GinaPagnato Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I read this phrase on CNN's website yesterday, and I'm sitting here :confused1: Â Honestly, my first thought was that this was the media's attempt to make this an issue of racism by injecting "white" into the description. I mean, he's 1/2 Hispanic, correct? Is it because his dad is white that they're calling him a white Hispanic? Is Hispanic considered a race or an ethnicity? Would it make a difference if they just said GZ is Hispanic and TM was black--by "difference" I mean in terms of leveling the playing field by ascribing minority races to both of them rather than making it a black/white thing? Â My friends with one Hispanic parent and one white parent typically identify themselves as white, whereas those with one black parent and one white parent call themselves black. I've never heard any of them say "white Hispanic." Â Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 It's a fairly new concept to me, but here is what Wikipedia says. I do know that when I recently had some vaccines, I checked the box for "white" and then was asked if I was Hispanic or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Imagining people here being asked if they are white New Zealanders. We have Pakeha/NZ European and there is still a tendency to tick other and put New Zealander. Do you have black and brown American categories too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Hmmm....I have no idea. Maybe it's the same as being white Jamaican. We have friends who are white Jamaican. British family landed in Jamaica in the 1600's and the descendants have been there ever since. So their heritage is Jamaican and their citizenship is Jamaican, but their ethnicity is not considered Jamaican. Really, though, I don't know what "white Hispanic" means and hope others can enlighten me.  For what it's worth, our friends hate the term "white Jamaican". They will correct others and say, "We are Jamaican."  Faith 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 No it is not because his dad is white. Barack Obama is not a white African-American. Â My guess is that it would be to distinguish between those of Spanish/Mediterranean ancestry versus those of African or indigenous ancestry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I always thought "Hispanic" was a cultural term. After all, so many Hispanic/latin people are actually Caucasian, Asian, and/or African, yet they are all still Hispanic because they grew up in that particular culture. One friend from Chile is red headed, green eyed, yet she is "Latin," another friend from Mexico who is a Native American; he is also Latin. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I don't know what it means but I see it on forms all the time now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013  I always thought "Hispanic" was a cultural term. After all, so many Hispanic/latin people are actually Caucasian, Asian, and/or African, yet they are all still Hispanic because they grew up in that particular culture. One friend from Chile is red headed, green eyed, yet she is "Latin," another friend from Mexico who is a Native American; he is also Latin.   This is what Wikipedia says. Hispanic is an ethnic term, not a race. So someone can be a Black Hispanic or White Hispanic if they identify themselves as black or white and of Hispanic ethnicity.  1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013  I always thought "Hispanic" was a cultural term. After all, so many Hispanic/latin people are actually Caucasian, Asian, and/or African, yet they are all still Hispanic because they grew up in that particular culture. One friend from Chile is red headed, green eyed, yet she is "Latin," another friend from Mexico who is a Native American; he is also Latin.   Yes, "Hispanic" is a cultural, not a racial term. That's why it has a separate category on all those census forms - first they ask for race, then they ask whether you're Hispanic or not.  People in Latin America come from all over the world - Europe, Africa, Asia, and Native American, and they are all Hispanic. I have a friend from Mexico - her mother's side was from Spain and her father's from Hungary. She has red hair, very pale skin and has freckles all over. She looks like she'd be of Scottish or Irish ancestry (although she's neither). The ex-president of Peru was of Japanese ancestry. Both as Hispanic as any other person raised in Spanish-speaking Latin America (which is all the term means - I'm fuzzy on if it includes Spain). 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Yes, "Hispanic" is a cultural, not a racial term. That's why it has a separate category on all those census forms - first they ask for race, then they ask whether you're Hispanic or not.  People in Latin America come from all over the world - Europe, Africa, Asia, and Native American, and they are all Hispanic. I have a friend from Mexico - her mother's side was from Spain and her father's from Hungary. She has red hair, very pale skin and has freckles all over. She looks like she'd be of Scottish or Irish ancestry (although she's neither). The ex-president of Peru was of Japanese ancestry. Both as Hispanic as any other person raised in Spanish-speaking Latin America (which is all the term means - I'm fuzzy on if it includes Spain). My great grandfather who was an immigrant from Spain was quite insistent that he was *not* Hispanic; that that term only applied to those who came from South or Central America. