Race, Ethnicity, And Nationality; Is There A Difference?

Discussion in 'History & Geography' started by Faye Fox, Sep 10, 2019.

  1. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Posting for educational purposes only.

    Do you think there is a difference between ethnicity, race, and nationality? Why? Please explain from personal experience.

    I do think there is a difference and offer the following personal experiences. I don’t care about opinions based on politics or religion or biased history. I do care about personal firsthand experience.

    By race (family history and DNA) I am 70% light skinned European, 20% American Indian, 10% European Sinti. Race judged by physical appearance finds me 100% Caucasian.

    By Nationality I am USA American.

    Now ethnicity is a tough one because living in a multicultural nation and having neighbors of many races my entire life, I developed interest in many cultures. Some of my ways were passed down by family from cultural practices practiced by indigenous relatives, such as going on a fast and a 3 day mountain journey (similar to a vision quest). Other ways were passed down by the Sinti side and can be traced to their Hindu origins many hundreds of years ago. An example is I was taught by one Grandmother to never let anyone sit on a bed where your face goes. If anyone sits on your pillow it is destroyed. Then all sides passed down ways of cooking, dressing, etc. Much of my love of music and art was passed down from family and friends over the years. My love of the Delta blues and Spanish music of all kinds, came from friendly neighbors.

    I hate football, don’t care much for baseball, or other big time sports, not a fan of apple pie, or country music, but stand for the American flag and honor veterans. I love my country and proud of my heritage.

    I would have never experienced any racial hatred had I kept my mouth shut, but as a child when the teacher talked about American Indians and I proudly said my Great Grandfather was mostly American Indian and brought a photo the next day of my Great Great Grandmother 100% American Indian, I became a dirty Indian and not to be friended. One very dark skinned girl became my best and only friend.

    Again in High School while discussing the Holocaust, I told of my Great grandmothers relatives that remained in Germany and were shot by the SS among the first murdered. I became a crooked Jew to several. When I later made the point that they were not Jews, but Sinti (what Hitler called Gypsies) then I became a thieving dirty gypsy. Insults about looking in my crystal ball, etc. People still don’t know that the Romani (Sinti and Roma) are nothing like the Hollywood stereotype, based on hate and ignorance. You may have a neighbor next door that is Romani, a doctor or scientist, musician, soldier, etc., but they will never say because of this ignorance and hate.

    I hope this brings understanding of race judged by physical appearance, ethnicity, and nationality.
     
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  2. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Faye Fox Your OP question brought back the memory that both my nephews, 4 years apart, wrestled in high school. Their school was not very racially mixed, mainly white Caucasian. But, town just north of theirs, Melrose Park, IL, (they lived in Brookfield) had considerable Black population. They both swore, as did all their team-mates, that the Black guys' body odor was much more foul than Whites'.

    Not the sort of response you expected, I'm sure, but all I could come up with. Think it was true?
    Frank
     
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  3. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    I had to take a breather after reading this because it upset me terribly. It has nothing to do with my post, but I decided to answer because maybe this could be a learning experience for those with prejudice. So disappointed in you Frank that you cannot figure this out. I know from personal experience in high school in the 60's that "black" athletics I knew, literally live across the railroad tracks from everyone else. They lived in plywood shacks covered with tar paper. NO PLUMBING! It was late 60's before most schools allowed them to shower after practice or a game and most times they had to bring their own soap. Think about it! Weekends and summer no place to bath other than snake infested dirty ponds. Not allowed in public swimming or YMCA, etc. Maybe in your area these kids come from the projects where bathing isn't as simple as it is for other kids. Maybe it doesn't even work and landlords could care less. Body odor used to be a stereotype of the Gypsies of Andalusia, Spain. Of course they smelled because they had no place to bath. Any human with no place to bath will smell! Occasional limited bathing helps but not the same as regular bathing. I am still so upset you would think skin color and ethnic background has anything to do with body odor. I was first very angry and had some choice words for you, but now just tears on my face. So so disappointed. Just unbelievable that such ignorance exist. This may be my last post on this forum. Upset that's all!
     
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  4. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Have to agree with Faye - surprised at your post Frank, seems pointless to me
    No point posting for the sake of it, to quote you ……….. 'all I could come up with'
     
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  5. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    It took me some time to think of an answer to the question because the answer is the question. By pure merit that ethnicity, race and nationality have three distinct definitions, the question becomes the answer.
    In the following post, it’s more apparent that the question is more about prejudice between those factors than about the factors themselves.

    Everyone is different than the person next to them whether it is where they are from, their skin color, religion, culture or even how they chew their food.
    Within those same differences we have individual traits such as latent tribal instincts, intelligence levels and education.
    Then there are the environment issues which bridge the early-on education in home life versus the social life of an individual.
    When we weed all that out, we also have the caste system even here in the U.S. whereby one is judged as to which social level one has not only been brought into the world with but which level of society one has risen (or not) to.

