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  1. #1
    Senior Member MontereySherry's Avatar
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    Why did Americans become hyphenated?

    I have watched over the years as different groups of Americans have got away from simply being Americans. This has hurt and bothered me. I don't like labels and I think it is simply a method of dividing Americans and pitting us against each other.

    While looking up race and racism I came across some information that to me explains where this labeling comes from. The Census for the year 2000. Race was asked differently in the Census 2000 in several other ways than previously.

    The following definitions apply to the 2000 census only.

    "White. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish."

    "Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as 'Black, African Am., or Negro,' or provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian.

    "American Indian and Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment."

    "Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian, Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," and "Other Asian."

    "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as "Native Hawaiian," "Guamanian or Chamorro," "Samoan," and "Other Pacific Islander."

    "Some other race. Includes all other responses not included in the "White", "Black or African American", "American Indian and Alaska Native", "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" race categories described above. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, We-Sort, or a Hispanic/Latino group (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) in the "Some other race" category are included here."

    "Two or more races. People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses."

    The Federal government of the United States has mandated that "in data collection and presentation, federal agencies are required to use a minimum of two ethnicities: "Hispanic or Latino" and "Not Hispanic or Latino."

    The Census Bureau defines "Hispanic or Latino" as "a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race

    Use of the word ethnicity for Hispanicity only is considerably more restricted than its conventional meaning, which covers other distinctions, some of which are covered by the "race" and "ancestry" questions. The distinct questions accommodate the possibility of Hispanic and Latino Americans' also declaring various racial identities (see also White Hispanic and Latino Americans, Asian Latinos, and Black Hispanic and Latino Americans).

    In the 2000 Census, 12.5% of the US population reported "Hispanic or Latino" ethnicity and 87.5% reported "Not-Hispanic or Latino" ethnicity
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  2. #2
    Senior Member bigtex's Avatar
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    Yes, our good old US Census Bureau got this started. How ever, most federal and state governmental bureaus continue using ethnic division while they preach that we are all equal.

    While I checked in the hospital Wednesday morning to have knee surgery I had to fill out a state medical for asking question about my race. The black woman who gave it to me was embarrassed when a white, anglo said "what difference does it matter what ethnicity I am?" Doesn't the surgeon cut you just the same regardless? Is there a discount for certain ethnicity?

    This is why we still have race issues. While people have learned for the most part to get along, our main stream media, governments and special interest groups keep dividing us with one hand and telling us we are equal with the other.
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  3. #3
    Senior Member sarum's Avatar
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    While China was having their Cultural Revolution the U.S. was also having a cultural revolution although we did not call it that. Many of the causes of that time were just and I agree with them especially equal rights under the law for women and minorities. I thought that was when the hyphenation began.

    Anybody who believes that their group has been singled out for mistreatment by the white male majority has hyphenated themselves in an effort to secure special favors in terms of employment, promotion on the job, or just to be able to scream discrimination if they fear prejudice from say, a medical doctor. It is part of our victim culture which has gone out of control.

    We have agreed with our governments' attempt so legislate fairness, correct past wrongs and apportion funds according to need, which is still often based on demographics however most have also agreed that this system no longer serves us and creates new areas of unaddressed needs. Also, because in this day and age we have so few oversights that much criminality occurs and those that already have siphon the funds for their own purpose and not in compliance with the law or the original intent. (Was just reading about all the documented criminality and mis-use of the government's weatherization program which was intended for needy people.) In my area it was only for people who could afford it apparently - by purchasing new home appliances.

    So I have been wondering if the same forces that were behind China's Cultural Revolution were also behind the U.S. cultural revolution. Regardless, most of us agree that it no longer works for us and we need to come up with and agree on a better solution. We need to put the hyphenation as passe', tired and useless, unpatriotic without becoming fascistic ourselves. In this time of economic hardship it would be much easier to do since we are now mostly all in the same boat and the divisions are not so much racial and ethnic (except for this Mexican thing) but class warfare that feels like government and corporate warfare on the people. Groups like the NAACP I think have become short-sighted by joining with the Mexican illegals. They certainly have made an unpatriotic decision, obviously fueled by some Marxist ideology but it could just be that they think they are going with the winning side and trying to heal divisions amongst the two communities whilst keeping that convenient white boogeyman as the enemy. The enemy is an equal opportunity racist and a race war keeps the focus off the class war until possibly too late to correct.
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