Optional Ethnicties
Why are we more likely to claim to be
from another country before claiming to be American?
People choose to claim their ethnic background to keep close to where their families orignate from. Many cultutres respect history and will hold on to it through generations no matter where they currently live at.
How much does our ethnic differences come into play during daily interactions like on a college campus?
For many people going away to college is the first time that certain groups of people may interact with each other leading to awkward encounters and potentially racism.
Is ethnicity optional for white Americans?
Richard Alba found that in later generations, white Americans in New York state mostly kept their ethnic identity for voluntary and enjoyable purposes. They did not belong to an American based organizations from their ancestral home or even marry within their own culture
Is this a symptom of how divided we are as Americans?
Ethnicity matters for non white Americans the most. Because of past laws that were racist and discriminatory, most of who we around and what experiences we have may have been predetermined before most of us were alive.