Biracial/Multi-Ethnic People - Research Paper Example

?Biracial/Multi-Ethnic People All across the globe people are mixing and matching. There is no longer such thing as “one race” besides the human racewhich covers and permeates the land. Everyone, from uncles, to grandfathers seem to be mixed and at some point, matched up with someone else of a different ethnicity. Peoples’ personality, self-esteem and identity are affected by race and ethnicity. Refining one’s race has been the focus and mentality of many people all around the world. They believed that the lighter you were, or the straighter hair you had, you were of more value and possessed more money. The missionaries shared this view and went to the “ends of the earth” not only to teach about a better way of living, but to conquer. People from indigenous tribes began believing that it was the “whites” who brought the wealth and therefore, whites must be better. So they started marrying their family off to the missionaries who were almost always white. This marrying off idea contributed to the multi-ethnic and biracial form of life. Multiracial individuals and families are the fastest growing population in the US yet they are often silenced and marginalized when it comes to race. (McDowell 399) Multi-cultural living is becoming so common that children are unaware that they are of different races. It’s no wonder it’s a no-brainer when friend one, asks friend two over to his house and the parents don’t ask “what color is he” like they may have in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. It’s the new frontier as it was put by Tracy Turnblad in the hit musical Hairspray. This is, however, where we lose our new generation. They are so used to the idea of blending, that they don’t understand how privileged they are. They don’t understand the history. This is why we must educate them. How a child acts, or does not act is directly affected by both nature and nurture, but if nurture opens the doors to race, it is hard for nature to take its role. When we educate them, critical conversation is necessary within the family. Both identity and development must take precedence when it comes to discussing issues in a multiracial setting. Multiracial families are not monolithic and therefore can’t be treated as one race due to generalization. (McDowell 400) Regardless of how they are viewed, it is important to raise awareness of how being multiracial will affect a person’s personality, self-esteem and identity. Rarely does one who is part of several different races at the same time look or act the part. They never quite get it right for they may be confused as to their role in society. Their identity and who they are is greatly influenced by their nuclear circle, and then later on, as people expand, their extended circle. How is someone marked racially? Is it based on their color, background? Walk, or talk? Is it purely physiological, or is it more emotionally linked? So many questions with even more answers. Sometimes awareness comes to people in a vague manner. Partial awareness seems to be the most common form of awareness. (Pllegrini 536) According to Jacqaline Martinez, people who are multiracial or biracial go through three different forms of knowledge. The first one is unknowing-knowing. Then there is the pre-knowing-knowing. Finally there is the knowing-unknown. Each of these knowing phases allows the multiracial person to view their situation in an active and different light. The first stage depicts a subject who is partially conscious of his race and heritage. This subject or person has a very vague sense that is suppressed by assimilation. (Pllegrini 537) In the pre-knowing-knowing stage, the subject is marked by ambiguity, uncertainty, possibility and danger and often the subject wonders whether the question being asked about race is relevant to them at the time. When the subject or person starts posing specific questions about his or her own heritage and the relationship to race and race and racism, then the third and last stage is broached. This stage, the knowing-unknown is the stage that many enter to when deeper questions are being posed and accurately answered. History plays a major role in the three stages posed. Without knowledge of the past and how things were dealt with during that time period, it is hard to understand the privilege given to people of multiple races today. Knowing about heritage and ethnicity is very important to the essence and the being. Without this knowledge at some point in time, those who are biracial and multi-ethnic will float around ambiguously; trying to fit in. A person’s personality is developed based on its race. Studies have shown that the higher class you are, the least likely you will be to associate with the opposing class. For example, if the lower class is considered “black” at the time and the upper class is considered “Asian”, the subject would most likely lean more toward the class that is higher. Family greatly influences the attitude and personality of children who are multiracial. It has been proven that children learn that they are different from the other as early as three and four years of age. (Brunsma 1134) The “problem of the Color Line”, a prophesied phrase mentioned by WEB De Bois is in essence the problem of the twentieth