Identifiers

I have had arguments with several people as to how people identify themselves in today's America? My mother still believes that people identify themselves by their ethnicity or country of origin (I am a Polish American, Indian American, etc.) I think this might be an applicable argument from some groups in America, but not all. For instance, Mexican Americans and African Americans (That term is a little messed up considering it's a continent - I never hear of a Malian American) seem to identify partially by ethnicity. It is certainly still alive on the European continent where it has been so for many years. My girlfriend believes that one should be judged by actions in the eyes of other people, however, these actions leave out choices of association and consumer preferences. She mostly believes direct actions to people are what matters. I think both my mother and my girlfriend have part of the equation, but not the whole thing. I think it is much deeper than that. I think my consumer choices say very much about me. I shop at Patagonia because I prefer a company that has a good corporate culture and healthy practices. I shop at L.L. Bean for the same reason. Secondly, your education does much to define you. I graduted from University X with a degree in Y. People seem to care about this especially if you've moved on to graduate school. The educational caste system is alive and well in the U.S. Third, people are defined by their careers. Joe's a good X and works at Y. Last, your region in the country can define you. Joe acts like a good Midwesterner especially someone from Wisconsin. Think of other things that define you, define me, and define everyone.