Ethnicity

Research Question: What does ethnicity mean to people and why do they still cling to their identities instead of just being called American?

Based on the BELIEF or assumption that you share a common ancestry. Considered a social Phenomenon.

College students start to become more independent from their parents and start to develop their race and ethnic identities. This includes who they interact with most of all. This can lead to strained relations and tension between ethnic groups of campus.

Some students believe it to be racially motivated which leads to even more tension and sometimes racially motivated violence against different ethnic and racial groups

tensions can often arise from honest misunderstanding and lack of common background

"Celebrating St. Patrick's Day: Symbolic Ethnicity" by Janis Prince Inniss (hyperlink added- https://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2008/03/celebrating-st.html)

St. Patrick's Day is one of the biggest examples of symbolic ethnicity representation. Irish Americans, in this example, feel the need to have to hold onto their culture without it being such a big part of their everyday life. Their culture in converted into "ethnic symbols" such as the 4 leaf clover or a pot of gold and celebrated for a short time even with other cultures. In this case their ethnicity is voluntary and superficial.

White Americans are allowed to categorize themselves as either just "white or American or as European white

This makes it easier for social mobility and certain political and economic power gains

Allows them to maintain a symbolic ethnicity which is "individualistic in nature and without real social cost for the individual" "It does not influence their lives unless they want it to."

People of color do not get to have a symbolic ethnicity. For them ethnicity can determine everything that happens to you such as your job and where you live.

Conclusion: White Americans are able to turn on and off their symbolic ethnicity with no negative effects to them. However, a Non-White American is not able to do the same causing tension and misunderstanding between the 2 groups and White Americans being unable to understand why Non-White Americans act the way they do.