Mixed Mentality II

Sheila - Mixed race people may want to entitle themselves mixed race or otherwise...
cnulan - I believe you may be over thinking it...
sjp - I think you have to consider that he is half African and how that influences him...

Thank you for your input.
I may have been unclear in my original question.

If Obama (or cnulan or myself or...) were caught stealing a television and hopping through a window - no witness would say that it was a mulatto, mixed or half black male. The witness statement would state that it was a Black male. I'm sure that when someone asks our race, we simply state "Black" (although for census or statistical situations I always check all that apply). I understand and accept the "One Drop Rule". There is no shame in being Black.
That's one of the reasons I use the UBJ moniker. Anyone can call me whatever they hate, no problem. When people try to use the excuse that I'm not really Black and must be mixed with something (usually after I've bettered them in one pursuit or another), I simply say that I'm ALL Black.

Sheila - I'm not trying to entitle myself to any special status. On the contrary, every time I go to a new 'hood, I have to prove that I can still "throw dem dogs". Even in somewhat affluent Black neighborhoods, the people later tell me that they thought that I was stuck on myself. People in certain areas assume that I must think that I'm better than them. I always hear from my friends how they used to hate me. When I tell them that I knew but didn't care, they tell me that it's that attitude that made them hate me. The reasons for being more easily accepted in one situation balances out by being an outsider in a different situation for the same reasons.

But thinking that success is largely psychological, both in it's acquisition and pursuit, I was asking why some people have no desire to buy into the limitations of race and why others believe all that has been told to them regarding the inferiority of their race.

Cnulan - Maybe a bit. I've failed to reach people in many situations while trying to help them progress. I'm not sure if I'm trying to help them be better or if I'm trying to make them into myself.
I just spent the last couple of days with one of my young cousins. This young cousin stated that; "all dark Black women stink". We hung out at the car wash, barbershop and mall. We listened to Blacks reciting to groups of other Blacks how Blacks were inferior to whites in most things, or how all light skinned Blacks were "soft", or how a "Dark Brotha'" couldn't get ahead, or how now that Obama was President, Blacks were going to have everything that whites (or ambitious Blacks) had...
I understand that this is the South and most of the families are one generation removed from Segregation - but why do so many still buy into the limitations of the past. After the weekend of dealing with various people, I asked him why he feels as though dark skinned Black women smelled bad and explained to him his projecting of his own insecurities. I tried to show him how he was judging people by their color (or hue) and that he shouldn't put limitations on people based on color.
I wasn't stating that "Light is better than Dark" but was curious to know why some believe the hype. I was curious to know whether being influenced by more than one culture had the effect of opening one's eyes to a more varied palette of ideas.

sjp - A great example.
African immigrants do better scholastically than any ethnic group. Obama didn't have the stereotypical African-American mentality (along with it's seemingly defeatist ways) but one that was purely African and aspirational. What cultural variances provided him with the mentality to overcome situations that many others where overwhelmed by.

I've read comments on many blogs giving the reason for Obama's success as being that he was raised by his white grandmother - as though through osmosis, the whole of European accomplishment would rub-off on Barack. I've read comments that Obama isn't really Black because he was raised in Hawaii.
Barack knows that he is Black.
I know that I'm Black.
My question is - what makes one less likely to buy into the racial limitations put upon them by others?