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Defining Race and Ethnicity

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Defining Race and Ethnicity

Chad Moon

Ethics / 125

Dr. Collins

8-22-2011

Race and Ethnicity in my terms are very similar in the way that people respond to each of them, but are actually quite different. Race is groups of minorities or majorities that are classified based solely on what physical differences are present. Some examples of race are; Hispanic or Latino, Caucasian, African American, or Asian. Each group is set apart from the rest by physical characteristics such as skin color, eye shape, or other not so noticeable cues. Different societies describe race using different characteristics than other countries, in America the black population is often characterized solely on their darker skin color or height.

When comparing my definition of race to the definition of ethnicity there is clearly a big difference between the two. Ethnicity is not how we describe people, rather how we describe the culture from which they get their heritage. We generally describe the culture from the country in which the individual has moved from. A prime example of ethnicity in the United States is the Oriental ethnic group, which is very common in almost all cities throughout America. In larger cities, because of the way America works, you can see different segregations of the cultures such as china town or one that is becoming more and more popular is the temples and places of worship of Islamic ethnicity.

The concepts of race and ethnicity are important in the United States society because it allows us to understand more about culture and the differences throughout the world. For me it allows me to recognize that regardless of skin color or culture, people from around the world have many similarities that should be understood. The different race and ethnic groups thrive in the United States because there is a built in level of tolerance for our society and

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