It's used to refer to people of European descent, but there is actually a place called Caucasia. It's a region in Eurasia bordered on the south by Turkey and Iran in Asia, on the west by the Black Sea, on the east by the Caspian Sea, and on the north by Russia.
So why do we refer to people of British descent, as one example, as Caucasians when they clearly are not?
If I was of British descent I'd be pissed about that one. It would be like calling them a Turk, Armenian or Russian - it's way off.
2006-12-20 04:49:45 · 7 answers · asked by ? 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Other - Cultures & Groups
That's my point, Becca. Saying you are white is rather nondiscript, wouldn't you say?
2006-12-20 04:56:52 · update #1
caucasian does not have to do with the color of the skin as much as people think....
Turks, Persian, Hindi, Armenian and some Russian along with many middle eastern countries are by classification Caucasians
check it out
2006-12-20 04:59:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had to look it up, It's also called the Caucus and that's the way I've all ways heard of the region. As for being called Caucasian and not being from there, no I could care less. Tracing back three generations on one side of my family and four on the other I'm descended from U.S. Americans. Beyond that supposedly Scottish and German. The only time I'm ever asked if I'm Caucasian is on job forms, government surveys, or health applications. Also it's not a regional thing it's just a way requiring less effort for data collectors to group those of different skin colours. Caucasian, first nations , Pacific Islander , African Descent.
Maybe one of these days the whole judge someone only to the depth of their skin will go away, until then there's so many other things more worthy of getting upset about for me.
Sure, if you want be really descriptive it would take what, four or five entire small typed pages to list every region/culture in the world. On the 10 year census that might be worth it. To have that much more paperwork on job applications? Because if it wasn't all inclusive, then people would feel left out and the problem would just get worse.
2006-12-20 13:11:57 · answer #2 · answered by thymeandspice 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For one thing, when a person is refered to as being Caucasian it's not meant that the person is directly from there, but rather, he's of that type.
It all comes from the Aryans, light skined, blue eyed people who left many traces behind as they moves through many parts of Asia and later Europe. Even though the original Aryans were light skined, they mixed with the almost black early Indians. The people they mixed with became lighter while the Aryans darkened up.
It was believed that one time light skined people ruled in the Caucasus area. Hitler called Germans Arians. Iran is named for them.
So don't worry about misnomers. White people are not white. Compare the color of your skin with milk. Are they the same ? Compare the color of a black person with tar. Are they the same ? How about the yellow race, are they the color of dandelions ? How about red, tomatos are red.
2006-12-20 13:12:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_race
It comes from the first European Ancestors.
Check that out you will be very amazed that Caucasians actually have descent from northern Africa.....yes Africa. We are not that different after all.
PEACE
2006-12-20 12:59:17 · answer #4 · answered by JOY 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
thank you becca i mean atleast u guys get called different ethnicities, no one calls any one nigerian or ethiopian its just african, hell not even that u just call us black not to be racist, but u guys just group us all black when u have different types so why cant we do that to yall??? besides i dont know the difference in russian and german so i just call yall caucasian so i dont offend no one same thing goes with asians and hispanics
and as for the girl above they just have caucasian on the paper well they have that for all races like african-ameican there are black people who arent african-american but they still mark that, we have so many ethnicities it is easier to try and have us in big catergories than sub-catergories!!!
2006-12-20 12:58:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
im pissed at that term too!!! im NOT british decent and it seems whenever im filling out paper work and they ask for my ethnic background theres never anything for white people except for caucasian!!!! im swedish!!!!! and they dont have that on there!!! they dont have anything that i am on the stupid paper work.!! im not british decent!!!!!
2006-12-20 12:58:08 · answer #6 · answered by jrs wife! 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
no,it simply means that you a white!
2006-12-20 12:54:19 · answer #7 · answered by becca 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