Race and Ethnicity

Race is societies' way of classifying the many different people we have on Earth. In the United States there are diverse amounts of races and ethnic groups, making many common racial classifications. Whether it be Asian, Caucasian, or African, people in The United States most likely refer to groups of people using these classifications as a generalization. How can one label another with a certain race or ethnicity? From a persons facial features, to a persons lifestyle and beliefs, or even cultural backgrounds and heritage. There are multiple different factors that people use to label others in a certain race or ethnic group. Between different countries, racial categorization is universal up to a certain extent. The skin color and facial structure of a person is a universal method used to racially categorize others. Within different countries the classifications may get more complex due to very slight differences between lifestyles and beliefs. For instance, in Italy the classification system is a little more than just being Italian. The people located in the southern islands of Italy are considered Sicilians, while the people who live in Rome are considered Romans. This is true with Hispanic and Asain cultures as they take pride in their individual ethnicity such as being Ecuadorian or Korean rather than being generalized by race as Latino or Asian.

Although race and ethnicity are used hand in hand, they have one major difference. Race is used as a simple generalization of the human race, while ethnicity is the more descriptive generalization of certain races. For example There could be a white man walking down the street, easier to recognize under that classification over guessing his ethnicity which could be Irish or a Latino. I believe that I would be classified as a white male for race due to my skin color and hair texture. As for my ethnicity I would fall under the category as an Italian, due to my cultural background and heritage.

Majority of people I have conversed with in my life have been easily able to guess, what I believed classified, my race. When it came down to my people of my ethnic background, I have trouble identifying them. I have been mistaken for a Latino before. When I ask others why they thought I was Latino, most of the people said it was my mustache I had been growing, a characteristic commonly associated with Latinos. In understanding race/ethnicity is important to learn about the different types of races/ethnicity.

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