Owned

... in and of itself “yellow” is seen as a racial slur while white is not. However neither accurately describes the color of real human skin nor all the members of the group it is supposed to apply to. Indians are “Asian,” and while there are some similarities in culture, religion, etc. few people will confuse an Indian for a Northern Chinese person. Likewise- Greeks are European but are they “white?” Many do not look “white,” and Greek culture shares a lot with Mediterranean culture and regions of the African continent. And the Russians are generally “white,” but are part of Asia. Culturally They doffer greatly from Western Europe historically...

.... so by its nature “race” is very imprecise. In America a “black” person might be of African decent, or have Latin or other roots- but “black” isn’t used to describe any person who has more melanin than the average “white” with a tan. Likewise in parts of South America or other places, “black” isn’t predominantly used for those of African ancestry, but for many darker skinned indigenous people. Depending on where you go or who you talk to many Pacific Islanders may identify or be identified as Asian, or as “Pacific Islander,” or as something else....

The Philippines is widely considered part of south East Asia or the Asian pacific- and has elements of Asian culture but also has many elements and historical similarities to other pacific island culture- yet Spanish and other language, names, religion, blood, and cultural concepts are prevalent due to history with Spain, the US, and others. So race is not as clear cut as the straight forward nationality, or the more ambiguous genetics or ethnicity- it exists as an entity of individual and cultural interpretation.

.... there is no solidarity or unifying trait or culture moors between any random “white races” which each posses unique histories and cultures- but if we look at China, not even Asia but just the country of China we will see that there are in fact many distinct cultures, histories, languages and ethnicities just within that one country, and those who identify as a distinct “race” or culture beyond being “Chinese.” You can’t learn Chinese. It doesn’t exist. There is mandarin, Cantonese, toisanese, etc. this goes beyond subtle differences in dialect and mannerism found within distant zones of a single country to a point where people identify as a unique racial and ethnic identity desperate from their nationality.

So the original comparison is not apt. It is more apt to compare people who mix up Australians with Kiwis or Brits, Irish with Scottish, Russians with Ukrainians, Swedish and Swiss... etc. the person posting didn’t mistakenly call a Canadian an American- that is the direct analog to calling Korean person Chinese or a Thai a Cambodian or mixing up the cultures. But- let’s be honest here- is everyone worldly? Can you distinguish a Persian from a Kurd or any of the other groups of Iran? Most people in other parts of the world can’t tell an Indian from a Pakistani let alone an Iranian from an Afghani or even a Moroccan. Forget asking people to tell you if someone is Nigerian or Kenyan. So we can’t expect every person to get a degree in identifying every group and sub group on earth- but we can make a personal effort to not immediately label a person what we “think” they are based on what we see. That’s the double edged sword of “race.”

We had the discussion about race in Culture Studies last semester. I was so excited about it, but it's India and I am in a pretty generic college, so you can guess how that went.
I swear guest, if I knew you in real life, I would hangout with yourself all the time and friend you so hard. And I only have like 2-3 actual friends.
Edit: Appreciating @guest_
Edit 2: Semester.

It’s simpler to say, if you do not know enough, that a person is “white” “Asian” “Latino/Hispanic/etc.” and has less risk of you being wrong about their self identified grouping. However.... it reduces an entire range of often very different people into a single image we tend to project onto anyone we identify within that group. A real catch 22. The best we can do I suppose is to listen to each other and try to respect individuals, and if we notice patterns of what people seek to like or dislike, try to respect that in future interactions with others. This however does require we be gentle with those who misstep or aren’t as worldly or educated. It takes patience and kindness to guide people and teach.

@spookykink57- sorry. I was typing that last bit and just saw your reply now. So my last post wasn’t a reply to your post. I like your style too. If I ever make my way to India I’ll start a chat so you know I’m in town. I haven’t gone yet, but someday would like to. If you’re ever in my neck of the woods I’m always down to hang out (when I’m not busy lol.) sorry your class didn’t live up to expectations. They tend to be hit or miss all around- with more misses than hits.

Don't mind it. It happens. And yeah, it was sad. You know, I delivered a lecture in my class? Like, I covered an entire chapter, because I didn't wanted any more of that generic-ness. I explained my entire class about the 6 cultural theories. It was fun. I like studying and explaining people, unless the exams are close and they come to me at the very last minute.
Also, I would appreciate so much. I stay in Mumbai, it's a major city. So, if you ever come to India, I highly doubt you would miss it. If you do, we can hangout, I can show you around!

Woot! I’d love to see Mumbai. Thank you. It sounds like you made an interesting presentation. I hope st least someone in your class was able to appreciate it or maybe learned from it. I know it can be frustrating to put effort and passion into something and then feel like you’re talking to a wall.

Noice! And yeah, it is. Very frustrating.