Why is race and ethnicity important in today's society?

Question

Why is race and ethnicity important in today's society?

Answer 1

People say that it's for "identity".  

Answer 2

its the first thing that separates you from other people. and it gives you an identity

Answer 3

to me it's not..idk why to other people it is, maybe cause they're ignorant

Answer 4

It answer two basic human questions... Who am I and where did I come from?  

Answer 5

When babies are born they are born innocent and carefree. All babies of all races/ethnicity's are the same. As they grow up society labels them as black, white, green, short, tall, fat, christian, muslim, hindu etc. Once the child is labeled and realises he/she is labeled, the problem begins. From that point on the child accumulates differences between themselves and others based on physical traits/beliefs that essentially have little bearing on what the person is like. They develop an us and them mentality which exists in all people but to differing degrees (and of course people have differing levels of tact).

Its sad that this is such an issue today in so many parts of the world, however it is a by-product of our evolution and a primitive response to the fear of the unknown. The human mind applies structure to a random world. Our brains haven't changed since before the stone age, so you could say that we have the brains of cave men! The significance of this is that in our primitive pasts we needed to make judgments on who was "good" or "bad". If they looked like you - good; if not = bad - simple?

In todays society you would expect that people would realise you get good and bad people of all races and all professions, and all everythings. This is not the case for some people and the fear of the unknown still exists.

Race is a complex issue and this is a simplistic view - I haven't considered the historical aspects that still influence peoples attitudes today - and, well, I need to go to sleep!

Race/ethnicity can or cannot be an issue depending on where you live. If I lived in a small village as the first non-white person it would be an issue because the residents would fear me (the unknown). I'm lucky to live in London where over 40% of the population is from around the world. This is higher than any place on earth! I've never felt side-lined or discriminated against because of my race - its amazing when you think about it? I guess the unique thing about London is its diversity (its biggest selling point for 2012) and that my experiences as a result are different to others who may feel discriminated against due to their race.  

In short, race/ethnicity should not be an issue in todays society but they are in some areas.