Why are people of the middle east often called white by American standards?

Question

when many arabs are darker skinned than whites and have traces of african blood

Answer 1

Because the census dictates the majority rule and with the decline in white birth rate, whites need the numbers. It's the only way to keep the "white" majority.

Answer 2

Who you ask depends on what people say. The answer is some arabs are much whiter then many Americans. I have never called an Arab white so don't know for sure, even though I am an American and have been in the middle east.

My Dad, who's dutch, is actually darker skinned then some arabs I know, but the majority of Arabs are darker then the Majority of WHITE americans, but lighter then the majority of BLACK Americans. Not sure how they compare to Latino Americans or Native americans, but all in all, Light Skinned Americans are the minority.

Answer 3

The U.S. government provides definitions regarding race, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. These are the categories and their descriptions:

American Indian and Alaska Native - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America

Asian - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent

Black or African American - A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa

Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands

White - A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa

There are two additional categories of "Other" and "Two or more races," and two ethnic categories of "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino."

As you can see, skin color isn't really a factor; only geographical region of origin, which has more to do with physical and skeletal features. Americans are accustomed to these categories being used in the census, which lists Middle Eastern and North African people as "White."

The world is a lot more complicated than the few classifications that are used in the U.S. Census!

Answer 4

You are an intelligent person who ever you are! Even Indian some people call them not BLACK altho they do not say they are white but they say the Indian NOT black! Well where European call the middle east! all of it is Africa and those Arab is
the first one to tell you they are African but American the British,
the Spanish, and the French, those four sets of people try to change the world and stupid Followers do followed them but here
are one sensible person who think thing true so keep on thinking
I will give you some thing Else to think about thinker! do you know
that America is in the Caribbean?? If it was only Africans were in
America like Jamaica, or Cuba etc, etc, Then they would call it the Caribbean. You can walk to the nearest Caribbean country that
is Cuba, &. it take you 5 five hours. to get to the nearest Eurioupion country so you see what I meen???. Also Canada is in the Caribbian. So keep on thinking mr. or ms. thinke.>>>>.
who ever you are

Answer 5

Perhaps the term you mean to use is "Caucasoid" or "Caucasian" ... purely scientific terms meant to denote a certain group of physical characteristics of people of certain geographical regions.

My theory on why people of the middle east are considered "white" by American standards (as if anyone where really that colour) is that it is a Christian thing - Jesus was white as far as any European Christian is concerned and black in certain African based Christian groups and clearly he (real or not) was none of the above.

Who the hell knows why we have to separate ourselves in such a way. Physically I have bits of every single human skin colour on some part of my body from albino white to real red to jet black...don't you?

Answer 6

Because... Because....Because...the new standards mess up the brains of the AFRICANS...now the africans have 2 personalities can be black or white at the same time...confusion is the best part of a brain game.

Answer 7

This is the first time I heard of anyone refer to them as white. I don't call 'em white.

Answer 8

Because the US had never reconsidered the race classifications.

Answer 9

Because people don't care.

If you want to call these people black, feel free.

It won't change a single thing in the world.

Answer 10

good question. i guess its all about oil. americans would call anyone white for oil.