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kentuckymom Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I'll put in my two cents as a former Spanish teacher and possessor of an MA in Spanish/Latin American Literature. In the U.S. we sometimes think of "hispanic" as a racial term, but it's really a cultural/ethnic term referring to someone whose origins are from the Spanish speaking parts of the Americas (although I don't think Portuguese speaking Brazilians would mind being identified as Hispanics either). The person we might traditionally think of as "hispanic" is probably a mestizo - that is, a person of mixed indigenous and european heritage. Generally, the mixing occurred many generations ago. However, Hispanics can also look totally European and totally African, even occasionally Asian. European heritage is especially common among Chileans and Argentinians, but isn't unheard of in other countries either. African heritage is especially common in the Caribbean Islands, but isn't unheard of elsewhere. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I agree with others in their definition of white Hispanic as someone Hispanic of European ancestry. However, I don't think GZ is white hispanic. His mom looked mestizo and media has reported that her father or grandfather was of African origin. So he is bi-ethnic, which is what his family keeps saying. Calling him white Hispanic is misleading by the common usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 It's all stupid if you ask me. Why must a Hispanic person (Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race) have to be either white or black? Is an indigenous person from Latin America (think Mayan, Incan) "white" or "black"? My understanding of the term is that the individual decides how s/he prefers to be identified. I've seen people categorize their brown kids from Latin America as "white Hispanic." I assume Hispanics who don't have AA ancestry would do this. I leave it blank for my brown daughters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I do think they are bringing this up to inflame people and make it a racist issue. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 I do think they are bringing this up to inflame people and make it a racist issue. Me too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 It's all stupid if you ask me. Why must a Hispanic person (Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race) have to be either white or black? Is an indigenous person from Latin America (think Mayan, Incan) "white" or "black"? My understanding of the term is that the individual decides how s/he prefers to be identified. I've seen people categorize their brown kids from Latin America as "white Hispanic." I assume Hispanics who don't have AA ancestry would do this. I leave it blank for my brown daughters.  While there are Native South Americans (full Mayan, Incan) the majority of the people in Latin America/South America are a mixture of indigenous people and either the white people who conquered the land or the black people who were brought as slaves.  Thus they are mixed and a more acurate term would be white+indigenious or black+indigenious but we in our desire to acurately describe every one we come across in a defined box we have created the term Hispanic to so the person is from the Latin American region and if they are "white" meaning not mixed with black or black (sadly some of the left over 1 drop issues). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 George Zimmerman does not look like a Caucasian (i.e white). He may be half white, just like our President, but I would not call President Obama a white African American or a white black and neither would I call George Zimmerman a white Hispanic, He looks like he is a mestizo (mixed race usually white and Indian but in his case, some black too though he doesn't have much in the way of typical characteristics one associates with black heritage).  Now there are definitely white Hispanics- look at Christina Aguilera, for example or Charlie Sheen or many Cubans- who look exactly the same as do people from Spain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I agree with others who say this term was brought up to cause racial division. And actually I prefer using the word Latina or Latino. Because that denotes language use more than some type of ethnicity or racial identity. Anyway, I wish we would stop focusing so much on race. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I think he looks white. Whiteness is measured by ability to pass as "white" and have the privilege that comes with it. Actual ancestry doesn't necessarily have anything to do with it. Under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, all the Mexican citizens in the territory ceded to the U.S. were considered white--by extension, there was political recognition that all Mexicans are white, regardless of indigenous or other ancestry. Â Not that everyone would buy that argument. My dad was always adamant about identifying as white and Hispanic. He is of Spanish/Portuguese ancestry (Father and maternal grandparents were immigrants). Â Racial identity as white was an issue for many immigrant groups. The Irish weren't considered white at first, and the initial wave of immigrants from the Middle East could only come because they got classified as white (and Christian). Â Frankly, I think the family is trying to play