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Pretty much thinking along the same lines. There is something a bit off with the Yank's obsession with splitting hair over race issues.
There was also that recent uproar over a white actress playing a character that was meant to be mixed race.

I may have been totally overthinking this, but given that it's morally / ethically / legally / culturally acceptable to self-identify as other gender / transgender, isn't there a case that a person could identify as another ethnicity?

It's a mildly interesting (if inadvertently offensive) question, but a large part of the problem is one of privilege - an American woman who has grown up white doesn't have the same lived experiences and exposure to racism, violent assault, and discrimination that a black American woman has. If this story is true then you have an organisation that's supposed to be acting as a voice for black people appointing a white person to speak for them in that capacity, which is fucking ridiculous.

In the case of transgender folk, yes, they are identifying as the gender that they've transitioned to, but they have an additional identity, that of being trans. If you had some major council for the advancement of transgender rights, and a white chick became president on the strength of being a transgender woman, and then suddenly the press said "hang on! But her mother's just appeared and says that she was of female sex her whole life!" then questions would also be asked - not because the nature of one's personal identification is a huge deal, but because you've got a person who is sitting right at the very top of the privilege pyramid taking a public voice from those they are supposed to be representing as equals.

You won't necessarily have to rewrite the highway code, or indeed the Road Traffic Act. There already exists provisions in the RTA to prohibit cyclists (and other non-motorised vehicles) from roads. Examples include sections of the A57 in Sheffield, sections of the A55 in North Wales and the A12 and the Strand Underpass in London. Of course all of these are proportionate to the environment and risks to vulnerable and/or slow road users. In each instance an appropriate alternative exists.

The test then exists as to whether these provisions can be applied to a multitude of other roads. TfL as a responsible authority for roads, could simply exercise use of traffic orders to prohibit cyclists from using the roadway and, in the absence of any other facility, cycle lanes would then be the only remaining legal option. Of course these orders could be challenged but then it would come down to who could make the best argument in a court of law.

IPCC showing they are not 'fit for purpose'.

There was also that recent uproar over a white actress playing a character that was meant to be mixed race.

One of the big issues around that isn't about the actor's ability to portray a character outside of her own race but, despite there being a wealth of actors appropriate to the character's racial identification, is that it keeps happening. Over and over again. And almost universally, it's white actors portraying non-white roles.

There's a very thin argument that gets put about that there a lack of non-white actors with the the level of profile that there are for white actors. Of course there's a lack. The high profile and leading roles keep going to white actors, even when the characters aren't white. Argo, Prince of Persia, A Beautiful Mind, A Mighty Heart, Cloud Atlas, The Social Network, Traffic, 21, The Lone Ranger...

The list really does just go on and, just to make matters worse, that list includes portrayals of real life non-white people as white on screen. I suppose you could class objecting to that as "a bit off" and "splitting hairs", but you could also class the fairly sidespread practice as a bit fucking shit.

I think showing people pictures of a black man and claiming he was her father goes a bit above and beyond issues of identity.

Son was adopted

I say "son", it's really her adopted brother.

*cuckoo.wav*

Fair enough, I suppose the finer points gets lost once the internet outrage kicks in.

In a sense both you and Boffy seem to be pointing out that using a whitey in such a role/position is just another opportunity denied a non-white person. And possibly more insulting as that position would have been one where they could bring about positive change for other people of their ethnicity.

Still, we're all the same on the inside tho.

The ultimate irony is that by all accounts she was doing an absolutely bang up job at the NAACP office she was head of, whilst also lecturing about the cultural significance of black women and their hair.

That guy in the middle has a whiff of 'on here' about him.

Nah
People on here dont wear nodder-lids... Do they?
.>>>>>>>>>>>

I'm not surprised. I suspect that for whatever reason and however misguided, she does, or did, completely identify as black. In terms of heading up an NAACP office, it's other capabilities that will be far more relevant to the role and if her competencies were up to scratch then there's little reason why couldn't be good at her job.
I imagine local members are going to have to face up to some awkward realities and I hope that they come to the conclusion that it there was probably no intention to deceive and there are a lot of personal issues involved here.

Full disclosure; I'm a whitey who used to work in an organisation dedicated to improving diversity in a particular part of the arts industry. This kind of stuff is incredibly awkward.

Yet again.

But then what should we expect from an organisation that is mainly staffed with ex-coppers.

Full disclosure; I'm a whitey who used to work in an organisation dedicated to improving diversity in a particular part of the arts industry. This kind of stuff is incredibly awkward.

It is very awkward, but I'd like to think that when you worked there, you didn't do your hair up in cornrows and tell people all about your black heritage. And then when your parents pop up with your baby pics saying, "well, actually..." you wouldn't justify yourself by saying that we're all from the African continent and that you've disowned those old crackers anyway.

He probably drank black coffee to make a point.

The awkward part, I meant, was whether a more 'diverse' person should have had that job instead of me. But I was really proud to work there as we did important work. That should count for something too.

Yeah, I guess the problems start if you start underplaying how being white puts in you in a position of unfair privilege.

He probably drank black coffee to make a point.

At last we know the true meaning of the username. :)

I was out last week and some black dude from Cincinnati called me his nigger. I informed him of how that's still pretty offensive, dispite the lack of context and mainly because of the awful history of the word, he agreed. We chatted drunkenly for a while and upon leaving hugged him and called him "my nigger" for the lulz, we both lulled. Did I win the race war?

That's a win in my book.

A MASSIVE American dude called me honky on the train once. I could do nothing but laugh. he just winked at me then got off the train.

True story bro