Why is it that Hispanic/Latino and Italians, heck even Irish and Eastern European are not considered the same kind of white people as people of Franch, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, etc.

Because some people just can not wrap their heads around the idea that ethnicity, and by extension racism, is not colour coded. A clear example: Compare the peoples on every single asian island or swathe of land side by side and they are suddenly not "all chinese" to your carribean eyes.

I can definately tell that a South-East Asian, an Eskimo, and a Chinese and Japanese people are not the same.

I don't know how widespread those views are anymore, but I think historically that "divide" had much of its basis in religion, specifically Catholics vs. Protestants. If that seems far-fetched, just think of the case of Northern Ireland and the many many inter-Christian religious wars in European history.

Technically, spanish, portugese, french and italians are all "latins" too as it is a lingual label not really an ethnic one in terms of europeans anyway.

The langauges sounds sexy. They are not called Romanitc Langauge for Nothing ;)

Which would make us Basques not latin, despite being right in the middle of them. I like that :)

I guess I'm the sexiest beast here, being of both spanish and french ancestry. lol

It's different climates, so different phenotypes (skin complexion, height, hair). It's also different cultures and sensitivities (there are some cultural elements common to the mediteranean area, for instance, such as various versions of of the "evil eye"), different historical influences (from within Europe and from outside). There's the whole cold war East/West opposition, that makes some of east Europa "foreign" to europe, as it used to belong to the Other Block. There are differences of wealth for various reasons (cultural values, history, etc), and the ensuing relations of domination... Europe is quite diverse, on all levels. And this means that people will not identify with everybody the same. As a french character (in a Fajardie novel) was saying : "Below the Loire, all of them niggers !".

Its because of that diverstiy is why I find Europe and its history so Fascinating :)

A school friend of mine often said, "Europe begins on the pyrenees". Do note that we lived below the pyrenees.

I guess it's fascinating if you take it as one identity with a lot of inner diversity (like, say, Switzerland and its four-to-five language zones). I don't. To me, it's just a bunch of countries, Italy being different from Norway the same way it is from the USA, India, Sudan or Brasil...

"Europe" is such a fuzzy, arbitrary notion that the discussions abut Turkey's inclusion are truly hilarious. And the greek identity is fantastic : Michael Herzfeld did a good job in describing how greek people can switch to "eastern" or "western" identity depending on the context of discussion. And greek people both consider themselves to be the soul and heart of Europe, while still considering Europe as an exterior entity (they'd often say "I go in Europe" as if it was a foreign place if they go to Austria or France... a french would not say this if he goes to Germany or Italy, because it would sound like a german saying "I go to Germany" when leaning Münich for Hamburg). The reality is that East and West (as "cultural areas" that one would "belong to") are bullshit notions, but people are trained to think -and to envision themselves- through them. Tough luck if you sit on its imaginary frontier...

One of the most fascinating things about "Europe" is that no other place in history has seen so much fighting within and between kingdoms. While most people pretend we live in an enlightened age of peace and cooperation, the borders are not fully settled yet in all parts of Europe (WWII cemented most of the geopolitics, except "the east").

Pray tell me, awalterjj, a few things, because I should like to know:

- have you ever lived abroad beyond student status? (I have, in a few places)
- have you thought what it might be like to live amongst your kin as a stranger? (In Finland, not easy)
- did you vote "ja" to the Masseinwanderung initiate?
- and why do you think majority of your country men did?
- and why do you think the rural German Swiss speakers and the Italian speaking Cantons were so markedly more enthusiastic to vote against immigrants (as opposed to French cantons and Zürich, Basel, Bern city)?

I do admit, I had a most idealistic view of Switzerland due to:

- visiting a long in the past boyfriend of mine in La-Tour-de-Pailz (ie Vevey): I was so impressed that SBB-CFF-FFS agents could speak mostly two - and even sometimes three - of the national languages (excluding retoromaani), and I remember wishing I could have been born in Switzerland to have three major languages so readily at hand
- a very kind stranger offered me a lift in her car in the same Tour, because it was raining so heavy, and I had no umbrella - but I was just getting croissants across the street - but I remember still her gesture 15 years on!
- one of the best friends I made in the US at a bit later in life was an emmentahler gal, Britta - and I certainly projected her unto my general expectations

I do also admit: I think there is too much skin or language based racist hostility in Finland:

- I would not take a lovely Kenyan fella that I know to Finland, unless he was warned upfront against aggressive idiots he might meet, though not surely, and unless I was confident that I knew some of the really lovely Finns to counter any number of potential skin colour disturbed idiots

To my fellow Finns, in case you should like to disapprove of the above, did you maybe not read about, or feel strongly ashamed of a Somali child pushed off from the urban commuter train (lähinjuna) unto her back on the platform, with racist insult? I am at least happy to say the persons on the platform joined me in my shame of this person. But I do not think he was caught.

And in any case: thx CH for the Finnish Ice-Hockey Silver!! It was about the basic desire to win, surely, and hopefully augmented by the desire to give the head couch Simpson a parting gift for his great work - but I think we used it well deserved, though cruelly disappointingly, too...

Edit spelling (mot= not, plus cantons)

WWII was about WWI, really - and now there is a European Union - and why no, ESC (eller Melodifestivalen) ;-) - and I dare speculate the eventual WWIII shall not start at the West-European soil.

Enlightenment was inspired by a humanist ethos that was inspired by belief by teachings of Jesus, in his capacity of Jesus Christ. And this is Europe now.

But to revert back to OP: have you ever noted anyone disliked, distrusted in Sweden for what they are? And what about you?