Sarcasm and lead balloons

Over dinner tonight we were discussing how some ignorant people don't like people who are different from themselves.  Some people don't like black people because it is different than their own skin and fear often causes people to react with anger and resentment.  So as this convo was progressing, I jokingly looked at Madison and told her, "Honey, It's finally time for me to tell you; you're black!"  She of course responded in her usual dry humourous way and said, "Oh my God, I am?"  Marc and I started laughing, but not Thomas.

Thomas got angry.  Very angry.

What he said next made us all stop and look at him in wonder...and a little confusion.

Thomas told us not to laugh since it was mean to make fun of people because of their skin color.  Then he said very calmly, "She's not black, she's white."  This made us all laugh again since of course, Madison is black.  While she is bi-racial, her birthmom Angela is white and her birthfather, Darryl is black, her mocha colored skin causes the world to perceive her as black.  Obviously though, Thomas never got this memo.

He always thought of her as white.  Just an interesting observation from a member of our family.  While we just see her as our daughter, white, brown, polka-dot, whatever, we have always acknowledged that the world views her as a beautiful, young black girl.  So in our family of 6 it would seem that Thomas sees Richnigther and Jerome as well as himself as black and Marc, myself and Madison as white.  Weird how ones view of people, images, skin tones and perceptions can be very different even within one family. 

Then again, it could be that Marc and I are just terribly sarcastic and Thomas has labored under the delusion of our sarcasm since his birth.  I suppose now that he is aware that  his one and only sister is black, maybe he'll love her a little more.  Nah, Madison and Thomas are truly real brothers and sisters since they have a love hate relationship that I hope never ends.  Ah, family dinner time.  What could ever be more entertaining....and enlightening?