Am I White?

The comedian is Sammy Obeid. This is a true story. The case of George Shishim was determined in 1909 when the judge ruled he was white. The consensus at the time was that Arabs were not white because Arabs were Muslim, but Shishim was Christian, and Christians were white. Yes, Jesus was brought up as the determining factor. However, the case did not make all Arab Americans white and eligible for citizenship- that didn't happen until 1943. 

All this highlights the ridiculous ways we look at race. In previous centuries, my youngest daughter would be classified as Caucasian by the science of human lineage, but she's certainly not white. Or she might have been classified as Mongolian because she was born in Asia, but she doesn't resemble East Asians at all. What box she ticks on a form depends on what choices the form offers. Believe it or not, I have family members for whom the ticking of the racial category boxes is even more complicated.