I agree with both of these posts. A friend of mine was in the Marines and was stationed in Germany for two years, and he said the same thing. However, he did say he didn't see the color barrier like he sees it over here. It's not going to be a perfect country, but I think we will be moving in the right direction by getting rid of the "African American", "Asian American", "Native American" etc... on the legal forms/placement exams etc....

There's definately a color barrier there. It's just hidden better and they just don't talk about it. It's more open and freely discussed in the US. Just ask anybody from Turkey about the color barriers.

Technically, the color barrier is everywhere, but here it's taken to another level. I'll use Russia as an example. Over there, especially when it was the Soviet Union, it was more status based. I have a friend who lived there when it was the USSR changed over to just Russia. He said it was a drastic change, but he didn't see a color issue because it just wasn't there. I'm sure if it would have they would probably have the same problem. Here, I believe it's taken further though. I'm sure Turkey is like that also, I know India is. Nothern Indians have a lighter complexion than Southern Indian, or the other way around. I keep forgetting. But I know there is a big color barrier there. In the U.S. there are too many labels.

The selective observations of a Marine stationed in Germany for two years mean absolutely nothing. ;)

Arguably, both America and Germany are no where near getting rid of those categories in everyday life and on forms and exams. We don't need to, either. People confuse social equality and nationalism with a need for being "color blind" or erasing any distinctions between people. We can reduce discrimination and inequality without pretending that we're all the same people holding hands in the sunlight. The need for the false utopia is what I consider to be a 2 year old child's concept of social life. :)

^^^ A poor attempt at a racial parody.

Even so, I actually did just wince at a particulary bad memory...

Out of curiosity, have threads like this been started regarding any other races and their label preferences? Can anyone recall one? Because I can't even remember having a conversation let alone a debate about this when it's someone else's race.

I don't remember seeing any threads. They usually get thrown into the "black" threads. It's weird, though, because I've listened in on "Hispanic vs Latino" (and even "Asian vs Oriental") debates IRL.

This is probably the best summation of that particular point I have ever read. Some people still don't understand that Brown vs. Board of Ed was about getting equal educational opportunities with schools that had actually been updated since the 1920s - not about "pleeeease give me the privilege of sitting in class with white people!"

Exactly. There is absolutely nothing wrong with celebrating different cultures, ethnicities, and races; however, there is something wrong with being intolerant of our differences.

You know, IRL, I've definitely heard the Hispanic/Latino conversation way more often.

Okay, I've never had an Asian vs. Oriental debate per se...more like someone will say, "the Orientals" and someone else will correct them. But Hispanic vs. Latino I haven't heard before. The argument against calling anyone who speaks Spanish a "Mexican person," now THAT one I hear a lot. I'm always surprised at how many people don't understand that not everyone who speaks Spanish is not from Mexico--or even that no one in this world speaks "Mexican." :rolleyes: Quite as many who don't get that not all black people have direct heritage from African or that people who live in African do not speak "African." :rolleyes::rolleyes:)

Well striclly speaking Mexican SPanish counts as it's own dialect. and I remember a comedian joked about it. Depending what part of the country you are in, a latino is automattically a certain race. NY= Puerto Rican, Florida= Cuban, Cali= Mexican.

The conversations are usually spin-offs of the "Mexican vs ______" conversations. IIRC, Hispanic makes several people uncomfortable because of the Spain reference. I've seen more people using Latino in its place.

I don't know. It seems like the U.S. has more labels based on color than anything else. Class and status separation are everywhere, but placing someone in different categories based on race alone, seems to happen here more. I know people who have move here from other countries. They said race separation is looked at much more differently when compared to where they once lived. Great Britain and Germany. I'm not sure if I'm understanding what you're posting, but the way I'm reading it is you mean diverse. Right?