century. Immigration has allowed for the mixing of different races resulting in children who are multiracial not by choice, but by default. This creates a personality crisis in the children. They are not sure who they should turn to or how they should act. Many families denounce their one culture to be marked as fully another. They try to simplify their lives by claiming one race but this is no longer necessary in twenty-first century America. (Jennifer Lee 566) Due to the fact that blacks and whites were once divided into different classes, having different rights, the cultures began to refine themselves in order to fit into the class that seemed to dominate at the time. This domination lead to a power struggled that brought us to the twenty first century racial issue. Because it is so common now to come from two or more different backgrounds, children are becoming more accepted and integrating themselves more into the life of their friends. No longer do they feel marginalized. What was once considered “odd” in the eyes of many is now common, normal and accepted. They don’t understand what their parents had to do in order for them to be where they are today. Is their self-esteem affected and do their identities change as a result of being multiracial? Self-esteem is a topic broached by every culture and ethnic group at some point. It is not an odd topic of discussion; it is something that every person deals with on a daily basis. Self-esteem, simply put is how one views themselves. Some people have high self-esteem and others have fairly low self-esteem. It does not really matter what background you are from, you will at some point have to deal with your view of who you are. But if you do not know who you really are, can you really deal with the issue of self-esteem? During adolescence, individuals all across the globe undergo several changes (physical, cognitive and social) and encounter new experiences and social demands. (Jeana R. Bracey 124) Studies have shown that children from biracial or multiracial backgrounds have a higher self-esteem than the mono-ethnic race or group. It is not clear why this is the case; instead, I would speculate that it has a lot to do with nationalism and patriotism. Regardless of the background the family expresses importance in a certain race, or in this case, in several different races at the same time and children learn to appreciate what they have been give. It’s as if they live in two different worlds at the same time; appreciating the good from either side. Being in a biracial family is probably a lot more interesting than being from a mono-ethnic one. There is so much more to learn. Children who are biracial seem to be able to relate to others better and during the changes they undergo during adolescence, they are able to expand their cognitive, physical and social realms that better prepares them for the world around them. But it is stated that Blacks may have higher self-esteem due to their resilience to discrimination and a greater community support group. (Jeana R. Bracey 129) Those caring lower self-esteem may be due to immigration and marginalization. Previous research is considered inconclusive due to the lack of the willingness of subjects to participate in the case study. The personality and identity of an individual who is of a multiracial background is proven to be higher than that of a mono-racial background due to the salience of race and ethnicity. Biracial adolescents are more willing to explore their roots due to the complexity of its nature. (Jeana R. Bracey 130) Mono-racial adolescence may or may not be less interested in the complexities of their race and therefore explore with less frequency. Throughout the decade, children being born are now not only of one race or background but of many. This new found beauty has been a result of interracial marriages, and immigration. It has also been a result of more liberal mentalities and recent changes in the way the government legislates. The personality, identity and self-esteem all play a major role in the life of biracial people. The way they behave and who they become is directly related to who they are being influenced by. Without the influence of their racial group, their self-esteem, personality and identity become compromised; this is nothing different than people who are of only one race. Those who have the opportunity of gaining more because they have more have been shown the door to a life of more joy. Works Cited Brunsma, David L. "Interracial Families and the Racial Identification of Mixed-Race Children: Evidence from the Early ChildhoodLongitudinal Study." Social Forces Volume 84, Number 2 December 2005: 1132-1157. Jeana R. Bracey, Mayra Y. B?amaca,Adriana J. Uma?na-Taylor. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, Vol. 33, No. 2 April 2004: 123-132. Jennifer Lee, Frank D. Bean. "Social'Foices,V olume 86, Number 2,." Reinventing the Color Line Immigration and America's New Racial/Ethnic Divide December 2007: 561-586. McDowell, Teresa. "Raising Multiracial Awareness in Family Therapy Through Critical Conversations." Journal of Marital and Family Therapy October 2005: 399-411. Pllegrini, Gino Michele. "Multiracial Identity in the Post Civil Rights Era." Social Identities: Vol 11, No 5, September 2005: 531-549. Read More