down Zimmerman's whiteness now ONLY because in the present situation it's a disadvantage. It's also nonsense that being in a minority group himself means Zimmerman can't possibly be racist/have had racist motives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 ...... and what does that have to do with the price of tea in China? Â People in the US sure do identify as white or black, so I guess it is not surprising that Hispanic folks do as well. It really doesn't matter what he looks like, it matters how he chooses to identify himself. Â For what it's worth I have never heard Zimmerman referred to as 'white hispanic'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I'll put in my two cents as a former Spanish teacher and possessor of an MA in Spanish/Latin American Literature. In the U.S. we sometimes think of "hispanic" as a racial term, but it's really a cultural/ethnic term referring to someone whose origins are from the Spanish speaking parts of the Americas (although I don't think Portuguese speaking Brazilians would mind being identified as Hispanics either). The person we might traditionally think of as "hispanic" is probably a mestizo - that is, a person of mixed indigenous and european heritage. Generally, the mixing occurred many generations ago. However, Hispanics can also look totally European and totally African, even occasionally Asian. European heritage is especially common among Chileans and Argentinians, but isn't unheard of in other countries either. African heritage is especially common in the Caribbean Islands, but isn't unheard of elsewhere.  What she said.  Hispanic = speaks Spanish. Hispanics can be of any race/color, black, white, brown, et al. You could even be a Hispanic Jew if you preserved your Spanish language after the expulsion from Spain, cf. Ladino.  Latino/Chicano = People who come from Latin America/Mexico, who may or may not have a genetic tie to Central or South American indigenous peoples  U.S. Census race categories are pretty terrible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 It's also ridiculous to assume Martin could not have had racist motives just because he's black. What? Â I cannot fathom what you mean by this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 What?  I cannot fathom what you mean by this.  It was a response to the previous comment (last sentence). Neither were relevant to the topic at hand so I'm going to go back and delete mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013  People in the US sure do identify as white or black, so I guess it is not surprising that Hispanic folks do as well. It really doesn't matter what he looks like, it matters how he chooses to identify himself.   My Asian friends don't identify as white or black. Not sure if Native Americans do either.  If Zimmerman wants to call himself white, fine and dandy. But why would the media take that upon itself? There is always a motive behind every word in the media. Why on earth would they be mentioning his race, ethnicity, color, nationality, or any other characteristic he was born with?  I think it's idiotic to use the term "white" to describe a person who is darker than some African Americans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 There are no "races," other than the "human race." Â Everything else represents attempts (how ever crude) to categorize people according to very imperfect linguistic, ethnic, or cultural traits. "Hispanic" usually refers to those whose native language originated in the Iberian penunsula. This includes a broad range and mix of what we call "ethnic" groups. Â Bill 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 My Asian friends don't identify as white or black. Not sure if Native Americans do either. Â If Zimmerman wants to call himself white, fine and dandy. But why would the media take that upon itself? There is always a motive behind every word in the media. Why on earth would they be mentioning his race, ethnicity, color, nationality, or any other characteristic he was born with? Â I think it's idiotic to use the term "white" to describe a person who is darker than some African Americans. Your Asian probably friends identity as Asian. Why do you think that is? Why do Americans identify by race but scoff when Hispanics do the same? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Your Asian probably friends identity as Asian. Why do you think that is? Why do Americans identify by race but scoff when Hispanics do the same?  First of all, it is not Zimmerman who "identified" himself here, but the media. I already said that if Zimmerman wants to call himself white, fine.  Secondly, race-wise, indigenous Latin Americans are Asian; not white and not black. Ever heard of an Asian Hispanic? Me neither. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I read this phrase on CNN's website yesterday, and I'm sitting here :confused1:  Honestly, my first thought was that this was the media's attempt to make this an issue of racism by injecting "white" into the description. I mean, he's 1/2 Hispanic, correct? Is it because his dad is white that they're calling him a white Hispanic? Is Hispanic considered a race or an ethnicity? Would it make a difference if they just said GZ is Hispanic and TM was black--by "difference" I mean in terms of leveling the playing field by ascribing minority races to both of them rather than making it a black/white thing?  