For many years has the American Government encouraged the use of a non-existent racial category: The "Hispanic" Race.
This is fallacious and has no basis in Anthropology, the science that studies race.
Currently, there are two meanings ascribed to this label. Linguistic (or cultural), and racial. But they are used interchangeably, creating confusion as to the term's actual meaning.
On Official Surveys such as employment applications, however, the term appears to be used in a strictly racial light. Appearing along non-cultural categories like White/Caucasian, Black/African American and Native American/Hawaiian Native and Eskimo.
Even more confusing was the relatively recent addition of the "Non-Hispanic" specifier to current racial categories.
For example: White/Caucasian is now White/Caucasian (Non-Hispanic).
This latest change reinforces the idea that Hispanic must be a race.
Since the addition of the Non-Hispanic specifier, there is no way for an individual who speaks Spanish to self-identify as White, Black or Amerindian.
But is Hispanic a RACE??
Let us review the denotation for "race"
The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines Race as a:
"Category of humankind that shares certain distinctive PHYSICAL TRAITS"
Being that race is a BIOLOGICAL CONCEPT, we cannot decide an individual's race based on language or culture!
There are no "distinctive physical characteristics" that apply to all Spanish Speakers.
Spanish Speakers are not racially homogeneous.
THEN WHY DOES MY FRIEND FROM MEXICO LOOK SO MUCH LIKE MY FRIEND FROM ECUADOR?
I will explain this as briefly as possible.
THERE ARE ONLY 4 SCIENTIFICALLY RECOGNIZED RACES IN HUMANITY:
1- Caucasoid.
2- Negroid.
3- Mongoloid.
4- Australoid.
We all belong to one of these. But there are many subtypes.
Subtypes within the "Caucasoid Race" include: Mediterranid, Nordid and Orientalid. These are just a few.
The "Mongoloid Race" has many subtypes as well. East Asian, being one of them. And Indianid (or Amerindian) being another one.
Amerindians from the U.S. or from South America, are considered "Mongoloid".
They are relatively Homogeneous because this is a RACE, unlike Hispanic.
Countries like Mexico and Ecuador are predominantly populated by Amerindian peoples.
But they are not the only ones. Nearly all Continental Central America, and a large part of South America have an "AMERINDIAN MAJORITY".
This is the reason why many people believe that "Hispanics" are homogeneous: THEY ARE SIMPLY OBSERVING SHARED PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS BETWEEN AMERINDIANS.
However, just like English speakers, Spanish speakers can be Black, especially in the Caribbean. For example, Dominican Republic.
And just like English speakers, they can be White. Especially in countries like Argentina, Chile and Brazil, where many Europeans emigrated during World War II, as well as after the fall of the Soviet Union.
The addition of the "Hispanic" Race to official surveys is a scientific travesty.
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YOU KNOW YOU'RE HISPANIC WHEN...by HeyoChris14,528 views
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