[ACC23998]

The more I come in contact with well-off and well-educated whites, the more I keep meeting up with ones who tell they are 'Indians by heart,' have an 'Indian soul' or are 'Native American, deep down where it counts.' Do members of other ethnic groups run into these same kinds of bizarre and irrational people who think they are paying you a compliment with this silliness? I've never met anyone Anglo who said they had a 'Latino soul.' Do blacks ever meet whites who say they have 'black souls'? Do Jews ever meet gentiles who claim they are 'Jews, deep down where it counts'? Do Asian or Arabic people?

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Name : ACC23998, Race : Mexican and American Indian, City : W. Lafayette, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[John K.]

I run into that all of the time. It's been mentioned before, but for some odd reason, there are a large percentage of upper-middle class whites in New Jersey that fit your description. I know a few who actually attend 'Powwows' and decorate their houses with faux-Native art, reading books on 'shamanism' on the weekends.

I cannot say for sure, not sharing their peculiar mindset, but one has to wonder if this is an expression of 'white guilt.' It's as though they understand there is some burden of responsibility that they need to attend to, but instead of approaching it honestly, they fake respect. Is it really so hard to know the difference between honest appreciation and insulting pandering?

I've noticed it mostly in the more 'liberal' white areas, the Northeast especially. But I'm curious about how it expresses itself nationwide, if at all. For example, in the Northwest, where there is much greater contact between Natives and whites, and therefore more of a chance of actually knowing the opinions of those being pandered to. Does this happen there?

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Name : John K., Gender : M, Age : 27, City : Cranford, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Chemical Engineer, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[n/a]

Actually I think this sort of thing happens fairly often. I'm Jewish (though not at all religious) and, at least in three instances I can remember off the top of my head, people in Afghanistan, India and Turkey have told me their people are descendants of the lost tribe of Israel, so they feel a special connection with Jews. I occasionally meet black people in the United States who tell me they have a Jewish relative or ancestor. I don't find it bizarre or irrational, and I don't care whether or not it is true. They are just trying to establish a sense of rapport, connection, fellowship, common ground - whatever. I think it's nice.

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Name : n/a, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 50, City : Philadelphia, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 

[Lori]

I can only speak for blacks, but we get it all the time. I've often been told by whites that they 'feel black' or that they've always wanted to be black, knowing that they'd never forfeit their privileged position in our society given the chance. Perhaps it's tied to the feeling that many whites have expressed to me: they think they have no culture. Basically, they think we're all exotic. Hell, I (like many black Americans) have Native American blood, but that does not mean I can identify!

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Name : Lori, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 29, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Dan27359]

That goes on a lot here in the west. People who are about 1/32 Indigenous trying to identify with Indigenous culture in an almost patronizing manner. I think a lot of it might be romanticism, and when someone hears about their great great grandfather who was 1/16 Choctaw they think it gives them license to take it and run with it. I don't really see it as a negative, but I can see how it is patronizing, naive and unrealistically escapist (from 'bland' anglo culture, etc.). Another phenomenon is Chicanos identifying with the Nations of Mexico (Aztecs, Toltecs, etc.), although we do have such license because the majority of us are mestizo (Indian Spanish mix) and the label 'Hispanic' doesn't really apply.

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Name : Dan27359, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 22, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Rhiannon]

In college I briefly dated a white guy who believed he had been Native American in a previous life. He was obsessed with a Native American girl I knew and believed he had been in love with her for many lifetimes. He was really into his 'identity' and did things like write nasty letters to the school paper about Columbus Day. My friends and I nicknamed him Astral Projection Man because he claimed to have this ability. I didn't realize this kind of behavior might actually be a phenomenon. I'm sure I'd be put off if I met someone who dressed up in a yamika and tallis and claimed to be a 'deep-down' Jew.

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Name : Rhiannon, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 29, City : Eden Prairie, State : MN Country : United States, Occupation : Professor, Social class : Middle class, 

[shona]

In my opinion,today whites feel like that if they have some type of connection to another race that would somehow distance themselves from the stereotypes of the common white man. If only they knew that doing this makes them look VERY silly. Whites somehow mentally think that they are missing out on some type of bond that other races may have because of certain positions many {minorities) are force to live with daily.

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Name : shona, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : African Methodist Episcopalian, Age : 23, City : Fayetteville, State : AR Country : United States, Occupation : grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[J.B.]

I'm a black woman who studies black history AND Jewish history. I've always had an interest in Jewish customs, people, etc. Very few can understand why I do this, but it's my passion.

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Name : J.B., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Jacksonville, State : FL Country : United States, Occupation : Paralegal, 

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