My friends with one Hispanic parent and one white parent typically identify themselves as white, whereas those with one black parent and one white parent call themselves black. I've never heard any of them say "white Hispanic."  Thoughts?  White is race and hispanic is ethnicity. I read somewhere that the phrase was originally coined in the 1960s, but I haven't been able to find that article again. When Trayvon Martin was shot, the media reported that Trayvon was black and George Zimmerman was white; in other words, accurately reported the race of each of them. People argued that Zimmerman isn't white, he's hispanic. So the press starting calling him white hispanic to acknowledge both his race and ethnicity, and then the conservative media jumped all over the MSM about that. I'm a conservative on most issues, but geez, what a stupid thing to make an issue of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Hispanic = speaks Spanish. Hispanics can be of any race/color, black, white, brown, et al.I had no idea 4 semesters of Spanish would turn my son Hispanic. Why do Americans identify by race but scoff when Hispanics do the same?I am not sure "Americans" do identify by "race" or scoff at Hispanics who do. I think the media does a lot of stupid crap that most American or Hispanics don't.  I'm whiter than crackers.  I don't identify as white.  I'm just an American human, tyvm.  If I identify as anything, it's Roman Catholic. But I don't speak Latin... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1bassoon Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 My dh is Portuguese - I tried and tried to find Hispanic scholarships for my eldest dd to qualify for, but we were told she didn't count as having Hispanic heritage. Is it the same for Spain? Wondering. . . . . . . . . Â But I think we can self-identify, yes? Ds is indicating White/Hispanic on his college forms. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I had no idea 4 semesters of Spanish would turn my son Hispanic. Â I am not sure "Americans" do identify by "race" or scoff at Hispanics who do. Â I think the media does a lot of stupid crap that most American or Hispanics don't. Â I'm whiter than crackers. Â I don't identify as white. Â I'm just an American human, tyvm. Â If I identify as anything, it's Roman Catholic. But I don't speak Latin... It is so nice to have the option to not identify by race and just be a plain American. A privileged, really. Â Too bad Trayvon Martin couldn't chose to not identify by race while walking home in his neighborhood with some skittles. Â George Zimmerman was not asked if he wanted to be Hispanic, either. The media found that out right quick on their own. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASDAQ Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Your Asian probably friends identity as Asian. Why do you think that is? Why do Americans identify by race but scoff when Hispanics do the same? Â Actually, I don't know anyone who identifies as "Asian" generically. They are fairly particular about the type of Asian. But if they were forced to pick between "black" or "white," they'd go with "white." Â Back to the OP: a white Hispanic would be a person who is culturally hispanic but racially appears white. It shouldn't have been used to refer to Mr. Zimmerman, because Mr. Zimmerman identifies as (and appears to be) Hispanic in the conventional sense (more of an Amerindian appearance). Â Racial categories are all basically cultural and/or imaginary, and afaik it's considered polite to defer to the person being so identified. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 It is so nice to have the option to not identify by race and just be a plain American. A privileged, really. Â Too bad Trayvon Martin couldn't chose to not identify by race while walking home in his neighborhood with some skittles. Â George Zimmerman was not asked if he wanted to be Hispanic, either. The media found that out right quick on their own. Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013  Now there are definitely white Hispanics- look at Christina Aguilera, for example or Charlie Sheen or many Cubans- who look exactly the same as do people from Spain.  In Charlie Sheen's case that's because his heritage is Spanish, not Latin American.  His ancestry is Irish and Spanish.  I seem to remember seeing an interview with his father about being Hispanic (from 'Hispania' ie the Iberian peninsula) but not counting as Hispanic.  L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
staceyobu Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I'm totally confused. Everyone identifies as either white or black? Shouldn't there be a brown option? Because most people that I would call "Hispanic" do not look white or black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Actually, I don't know anyone who identifies as "Asian" generically. They are fairly particular about the type of Asian. But if they were forced to pick between "black" or "white," they'd go with "white."  Whyever would anyone from Asia want to pick between white or black, when those terms have traditionally referred to people with roots in Europe and Africa, respectively? I think we should get rid of 'white' and use 'European-American'. With all the mixing of people from all over the world here, that's going to become less and less meaningful, as it has in Latin America (which is why I think they felt the need to come up with Hispanic/Latino/Chicano). Will North Amreicans all just be Anglos of various shades in another couple of generations? Or maybe we all, north and south, could just be Americans?  