"United We Stand, Divided We Fall", is the motto of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but something that hold true for America as well. As any military strategist will tell you, the best way to defeat an enemy is to split them into smaller groups, which are then easier to destroy. It seems that more and more we are being sorted by race, ancestors' origin, religion, economic situation, gender, education level and various other characteristics, all under the guise of "Political Correctness" and "Being Considerate of Everyone's Feelings", or "Increasing Self-Esteem". The result of all this "Political Correctness", has been to pit one race against another, one faith against another, one economic situation (class) against another, etc., or in other words dividing us, and getting us to become pre-occupied with trivial differences, all the while, our OVER inflated, self-empowered government, hacks away at our Constitutional Rights and our National Morality.
Where did this need to acknowledge one's ancestor's country or continent of origin, come from? When did it become wrong to be just a plain old "American". Our National media, who's business is "literary" in nature, should know better than to use the term "African-American" or "Irish-American", which would mislead us to believe that the individual being described is a "Naturalized" citizen of this country. The only way a person can be an "African-American" is to be born in Africa, then migrate to this country and become a citizen through the Naturalization process, and the same goes for all the rest of the '*-Americans'. The rest of the World see all of us as just "Americans", not "African-Americas", or "Anglo-Saxon-Americans". Ever heard of a "African-English" or "African-French", how about a "French-English"? I guess if a black person was born in England of English parents and became an American Citizen, we would have to refer to them as an "African-English-American", and if both grand parents had been born in France, then moved to England, would we have to refer to them as "African-French-English-Americans"?
How many generations does it take before you become "Native" to a country. We can't truly call "American Indians", "Native Americans", because it is widely known that the American Indian are immigrates as well, crossing from Asia via Alaska's island chains or the ice packs that connected Asia and Alaska during the Ice Age. More than likely, they followed a preferred prey over to this continent, several thousand years ago. Never the less, they are still 'Immigrates'. When you are born of parents that are American Citizens and/or in this country or U.S.A. territories, you are as "Native" American as any American Indian. It would be perfectly alright to refer to an Indian by their tribe name, if you need to point our their heritage, but to call them "Native American" at the exclusion of other people born in this country is wrong. The use of "Native American" is nothing more than a ploy to place a subconscious doubt as whether we (non-American Indian) belong here in this country. For if we are something other than "Native" to this country it gives you the feeling that are at best, just "Guest" in land, and at worst, an Intruder, thus you may subconsciously feel less obligated to defend it or even care what happens to it as a whole. Thus, the vast majority of us are nothing more than refugees, if you buy into this whole "Political Correctness" scheme.
Some Americans that have dark skin, take great offense at being called "Black", or "Colored", usually retorting that they are not "Black", but rather brown. And it is true, they are not "Black", but neither are "Whites", white, "Red Men" actually red. However, fueled by the media's need to create news, by agitating "Blacks" into thinking that being referred to as "Black(s)" is a derogatory remark against their race, we have strife and conflict between the to predominate races in America, as well as the other races. Racism in America will only end, when those that are being told they are being slighted, open their eyes and see who is really causing the trouble. As long as things like "Affirmative Action" allow inferior people ("inferior" referring to their abilities ONLY!) to be hired based solely on their race, gender or physical capabilities (handicapped), then contempt and hatred for those meaningless differences such as race, religion, gender, economic situation, and etc. will continue to divide us and prevent the country from being all it could be. Not only does it promote resentment among the races and genders, but the quality of our products and services will suffer as well. What we have to realize is that we are what we make of ourselves, but regardless of whatever we make of ourselves, that WE are all "American", whether born here or Naturalized Citizen, not "African-Americans", or "Irish-Americans" or "Franco-Americans", but JUST "AMERICAN". Once we come to grips with that fact, then this country will be on the fast track to a much bigger and brighter future, and racism and discrimination of all kinds will all but disappear, for our diversity makes America strong as long as we don't dwell on any single difference.