CC Italian wrote:I know it is a generalizing term. I love it when I go to fill out some government form and it says white non Hispanic. On my birth certificate it lists me as being from Hispanic descent being that my father is a 1/3 Puerto Rican(3/8 really) but my skin is as white as can be. I am mostly Italian American which is considered white according to the government today but just 40-50 years ago Italian, Greek, Spanish, basically anyone of southern European descent was not considered white. Go check its true! They were listed as other races. When people ask me if I am Italian (my last name is very Italian) I joke and say no I am an American with an Italian last name. But when I fill out a form I must be white non Hispanic, Hispanic, African American, Native American, Asian/ Pacific Islander etc. My point is that so many of us now days are mixed race and if you look at the kids now days many don't even know what race or country of origin their families originally came from unless they are second or third generation. Does it really matter! Not imo. Most of us have culturally assimilated into American society for the most part. I was just saying what I have heard from many people over the last few months. If you don't like African American you can use whatever you like. My friends of darker complexion tell me that Black American is what is becoming popular but they don't really have a preference.What is an African american? That term is so ridiculous.
Edit: Puerto Rican is really just a nationality that speaks Spanish. So I have no idea on that side. Puerto Ricans are European, African and of Native American (Caribbean Native) descent so I am a mutt. Got a headache yet!
no Puerto Rican is not a nationality, it is a territory of the united states, the people born there are US citizens and are allowed to vote, however Puerto Rico does not have a senator or representatives, it has a territorial governor that is assigned to the senate and House, much like the marshall Islands and Guam and the Mariana Islands.
Now to make it worse, hispanic is not a race, its an ethnicity same as being Irish or Scotts or German, those are also nationalities if your born there but Hispanic is NEVER a nationality. Also there is no person that is born in the US that is African American period. I am not sure that those from europe were listed as other, I think some were as in the example of greeks, they are considered to be of the yellow or asian race much like those from Iraq or Iran even though the skin of many of them is chalk white. The race Classification is decided by Anthropologists (mostly) unless the emperor Obama makes more Imperial Edicts to change things again.