I actually know a lot of people who identify generically as "Asian". Our town has a substantial Asian minority (in my kids' classes at school they are sometimes the majority). They are mostly from China and India, and run the color gamut from as white as I am to darker than most African Americans. They all identify as "Asian". The only color reference I've heard is the throwback to 'yellow' (even though none of them are). My dds have heard the terms 'banana' and 'egg' thrown around (analogous to the AA 'oreo' term). My dd's been told she's an 'egg' by some Asians, to mean she fits in with them, as she studies hard and is in honors classes. She took it as they meant it, as a compliment not an insult, but still found it racist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 I actually know a lot of people who identify generically as "Asian". Our town has a substantial Asian minority (in my kids' classes at school they are sometimes the majority). They are mostly from China and India, and run the color gamut from as white as I am to darker than most African Americans. They all identify as "Asian". The only color reference I've heard is the throwback to 'yellow' (even though none of them are). My dds have heard the terms 'banana' and 'egg' thrown around (analogous to the AA 'oreo' term). My dd's been told she's an 'egg' by some Asians, to mean she fits in with them, as she studies hard and is in honors classes. She took it as they meant it, as a compliment not an insult, but still found it racist.  In the UK, 'Asian' is usually used to mean people who have ancestry in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh - maybe Sri Lanka too?  Other Asians are referred to by country - British Chinese, British Japanese, etc.   It's just a function of the large numbers of people with origins in the Indian subcontinent who now live in the UK.  I don't know how other Asians feel about it.  Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Michelle* Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 It's ridiculous. My mother was Central American but with lots of Caribbean island ancestry. Her family runs the gamut from white as can be to black as can be. There are immediate family members who look as if they could not possibly be blood relatives. Add in that the majority of them speak English as their first language and learn Spanish in school, despite living in an "Hispanic" country.  The mental gymnastics that the US requires in order to fit people into neat little categories is laughed at by that side of my family. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Whyever would anyone from Asia want to pick between white or black, when those terms have traditionally referred to people with roots in Europe and Africa, respectively? I think we should get rid of 'white' and use 'European-American'. With all the mixing of people from all over the world here, that's going to become less and less meaningful, as it has in Latin America (which is why I think they felt the need to come up with Hispanic/Latino/Chicano). Will North Amreicans all just be Anglos of various shades in another couple of generations? Or maybe we all, north and south, could just be Americans?  I actually know a lot of people who identify generically as "Asian". Our town has a substantial Asian minority (in my kids' classes at school they are sometimes the majority). They are mostly from China and India, and run the color gamut from as white as I am to darker than most African Americans. They all identify as "Asian". The only color reference I've heard is the throwback to 'yellow' (even though none of them are). My dds have heard the terms 'banana' and 'egg' thrown around (analogous to the AA 'oreo' term). My dd's been told she's an 'egg' by some Asians, to mean she fits in with them, as she studies hard and is in honors classes. She took it as they meant it, as a compliment not an insult, but still found it racist. Agreed, and also, whyever would anyone indigenous to North/South America want to pick between white or black, since they also have no roots in Europe or Africa? True, many of them are mixed, but even then, who decided that the "white" or "black" blood is more important than the indigenous blood? It's just as stupid as saying you can be 50+% "white" (like our President) and still be considered "black." It's just all stupid and I wish smart people would stop giving it importance. I think it just serves to legitimize racism.  As I type this, I am sitting in "Asiatown," which includes Chinese, Indian, and other businesses / cultures. Of course each identifies individually based on their individual origins, but they choose to hang together to get some big things done. As long as it's their choice, I have no beef about it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 In the UK, 'Asian' is usually used to mean people who have ancestry in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh - maybe Sri Lanka too?  Other Asians are referred to by country - British Chinese, British Japanese, etc.   It's just a function of the large numbers of people with origins in the Indian subcontinent who now live in the UK.  I don't know how other Asians feel about it.  Laura  It could also be because there has been a lot of change in the borders over there in what you describe as "Asia." Not that long ago, all of that was considered "India." Things changed when the UK gave up control over that region, which may be why it's a sensitive topic there compared to here.