Should white Americans be called "Indigenous Europeans?"

[Anonymous]

I tend to refer to myself as a "Nordic-American Mutt."

[Anonymous]

At what point does an ethnicity cease to exist?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forms you fill out only have a category for white/Caucasian, not EuroAmerican. Just because I haven't been to Europe, doesn't mean I haven't been exposed to customs, foods, languages, etc from my grandparents or parents or out of my own interest in my genetic makeup, ancestry, and genealogy. That's like saying Chinese Americans shouldn't call themselves Chinese if they've never been to China. It's like having to call vanilla ice cream white or plain. White is not an absence of ancestry.

This. White is a (stupid) racial classification. All white people are not from Europe or descended entirely from Europeans. "White" is defined by the United States Census Bureau as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa." White people can also be Hispanic, which includes those of South American (by way of Europe) ancestry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do non white people think all white people look the same? You can tell by looking at White people whether they are Italian, or Irish, or whatever. You can also tell by the last name, but not always. One of the reasons I kept my last name is because I don't identify with my husband's ancestry. My last name is part of my heritage so I wanted to keep it. What about white Americans originally from Russia? They don't look Asian but they are from Asia. You can't assume all white people were from Europe. It's just easier to say white but if we want to come up with new classifications we should be able to.

Actually, most of the Russian population is from Europe. There is a wide swath of Russia on the Asian continent, but it's not heavily populated. Most Russians consider themselves to be Eastern European.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forms you fill out only have a category for white/Caucasian, not EuroAmerican. Just because I haven't been to Europe, doesn't mean I haven't been exposed to customs, foods, languages, etc from my grandparents or parents or out of my own interest in my genetic makeup, ancestry, and genealogy. That's like saying Chinese Americans shouldn't call themselves Chinese if they've never been to China. It's like having to call vanilla ice cream white or plain. White is not an absence of ancestry.

This. White is a (stupid) racial classification. All white people are not from Europe or descended entirely from Europeans. "White" is defined by the United States Census Bureau as "a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa." White people can also be Hispanic, which includes those of South American (by way of Europe) ancestry.

White reflected social reality in the US, not origin. Whether Middle Easterners belong in it is a different question.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do non white people think all white people look the same? You can tell by looking at White people whether they are Italian, or Irish, or whatever. You can also tell by the last name, but not always. One of the reasons I kept my last name is because I don't identify with my husband's ancestry. My last name is part of my heritage so I wanted to keep it. What about white Americans originally from Russia? They don't look Asian but they are from Asia. You can't assume all white people were from Europe. It's just easier to say white but if we want to come up with new classifications we should be able to.

You are confusing Russian citizenship with Russian ethnicity. Ethnic Russians are, by and large, European. However, you can be a Russian citizen and Korean by ethnicity, or Tatar, or Turkic, or Persian, or Chukchi, or Chechen, or Ossete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why is it that white Americans are the only group not allowed to describe themselves according to their ancestry, whereas there are African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, Latinos, etc. I think that's OP's point. White is an outdated term and does not describe ancestral origin.

That maybe, but OP still doesn't know the definition of "indigenous."

Ok. You're totally right. You win the award for showing that someone didn't quite use a word correctly. Good job.

No, I want the award for pointing out that the OP didn't use it correctly at all. There's no "quite" modifier business about it.

The OP didn't want to start a thoughtful discussion about what is accurate or appropriate. Seriously, OP gets the ding dong award.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing indigenous about white/pink people--to this nation. Don't be delusional. You don't land and rob people of everything they have and then call it yours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:At what point does an ethnicity cease to exist?

When you cease to identify with it.

[Anonymous]

I am fine with being called "white".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point does an ethnicity cease to exist?

When you cease to identify with it.

Well, I am Aztec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:At what point does an ethnicity cease to exist?

When you cease to identify with it.

Well, I am Aztec.

OK, you're Aztec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if you're Persian, for instance?

Persia does not exist. How can you be Persian?

It did exist and carries enough historic importance that it is still used today as a descriptor

Prussia existed, too, but people don't say they are Prussian. Or Ottoman. Or Soviet. Cmon. Say Iranian. Persian is not a place any longer.
How long ago did it exist? Seriously.

I am not going to argue with ex-Iranians that prefer to be called Persian. I know many Persian Americans. It's like Italian American now so let them define themselves as they wish. Countries like Belgium now have citizens who are not of their culture or laws. Persian Americans [Muslim or Christian] are again like Italian Americans.

I'm of the "indigenous European" stock most of which is the American Classic Mut. Spain is in Europe so WTF with Latino? German descent fr SA even get benefits without a drop of Latino.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am not going to argue with ex-Iranians that prefer to be called Persian. I know many Persian Americans. It's like Italian American now so let them define themselves as they wish. Countries like Belgium now have citizens who are not of their culture or laws. Persian Americans [Muslim or Christian] are again like Italian Americans.

I'm of the "indigenous European" stock most of which is the American Classic Mut. Spain is in Europe so WTF with Latino? German descent fr SA even get benefits without a drop of Latino.

Huh? They are from South America. That makes them Latino. Or do you think that merely being from South America is insufficient, and you also have to be brown? Alberto Fujimori and Eva Person were not Latino? Pope Francis is not Latino?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I am not going to argue with ex-Iranians that prefer to be called Persian. I know many Persian Americans. It's like Italian American now so let them define themselves as they wish. Countries like Belgium now have citizens who are not of their culture or laws. Persian Americans [Muslim or Christian] are again like Italian Americans.

I'm of the "indigenous European" stock most of which is the American Classic Mut. Spain is in Europe so WTF with Latino? German descent fr SA even get benefits without a drop of Latino.

Belgium is a funny example to use here, since there is no such thing as Belgian ethnicity. Just ask the Flemings and the Walloons.