Eth 125 Define Race and Ethnicity Essay

It is hard to define the term race as in reference to human beings. It is often described as a subclass of a species. It is often said that different races cannot interbreed with other races within that species. This would make one believe that we do not have different races within the human species but yet every harassment and discrimination class or training I have ever had it clearly states that we are not to discriminate against different races. People often use this term to describe a person’s differences. I believe that we have been using this term incorrectly. There is only one race and that is the human race. Ethnicity is an easier term to define. I believe ethnicity is a combination of culture and genetics. It is how we should describe the differences in each other. I believe that these concepts are important to the United States society because it has always been this way. People do not like change and changing the way we classify a certain group of people is a huge step towards change. I believe this all started as a way to oppress people; a way to make one set of people feel more powerful then another. For example, when African-Americans came here, the white people asserted dominance on them based off of the color of their skin. The white man truly believed that they were better. The sad reality is that there are still some people today who feel this to be true.