I have a stepmother whose heritage is German. So proud are they of their heritage that she actually gave my half brother two middle names...one of those being "Adolph", after Hitler, because she prided herself on the apocryphal story that her family was distantly related to Hitler.

A few years ago, she "discovered" (most likely through some online sham genealogy service...she's not savvy enough to do the research herself) that she had some Indian blood in her family. Instead of dashing her hopes to being the heiress to the throne of White Power, she instantly decided that this Indian blood, however distant or unproven, bestowed upon her the inate powers of wisdom, empathy and insight (OK, sure...this woman, who once violently slammed my head repeatedly against a concrete driveway is an empath. I'll buy that...NOT!).

If hers was the only such reaction, I would find it disturbingly amusing. But because her action is not so uncommon, I find it simply disturbing that such racist attitudes are so pervasive (not coincidentally, her alleged Indian heritage has led to my disowning the Indian heritage I DO have and can prove...I don't want to be associated with her any more than I have to). Even when a good quality is bestowed on a person simply by virtue of their heritage, it is racist. The blood in your veins does not make you atomatically superior in any particular area, though your individual genetics might make a difference. In her case, maybe she's descended from some nasty old crone that was ostracized by the tribe.