What Do Race And Etthnicity Meant To You?
What do the terms race and ethnicity mean to you?
Why are these concepts important to United States society?
Race to me is the characteristic by which many are judged or classified. It would be the perfect world if we all just said we are part of the human race, but instead we need to complicate things by separating or grouping so that one can feel more superior then another. Race to me comes down to our looks, our color, our gender, our social class. I may look one way with my skin color or characteristics and will be judged differently by the social class of people I am in with at any given time.
Ethnicity to me is our ethnic background, our nationality. Again, instead of keeping things simple and just saying I am an American, since I was born and raised in America we need to always address were everyone comes from. This is sometimes good and sometimes bad. This is bad for people who may not want to be profiled, if such is being done. If this does not matter, or it will not make a difference for schooling or a job, then why is it done?
Our national heritage is something all should personally educate themselves on. It is the knowledge of knowing where your family originated from. It should not be something you are judged on. I am very proud of my ethnic background. My grandparents, both at a young age came to America to fulfill a dream for a better life. They took what this country was based on and made a better life for themselves and their families to come.
The concepts of race and ethnicity are important in the United States because our country was based on being a melting pot for all races and people of all ethnic backgrounds. In a different era many needed to get pass the obstacles of communication and the culture from which they were raised. In our era today I feel we need to get pass the racial separation. Upbringing will always come into play, but I feel the more we educate the less of an issue...
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