Race to the End...

So... what does "race" mean when it comes to people. And I am NOT talking about racing against one another or any form of such, although the title may imply it... but rather something like the "human race". Race is a biologically defining word used to describe groups that are inbreeding. So, if technically any human can breed with any other human, whether they be White, African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic, etc., aren't we all under one "race"?

Yes!? Who cares? Stop implying and start replying!

Let's lay out some questions to ponder about then shall we...

From a sample employee questionnaire for self identification of Race/Ethnicity, the choices are:

a. (W) Caucasian (not of Hispanic origin)
b. (B) African-American (not of Hispanic origin)
c. (A) Asian or Pacific Islander
d. (H) Hispanic
e. (I) Native American or Alaskan Native

What is that? The letters are clearly there to let you know what they imply but yet they are termed differently.

1. Why are Black people termed African-American, when very clearly in this direction of description, White people could be termed European-American?

2. What the heck is a Caucasian? I know it describes white people in general, but huh? I've never met a White person who's told me they're from Caucasia.

3. Why are Asians and Pacific Islander clumped together? My elementary schooling has taught me that Asia is the largest continent in the world that bears highly varying countries as different as Iran is to Japan. Would some one from Hawaii be classified similarly as someone from Iran?

4. Hispanic? What about Herpanic? This term not only seems ambiguous, it seems sexist as well. But really, Hispanic connotes a historical link from the dominating nation of Spain or the Iberian Peninsula. I am pretty sure that anyone from Mexico, especially a descendent of an Aztec or a Mayan, would not want to be defined as a Hispanic. That's like calling all Americans, "Hibritains" is it not?

5. Native Americans or Alaskan Native seems to be bear the least ambiguity. However, don't let the term fool you in their simple sense and history. The term "native" has had a very negative connotation in the colonial era and yeah we are in an era far from it BUT history is history and that's that. Indians can't really be used since it was coined in buffoonery. Why can't just the term American or Alaskan be used? I mean especially since every other group is being described as the other choices mentioned above.

You're making a BIG deal out of nothing! You're wasting my time! They're just used to disambiguate people of difference.

That maybe so, and I am sorry if I have wasted your time. But I just wanted to open your eyes and mind and heart to what could possibly be a dividing factor rather then a uniting one.