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You are right on this, so many get the two confused. Race is different then your Ethnicity.
As I've stated, race is a socially constructed thing. There are no biological differences between human beings. There might be superficial differences, such as skin color and hair type and facial features and blood types, but human beings are human beings.
In short, biology doesn't determine race as one person posted, rather people determine race and do so arbitrarily (usually as a result of cultural misunderstanding). There have been attempts by biologists to claim that there are distinctive races. Of course, that was long ago. Biological sciences have come a long way since then.
Ethnicity should not be confused with race. The two terms are too often inappropriately interchanged and usually for political purposes.
Race is determined via anthropology/ethnology/biology.
Ethnicity is a cultural identification.
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Originally Posted by california-jewel
You are right on this, so many get the two confused. Race is different then your Ethnicity.
Yes. But race and ethnicity are indeed often inseparable.
What is designated as "race" is often basically an ethnicity.
Anglo-Saxon was considered a race in opposition to the Irish race or Italian race.
Of course certain physical characteristics are associated with those races. But they're ultimately ethnicities.
Another example is the so called African-American or Black race. The physical appearances of its members vary a lot. Some of them look virtually White or Asian, yet they still see themselves as 100% Black. Thus the AA/Black race behaves more or less like an ethnicity.
What you call the Asian race in America is a composite of ethnicities encompassing a very wide spectrum of physical apperances with a good number of them looking virtually Black or White/Caucasian or a different category altogether, with different racial a.k.a. physical features often to be encountered within a family or an extended family.
These examples are far from exhaustive.
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Originally Posted by Neutre
Ethnicity, culture, and race based on physical characteristics are very closely intertwined.
Theoretically you could separate race and ethnicity (e.g. in the census), but that doesn't work in real life.
Even in the census you encounter all sorts of doubts, like Asians who physically are Black or Caucasian, although they're "100%" Asian. This shows how the so called Asian race is inseparable from ethnicity or culture. And then you also have native Europeans who physically look Asian (I've met a number of native Poles, Hungarians, and Greeks who do) or Black. There are also enough Africans (and African-Americans) who look Caucasian or Asian.
One thing that one forgets is that based solely on physical characteristics you often have these different races within one family or an extended family. I know an Indonesian family who has three kids. The eldest one looks Black with dark skin and black curly hair, her younger siblings are twins, a brother and a sister. He looks Asian with "the eyes" and dark brown wavy hair, whereas she looks Caucasian with light skin and straight dark brown hair. And I'm omitting other physical characteristics such as the shape/form of the nose, lips, hair distribution and density, protrusion of the brow ridge, cheek bones, eye color, stature, fat distribution, and a host of other features.
These cases are common all over the "old world" including Southeast, South, Central (including western China), West Asia, Oceania, Africa (Malagasy people of Madagascar are closer to Hawaiians than to Black Chadians, a lot of Bushmen in southern Africa look more like Asians), Russia, etc. Those Poles that are physically Asian probably have siblings or family who are Caucasian.
Are those people supposed to check different races in spite of them being in the same family?
Are these twins now supposed to check different races?
[click on the original post to see the picture]
Those Indonesian family I know would still consider themselves Asian because they're 100% Indonesian. Thus their race is based on their ethnicity or culture.
There are numerous Blacks who physically are White or Asian, yet consider themselves 100% Black. Again, their race is based on culture and ethnicity.
You also have Middle Easterners and Russians who are physically White yet don't consider themselves White at all (Don't forget that their siblings may look Black or Asian).
Basically what you call "race" in America is a mélange of race based on physical characteristics, ethnicity and culture. One may theoretically separate race and ethnicity and culture like in the census but that does not correspond to real life. This also explains why people continue considering Latino a race no matter how much education they have. I personally understand both sides. Those who say that Latino is not a race and those who treat Latino as a race. It is no wonder seeing how inseparably related race, ethnicity and culture are.
As I've stated, race is a socially constructed thing. There are no biological differences between human beings. There might be superficial differences, such as skin color and hair type and facial features and blood types, but human beings are human beings.
In short, biology doesn't determine race as one person posted, rather people determine race and do so arbitrarily (usually as a result of cultural misunderstanding). There have been attempts by biologists to claim that there are distinctive races. Of course, that was long ago. Biological sciences have come a long way since then.
I can agree since different races tend to have different medical problems and some are exclusive to certain races.Just as mnay within teh same race actaully have genes passed on that others do not have.Humans are humans but they are not eqaully made really.
If people have billions of past ancestors, how does one determine their race?
Being out of shape and not fond of sweating, I avoid all races. As far as I know, so did my ancestors, although put a bowl of meatballs and some ziti on the table and there was definitely some sprinting.
I can agree since different races tend to have different medical problems and some are exclusive to certain races.Just as mnay within teh same race actaully have genes passed on that others do not have.Humans are humans but they are not eqaully made really.
I can agree. Whites get sunburnt more easily. Also those Latinos and Asians who have pale skin. Oh, there are also Blacks who are light skinned too. I almost forgot. They too get sunburnt more easily.
Well, if you're Barack Obama, you look in the mirror and ask yourself: "Which half of my racial identification would best serve me in politics, particularly the Presidency? .......Yep, Black it is!"
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Race & Ethnicity
They too get sunburnt more easily.