Do Americans' definitions of ethnic diversity differ from those of other nations? (credit, movies)
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Of the racist slurs against indigenous Australians in that data base, I have heard of three one of which is Koorie, a term that Indigenous Australians commonly use to describe themselves.
Koorie's are a particular aboriginal tribe. Nothing racist about it. Unless you also consider Wurundjeri racist.
I was just thinking about how American categories of race and ethnicity are pretty broad.
They are white, black, Asian, Hispanic. These are typically the government categories and they are everywhere. They seem like stock categories that are pretty rigid in people's minds. I find people try to box people into these broad categories too much.
For a nation of immigrants and settlers, you would expect more nuanced categories on ethnic diversity. When people argue about diversity in the US, there is too much emphasis only on how many people as a percent are non-white. Almost every talking point is how many non-whites are there? How many blacks? How many Hispanics? How many Asians etc.
But there is so much more than that. A Nigerian is so much culturally different from a Somalian or Afro-Jamaican. An Indian Parsi is so much different from a Chinese Singaporean. Some people around city-data who are Canadians even mentioned Canadians have a more nuanced definition of diversity in ethnicity where culture is taken into account. Something I've heard too is that say a French-speaking Haitian is seen as more in common with a white French-Canadian while English-speaking Jamaicans have more in common with Anglo-Canadians, it's claimed, because there language is the main divider, not race. Doesn't language and culture trump physical appearance or at least sometimes?
Technically ethnicity takes into account culture, while race refers to appearance based on ancestry but other than Hispanics being Spanish speaking or having roots from Spanish colonies, few of the US race/ethnicity categories take into account cultural ties (eg. blacks are seen as just one group in the US regardless of culture or continent of origin, but Brits distinguish on their census Caribbean blacks and African blacks).
How are other country's ideas of ethnicity categories, like, or at least perceptions thereof?
Yes American definitions of ethnic groups does differ, just every country has a definition of what is meant by ethnic group.
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Originally Posted by Bernie20
I'm not sure what your point is. Are you trying to say Australia is a more racist country than others?
No, not at all. But if you followed the thread, I do object to the notion that Australian culture has no racism, simply because it doesn't fit some folks "national self-image", or just because the census possibly doesn't choose to include "race" as a question. BTW, we have a lot of experience with that kinda "De Nile" here, especially in the American South, which continues to deny any 'problems', even when various Southern 'celebrities' appear in national media and make blatantly racist comments.
Last edited by mateo45; 01-29-2014 at 03:37 PM..
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I heard a rumor from a French friend while backpacking in Thailand that Australia only made the killing of an aboriginal illegal about 10 years ago. Before that, you could kill an aboriginal and it would not be illegal.
I heard a rumor from a French friend while backpacking in Thailand that Australia only made the killing of an aboriginal illegal about 10 years ago. Before that, you could kill an aboriginal and it would not be illegal.
I heard a rumor from a French friend while backpacking in Thailand that Australia only made the killing of an aboriginal illegal about 10 years ago. Before that, you could kill an aboriginal and it would not be illegal.
I also want to know if it is true!! I was shocked to hear it. She had worked in Australia for a year already and told me what she learned.
That's why I hope to verify it here.
Australia applied English common law from the day it was settled by them in 1788, the short of it is it has been illegal to kill an aboriginal since then.
No, not at all. But if you followed the thread, I do object to the notion that Australian culture has no racism, simply because it doesn't fit some folks "national self-image", or just because the census possibly doesn't choose to include "race" as a question. BTW, we have a lot of experience with that kinda "De Nile" here, especially in the American South, which continues to deny any 'problems', even when various Southern 'celebrities' appear in national media and make blatantly racist comments.
As myself and others have said, Australia does have racism, but it's not as prevalent as some like to believe.
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