Why do Italian/Sicilian Americans call themselves white? (generations, Mexican, Brown)

[NYchi]

Originally Posted by ray1945

Are you joking with this post??

Sicilian/Italian are nationalities, not races.

I am of Italian/Sicilian descent - I am also Caucasian.

O.k. Ray you are 'Caucasian,' but why do you consider yourself to be Caucasian? Is Caucasian your identity?

[Reelist in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by NYchi

In Italy/Sicily, my bf told me that they don't call themselves white, but Italian or Sicilian. He said that when they come her they are almost coerced into picking a color. His true identity is Sicilian, but he had to identify himself as a generic category such as white. Why?

Ahh ... let me see ... because they ARE white?

White is a race. Italian is a nationality. I guess Sicilian is an ethic group.

[NYchi]

What is the White Race? Did god create it? did man create it? and why did they create it?

[Reelist in Atlanta]

Originally Posted by theolsarge

Can you imagine the employment application with . . . ]

Hungarian American
Italian American
German American
Polish American
Irish American
Maltese American
French American
Swiss American
British American
Norwegian American
Danish American

Etc, etc, etc

Applications ask for race and not natioinality except for checking if one is legally in the country. What a dumb thread.

[Boompa]

Originally Posted by NYchi

In Italy/Sicily, my bf told me that they don't call themselves white, but Italian or Sicilian. He said that when they come her they are almost coerced into picking a color. His true identity is Sicilian, but he had to identify himself as a generic category such as white. Why?

Sicilians are Greek/Phoenician mixed with Italian

Why would they not be white?

[kimi r]

Actually when the Eastern and Southern Europeans immigrated to the United States they were considered black and had to work their way towards whiteness. A great book about this subject is, "Working Towards Whiteness: How America's Immigrants Became White, The Strange Journey from Ellis Island to the Suburbs" by David R. Roediger.

[NYchi]

Originally Posted by Reelist in Atlanta

Applications ask for race and not natioinality except for checking if one is legally in the country. What a dumb thread.

Reelist, why do they ask for race?

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by NYchi

In Italy/Sicily, my bf told me that they don't call themselves white, but Italian or Sicilian. He said that when they come her they are almost coerced into picking a color. His true identity is Sicilian, but he had to identify himself as a generic category such as white. Why?

Did your boyfriend tell you race and nationality aren't the same thing and that Sicily isn't a country?

[NYchi]

I see no one wants to answer my questions. Wow!

[EinsteinsGhost]

One more time: "White" is not a race. It only identifies complexion. "Caucasian" is a race, which comes in many shades (complexion), just like Negroid and Mongloid races do.