American Ethnicity - Is it possible to be ethnically American?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not talking about Nationality, but ethnicity. Wiki reports that most of those who claim American ethnicity are actually of Scots-Irish or English ancestry ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_ethnicity) but of course Wikipedia is not the most reliable source.

Which America?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don't think so, unless you're referring to Native American ancestry. Everyone else is a descendent of an immigrant and their ethnicity comes from elsewhere.

Where did the Native Americans come from?

Are you referring to American Indians?

Native American is a politically incorrect term to use when referring to the First People.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"My ancestors are English, and French, and Scottish, and Dutch, but they've all been here long enough that none of the original traditions remain."

Do you speak English, moron?

Language is not a tradition.

DP here. Tell that to the Arabs - language is central to their ethnicity.

No it is not. It is central to their cultural identity. Ethnicity vs. Culture is a matter of Biology vs. Cultural Anthropology. A lot of posters here don't seem to get that distinction.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I honestly don't think so, unless you're referring to Native American ancestry. Everyone else is a descendent of an immigrant and their ethnicity comes from elsewhere.

Where did the Native Americans come from?

Are you referring to American Indians?

Native American is a politically incorrect term to use when referring to the First People.

Yeah? Good to know. What's it gonna be next week?

[Anonymous]

I think any native american or amerindian anywhere in the americas canada or alaska qualifies as having american ethnicity. European mutts or whatever havent been here that long and cheated the indians for their land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ethnicity IS culture, though.

(What else do people think it could be?)

No, you're wrong. Culture is a subset of ethnicity, but ethnicity incorporates not only culture, but shared history and ancestry. I think there is a general American culture, plus regional cultures as someone mentioned (American south, Cajon/Creole, Midwestern, New England, West Coast, etc), but there is not American ancestry. With European and African ancestry ranging back to before this became a nation, plus Asian ancestry added about halfway through our young history, there is no single unifying ancestry and history. This nation was founded on a concept of the great American melting pot where we mixed many ancestries, cultures and social customs into one very diverse and oft-times fluid culture so that we do not have a standard ethnicity that you can label as distinctly American.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This question is bizarre and really reaching.

It seems like many people who have ancestors that immigrated here but do not have any connection with their ancestry now, want a way to validate themselves.
An official "new" title, clean slate and all.

Would this apply to the Chinese immigrants that immigrated in the 1800s? Would you be okay with them labeling themselves as ethnically American? What about the Indians (South Asian) that immigrated here over 100 years ago?

Or would this only apply to those that are of European ancestry, aka white skin, but it's too inconvenient to remember from which countries?

Would you be the same ethnicity as Mexicans and Canadians?

What if a white skinned American whose ancestors came here long ago married a first generation or second generation person of any ancestry? What would the child be?

Is this stemming from feelings of inadequacy? I recall from the "Miss America" thread some were upset saying that the winner was not American or American enough. But she was born here so is American. But now would it be a question of whether she is "ethnically American" or not??

Seems like seeking for an "ethnic American" definition is looking for a reason to feel superior against other Americans that you deem not American enough for your liking. This would open up all kinds of new ways to discriminate.... is that what your going for?

+1000

This nation is unique in it's formation and it's still in it's infancy compared to most other cultures around the world. Give it another 500-800 years and it will have a more solid form of it's identity and it's 'ethnicity'.

Maybe longer given that the nexus of this country was and is immigrants.

[Anonymous]

I am ethnically American. Happy now?

[Anonymous]

People whose ancestors have been here a long time and who are too lazy or disinterested to research their genealogy call themselves American. I think it's kind of ignorant to not know or care where you came from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People whose ancestors have been here a long time and who are too lazy or disinterested to research their genealogy call themselves American. I think it's kind of ignorant to not know or care where you came from.

How far back? I guess I am lazy if I choose not to go back before 1600.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Even the native americans came from somewhere else first.

But, we ALL came from somewhere else.... Human history is a history of migration. We're all African.

I guess the question is, how long does it take for a population to acquire its own ethnic identity? Not sure that's even possible nowadays because, what population evolves in isolation, giving a distinct ethnicity an opportunity to develop?

Wow! Meryl Streep posts on DCUM . . . .wonder if she lives in McLean . . . or Arlington . . . in a Shit Shack, maybe?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Even the native americans came from somewhere else first.

But, we ALL came from somewhere else.... Human history is a history of migration. We're all African.

I guess the question is, how long does it take for a population to acquire its own ethnic identity? Not sure that's even possible nowadays because, what population evolves in isolation, giving a distinct ethnicity an opportunity to develop?

How can I (blond, blue eyes) claim that I am Africa?

If the human race started in African can I claim total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa on my DD's college application for affirmation action?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People whose ancestors have been here a long time and who are too lazy or disinterested to research their genealogy call themselves American. I think it's kind of ignorant to not know or care where you came from.

How far back? I guess I am lazy if I choose not to go back before 1600.

You are native American, then.

[Anonymous]

My ancestors came here from England in the 1600s. Up until my parents' generation, they tended to marry other people from the same background and stay put in New England.

I get a lot of people telling me I have no culture or ethnicity because I'm not a hyphenated American. But hey, I have chowdah and Indian pudding and a set of frugal, individualistic stoic WASPs who are my people. We're neither the default Americans nor beige people without culture. Just one of the many sub-groups.

I married someone from an Asian country. To that side of the family, I'm the token American--you know, apple-pie loving, too independent from family, brash and childish, too friendly, too egalitarian, too open, lazy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. Even the native americans came from somewhere else first.

But, we ALL came from somewhere else.... Human history is a history of migration. We're all African.

I guess the question is, how long does it take for a population to acquire its own ethnic identity? Not sure that's even possible nowadays because, what population evolves in isolation, giving a distinct ethnicity an opportunity to develop?

How can I (blond, blue eyes) claim that I am Africa?

If the human race started in African can I claim total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa on my DD's college application for affirmation action?

Please go die in a hot fire with the whore you raised.