whats the difference between race and ethnicity?why are these cocepts important in the U.S.A?

Answer 1

Race = European stock, African stock, Indian stock, Asian stock, etc.

Ethnicity = A break down of the race. Out of European stock you have French, Italians, Norweignans, Russians, etc. For Asians, it would be, Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc. However, the term ethnicity is often used interchangibly with race.

Why are these concepts so important?

Several reasons.

So the government can keep track of demographic changes and where the influx of new immigrants are coming in. So it can enforce quotes by saying no more Europeans can come in, but immigrants from other countries can. Etc.

On another level, race and ethnicity is important for these reasons:

On the political and economic power level, virtually every race/ethnic group except people of European heritage, has a legal and political group that represents that particular groups interests. For example, you have the NAACP, LULAC, theADL, etc. Groups like these fragment American society. These groups require a consistent "supposed racist villian" to keep them in business. For example, how many white people do you know go around burning crosses in someone's yard? However, these groups and their lobby efforts would have you believe it's happening every week.

Pay particular attention to TV and movies. Notice how murder mysteries (real ones) almost always portray a white villian? Notice how in TV docu dramas and the movies the villian is almost always a white guy? That's because these political groups will scream racism against the media companies that has a story involving anyone of their ethnic group (even if based upon a true account).

In fact, some of these groups, not the 3 listed above, will try to find something, anything that could remotely be considered racists by that company, then, these race political action groups will practically demand that company pay them thousands of dollars or that group will cry racism.

On the street level, society is further fragmented because power in the streets is acquired via street gangs. And that breaks down by race too.

Answer 2

Well, you have to understand that in this country, there are thousands of different groups of people trying to get along in the same space. That's mostly why these concepts are so important. We have to be able to identify and understand the ways of others much more than people in most other countries, hence the emphasis on race and ethnicity.

Ethnicity here is what some call ancestry or nationality over in Europe. Race is a physical attribute, and a larger group.
Example: My ethnicity is Cherokee, but my race is Native American. Cherokee is one Native nation (nationality or ethnicity) and my larger grouping is Native American (race.)

Answer 3

My ethnicity is American; my race is Caucasian.

Ethnicity and race really isn't a concept, but rather who and what you are. A concept is an idea, not an actual way of oneself.

With that being said, it's not really all that important unless a particular ethnic group or race has been thrown into the news due to circumstances. For example, when 9/11 happened, the Muslims were thrown into the spotlight and of course our country responded naturally as any other country would have had it happened to them. Our guards went up and we naturally were against the Muslims. Of course, it goes without saying that not ALL Muslims are terrorists. Just like not ALL blacks are rapists and drug dealers; not ALL Mexicans are illegally in America; not ALL white people are stuck up or "rednecks" and not ALL Asians are good at math and into kinky porn.

It's not that they are "important" in the US, but instead just a way of identifying your background... who you are... what you are. Anything past that is reflected upon the individuals who choose to make it a big deal.

Answer 4

People with the same race are similar because they have the same colour or other physical features. Ethnicity refers to people from the same ethnic group. In other words, people who belong to the same ethnic group live somewhere where most people are from different race or country. An ethnic group can overlap or even coincide with a nation. While ethnicity and race are related concepts, the concept of ethnicity is rooted in the idea of social groups, marked especially by shared nationality, tribal affiliation, genealogy, religious faith, language, or cultural and traditional origins, whereas race is rooted in the idea of a biological classification. These concepts are very important for the people living in the USA mainly because they are related to the concept of political correctness. The USA is a mixture of people with different physical features and culture (Hispanics, Asian, African American and so on).

Answer 5

Actually, it wouldn't and shouldn't be an issue if we all consider ourselves as the Human Race!
These concepts are important in the USA because each "race" wants to be better than the others! Not equal, BETTER!

Here's the Solution:

"religion is Spiritual fraud"; "religion is the Worse invention of humanity" - Jesus Christ

Create a private, personal, direct, divine relationship with Our Creator and save your Soul from religion.

Only with Our Creator's Love and Peace will we be Truely Free!

Without God, there is No Love; Without religion, there are No Wars!

Answer 6

Race:
one of the main groups that humans can be divided into according to their physical differences, for example the colour of their skin

Ethnicity:
the fact of belonging to a particular race:

Because Americans are mostly racist who go behind colour and other unwanted things to measure humans.
Specially Jews are spoiling the real American mentality and nature with their spoilt Jewish nature.