The following are excerpts from an interesting inter-office mail exchange that's going on at my work. They broadcasted these to the entire campus staff, so I figure it's not private. There a few interesting ones going around, I'll spare you the ones about the possible unionisation of my workplace.

Hello to everyone! I am asking for your assistance with an informal research question. This question was asked by one of my students, after we were discussing the racial classifications found on job applications and other types of documents. Although we discussed many aspects of this practice in America, one of my students, asked the following question:

Doctor ...there are White people born in Africa. How would they be classified racially, if they moved to the U.S. and became American Citizens?

I answered his question according to my perspectives, and since I am requesting an honest, personal reaction from those who choose to answer this, I will not set the mode of how the question should be answered. I would love to know how you would answer. I therefore request, that if you respond to this, that you reply to all, so that everyone can see the answers. I will share your responses (not your names) with my students.

Thanks for your time and cooperation.

Peace!

and:

Only in America would this be an issue. In reality, there is no such thing as "race". Repeat. There is no such thing as "race". This concept was developed in the 19th century by pseudo-scientists. They classified people by socially selected characteristics to maintain the divisions within society.

Example: Some socially selected characteristics of a person who is considered "black" are dark skin, kinky hair, broad facial features. However there are people from India who have skin and complexion as dark or darker than most Black Americans BUT they posses a socially selected characteristic White Americans have: straight, uncurled hair. They would not be correctly classified as "black". Some socially selected characteristics of a person considered "white" are pale, white skin, straight hair. There are people of Semitic and Puerto Rican descent who posses tightly curled or kinky hair but have pale skin color. Would they be correctly classified as "white" ?

"Race" is a false, almost derogatory classification of who all Americans are.

Any comments?

--

In other news, on my way to work I was behind a truck that had five bullet holes in the back.

And on my way to work I found a Technics direct drive turntable on top of a stack of TVs in our neighborhood. It's probably broken but maybe, just maybe...