So-called Hyphenated Americans...the irony is (generation, percent, European, race)

[Perryview22]

...that at least for African Americans, American is actually part of the identification.

I've been around for a while and over all of this time I have never (and I mean never) heard a person of European descent identify themselves with hyphenation unless expressing some multiplicity of European heritage. So since whites are constantly scolding and attacking blacks for identifying as hyphenated Americans, then the next thing I should be saying is that whites always identify their heritage as just plain ole American. Right?

Well, NOT. No, the very ones who invented the smear "Hyphenated Americans" are the last ones who will identify their heritage as American. ( Keeping in mind that race is different from heritage or ethnicity. Many blacks chose to identify by heritage instead of race.) So whenever a white person is asked "what are you"? -meaning what is your heritage. Invariably the answer is "I'm Italian" "I'm German" "I'm Irish" - or multi-heritage identification: "I'm half Irish/half German"...or "I'm 50 percent Polish/50 percent Greek".

So the very ones accusing and bullying blacks about being hyphenated Americans don't ever identify themselves as American at all when asked about their heritage. The only time Italian-American, or Irish-American is used is as a reference in some type of verbiage in an article, book, promotion (for an ethnic festival of some sort), etc.

Are blacks not allowed to even chose how to identify themselves? What do blacks have to do, apply to some committee of the majority to ask permission for, or assignment for how to identify themselves?

[Oldglory]

Originally Posted by Perryview22

...that at least for African Americans, American is actually part of the identification.

I've been around for a while and over all of this time I have never (and I mean never) heard a person of European descent identify themselves with hyphenation unless expressing some multiplicity of European heritage. So since whites are constantly scolding and attacking blacks for identifying as hyphenated Americans, then the next thing I should be saying is that whites always identify their heritage as just plain ole American. Right?

Well, NOT. No, the very ones who invented the smear "Hyphenated Americans" are the last ones who will identify their heritage as American. ( Keeping in mind that race is different from heritage or ethnicity. Many blacks chose to identify by heritage instead of race.) So whenever a white person is asked "what are you"? -meaning what is your heritage. Invariably the answer is "I'm Italian" "I'm German" "I'm Irish" - or multi-heritage identification: "I'm half Irish/half German"...or "I'm 50 percent Polish/50 percent Greek".

So the very ones accusing and bullying blacks about being hyphenated Americans don't ever identify themselves as American at all when asked about their heritage. The only time Italian-American, or Irish-American is used is as a reference in some type of verbiage in an article, book, promotion (for an ethnic festival of some sort), etc.

Are blacks not allowed to even chose how to identify themselves? What do blacks have to do, apply to some committee of the majority to ask permission for, or assignment for how to identify themselves?

There is a difference between using hypenations to describe yourself rather than when being asked where your ancestors came from and you say what country they were from. My ancestors were from Germany and if asked I would say so and yet I never call myself a German or a German-American. I'm a plain ole American.

[Ceece]

I don't hyphenate anyone but people are free to do as they wish.

[desertdetroiter]

I'm gonna hyphenate til the day I die and those that don't like it can go pound sand..

[bluesjuke]

Originally Posted by Oldglory

There is a difference between using hypenations to describe yourself rather than when being asked where your ancestors came from and you say what country they were from. My ancestors were from Germany and if asked I would say so and yet I never call myself a German or a German-American. I'm a plain ole American.

Yes indeed, a huge difference.

Big enough to blow the OP supposition out of the water.

[Opin_Yunated]

Wait, what?

I'm American. My racial background is mostly black. I don't consider myself African-American.

Elon Musk is African-American. Yep, you heard me.

[dsjj251]

Originally Posted by Oldglory

There is a difference between using hypenations to describe yourself rather than when being asked where your ancestors came from and you say what country they were from. My ancestors were from Germany and if asked I would say so and yet I never call myself a German or a German-American. I'm a plain ole American.

Originally Posted by bluesjuke

Yes indeed, a huge difference.

Big enough to blow the OP supposition out of the water.

But if that is the argument, then neither do African Americans.

[BentBow]

Originally Posted by Oldglory

There is a difference between using hypenations to describe yourself rather than when being asked where your ancestors came from and you say what country they were from. My ancestors were from Germany and if asked I would say so and yet I never call myself a German or a German-American. I'm a plain ole American.

Originally Posted by dsjj251

But if that is the argument, then neither do African Americans.

Africa is not a nation.

Liberian-American?
South African American?
Syrian American?
Kenyan America?
Ethiopian American?

All African American......

My friend Dustin is from South Africa. He is African American and lily white.

[bruhms]

I hardly hear black people calling themselves African-Americans. The only people I hear using a hyphenated label are immigrants or 2nd and 3rd generation Americans.

[Chava61]

Probably the only ones that really should be using hyphenated terms are Americans who have actually originated personally themselves (and not their ancestors) in other countries (meaning current immigrants) or Americans who hold dual citizenship with another country outside the USA.