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 It could also be because there has been a lot of change in the borders over there in what you describe as "Asia."Â Not that long ago, all of that was considered "India."Â Things changed when the UK gave up control over that region, which may be why it's a sensitive topic there compared to here. Â Â No, I know that all those countries were 'India'. Â It was the British Raj. Â I don't think there is any sensitivity among White Britons about the break-up of the former India - it wasn't on our watch, so why would there be? Â But what I am saying is that there have been Chinese people, for example, in the British empire for over a hundred years, and some of them came to live in Britain: there have been Chinese restaurants in Britain for as long as I can remember. Â The Chinese immigrants are also Asian and British, but the term 'British-Asian' has come to mean only those from the Indian subcontinent. Â Â L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 The British refer to Indians as Asians, but I don't think Americans do. When Americans say Asian they mean the Far East or Southeast Asia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013  Ever heard of an Asian Hispanic? Me neither. Alberto Fujimori.  Also, lots of people in Venezuela (and the rest of Latin America). They're the descendants of Asian immigrants, but they've never lived anywhere else. They're just as Venezuelan as the descendants of European immigrants or Africans brought as slaves. In fact, Venezuelans don't identify themselves by racial category on government documents. They just don't ask.  There are Venezuelans from all over the place and they do not necessarily have Spanish surnames, but they're still Hispanic if they immigrate to the US. Henrique Capriles Radonski wouldn't be any less Venezuelan if his last names were flipped.  No one forces anyone to check a box identifying themselves by race or ethnicity in the US, you can refuse. As far as I know, no one checks to see if they agree with what you check, either. If you don't like the system, don't check the boxes. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 No one forces anyone to check a box identifying themselves by race or ethnicity in the US, you can refuse. As far as I know, no one checks to see if they agree with what you check, either. If you don't like the system, don't check the boxes.  I generally don't, but these questions made up the majority of the last US census. It is my understanding that if you don't fill it out, someone will come in person to gather info. No thanks to that.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murphy101 Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 Idk know that it's always optional or that it is always conveyed as optional. Â I refused to fill out the boxes when I gave birth to my kids, but the staff absolutely insisted it was required to get a birth certificate. Though none of that info is on the birth certificate. Â And I had one staffer fill it out for me when I refused. She rolled her eyes at me when I pointed out that was fraud. Â After that Dh and I started a game of reinventing ourselves. We like to check other and give obscure info. Â It's stupid. It's not like anyone is requiring genetic testing or genealogy papers. You could say anything. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted July 12, 2013 Share Posted July 12, 2013 The British refer to Indians as Asians, but I don't think Americans do. When Americans say Asian they mean the Far East or Southeast Asia. Â For some reason on the census polls, there is no separate category for Indians, there's just "Asian". Â Which is odd especially when you realize that if they're trying to categorize by "race", Indians and Chinese are completely different "races". Â Or maybe they're expecting the Indians to check "Caucasian", as the Indo-Europeans from the Caucasus populated both Europe and India and technically that's where they'd fit, even though they're not "white"? Â But then half the time the form does just say "white". Â Sigh. The whole thing is fairly silly. Â We like putting people into boxes, and they keep not fitting... Â It's partly about how people identify. Â In our town and a couple others nearby, the Asian immigrants (Chinese, Indian and other) are highly educated and wealthy. Â They identify with each other, and it's a positive association.. Â I don't think they'd lump themselves in, however, with the very large Cambodian population in a nearby city, who were mostly refugees from the killing fields, and are mostly poor, and many are in gangs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happybeachbum Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Just like you have White hispanics, Latinos etc. you also black black, asian etc. hispanics, latinos etc. Hispanic and Latino are not a race or color of people. You might want to look up black Mexicans etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 zombie thread 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted September 11, 2016 Share Posted September 11, 2016 Â And again with the zombie thread revival. This is getting old, we're not fond of folks just trolling for trouble around here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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