article response

The first article I read was "Examining the Cross-Race Effect Using Racially Ambiguous Faces," which was a study done by scientists in Texas. When I began reading, I agreed with the premise that people can usually distinguish someone's race if it is your own.

Personally, I cannot tell anyone's race, really. I can see the color of your skin, sure, but usually that doesn't mean anything. My mom has white skin, but she is 100% Cuban. My own skin is brownish, but nobody has ever correctly guessed that I'm actually white/black/Mexican. People of all other races always think I am Dominican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, even Egyptian, but they do not know my race just by looking.

I think that the reason people can tell people of their race is because that is what they're used to seeing. If you are Cuban, and your entire family is Cuban, chances are you have some Cuban friends too, and most likely you all share some similar features/characteristics that make that Cuban-ness known to you.

The second article was in the same vein as the first. It also spoke of my theory about when growing up, the look of your family, Cuban was my example, is what you are most familiar with and therefore what you identify with best.

For example, I don't recall growing up with many Asians around, which is probably why I am not very familiar with the differences between Chinese, Japanese, Thai, or Vietnamese people. To this day, I don't know nearly enough Asians to be able to tell them all apart. OK, even if I did, I probably still wouldn't be able to.