Government Race and Ethnic Categories Criticized

[SwordandCompass]

www.majorcox.com/columns/racecat5.htm

"Current policy categorizes White as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East" and a Hispanic as "a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race." Using these classifications, a person born in Spain and immigrating to Alabama could be classified as White, while a person coming here from Mexico or Puerto Rico would be classified as Hispanic. However, both might be classified White the next time Alabama creates majority-minority voting districts. "

"Whites aren't happy either. Speaking for the Conference of Americans of Germanic Heritage, Gerhard Holford suggested that the "white" category be eliminated and, in his case, replaced with Germanic. "Americans of European heritage have disavowed the term `white' as part of their identity," he said. Holford explained that his group wants the change because of the common stereotype that anyone who identifies him or herself as "white" is latently or potentially a white supremacist. "White is a color, not a racial designation…White is a political idea or a state of mind," he testified."
www.majorcox.com/columns/racecat5.htm

[Graeme]

I don't care how the US government or its agencies define racial or ethnic groups. I don't care how the ordinary trailer park Yank defines the same groups. What I care about is the imposition of their categories on the rest of the world. If they want to define Hispanic as they do, fine, O.K. But when speaking to foreigners like me you should learn the correct designations and stop posting crap like are Iranians white or Jews are not white. Keep your BS at home for your own consumptions. In Australia certain foods are classified as vegetables when they are fruits, Banana plants are classed as trees even though they are oversized herbs. It doesn't mean you have to follow our definitions.

[SwordandCompass]

"top posting crap like are Iranians white or Jews are not white. Keep your BS at home for your own consumptions."

are you referring to me? because i havent posted that stuff.i posted this link because there are americans in the room and also its an interesting article for people who do not live in america.its also interesting for americans to read.i take your above post as a personal attack.graeme:-/

[Graeme]

Take it as you like. I can't control you. Americans forget that they are but a small part of this world. A very noisy small part.

[SwordandCompass]

Graeme, what sparked this? wh are you mad at me? im lost....

[Graeme]

You are being overly sensitive. I don't have any malice to you. I was just expressing myself in Graemesque terms, which may sound offensive. I am UP in type and probably correspondingly brusque, I have missed out in Mediterranean civilised refinements and behaviour.

If I offended you, mi dispiace.

[One Humanity]

Graeme said:

I was just expressing myself in Graemesque terms, which may sound offensive.

Does your nickname refer to the German verb "grämen"?

It means to sorrow in a grumpy manner, while "vergrämt" means to be troubled and "vergrämen"- to drive people away.

I don't dislike your style though, it has it's originality.

[citadel]

I don't know of many Americans who classify themselves as "Germanic" unless they are fully German.

Anyway, how does the United States impose classifications onto the rest of the world? I mean, in the United States an upper class Spaniard descended Mexican and a full blooded Maya Indian may both be classified as "Hispanic" - but does this change a thing about how people who live ten miles across the border in Mexico treat each other?

[Graeme]

No Graeme is my first name, a variant of Graham which means Grey farm or Granta's farm; it is Old English aka Anglo-Saxon. But Gramen, sounds good, I like it.