Help! N-400 part 5 e race?

M

Mraztek

Registered Users (C)
HI GUYS.

IM MEXICAN, I ALREADY SELECTED YES ON THE QUESTION ARE U HISPANIC OR LATINO!

BUTT HE NEXT QUESTION IS IF IM WHITE, ASIAN, BLACK OR AFRICA AMERICAN, AMERICAN INDIAN OR ALASKA NATIVE, NATIVE HAWAIIAN OR OTHER PACIFIC ISLANDER.

WHAT SHOULD i choose? its the only question im missing to answer, should i say im white?

im 100% mexican not mix.
 
If you are 100% Mexican than you are not 100% anything in particular when it comes to "race" (which I feel is an outdated concept that has been terribly bastardized from its roots in Anthroplogy---race is a concept derived from a German anthroplogist's work where he used the german word for "type" rasse in describing human skelatal remains.) Some Mexicans are descended from the Spanish colonists and are European--causacian. Some Mexicans are of mostly indigenous ancestry = Native American while others are "mixed" or mestizo. Mexican is a nationality and a culture but it is not a race.

Mestizo is a term traditionally used in Latin America and Spain for people of mixed European and Native American heritage or descent. The term originated as a racial category in the Casta system that was in use during the Spanish empire's control of their American colonies; it was used to describe those who had one European-born parent and one who was member of an indigenous American population. In the Casta system mestizos had fewer rights than European born persons called "Peninsular", and "Criollos" who were persons born in the New World of two European-born parents, but more rights than "Indios" and "Negros".

During the colonial period, mestizos quickly became the majority group in much of what is today Latin America, and when the colonies started achieving independence from Spain, the mestizo group often became dominant. In some Latin American countries, such as Mexico, the concept of the "mestizo" became central to the formation of a new independent identity that was neither wholly Spanish nor wholly indigenous and the word mestizo acquired its current double meaning of mixed cultural heritage and actual racial descent.

In the United States, "La Raza" is sometimes used to denote people of Chicano and mestizo descent as well as other Latin American mestizos who share Native American heritage. The term is rarely inclusive of entirely European or African descended Hispanic peoples.

In the Spanish language the term La Raza translates to "the people."
 
BigJoe5 said:
If you are 100% Mexican than you are . . . "
Click to expand...

What an excellent write-up! I was almost expecting a bibliography at the end of it. ;-)

This is knowledge that all contemporary Americans should have I think. Thank you for the post.
 
Race from the biological or genetic point of view does not exist, it is entirely a fabricated concept based on appearance and cultural bias. Now, the US government insists that we classify ourselves in a category that reflects the color of our skin. In some cases this is not so easy to answer, so if you feel you look white, just check "white", if you look like a native American check "American Indian" etc, if you are 100% Mexican, you should probably check "white" and "Black" and "American Indian". If you come from some area in Latin America with heavy middle eastern and Asian immigrants, then in addition to all that, you should also check "Asian". Finally according to Paul Rivet's work, if you come from south America, and have native ancestors, you should probably check "Pacific Islander" as well.
 
JMG1010 said:
Race from the biological or genetic point of view does not exist, it is entirely a fabricated concept based on appearance and cultural bias. Now, the US government insists that we classify ourselves in a category that reflects the color of our skin. In some cases this is not so easy to answer, so if you feel you look white, just check "white", if you look like a native American check "American Indian" etc, if you are 100% Mexican, you should probably check "white" and "Black" and "American Indian". If you come from some area in Latin America with heavy middle eastern and Asian immigrants, then in addition to all that, you should also check "Asian". Finally according to Paul Rivet's work, if you come from south America, and have native ancestors, you should probably check "Pacific Islander" as well.
Click to expand...

LOL! Not only is this forum chock full of useful information, it is entertaining reading as well. Thank you for that post. :)
 
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