Optional Ethnicities For Whites Only Summary

What does it mean to talk about ethnicity as an option for an individual? Mary C. Waters address the importance of this question in Optional Ethnicities For Whites Only. She argues how having choice in ethnic identity is the opposite of the idea we perceive; “that one’s identity is a fixed characteristic, reflective of blood ties and given at birth”. Yet there are two major options Waters describes as for White Americans: (1) the option whether to claim any specific ancestry, or to just be “White” or American, or (2) the choice of which European ancestries to include in their description of their identities. These two options exist only for White Americans. This privilege of choice does not apply to any other ethnicity. This issue often goes

She gives the example of individuals who identify as Irish on special occasions such as Saint Patrick’s Day. Typically these individuals usually do not belong to any Irish American organizations or affiliate with the Irish culture in their daily lives. They use the symbolic meaning of being Irish that is socially portrayed. This becomes acceptable since white ethnics are open to a wider availability of choices. Unlike minorities, white ethnic’s lives are not deterred of influenced by the color of their skin. Although the idea of equality is mentioned, full equality is not prevalent in today’s society. When questions evolving ethnicity are asked to minorities often they are taken as being offensive. This is because ethnicity creates a social

Richard Wright says that there is not Negro problem, that there is only a white problem. He then goes on to explain the hidden assumptions of the idea of racial polarization. Racial polarization is a process where a population is embedded with different levels of diversity among individuals. This diversity creates a separate and distinct divide among racial groups. He describes how blacks are seen as a problem to whites rather than citizens who are entitled to justice and that the term “American” only applies to whites. The concept of whiteness is something that never needs an explanation. It has become so socially enriched in society that it seems acceptable. Race is ultimately a cultural construct with consequences. All minorities groups suffer and are subjected to this social