    Now, since we’ve narrowed things down a bit as to what the thread is about I’d say yes, it has been my experience that there is a lot of prejudice in this world regarding whole races, cultures and nationalities. Is it right to do so? No.
    If we look at each individual we come in contact and focus on that person rather than the whole of his nationality, race or culture we’d all be much better for it.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 11, 2019
  6. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Wouldn't that be great
     
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  7. Hedi Mitchell

    Hedi Mitchell Supreme Member
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    Race...
    Is physical appeareance
    Nationality..
    is orgin of country
    Enough said !
     
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  8. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    If we take out the bathing properties, the darker the skin a person has, the chances are of sweating more. Sweat is not only a cooling device but also carries with it many toxins which also contain those contaminants within our diet.
    Alcohol and garlic are two items that are very distinct smells on one who enjoys them in his or her diet. The more sweat, the more smell.

    In Vietnam, a machine mounted on a UH1-D helicopter could accurately detect Vietcong on the ground. It was called a “sniffer” and detected the differences in sweat.

    So, staying within the parameters of the OP, yes, the smells of sweat and how much a person sweats can be different within cultural and racial differences.

    It’s science, not opinion.
     
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  9. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Bobby, It isn't science but in fact opinion of those writing the articles you must have read. In the same exact enviroment at the same time sweating has nothing to do with skin pigment. NOTHING! And odor from sweat has nothing, nothing at all to do with race. Read articles written by doctors for current medical text. To do a study it must be controlled. Things such as same enviroment and bathing the same way over a period of time and the results will show there is no difference, none! Smokers smell like smoke and skin pigment isn't a factor. It may take a long time after one quits smoking before they stop stinking. That is environmental. Heavy drinkers have an odor, race makes no different. Most nursing homes smell regardless of the race of residents, ever wonder why? Scientist have noted light skinned people visiting Africa, sweat more heavy on their palms while in Africa. Do they smell more than the darker folks with drier palms, NO! Do the Africans smell more because of race DNA, NO! Please read documented medical text that have long addressed this subject. The text that medical schools use. Trying to justify prejudice with such nonsense, claiming it is science, is counter productive and shameful.
     
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  10. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    The darker the color the more heat is absorbed thus more sweat is needed to cool the body........science......

    So far as the smell goes, I’m in the gym everyday and workout with other bodybuilders and we can even tell what certain types of supplements each other uses by the smell of each other’s sweat.

    As far as shameful goes, you need to quit being so offended FOR other people. They can be offended all by themselves without your help.
    Doing so might just help you with your own temperament........

    Edit: Everyone is different within every ethnic group. All body chemistries are the same yet all metabolisms within each individual is not.
     
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    Last edited: Sep 11, 2019
  11. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    As far as I can remember I learned what about race, ethnicity, and nationality from reading and experience through living. There 'is' a difference between the three. I have no doubt in my mind of understanding each one ... but I don't ask anyone to confirm 'which'.

    I do understand one can be curious enough to ask - nothing wrong or offensive with it either - to me anyway but to someone else it may be even to the person who is being asked. I imagine how the census takers handled that back in the day here in the USA it couldn't have been an easy job.
     
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  12. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    Where anyone can read that I am offended for other people, is beyond me. I am offended because post are made in good faith and then someone has to post something to change the direction and good will of the post. Anyone that might want to share something of good will sure won't when people hijack the thread and make ignorant statements and then claim them to be science. Accepted medical science proven by test and studies tell us the following:

    Dark pigmented skin absorbs around 35% more sunlight than light pigmented skin, however dark skin does not increase the body’s internal heat intake, even in conditions of intense sun.

    I won't discuss this any further and if no one cares to post something constructive and ON TOPIC and to the general good will of the forum, please find another thread to hijack and another poster to talk down too.
     
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  13. Faye Fox

    Faye Fox Veteran Member
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    @Von Jones Finally a wonderful post and much appreciated. My Great Grandpa was mostly American Indian but he always made the census taker put down"white" because after having to leave his home and spend several years on a reservation for the safety of his family, he decided best to not be on record as "Indian". My grandma always had difficulty explaining why she was born on an Indian reservation. Since my Great GP was a rancher he told people it was just a suntan. Yes, census taking must have been hard then, because many were immigrants and knew little English. Family names started to be spelled different because the census take could only guess how to spell such names. Thank you for steering this back on topic.
     
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  14. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    My first post was simple and to the point and the very first paragraph contended the same as Von. You came out with a vengeance and hijacked your own thread which I did indeed counter debate. Most assuredly, if dietary conditions are not allowed then by your own standards the comment about no showers and tarpaper houses have no business in your own thread either.
    I am not nor was offended by being told to be ashamed yet somehow you have found it difficult to take my response with anything less than hostility toward this gentleman.

    This thread seems to me to be an extension of the “fake outrage” statement you made on another thread and I recognize that and to me, I stayed strictly on point without denying that your intent was placed in any way for “good will”. You made your opening statement based on experience and I made mine based on experience, life and study.

    Do Note: If you stick around, you’ll find that I write directly to a person. Human to human and if you feel as though I am talking down to you it’s because of your own feeling of insecurity. I do not feel superior to anyone but in a world full of billions of people with different cultures, beliefs and skin color, there’s always a chance that it might happen some day and then and only then is when I will be ashamed.
     
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  15. Lon Tanner

    Lon Tanner Supreme Member
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    YES there is a difference because the dictionary definition of each is different.
     
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