perception is everything. I know this is true and that it places me in a precarious state. My olive skin is so fair, sans exposure to the sun, that if one has not had the occasion to encounter many people of mixed ancestry they tend to assume that I am white. Even if they have had enough exposure to people of more varied ethnicities than their own (and hence they recognize the possibility that I'm not as lilly white as their contemporaries may believe), they still tend to view me as "white enough". White enough is a phrase that I have coined and designate for situations where white folks, even though I am fully aware that they view me as Peurto Rican or biracial, feel that it is "safe" to make disparaging comments about people of color in my presence. They do this to their own detriment and are frequently unaware. I'll not elaborate further on that particular subject lest I be unable to remain incognito.

I am perpetually asked “what are you?”. I used to answer “white”. then I answered “mixed” or “black”. none of which is a legitimate response since the answer is that I have only hunches and suspicions about my genetic makeup and my cultural makeup doesn’t match any of those.
I decided as a young adult that all of the answers that I was giving others were to appease them and it was never successful. I was often called a liar no matter what I answered, so I stopped answering.
I mean, I answer. but I do it in a way that appeases me and not them. I question their need to place me in a category and ask them why they feel uncomfortable that they are unable to do so. they always insist that this is not the case and we both know that they are lying.