African american question

[Haus]

Dont take this thread the wrong way but Why do we call Black people in the USA African americans. 99.9% of them were not born in Africa. so why should they be considered African-Americans. why cant they be considered simply as Americans

they dont call me Irish-American or French American or German American or Italian- American even tho my family comes from those areas. I was born in America so i am American. As if everyone else depending on which race was born here they should be considered American.

i know Caucasions that's family was from South africa but were born in America but we dont call them African Americans.

so what are your thoughts on this. is it a Politically Correct thing??

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Because calling them 'black' seems more derogatorive, but we still want to talk about them knowing we are talking about black people. And they all came from Africa at one point in time... in fact we all came from Africa at one point in time But it still makes the most sense to call them African American if we don't want to say 'balck' but we still want to know that we are talking about black people.

 

[Springsteen]

Over here you see we call them Black people, regardless of where they came from. That isn't offensive, whereas those other words that have been used to describe black people are.

 

[Haus]

then what do you call black people that were born in Austrailia. African-Austrailians

or what about black people that were born in China African-chinesians lol (i know thats not the right term but it's still early.

so im right. its politically correct to call black people African americans.

but i do hear the term alot 'Black Americans'

but theyre americans. i dont know why we just cant say simply American

 

[Haus]

Over here you see we call them Black people, regardless of where they came from. That isn't offensive, whereas those other words that have been used to describe black people are.

i dont think its offensive here either. ive never ran into someone who thought it was offensive and i live near Philadelphia where majority of the city is Black. cause technically thats the right term to use IMO. on applications in this country they ask you what race you are and under it is the option 'Black'


i think the term African American is a Stereotype in this day and age. not every black person in america is even american. i know of some with british Accents

 

[Goat Whisperer]

then what do you call black people that were born in Austrailia. African-Austrailians

or what about black people that were born in China African-chinesians lol (i know thats not the right term but it's still early.

so im right. its politically correct to call black people African americans.

but i do hear the term alot 'Black Americans'

but theyre americans. i dont know why we just cant say simply American

Becuase then we wouldn't know that they are 'black' and if I was having a political discussion with you, and we were talking about the cultural differences in races in America, we would have to be able to differentiate them some how, and in America, it is more generally excpeted to call someone African American.

Bcuase black people originally came from China, and we know that if you call someone African American they are in fact black. If you were talkin about how someone was chinese, you wouldn't care that they are black, and so if you were talking about how someone was black, you wouldn't care that they were chinese.

And in all reality, if it is more generally excpeted to call someone African American or Black American or just American in your area, then that's what you should call them, just because then they know that you weren't trying to be offensive.

 

[dt3]

There's a Daily Show clip that showed Bush in Africa calling them African-Americans, and Jon Stewart says "Actually Mr. President, those are African-Africans."

 

[Goat Whisperer]

there's a daily show clip that showed bush in africa calling them african-americans, and jon stewart says "actually mr. President, those are african-africans." :d

:24::24::24:

 

[Haus]

and if theyre not American then that would be offensive.

ive seen it happen. my one friend is from Guinea and he's not american and doesnt like being called African american cause he's strictly African cause he wasnt born in this country.

i personally think its a stereotype now adays.

not all people that are born in africa are white. look at charlieze theron. shes from South Africa and shes white.

The term black was used throughout but not frequently as it carried a certain stigma. In his 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech,[37] Martin Luther King, Jr. uses the terms Negro 15 times and black 4 times. Each time he uses black it is in parallel construction with white (e.g., black men and white men).[38] With the successes of the civil rights movement a new term was needed to break from the past and help shed the reminders of legalized discrimination. In place of Negro, black was promoted as standing for racial pride, militancy and power. Some of the turning points included the use of the term "Black Power" by Kwame Toure (Stokely Carmichael) and the release of James Brown's song "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud".
In 1988 Jesse Jackson urged Americans to use the term African American because the term has a historical cultural base. Since then African American and black have essentially a coequal status. There is still much controversy over which term is more appropriate. Some strongly reject the term African American in preference for black citing that they have little connection with Africa.[who?] Others believe the term black is inaccurate because African Americans have a variety of skin tones.[39][not in citation given] Surveys show that when interacting with each other African Americans prefer the term black, as it is associated with intimacy and familiarity. The term "African American" is preferred for public and formal use.[40] The appropriateness of the term "African American" is further confused, however, by increases in black immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. The more recent black immigrants may sometimes view themselves, and be viewed, as culturally distinct from native descendants of African slaves.[41]
The U.S. census race definitions says a black is a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or who provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Nigerian, or Haitian. However, the Census Bureau notes that these classifications are socio-political constructs and should not be interpreted as scientific or anthropological.[42]
A considerable portion of the U.S. population identified as black actually have some Native American or European American ancestry. For instance, genetic studies of African American people show an ancestry that is on average 17-18% European

 

[Haus]

There's a Daily Show clip that showed Bush in Africa calling them African-Americans, and Jon Stewart says "Actually Mr. President, those are African-Africans."

