[Augustine23602]

I agree, I would much rather be called 'European-American' (or simply 'European') than 'white'. 'White' says nothing about me, my culture, my religion, my language, or my values. 'European' says it all. 'Caucasian' refers to people of the Caucasus mountain range in present-day ex-Soviet Georgia. I've never been there and as far as I know I have no Caucasian/Georgian blood. Most 'white' Americans do not strongly identify with Europe and it is their loss; they have no heritage or history before the 1700s as a result. I do not begrudge the black man his right and privilege to be Afrocentric; I do not begrudge the Asian man his Asianness. I respect these cultures and expect mine to be respected in turn.

User Detail :  

Name : Augustine23602, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 39, City : Columbia, State : SC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Tyler]

When filling out a job application or college application, I have noticed that there are completely different terms for each race. What I mean is that white people are under a term of color and other races are under terms of ancestral origin. Do terms such as African American or Asian American cause one falling under those categories to feel less than American? Why are white people not considered European American? Finally, what does "Caucasian" actually refer to?

User Detail :  

Name : Tyler, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 19, City : Grand Rapids, State : MI Country : United States, Occupation : Retail, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Marc22350]

I agree with you that this discrepancy is unusual. I have often pondered this question myself. For some reason it is acceptable to call people of European and African descent "white" and "black," but we would never classify people of Asian or Hispanic or Native American descent as "yellow" or "red." I think whites should be classified as European Americans to put the categories on an equal level. I don't think the terms make anyone feel less than American, since they are definitely better than "black," "red," etc., which are obviously not accurate descriptions of people. As for the Caucasian thing, it refers to the Caucasus Mountains. Oddly enough, people who live there are not of the same ethnic background as most Europeans. I believe the Caucasus Mountains are close to or actually in Asia, making this categorization for European-descended people totally inaccurate.

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Name : Marc22350, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 24, City : Morgantown, State : WV Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, 

[Amy31583]

The word 'Caucasian' means from Caucasia. Caucasia is in SE Europe, in Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia (according to Merriam-Webster). So people from there are definitely 'white'.

User Detail :  

Name : Amy31583, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 24, City : Toronto, State : NY Country : Canada, Occupation : Technical, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Andres]

The main reason why 'white' is used rather than European is b/c North Africans and West Asians are meant to be included in the term, even though the typical American does not see Arabs or Turks as 'white.' 'Caucasian' comes from the old Western theory that that race developed in the Caucasus Mts. (a region that divides Europe and Asia). The original definition of Caucasian did not refer to skin color at all, only physical features. Hence South Asians (Pakistanis, Indians, etc.) are included in that term, even if not usually considered 'white.' So white and/or caucasian is meant to be a broad way of refering to the original peoples of Europe, and West and South Asia, and North Africa. (Most College forms I have seen actually explain what people are included in the racial check boxes, that is where my answer is based).

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Name : Andres, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 25, City : Chambersburg, State : PA Country : United States, 

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