Great question, BP! I am opposed to racial classifications of any type, on any forms, or any government (or any other) programs.
After all, after a few generations, when we "mix" as well as we do, what kind of racial classification can we have?
The only exceptions to this could be, imo anyway, is if both parents are for say...Switzerland....and both sets of parents before them, and all four sets of parents before them....etc back to about 10-20 generations...all from Switzerland, or Saudi Arabia, or name-the-country. Then, it's probably safe to say that the current generation are of Swiss (or whatever the country that the 10-20 generations have inhabited) descent.
But how does one determine race or culture, or much of anything else, when the parents (2), grandparents (4), great-grandparents (8), great-great-grandparents (16), etc etc...were every one of them, from a different country, and with a different set of cultural and religious backgrounds....
Unless we do a DNA test on everyone....how can the average lay person know what "racial" category someone "belongs" in....And in the end, why does it matter. |
