive when people say mixed race kids are cute either.

He’s Indian, so not black, and I do know there are massive issues with black women, particularly dark skinned black women, being perceived as unattractive in the media which doesn’t affect other lighter skinned poc the same way. My kids are light and obviously they don’t have the same issues someone who is darker would face, so I’m not trying to talk over anyone who experiences those. And I absolutely agree society has an issue with holding “whiteness” as the ideal of beauty and ignoring beautiful non Caucasian people.

I’m just saying that I don’t think it’s automatically racist to complement a certain groups features or to think mixed race people are nice looking. There was a thread a while ago where someone had complained about a mixed race person, married to a white person, saying they were interested in whether their child would look more black or white and that mixed race kids are interesting. I think calling that “racist” is a bit silly, that’s all.

Mary poppins even makes a reference to Bert having Blue blood. If you havent heard the term all very well but regadless race does matter we are more than animals. The British Empire still has a lot to answer for and has left many former commonwealth states in a mess Robert Mugarbe ect or the fact Germany gave repatriations to Ashkenazi Jewish people that suffered in the holocaust that have no ethnic link to Israel . You may find it ignorant coming from a background of inherited titles top schools where your ancestors could have played a role in the slave trade. But am I meant to not care that your social standing and that of the UK is built on the back of slaves and riches from India and it can be decided to send us back to former commonweath states when we have served our role. If we were just animals then War
Stemming from all this would not exist race may not be important but issues surrounding it are.

@mummamarnis

You post made it very clear that education is important but I managed to understand two points.

Firstly, my ancestors played no part in the slave trade and nor did they benefit from it. This is provable.

Secondly, Mary Poppins? What? A film written in the early 60s? What?

My little grandson is mixed race (although a stranger wouldn't be able to tell as he looks like my daughter's clone) and I think he's the most beautiful baby in the whole world.

Not racist as such but highly inappropriate. I have heard this a fair amount. Some people say how they’d love a mixed race child because they are adorable etc.

Firstly, my ancestors played no part in the slave trade and nor did they benefit from it. This is provable. So you do care about your race as you dont want to be associated with something in history they did just because they didnt profit directly their country did and the Empire made money on more than just slaves.

The most annoying comment anyone has ever made about my mixed race (white/asian) dd was when a white colleague randomly said to me (also white), "your daughter is beautiful, she could almost pass as one of us...."

Stupid fuckwit. I wish I had challenged him by asking him what he meant by "one of us", and why he thought my dd wasn't "one of us" but I was too stunned to say anything at all. Luckily, my dd didn't hear him. She'd have been really confused if she had, as I don't think it had ever really entered her head that she was anything other than "one of us". Or my DH for that matter.

I'm an organ donor, wondering with which race I'm compatible, xeno or allograft anyone ?