Defining Race and Ethnicity
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Defining Race and Ethnicity
To define race in reference to human beings is hard. Race is a subclass for a species. To interbreed with other races of the species is often said that different races cannot do this. This can and would cause one to think or believe we are the same race and that there are not any different races within our human species. All the classes and training on discrimination and harassment I have attended or had, clearly points out and states that we are not to discriminate the differences of races. The only true race to me is the human race. We have used the term race incorrectly, and use it to point out a person’s differences.
To define ethnicity to me is quite simple. It deals with genetics and culture. This is how I believe the differences are described in each other. In our society here in the United States, these concepts are important and have always been this way from the beginning. It makes it easy and simple to determine who, what, and where a person is and comes from. To make a change to how we classify the different groups of people would be a huge step to take, and even though change happens all the time. People in general don’t like to change their ways. This makes me think of the phrases, “Can’t teach an old dog, new tricks,” and “Why fix what isn’t broken.” This to me is a form of oppression on people, and a way to set apart one group from another, making one group feel if they are more powerful than any other. This goes way back to the days of slavery, where Africans (later to be named, African American), where brought here by the White man, and the White man granted themselves dominance on the basis of their skin color. White man honestly believed they were better. The harsh reality is that in society today, many people still believe this, and it branches out further than just the white man over the African...