This may or may not offend some people on this board but because of the recent threads about racism and because of a certain feeling I have about this subject. Personally, I am tri-racial...yes tri-racial. My father is 1/2 Indian and 1/2 African-American and my mother is white. This is the thing though, I look like a Latino or Spaniard so some people actually call me a quad-racial. I catch a lot of racial conflict but amazingly I do not get offended so easily as others.
What about just American? How are we supposed to define race versus culture? I know some hispanic people who are white. You may argue, but this is from their mouths. Is race just about skin color, or heritage also? Just a question. I'm not trying to start a big arguement or debate.
Well wouldn't they vote for Latino or Hispanic. Like I said I am tri-racial, look like I am Latino or Hispanic but I claim that I am African-American on applications and such. If a person is Albino but has two black parents (I know a girl in this situation.) then I would expect them to consider themselves black even though it's not my decision. If a person is Hispanic with white skin would they still not be Hispanic? The "American" label is one which is too broad and that is why I broke it down.
I understand what you are saying and where you're coming from. But race and heritage are two different things. I'm white. That's my race. African-American is another race. But I know actual Americans who were born in Africa who are not black, but would not consider themselves African-American by racial terms. Some like Hispanic can be race and culture. But I have also known a very white looking person who was from Spain, but told that he was not "Hispanic" because he was light. I know most Spaniards don't consider themselves hispanic (or maybe they do) but you can't get more spanish than coming from Spain. I think race is more along color lines (with some exceptions) while heritage or culture is based on country of orgin (which although my heritage is German/Czech, I am an American).
I refuse to put myself in the OTHER category. I'm fourth generation Australian. My ancestory is Greek and German (father and mothers side). hehe.....didn't see the non-american white category.. my bad.
I'm with Rocketman95-- I would even say "ditto" to his post if I didn't think it would make him puke. The question is "What is your race?" If you're white, your answer is "white", not "White but more importantly, American, dadgummit" or "Proto-indo-european, but lately, disfigured lesbian Communist liberation fighter!" The question is the question. Race. Not what you think about race in America or the relative merit of the question of race. Just what race you define yourself as.
Kagy's right, I hate <I>Ghost</I>. I'm just trying to figure out how he knew I was a disfigured lesbian Communist liberation fighter.
If it's just about race though, why do you need European-American, and non-American white? Isn't white white, anywhere you put it? And isn't black black? That's more of what my point was. There is a line between race and nationality. I'm probably reading too much into this poll, but I think it makes a difference in some cases for some people.
You forgot Asian Pacific Islander people. Are Filipinos asian or Pac Islander. I'm Asian-Oriental, even though I pass as a hispanic, or arab.
Do I really need to explain it? Just because you gave a couple of gray area examples doesn't make it a hard question.
I thought Oriental was an offensive term? At least someone said that here at one time. Where are all the Latinos at!?!? C'mon now!
I liked red's answer... My ethnicity is Irish/Scottish. There's an eternal war going on inside me at all times...
Do you not see this? I wouldn't ask if I didn't need an explanation. Like I said, my race is white. My ethnicity is German/Czech. My nationality is American. There's a difference
