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SO, A black man moving to the USA from Africa and becomes a citizen. He is an American because he is a citizen, he is African because that is what he is actually from. But he is not African American beacuse he does not share the same history as the following : His black neighbor down the street who's family have lived here for 200 years and came here as slaves, because only then can you call yourself African Ameican?
Im sorry i just don't understand.
That is exactly right. You change citizenship, not ethnicity. Africa is a continent, not a country. I have yet to encounter an immigrant who says he or she is from Africa. They are from Kenya or Nigeria or Egypt or South Africa.
Who said we don't? Are you making crap up...again?
If a person was BORN in another country, and becomes a citizen HERE, if he/she wishes to honor their adopted country by adding 'American' to their heritage, by all means....go to it.
So where is your thread on ASIAN-AMERICANS?
Or HISPANIC-AMERICANS?
Or your threads about MEXICAN-AMERICANS whose ancestors have lived in the United States for 5 plus generations?
That is exactly right. You change citizenship, not ethnicity. Africa is a continent, not a country. I have yet to encounter an immigrant who says he or she is from Africa. They are from Kenya or Nigeria or Egypt or South Africa.
I can understand what you are saying. If you come here from Ghana you are Ghana-American or something like that. But if your family was imported here 200 years ago you most likely have no idea where your family is from so you are African American.
I can understand what you are saying. If you come here from Ghana you are Ghana-American or something like that. But if your family was imported here 200 years ago you most likely have no idea where your family is from so you are African American.
I detest the use of hypenated Americans in regards to using two nationalities to identify oneself. Many Americans do that even though they were born here and never set foot in their ancestor's homelands. Why is that?
Or your threads about MEXICAN-AMERICANS whose ancestors have lived in the United States for 5 plus generations?
Cali...
hitting the sauce so early in the day just makes you sound very, very bitter.
I cannot speak for Asians, as I know few of the personally, but I grew up with a great many individuals with Mexican heritage, some being born there, most here. Not a one of them called, nor call themselves Mexican-Americans.
As a black woman, I put it to you: Why do you feel the need to label yourself as an African-American, even though you were born here?
If by chance you don't, why do you think some/many/most blacks that were born here, feel the need to do so?
I detest the use of hypenated Americans in regards to using two nationalities to identify oneself. Many Americans do that even though they were born here and never set foot in their ancestor's homelands. Why is that?
The answer reminds me of the scene in 'A Few Good Men'...
Capt. Ross: Corporal Barnes, I hold here the Marine Outline for Recruit Training. You're familiar with this book?
Cpl. Barnes: Yes, sir.
Capt. Ross: Have you read it?
Cpl. Barnes: Yes, sir.
Capt. Ross: Good. Would you turn to the chapter that deals with code reds, please?
Cpl. Barnes: Sir?
Capt. Ross: Just flip to the page of the book that discusses code reds.
Cpl. Barnes: Well, well, you see, sir code red is a term that we use, I mean, just down at Gitmo, I don't know if it's actually...
Capt. Ross: Ah, we're in luck then. Standard Operating Procedures, Rifle Security Company, Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Now I assume we'll find the term code red and its definition in that book. Am I correct?
Cpl. Barnes: No sir.
Capt. Ross: No? Corporal Barnes, I'm a Marine. Is there no book. No manual or pamphlet, no set of orders or regulations that lets me know that, as a Marine, one of my duties is to perform code reds?
Cpl. Barnes: No sir. No book, sir.
Capt. Ross: No further questions. [as Ross walks back to his table Kaffee takes the book out of his hand]
Kaffee: Corporal, would you turn to the page in this book that says where the mess hall is, please.
Cpl. Barnes: Well, Lt. Kaffee, that's not in the book, sir.
Kaffee: You mean to say in all your time at Gitmo you've never had a meal?
Cpl. Barnes: No, sir. Three squares a day, sir.
Kaffee: I don't understand. How did you know where the mess hall was if it's not in this book?
Cpl. Barnes: Well, I guess I just followed the crowd at chow time, sir.
Kaffee: No more questions.
Yes, JTG, I do realize that. The problem is that not every Black person in America is from the culture I described in that post. My mother, for example, is Black but not African American, while my dad is African American. I identify as Black. I identify as African American. But I won't identify as a capital B Black American because to me there is no such ethnicity. There is no grammatical contradiction whatsoever.
I don't see how you can see there is no such ethnicity as Black. By definition ethnicity is a group of people with a shared history, culture, social system, art, music, literature etc. Black Americans have a history and culture that is unique within the United States and for that matter the world.
While Black culture is in some ways similar to African culture and in some ways based on African culture it is completely different by virtue of the Middle Passage, slavery and the ensuing struggles for full and equal rights as Americans.
The problem with the term "African-American" is a completed oversimplification which leads to situations where a white person from Africa would be perfectly within reason to refer to themselves as "African-American" if after all they were born and raised in Africa, their family had lived in Africa for several generations and they moved to the United States and were granted citizenship. If you fail to see the grammatical contradiction in that it's only because you choose not to.
Another problem I have with the term African-American is that in many cases even Black Africans in such places an Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and other parts of Africa really don't see Black Americans as African the same way they see people that were born on the continent and have family that they can trace back for generations. For many Black Americans that link to Africa was permanently and irretrievably broken in slavery.
Last edited by JazzyTallGuy; 07-14-2012 at 09:56 PM..
Guess I am not as much in the loop as I thought .... Now there are Blacks that are NOT African-Americans, but anyone that is an African-American must be Black? But only Blacks that are here due to their ancestors coming here as Slaves, or did they need to be Slaves from certain parts of Africa?
hitting the sauce so early in the day just makes you sound very, very bitter.
I cannot speak for Asians, as I know few of the personally, but I grew up with a great many individuals with Mexican heritage, some being born there, most here. Not a one of them called, nor call themselves Mexican-Americans.
As a black woman, I put it to you: Why do you feel the need to label yourself as an African-American, even though you were born here?
If by chance you don't, why do you think some/many/most blacks that were born here, feel the need to do so?
I know of many citizens (born here) of Mexican heritage that refer to themselves as Mexican-American or just plain Mexican. It always baffles me.
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