Race comes with a complex definition due to the amount of differing opinions on the word and also because its definition has changed over time. Basically, the term race in 21st century America consists of individuals classified into a group based on the similar tangible and visible characteristics they possess; however, it should be noted that there are many factors that influence the meaning of breed. In 21st century America, a race is made up of a group of individuals with similar inherent visible characteristics. Using these inherent characteristics, society creates races consciously and sometimes unconsciously. The inherent characteristics used to assign an individual to a race include and are limited to ancestral origin and place of birth, physical characteristics, cultural rituals, and the environment in which the individual surrounds himself. One of the main purposes of a race is to trigger racial demonstrations. stereotypes, defined as “a preconceived and overly simplified idea of ​​the characteristics that characterize” a race. An example of this is clarified through the following fictional example. Darryl has dark skin. He is slowly driving a decrepit car through a white suburb late at night when an on-duty police officer stops him. The officer notices that Darryl is driving a decrepit car, and in this case, the car symbolizes the environment Darryl surrounds himself with. This, along with Darryl's skin color, brings a low-class African-American stereotype into the officer's mind. Using this stereotype, the officer assumes that Darryl is poor, lazy, "thug-like," and probably up to no good in an affluent white suburb. Racial stereotypes like this are created by society as a whole, but racial stereotypes for an individual race v...... middle of paper ...... from Asia. I'm Asian because I have brown skin and Asian because I have black hair. I'm Asian because my hair isn't like a white guy's: straight, beautiful, and flexible. I'm Asian because I speak another language. I'm Asian because I excel at math and science and because I get straight A's. I am Asian because in the eyes of many I am an “overachiever”. I'm Asian because I'm Hindu and not Christian. I am American because I watch football every Saturday and at the age of two I declared myself an Auburn Tiger. I'm American because I speak with a slight Southern accent. I'm American because I understand slang. I'm American because I love expressing my opinion and not being oppressed. I'm American because I love interacting and entertaining people. I'm American because I try not to get confused. Society classifies me as Asian-American, and I feel like an Asian-American.