Fotoartist wrote:
In Europe we find this US obsession with national roots wierd

No. I rather envy Americans for their relaxed as well as proud approach to their national and genetic heritage.

And this thread restores my belief that the United States are indeed a melting pot.

We are all mongrels and mixed race for 2 to 3 thousand years.

That's true but the Americans have made a social concept out of this. (Regardless all obstacles on this way.) That makes the difference.

Purity of breeding by the way is a step on the way to incest and incest is a step on the way to genetic degeneration...

Elisa 1 wrote:
I am one of those people who don't approve of ethnicity queries.
It exists only for bad reasons: either to gather data that could be used against people or for pathetic politically motivated bureaucracies to make out they are giving equality of opportunity.

Whatever I achieve in life I want it to be not because of or in spite of my ethnicity or sexuality.
What is more important is cultural prejudice. America can elect a black president and the UK can elect a female PM. Obama is not working class from the Bronx or Moslem; Thatcher wasn't born on a run down council estate and she didn't wear thigh boots and fishnets. Ethnicity doesn't matter and can be a mask for lack of social mobility and prejudice against classes and cultures.

I am from a heavily persecuted minority originally. I haven't a chip on my shoulder about it and I was born to normal working class parents. But I did have to struggle a little against the middle class cultural idea of deferred gratification that schools take for granted. I know also the hate against the ethnic group to which I belong and I don't want any left wingers down the line claiming they have engineered social mobility because I was given some kind of bullshit positive discrimination. Discrimination is as likely to be cultural or class based or the school you went to and I think it better not to divulge any of it to the bureaucratic leeches of those in power.

I strongly disagree. Ethnicity has always interested me. I am particularly fond of mixes with Asian in them, and I often fantasize about "unusual" mixes. Ethnicity gives a person physical character. Personally, I am German, English, Irish, and Native American, in that order. My girlfriend is Thai. I have NO bad intentions in my interest in ethnicity, it is just very fascinating to me, and always has been. I think an AVERSION to this discussion shows some kind of guilt. ! (being neutral to it is, most likely, OK).
-Don
EDIT : Please continue this thread !

Don Garrett wrote:

I strongly disagree. Ethnicity has always interested me. I am particularly fond mixes with Asian in them, and I often fantasize about "unusual" mixes. Ethnicity gives a person physical character. Personally, I am German, English, Irish, and Native American, in that order. My girlfriend is Thai. I have NO bad intentions in my interest in ethnicity, it is just very fascinating to me, and always has been. I think an AVERSION to this discussion shows some kind of guilt. ! (being neutral to it is, most likely, OK).
-Don
EDIT : Please continue this thread !

I wonder about people's national heritage (since it isn't always about ethnic groups) because it influences who they are.  I believe that people in the United States should be American first because we are stronger and more peaceful if we identify with each other, rather than accenting the differences.  I do not know the language or customs of my ancestor's old country.  As far as I know, my ancestor's have been here for generations. Some since the founding era.  The last one I know that came over was my father's grandfather.  I don't know anything about his wife.  They aren't buried together.  ( I saw his headstone for the first time just this year.  That was interesting.)

Anyway, ....  There is no culture or ethnic group that has a lock on the beauty genes.  Beauty is beauty, and skin, hair and eye color shouldn't be relevant beyond a personal preference.  Most important is spirit and how a person treats others.  Those things override beauty.  Mean people suck.  No matter how good they look.

Hunter  GWPB wrote:
I wonder about people's national heritage (since it isn't always about ethnic groups) because it influences who they are.  I believe that people in the United States should be American first because we are stronger and more peaceful if we identify with each other, rather than accenting the differences.  I do not know the language or customs of my ancestor's old country.  As far as I know, my ancestor's have been here for generations. Some since the founding era.  The last one I know that came over was my father's grandfather.  I don't know anything about his wife.  They aren't buried together.  ( I saw his headstone for the first time just this year.  That was interesting.)

Anyway, ....  There is no culture or ethnic group that has a lock on the beauty genes.  Beauty is beauty, and skin, hair and eye color shouldn't be relevant beyond a personal preference.  Most important is spirit and how a person treats others.  Those things override beauty.  Mean people suck.  No matter how good they look.

I feel we SHOULD be "stronger, and more peaceful" WHILE accentuating the differences, but, then, I guess I am just idealistic.
-Don
EDIT: Who said: "Variety is the spice of life" - it applies.

P I X I E wrote:
Irish/Scottish/French

So I started going through my family tree deeper, and it's French/Scottish/English, possibly Irish since 40% of the Quebec population has Irish blood.

Jules NYC wrote:
1/2 Northern Italian
1/4 German
1/4 Polish

Why did you say Northern Italian and not just Italian?

George Anchev wrote:
I am Martian.

When she was 3 my daughter always used to say she was from Mars. So perhaps you were neighbors

Risen Phoenix Photo wrote:
Why did you say Northern Italian and not just Italian?

I can answer that ! Northern Italians are more often blond, and fair skinned, and southern Italians are more often dark. Also, the southern part of Italy tends to lag behind the northern part in literacy, economic advancement, and attracting outside investment. (the last sentence is from google). Also from google : Anti-southern Italy sentiment runs deep, especially in northern Italy.
-Don

Jay Dezelic wrote:
Earthling. Same as the rest of you.

Our most recent common ancestor lived only about 20,000 years ago--a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things.

Earthling isn't an ethnicity. Human would've have been a better response as it would've made the distinction between species on Earth which could technically be seen as "ethnicities" of Earth. Also the most recent common male ancestor of modern day humans emerged 209,000 years ago. ;-)

Jay Dezelic wrote:
Earthling. Same as the rest of you.

Our most recent common ancestor lived only about 20,000 years ago--a blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things.

eh not quite but I assume u missed a 0. Homo sapiens have been around as long as 200 000 years. By 20 000 yrs ago we were basically all over the world and had developed a few tools.  Paleolithic period or something was underway

Don Garrett wrote:

I can answer that ! Northern Italians are more often blond, and fair skinned, and southern Italians are more often dark. Also, the southern part of Italy tends to lag behind the northern part in literacy, economic advancement, and attracting outside investment. (the last sentence is from google). Also from google : Anti-southern Italy sentiment runs deep, especially in northern Italy.
-Don

Thats interesting I wonder why that is