United Statesians like to divide people in ethnic groups and then distribute characteristics to those ...?

Question

When you come to the US you have to choose your ethnic group
) white
) latino/hispanic
) asian
) native american
) black

Those ethnic groups are not interchangeable. You have to choose your side. If you're white or black and from Latin America at the same time, they make sure that you'll go to where you deserve: the latino/hispanic label.

It makes me angry how people from your country like to divide people in "ethnic groups" and then put a lot of characteristcs on each group.

Hispanics have a lot of children? So why the average number of children per woman in Spain is 1,3 and in Cuba is 1,6? (In UK is 1,7 and in US is 2,0). Hispanics must be Roman Catholics? So why in Uruguay 30% of the population is non-religious and in El Salvador 45% is protestant?

As if because I'm black I have to talk with an accent, or because I'm Hispanic I must be "family-oriented" and "spicy".

CONTINUE...

All that to justify the superioty of whites from northern countries, cause they would be "culturally superior" (A nice way to scape from the acusation of racism or ethnocentrism).

It irritates me also how people from your country think that Hispanics and all Latin Americans are just like the poorest of the poorest Mexicans that emmigrate to your country.

Is this statement true or false?

Answer 1

I have the same case as you so I completely understand.

I am from Argentina and live here in the US.

As you probably know, almost all of us are white.

I get extremely tired of everyone here not believing that I am white just because I am from a "Latin" country.

They assume we are all dark skinned because most Mexicans that go to the US are.

They think Latino is a race and I still cannot explain to them that it's not.

Obrigado

Chau

Answer 2

It is wrong, wrong headed. But I suspect that you are family oriented and spicy. That's unless your one of those phoney Latin Americans from Argentina who is more to be German, English, or Italian. No Mestizo you. And I insist that Latinos be Roman Catholic, the Irish have to be. Why should'nt they. Anything else is cultural suicide. Beside being a Communist, that's very Latin American too. El Salvatore and Uruguay associate RC with the Oligarchies that sided with their oppressors.(rightly) so why not. Except see above.

Everybody in North America is from someplace else. Once upon a time the government identified you without consultation. You were White or something else. "The Other." Some of us to got to graduate from being the other and became white. Irish, Italians Poles etc. Some people never could become white and became proud they weren't. We all got on with that. When you come to the United States now, you don't "have to choose" you "get" to choose. Its wholly self identification. And at bottom of those generalized ethnic distinctions is the ultimate freedom. "other" I myself choose that and Irish. there not any inlisting into anything against your will. African Americans are on the whole lots of other things on that list but on the whole they choose to be self identified as African American. The Irish fell off the list when there became so many of us and we stopped being so "ethnic" at least in public.( We are not on the whole spicey, but are talkitive, catholic and drinks abit). Other people get money and history months and government stuff, we only get one lousy parade. Most of these classifications are about the equitable distribution of Federal and state monies, especially where these self identifying categories are used for entitlements moneys. They will often ask if your a military veteran, or blind or disabled. how old you are etc. Do you get it now. What ever we are, we don't use mestizo, indio, Criollo, All these systems are socially constructed, occasionally useful, and occasionally benign.

Answer 3

It's somewhat true with the uneducated and bigoted among us, and not as true for the rest. I've never heard of having to pick a race to even *come* to America, but I know there are times (like signing up for college, etc.) when it's requested--not demanded. And there's almost always an "other" column :-)

Although it will remain a problem for awhile longer, Americans actually making great strides in NOT dividing people by ethnicity. A recent PBS documentary, "Generation Next," pointed out that the generation in high school today is almost color blind--and more power to 'em!

Are there really no such divisions in other countries?

Answer 4

An occasion of a racial communities could be Asian, or Latin, American Indian, or Arabic, etc. The ethnic communities are comparable yet broken down further, and are frequently linked with the customs of their lands of commencing place. Asian=chinese language people, Korean people, eastern people, Vietnamese people, and Cambodian people, etc. Arabic=Lebanese people, Saudi people, Iraqi people. Iranian people, and Syrian people, etc. American Indian=Sioux, Apache, Shawnee, and Iroquois, etc. I further American after each and each ethnic team, whether it implies citizenship, no longer all ethnic persons are electorate yet they nonetheless advance the yankee custom. I didn’t use American after American Indians via fact they have been the 1st people and had a wealthy custom long until eventually now something set foot right here. The sharing of cultures is what makes out custom and ideology super.

Answer 5

Don't come to the U.S. if you think that everyone here divides people into ethnic groups with stereotypes.

I believe you are refering to Immigration and Naturalization or Visa documentation. Statistics are necessary in the processing of immigrants to identify groups with the purpose being the very opposite of discrimination. They need statistics to do so. Statistics gathering requires categorization. Our government keeps statistics. It does NOT apply stereotypes.

Stereotypes are applied to minorities by bigots. There are less bigots in our country than egalitarians.

Welcome to the USA. You will find many wonderful people to be around in these parts.

Answer 6

youre committing the same mistake that you accuse americans of. youre claiming that all of us americans generalize our opinions of hispanic people, but youre not bothering to consider the fact that there are tons of minorities in america that dont think that way. im american and i dont generalize anything about latin people. i know what its like to fill out those things based on race, but i get over it. and i dont think everyone thinks the same way because of it. maybe you shouldnt either

Answer 7

I'm mixed, but most people in Hawaii are so I'm not sure exactly what you mean from experience. Just be yourself, and don't let anyone tell you what to be.

Answer 8

Having a bad hair day?

Answer 9

i definitely agree with you (and im from the US). its a shame....