I don't know whats worse, that President Bush is the stupidest American President ever or that Americans put him in office not once but twice.

 

[MoonOwl]

I don't know whats worse, that President Bush is the stupidest American President ever or that Americans put him in office not once but twice.

You are not alone in those sentiments.


Some 'Black' people speak out against it. Whoopi Goldberg is one. She is a Black Woman or a Negro. Please don't call her an African American as she is not from Africa. But she still ends up having to use the phrase on The View.

Once again PC thinking is in charge....

Are there still commercials for the United Negro College Fund? Did they change the name? Am I dating myself?

MuttAmerican

 

[Goat Whisperer]

I think that people care to damn much. People who use the term "African American" are trying to be unoffensive by using it. SO what if your African African? They are trying to be unoffensive--so there is no reason to get offended!

 

[Peter Parka]

I do find it rather stupid too, the term seems to try and indicate they are not fully American or something, black seems much better. I also find the term "coloured" when describing black people silly as well, white is as much as a colour as black.
On a side note, I do hear the term Irish American used a bit though it sometimes is used in a slightly derogatory way to describe Americans with some distant Irish blood who come on holiday to Ireland, claiming to be Irish and thinking drinking a pint of Guinness will confirm this.

 

[Meirionnydd]

then what do you call black people that were born in Austrailia. African-Austrailians

or what about black people that were born in China African-chinesians lol (i know thats not the right term but it's still early.

so im right. its politically correct to call black people African americans.

but i do hear the term alot 'Black Americans'

but theyre americans. i dont know why we just cant say simply American

If they are Aboriginals, they are normally referred to as 'Indigenous Australians'. We don't really use any term to denote people of other races, we just normally tell it like it is.. Black/white/Asian etc.

 

[Thornless]

I do find it rather stupid too, the term seems to try and indicate they are not fully American or something, black seems much better. I also find the term "coloured" when describing black people silly as well, white is as much as a colour as black.

Well technically, they aren't colours at all, they are shades.

Just to be a cunt. :surrender

 

[Peter Parka]

If they are Aboriginals, they are normally referred to as 'Indigenous Australians'. We don't really use any term to denote people of other races, we just normally tell it like it is.. Black/white/Asian etc.

One thing I did find different in Australia, when you refer to Asians, you are generally talking about Chineese, Japaneese, Korean ect. Over here, the term Asian is usually to describe Indians, Pakistanis ect.

Well technically, they aren't colours at all, they are shades.

Just to be a cunt. :surrender

Well yes, thats true but the're BOTH not colours so my point still stands.

 

[Butterfly]

Well, depending who you ask, I am not 'allowed' to consider myself African, even though I (and many generations of my family before me) were all born in Africa. Here, we are the outsiders, and some don't think we deserve the title of African.

That said, the black folks here actually prefer to be called black. They find coloured, brown etc to be more demeaning than just straight black.

I too find the African-American tag an odd one, since most of these "Africans" weren't born in Africa at all.

 

[Goat Whisperer]

Well, depending who you ask, I am not 'allowed' to consider myself African, even though I (and many generations of my family before me) were all born in Africa. Here, we are the outsiders, and some don't think we deserve the title of African.

That said, the black folks here actually prefer to be called black. They find coloured, brown etc to be more demeaning than just straight black.

I too find the African-American tag an odd one, since most of these "Africans" weren't born in Africa at all.

They come from Africa, and they live in America, makes sense to me... :dunno

 

[BlackCherry]

I think paying too much attention to putting labels on things and being offended when they change as much as the flavor of the week is just a way to distract people from real issues and all it really does is divide people more.

 

[Tangerine]

I think paying too much attention to putting labels on things and being offended when they change as much as the flavor of the week is just a way to distract people from real issues and all it really does is divide people more.

:homo: