I’m not Black again, but I think it’s okay.

[Spiky Bugger]

One organization I support sent me an email, reminding me to call “other people of color” to remind them to vote.

I’m old. I’ve fewer and fewer friends, of any color, as time has gone by. BUT, about six weeks ago, I touched bases with an old friend from DECADES ago. We said we had to call each other every couple of weeks. We didn’t. And she’s Black! So I called her.

Me: Hey! I had to call you because it’s been way over two weeks. Remember that cute guy Mike we worked with?
Her: Yes! Why did you have to call about him?
Me: Oh. I didn’t have to call about him. I had to call “another person of color” to remind them to vote. But since I’m not Black, I thought I’d start by telling you he got old and ugly and maybe it wouldn't matter that I’m not Black.
Her, laughing: Girl! You are still raw! And we already voted!
Me: So I’m done now? Because I don’t know many people, of ANY color.
Her: Well, you COULD stop here…but I’m gonna gather some phone numbers of people you’ll either entertain or scare to death!

I think my civic duty for today is DONE!!


HEY, EVERYONE! VOTE or you might get a weird phone call.

 

[hilary1617]

VOTE!

 

[MsVee]

LOL. You make me smile. I am black please count me as one of “ your calls”. So many of your posts are “wake up calls“ for me. Early voting in my area ( Suffolk county New York) starts Saturday at 10:00 am. I am locked and loaded and determined to cast my vote. Thank you for all you do. I appreciate you more than I can say.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

LOL. You make me smile. I am black please count me as one of “ your calls”. So many of your posts are “wake up calls“ for me. Early voting in my area ( Suffolk county New York) starts Saturday at 10:00 am. I am locked and loaded and determined to cast my vote. Thank you for all you do. I appreciate you more than I can say.

WOW!!! Thank you, MsVee!

The email said to call TWO people, and, thanks to you, I’m there!

 

[Larra]

Well I'm not black, but I'm a minority. And I promise you I will vote, as I always do. Does that count?

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Well I'm not black, but I'm a minority. And I promise you I will vote, as I always do. Does that count?

In the spirit of the “Originalism,” that Amy Coney Barrett admires, I believe that you…and I… each count as 3/5ths of a contact.

 

[k9ophile]

Yes, you are hysterical and wise. A rare combination. And speaking of not being black, I caved and got a DNA test. If the results are reliable, I am exactly what my religious history and folk lore tells me I am. Scottish Presbyterians on dad's side and German Lutherans on my mom's side. I do know that Mom's family came to the USA in the 1870's from Alsace-Lorraine. Dad's supposedly came down from Canada to the Buffalo, NY area. There is a little bit of Iberian Peninsula in there so perhaps I'm more exotic than I originally thought.

DH voted today and said due to social distancing, the line looks long, but obviously with less people. He waited 30 minutes for the polling place to open, then 20 minutes to get in. At least this isn't the middle of summer, so the wait be be more bearable.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

Yes, you are hysterical and wise. A rare combination. And speaking of not being black, I caved and got a DNA test. If the results are reliable, I am exactly what my religious history and folk lore tells me I am. Scottish Presbyterians on dad's side and German Lutherans on my mom's side. I do know that Mom's family came to the USA in the 1870's from Alsace-Lorraine. Dad's supposedly came down from Canada to the Buffalo, NY area. There is a little bit of Iberian Peninsula in there so perhaps I'm more exotic than I originally thought.

DH voted today and said due to social distancing, the line looks long, but obviously with less people. He waited 30 minutes for the polling place to open, then 20 minutes to get in. At least this isn't the middle of summer, so the wait be be more bearable.

LOL..
Mine says I’m 43% Italian + 15% Greek & Albanian. That makes sense because my grandfather came from a town in Sicily that was founded by Albanians. It’s original name was Piana de Greci (Plain of the Greeks); Mussolini changed it to the more accurate Piana degli Albanesi (Plain of the Albanians.)

And there’s a big 24% from Spain that COULD belong to either or both sides of my family…and most likely does, since it’s close to Italy and there were no Spanish speakers in Mexico until just five hundred years ago.

BUT THE DAMNED “BROWNS.” On my Mexican side, my grandmother’s middle name was “Brown.” Her sisters’ middle names were both “Brown.” My mom said that her “Grandma Jennie” was Jennie Brown, and said things like “‘tisn’t.” That’s just not very Mexican.

On genealogy sites, I only got as far as (great-) Grandma Jennie’s parents…her mom from Mexico and some dude named Hank Brown, from Illinois. There are books and articles about him and his partner, one (mostly about his partner) was written by Mark Twain. Hank was all over the place with jobs from driving a stage coach to running a butcher shop and killing Indians. (Yes, I know.). One story says the iconic western dude married a “Spanish woman” in Florence, AZ. “Spanish” was often a euphemism for “Mexican,” because “Mexican” was a dirty word. But the “Spanish” designation would make more sense since my DNA says I’m only 11% Indigenous American/Sonoran Desert/Mexican. (Also, one story says Brown had a child in Manila. I haven’t traced through that, but my DNA says I am 1% from the Philippines.)

Genealogy is fun and embarrassing, My cousin, surviving daughter of my second goofiest aunt, said her mom “didn't remember” when she got married. That aunt is “on the scale” with bizarre, random stuff, one of which is dates and times. I asked my cousin her DOB, checked readily available online data and had to inform her that she was born about six months after the wedding. Oops.


Anyway, now I know a bit more about those Browns!

YOU are more exotic that you thought, I’m more of a mongrel than I knew!

 

[k9ophile]

Spiky Bugger

The Alsace-Lorraine area was fought over by the French and Germans. My ancestors left to avoid being drafted into the French army. Perhaps where my little bit of rebellion came from?

 

[DianaCox]

Yes, you are hysterical and wise. A rare combination. And speaking of not being black, I caved and got a DNA test. If the results are reliable, I am exactly what my religious history and folk lore tells me I am. Scottish Presbyterians on dad's side and German Lutherans on my mom's side. I do know that Mom's family came to the USA in the 1870's from Alsace-Lorraine. Dad's supposedly came down from Canada to the Buffalo, NY area. There is a little bit of Iberian Peninsula in there so perhaps I'm more exotic than I originally thought.

DH voted today and said due to social distancing, the line looks long, but obviously with less people. He waited 30 minutes for the polling place to open, then 20 minutes to get in. At least this isn't the middle of summer, so the wait be be more bearable.

I didn’t know genetic tests could tell you what religion your ancestors were - except for Ashkenazi Jews.

I’m REALLY curious about the Melanesian component. Where the hell could that have come from?? Oh wait - my composition has changed in the last couple of months! - look at the two different assessments!






I rather liked thinking a Fijian somehow traveled to Transylvania and had a one night stand with an ancestor! Now I’m just a boring European Jew with a smidge of blonde Viking.

 

[k9ophile]

I didn’t know genetic tests could tell you what religion your ancestors were - except for Ashkenazi Jews.

My comments were not intended to relate religion to my DNA. I consider it to be anecdotal. One of my maternal ancestors from Germany was a Lutheran preacher. My Dad's side is full of Scots that were Presbyterian*. Both religions were the result of protestant reformation that took place in Scotland and Germany.

According to urban/slang dictionaries a WASP is a white upper class person from old money. So for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I'm not one. I consider my identity to be Midwest Farmer. We don't even have new money.

*My dad liked the chaplain of the fire department he served on so he moved us to the chaplain's church. It gave his mother the vapors.

 

[Spiky Bugger]

My comments were not intended to relate religion to my DNA. I consider it to be anecdotal. One of my maternal ancestors from Germany was a Lutheran preacher. My Dad's side is full of Scots that were Presbyterian*. Both religions were the result of protestant reformation that took place in Scotland and Germany.

According to urban/slang dictionaries a WASP is a white upper class person from old money. So for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure I'm not one. I consider my identity to be Midwest Farmer. We don't even have new money.

*My dad liked the chaplain of the fire department he served on so he moved us to the chaplain's church. It gave his mother the vapors.

I always thought it meant White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

 

[k9ophile]

I always thought it meant White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

So did I. However when fiddling around, I found it was originally used to describe snobby old money people from the northeast part of the country. I guess it became generic as the years went by.

 

[southernlady]

I always thought it meant White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.

It does but it also means Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestant.
That group usually were from the Northeast and wealthy. Technically I am a WASP but far from wealthy. I’m closer to fitting Appalachian than WASP. Both are usually white, anglo-Saxon and Protestant but geography makes a huge difference.

I haven’t done a DNA test but with so many English ancestors of Protestant faith in my family tree, I’m pretty sure of mine. In fact, the number of Presbyterian and Congregational ministers in my tree are overwhelming.