Longest thread in AC
- Thread starter Ghost_knife
- Start date
Even well-intentioned corrective terms such as "African American" fall short. For one thing, it excludes large portions of Africa's populations, like Egyptians and white South Africans. It also stamps a cultural identity on a vast group of people, although some may see themselves simply as "Americans."
"Hispanic" (a term referring to ethnicity, not race) also frustrates. It was officially adopted during the Nixon administration as a corrective to "Spanish American." But it's a term so broad that many who technically fall into that category have refused to check off that box on census forms, protesting that it's meaningless and even misleading. Expect more discussion on this should presidential contender Bill Richardson, the half-Hispanic governor of New Mexico, pick up in the polls.
In recent years, the debate over what race is has turned to the science of it. As such, race barely exists. Genetically, differences from one population to another are generally no greater than among individuals within the same population.
"Hispanic" (a term referring to ethnicity, not race) also frustrates. It was officially adopted during the Nixon administration as a corrective to "Spanish American." But it's a term so broad that many who technically fall into that category have refused to check off that box on census forms, protesting that it's meaningless and even misleading. Expect more discussion on this should presidential contender Bill Richardson, the half-Hispanic governor of New Mexico, pick up in the polls.
In recent years, the debate over what race is has turned to the science of it. As such, race barely exists. Genetically, differences from one population to another are generally no greater than among individuals within the same population.
c: o...k...