Let me just begin by saying, I'm not a halfie. I personally think it's pretty cool, since (obviously) I've never been or will ever get to be one, and because halfie babies are the cutest babies...ever.
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But even though it seems to me that being mixed race is pretty freaking cool, and I think most halfies would agree, there are definitely some struggles that single race people will never experience, but halfies do on a day to day basis.
So since I'm not mix, I've taken the liberty of asking those who are a few questions about what the struggles are of being half, and this is what they came up with:
Disclaimer: "Half" and "mixed" will kind of be used interchangeably. Sorry.
1. You're first conversation with anyone is most likely going to be about your race.
2. Being tired of having to explain what your mix is and having to justify it.
3. You often run into the problem of people speaking to you in the foreign language you look like you speak.
Uhhh..in fact no. I don't.
4. The struggle of having to fully assume one racial identity when necessary, until it's more convenient to claim the other half.
5. The stress of having to know the traditions of both cultures.
6. Growing up, everyone's favourite game was to guess what mix you were.
7. Having to accept the fact that you're kid is going to be pretty racial ambiguous and you often wonder what they'll look like.
8. Sometimes people think you're adopted.
9. You and your siblings don't always agree on which race you identify with more.
10. Being told "but you're not really [insert race]".
Yeah, but I am.
11. You have a lot of mixed feelings about who you should be rooting for in the Olympics.
12. New friends and coworkers often see you as a novelty.
13. Sometimes you don't feel [insert 1/2 your race] enough and sometimes not [insert other 1/2 your race] enough.
14. Having to fill out government forms that require you to check one single box for your race is gives you a mini identity crisis.
15. You're pretty tired of people telling you how "exotic you look".
Why can't there be a box for "exotic".
16. Your two sets of grandparents are so drastically different they have nothing to say to each other, or more often than not, are literally unable to say anything to each other.
17. Being tired of hearing that "mix people have the best hair to work with" or "OMG, I wish I had a mixed person's hair".
18. In high school, you probably went through a serious racial identity crisis.
19. Lunch time in elementary school was always a surprise, or quite literally a mixed bag.
Fried chicken and sushi. Okay, mom.
20. Sometimes you look at your parents, and then you look and yourself, and you just don't see the similarities.
21. You're tired of hearing "but your brother/sister looks s0 much more [insert race] than you!"
And you don't care.
22. Or hearing "you don't look anything like your brother/sister"
23. Desperately wanting to sing the "We Are Family" song upon meeting another person who is exactly your mix.
24. Having twice as many family events to go to because you celebrate the holidays of both cultures.
25. Having a laundry list of mixes you could say you are and nobody can fact check you.
26. Your parents speak two languages and you mix them and mix words and people don't get what you say.
27. People get really confused by your family name when it doesn't quite seem to match your accent.
28. When someone who doesn't know your race make a racial joke, then immediately looks to you to verify if you're offended or not.
29. Low key feeling like an outsider at times.
30. You always act as the accent piece in family photos.
31. Always hearing "OMG, mixed babies are so cute!"
(Oops, I should've probably taken that out of my intro...BUT THEY ARE! And even when they're not babies, they still are. ?)
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