Quote:
Originally Posted by troutman
How do even define ethnicity?
Genetic research shows that "races" are not "pure and static groups that are significantly different from one another. Genetics has proven otherwise by tracing human ancestry, as it is inscribed on DNA".
http://web.mit.edu/racescience/in_me...s_about_human/
Not only is race or ethnicity a poor predictor of most genetic traits, it is very hard to define. Many people think they can easily tell an Asian from a European, but, says Paabo, ''If we start walking east from Europe, when do we start saying people are Asian? Or if we walk up the Nile Valley, when do we say people are African? There are no sharp distinctions.'' |
I guess it would be defined on however a questionnaire/application is filled out. Caucasian, African, Asian, etc. You are right of course, it's much more of a moving target than that, but a lot of forms have boxes you check that people don't even give a second thought to.
But I would suspect it would all hinge on paperwork the person filed and how they view themselves, rather than any DNA indicators.