I’m not white, I’m an American
May 9th, 2008 at 03:00pmBack in college I made a speech about America’s obsession with race and why we aren’t allowed to simply identify ourselves as American. The details of the speech escape me, but I feel the same now as I did then. Fill out a form with a question about ethnic origin and you’ll probably be presented with the following options (taken from the CDC):
- White
- Black or African American
- Latino
- Asian
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- American Indian or Alaska Native
The CDC has a reason to want to know ethnic background, but what about employment applications or practically every other form we have to fill out. The definition of each group is a little strange too. White is defined as everyone originating from Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. This must be a double standard developed by bureaucrats in a politically correct stupor that allows “whites” to be identified by their skin color, but everyone else is off limits (Black is acceptable since it is tied to cultural identity). Why can’t we just combine those last four groups into “Brown”? Would that be any less racist than pigeonholing someone as white?
My skin happens to be white, but I don’t trace my origins to Europe. That identification ended when my ancestors came to America. I’m not even sure who my ancestors were that came over here or where they came from (The Blarg knows though). The only country and origin I identify with is America.
This ultimately comes down to recognizing that American itself is a valid race/ethnicity. Wasn’t America suppose to be a huge melting pot of race, ethnicity and culture? Wouldn’t the product of that mixture be a new, unique American ethnicity that its participants could identify with? My skin might be white, but I’m an American damnit and don’t try to label me any other way.
