Why are race and ethnicity important to United States society?

Answer 1

The obsession with race and ethnicity in the US is absolutely absurd. People will say that they are Danish-Americans, or German-Americans when in facts they have no ties whatsover to those contries except their surnames. They do not know the language, the culture, perhaps even the capital of the country from which they claim their heritage, yet they insist on labelling themselves. I believe that the greatest reason for all of this is that since there is currently such a massive influx of immigrants to this country, Americans feel as if they are making the immigrants welcome by reminding them that they too were once immigrants. But in reality, what does it matter? I am a Chilean of mixed Polish and French descent, yet I can truthfully say that I am not affected on a daily basis by my Polish and French ancestry. If one day I suddenly found out I was not Polish and French but I was in fact Swedish, what would it change? Would i rush to go buy everything at IKEA all of a sudden? If I found out I was Italian, would I eat pizza and spaghetti for lunch everyday? NO! Americans should not dwell upon the past. Instead of dividing themselves as English-Americans, Portugese-Americans, Swiss-Americans, wouldnt it be much more effective to simply drop the first and leave the latter. Why divide the country among racial and ethnic lines. We should unite the country, and simply use the term "American".
This applies especially to blacks who label themselves as "African-Americans." The majority of Blacks in the United States have no tie whatsoever with Africa. They do not know what country their ancestors originated in. They do not know what tribe they came from, or what language their ancestors spoke. Most likely, they do not even know about the current racial conflict in Darfur, Sudan. Yet, they still label themselves as African-American. It is not offensive to be "white", why should it be offensive to be "black?"

Instead of dividing America using statistics (educational, poverty, etc.) to "put down" certain minority groups and speak of problems as "African-American" issues, or "Hispanic-American" issues, we should simply label them as "American" issues, for are we not all Americans?

Answer 2

First off, PJ needs to take off the pointy white hood and get a life. People like to belong so they look fro othere with similarities. Common bacgrounds, ethnicities, hobbies, religions ect all give people a reason to gather in groups and share something they have in common. The reason ethnicity is so important in the US is because the US is a country of immigrants. Even the Native Americans who came over on the land bridge from asia thousands of years ago. Because the US is made up of so many different ethnicities, people take alot of pride in where they or their ancestors were from as a way of keeping roots. One thing to note is that ethnicity refers to a persons cultural background, but race refers to what they are. We are all one race, the human race, which is made up of many ethicities. Using the word race to seperate ethnic groups is a way for some to feel superior by thinking that another group is so different that they are not even the same species.

Answer 3

They're important to EVERY society. Quebec wants to leave Canada because they're Frenchier than the rest of Canada. Spain is composed of many ethnic groups that frequently experience friction. France had those riots because some immigrants weren't as Frenchy and were discriminated against. Muslims tear at each other based on what specific sect of Islam they adhere to. Middle Easterners in general have divisions based on religion, country of origin, and ancestral origin. China has tons of different Chinese dialects (although Mandarin is dominant). Africa and some Pacific Islands still have tribal warfare, for crying out loud!
Basically, humans naturally group together based on whatever characteristic is perceived as the most important (possibly why there are few racist homosexuals). Sometimes, groups bicker, and things get out of hand.

Answer 4

Because historically the United States has had many issues with racism. We are not the progressive society that we like to portray ourselves as. Whenever there are some trying to push us forward to a modern, more open minded way of thinking there are the people who want to keep things the same and wish things were like they were "back in the day". It's important because the people in charge make them important and it's high time it stops, honestly.

Answer 5

Many years ago our government was very discriminatory and promoted slavery. Ships were sent to Africa where ****** were capturing and selling their own people as slaves. The rich among us bought many of them and put them to work on plantations, etc.

Today after wars and riots, other races, particularly blacks have demanded that our generation make sacrafices to theirs for what past generations have done to past generations.

Our government and rich use common poor "white" people as sacrafices to this cause to mullify various races that harbor complaints about their actions in the past. It has promised that these disadvantaged whites will be the least preferred race in employment and opportunity to help make up for what the rich and authority of the past has done.

Mostly, it is to keep down riots and to quell the embarrassment of the rich and of the government. The poor never owned slaves and rarely bothered with discrimination. The actual guilty parties never pay and never will.

Answer 6

because black people make it a first priority,, every other race like asian, indian, arab,poles etc...don`t really give a crap but africans make this issue a religion. All of us other races just want to move on with life and work.

Answer 7

Do you mean to you or other people? I don't care what the creed color religion or anything else is about a person as long as they're nice they are fine by me

Answer 8

I think it makes people feel that they belong. being that the Us is made up of almost all foreighners with the exception of Native Americans (indians).

Answer 9

Look up this in search, it should help>>> Well, I've been to Hastings and I've been to Brighton, I've been to Eastbourne too