Why does the USA categorise its Citizens ie. Irish American?

Question

I'm seeing "We're all Mongrells" so far.

Why not say proudly: I AM AMERICAN, and only AMERICAN

I have NEVER heard the phrase UK Pakistan or anything like it!

Answer 1

This has puzzled me; why do Americans classify themselves by their race origin, as in Afro-Americans, Irish-Americans etc?

Stranger yet, you never hear anyone in US describe themselves as English-American, yet millions must be of English descent.

The only American whom I know of who does declare her Englishness is Dolly Parton.

The Welsh in America seem to have lots of websites for cultural events and activities. I guess the most famous American of Welsh descent was Abraham Lincoln, both his parents had come to America from Wales.

Who knows? Why I mean?

Answer 2

Because the PC Democrats can divide people up into little special-interest groups and play them off against the majority. The Dems can do special things for or to each group, treating them differently to manipulate their voting. At the moment Christian Americans of any ethnic or racial group are a target. Of all the groups given special names there is no English-American group, Christian-American group or White-American group, in fact anyone organizing such a group would be called racist, fascist and a hate monger.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is OK, but change it to-... White People and the Left wants you put in jail. There is a United Negro College Fund which aids only black people, a United Caucasian College Fund would be called discriminatory for aiding only white people and deemed illegal.. PC sees this hypocrisy as perfectly alright since it benefits those they want to benefit and punishes those they have decided are evil and to make it worse they use the law to enforce this.

There are clubs started by people from particular nations who want to be known as people from those nations by choice. Some want to be known by ancestry or language. As long as this is by choice, it is OK.

The government of the US has required that everyone be identified by race or language, so the the PC crowd can discriminate between them. A tall, blond man with blue eyes named Roger Velasquez, whose ancestors have been born in the US for 2 centuries, whose family hasn't spoken Spanish for that long is classified as Hispanic and gets special treatment, while Jack Smith, who had the same multi-great grandmother is classified White and doesn't get special government treatment, except a boot out the door when applying for jobs. You see the PC crowd has decided that Hispanics have been oppressed and must get preferential treatment. The same for other minority groups.

It's almost all for political advantage. Dems and PC types do not believe in equality of treatment or true fairness, even though they lie and say they do.

Answer 3

It's more the case that American society has created these labels as apposed to the USA creating them for it's citizens to fit into.

It's important for people to have an identity. The USA enjoys a very diverse population made up of people of many countries of origin. These citizens like to identify with being American (as that is where they are living) and with being Irish, or Spanish and so on (as that is there heritage.)

They can easily accomplish this by identifying themselves as Irish American, and so on.

Interestingly, one could break this down further. One might choose to identify themselves as, for example:

Californian, Irish American.

Answer 4

definite. as long as you bypass the heritage exams and paintings by a recruiter. There are some jobs which for protection causes will require you to be a US Citizen. some human beings enlist into the U. S. defense force and then paintings on US citizenship. the military has been pushing this citizenship application, rather in gentle of a few non-voters who've been killed in service to the U. S..

Answer 5

Because these groups have distinctly different cultures and worldviews. It also reminds us that only Native people are the original Americans, and the others came from other places. I'm Native and prefer to see it that way, but there may be other ideas. I personally wouldn't want the others saying they're just "American" because it technically isn't true.

Answer 6

I'd say most countries do, not just the USA. Have you heard the phrase UK Pakistani or anything similar? We categorise too, not just the USA.

Answer 7

To the person that said the USofA doesn't do that you are so wrong. I work for a non-profit and we are required to ask the people applying for help their ethnicity. For me it is BS. When I find this on a form I answer HUMAN. It is this trying to split us and label us that continues to feed racial hatred. we are all just human. I'm of Scottish/American Indian heritage. So what!

Answer 8

Our government doesn't do that....

Individuals do it. We are a huge and diverse population made up from immigrants from all over the world, all cultures, all religions and races. Many of our citizens take pride in their family roots and so identify themselves as "Italian-American" or "Irish-American"...

It is a way of showing pride in where your family came from.

Answer 9

Because we here in the USA are politically correct. Well, mostly the Democrats. This is a real story. There is a cross in a church. The cross in the church has to be taken down because a guy that doesn't even go to church orders it to be taken down. Now it can only be in church on Sundays. That is an example of how we Americans are politically correct.

Answer 10

so they have an idea of whos there?

and lets face it, everyone in america started off elsewhere, didnt they?

but due to political correctness, nowhere does it give me the right to call myself English... i am delegated to being british... white british at best...

and on every form i fill in, i always select other/ and i write English in that box.. i feel like im persecuted in my own country for being English...and having the temerity to speak it aloud...