"okay for black people form an identity behind their race"
Probably because they get referred to as black and get discriminated against due to their physical appearance regardless of their actual heritage or where they're from? It's not so much a choice as something that they get constantly reminded about.
Anecdotally speaking, there are Black communities, but I've never seen a "white" community (aside from white supremacist type groups)- just communities of nationalities or ethnicity. I grew up in Romanian communities and none of us ever used "white" as an identity.
"I get referred to as white. I put "white" on job applications and census forms."
So do I. And like every white person I know, if asked about identity, I state my heritage/background. Romanian/Romanian-American/American.
"I face an increasing amount of discrimination, from affirmative action making it harder to get jobs to subtle cultural discrimination like this or seeing stereotypes everywhere."
[Citation needed]. A lot (most?) companies still have issues with diversity because hiring is generally done via word of mouth, and it is likely among white people to have mostly white friends. edit: and as the sibling comment pointed out, there are tangible benefits that come with diverse teams.
(In my own opinion, it is also concerning to equate hires of minority candidates with lesser quality candidates. This is simply unsubstantiated and not true.)
Stereotypes have always existed. They're not appropriate regardless of the identity targeted, and reasonable people are aware of this.
What "cultural discrimination" are you talking about? There is no "white" culture in the first place.
"Imagine saying that to a black person when they were complaining about perceived racism that you disagreed with. "
Good thing I'm not. I'm saying it here because every single time black people talk about identity, white people butt in and go "what about me?". Literally every single time. Black people cannot talk about the issues they face without interjections of "uh hey we face issues too". Except you and I don't face the same discrimination and struggles that Black Americans do, not even close.
"But I and my age group was raised under the ethos that we should judge each other not by the color of our skin, but by the character of our hearts."
Cute story, but we need to acknowledge the real and systemic issues that people face precisely due to their skin color. And that means talking about race and identity, not conveniently ignoring it.
Please do not perpetuate ideological flamewar on HN. It's not what this site is for, and swipes like "Cute story" are obvious provocations which break the site guidelines in their own right. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.
Please stop perpetuating this flamewar and don't do it again. It's not what this site is for, and the transition into personal nastiness is entirely predictable (and seriously not cool).
