I think that it is challenging for the American society to eradicate the concepts of race and ethnic identity because the society perceives whites as the superior human race, therefore social opportunities and privileges become whites’ properties. For instance, many studies show that there are several differences between the educated white and the educated black, such that even if the white and the black person obtain the same bachelor degree, the white person ends up receiving much more income than that of the educated black. Moreover, the concepts of race and ethnic identity are so embedded in the American culture that the society sees other cultures as racially inferior and thus, values and customs of the culture are seen as ridiculous and inappropriate. That’s where the concept of “us verus them” becomes critically significant.  The society constructs a rigid structure in social relationships where people either conform to the majority of the population or claim themselves to be different from that of the larger population.