RACE and ETHNICITY

. . . are not the same thing.

Pardon me while I stand on my soapbox for a moment.

Over the past few days, I've been trying to fill out all the paper work so that I can study abroad in the spring semester. In the process I have had to check the appropriate box for my "ethnicity" several times.

You are probably familiar with the choices listed under the "ethnic" question:

-White, non-Hispanic

-African American, non-Hispanic

-Hispanic

-Asian American/Pacific Islander

-Multiracial

-Other, Please Specify _________________

. . . So many things wrong here.

Let's go through them one by one, shall we?

First off, can you tell me the only ETHNICITY listed here?

Yes, that's right, HISPANIC.

Because Hispanic is the only option--with the possible exception of "Pacific Islander"--that deals with CULTURE instead of RACE. White people can be Hispanic. Black people can be Hispanic. People of Chinese descent, raised in a Spanish-speaking country, area, or home, can be Hispanic.

Second, "white" is not an ethnicity. Not all white people are the same, not even in the US. If you want to ask me about my race, fine; I have no issue filling the bubble by white . . . but that is NOT my ethnicity. My ETHNICITY would be Southern American (notably different from South American) or Anglo-Irish-Scottish-Dutch-Franco-German-Danish-Norwegian-Polish-Russo-Brazilian American. Make me a bubble that says that.

Moving right along . . .

Next up on the chopping block? The term African American.

What SHOULD this term mean? A naturalized individual who was born in a country IN AFRICA and then applied for American citizenship at some later time in life.

What DOES this term mean? Anyone in America who is black.

So what about a white woman born in South Africa who moves to the US? Or an Arab man from Egypt?

Not black, no, but they have a more substantial claim to the term "African American" than most people who use it.

. . . Just saying.

The term Asian American is perhaps the most ridiculous as an "ethnicity" when you consider how BROAD the word "Asian" really is.

"Asian" includes Arabs, Persians, Indians, Mongols, Orientals (which itself is FAR too broad a term to accurately encompass the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, etc.), and--of course--the millions of white people in Russia. Just to name a few.

See how ridiculous that is?

So, in conclusion:

If you want to ask about race, fine. But ask about RACE (white, black, etc.).

If you want to ask about ethnicity, ask about ETHNICITY.

Or, if you want to move forward into the twenty-first century, stop asking about it all together.

Which, really, is the way I feel we should all go.