User:Batternut/sandbox

Ethnic/national descent categorization (WIP)

Or "Ethnic/national descent intersections categorization"

Also straight descent categories such as:Category:People of Irish descent.

All "X people of Y descent" categories should be moved to (or merged with) "X-Y people" categories, and stripped of all articles whose subject does not have being X-Y as a "defining characteristic". Eg, move "American people of German descent" to "German-American people", and only subsequently contain articles that claim "(subject) is a German-American noted for...".

As they are, these descent categories amount either totaggingcontrary to guideline "do not add categories to pages as if they are tags" ofWP:Categorization#Categorizing pagesor they areovercategorization,perWP:Overcategorization#Non-notable intersections by ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.I doubt that having some ancestor of nationality or ethnicity X is a "defining characteristic" of the subject, as required byWP:CATDEFINING.If a subject claims tobeCeltic, English or whatever, even half or quarter so, they can be categorized as being Celtic, English etc. Considering the descent categories ofBarack Obama,I'd say only the "African-American" stuff is defining.

I propose carefully emptying and deleting all "People of X descent" categories. Some subjects may have been put into a descent category where a intersection category would be suitable, eg "German-American inventor"William P. Bettendorf,is tagged with "American people of German descent", but may be categorised under "German Americans". Some subcategories are fine as they are, egCategory:German expatriates in the United States‎,just incorrectly placed under "American people of German descent" (while correctly under "German emigrants" and "Immigrants to the United States" ).

(many subcategories ofCategory:People by descent)