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I read somewhere that because of most white Southerners having this descent, they have similar facial features. So a white person from elsewhere in the US would look slightly "different" in the face.
The vast majority of the white south is comprised of two ethnicities: English and Scotch- Irish. Both ethnic groups are predominantly Protestant, whether it be Baptist, Methodist, or something else.
In some parts of the south one will find people of German Protestant ancestry as well.
I know Puerto Ricans, Nicaraguans, and Hondurans that call themselves Spanish almost as much as they do Latino/Latina and Hispanic.
Only because they speak Spanish, not because they feel any real connection with Spain.
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Personally, I feel like lumping Hispanics under Spanish is no better or worse than affixing Afro in front of the ethnicity of most Black people around the world that have no direct link to Africa.
Most black people around the world (with the exception of some South Asians and Pacific Islanders) have direct links to Africa. Some Spanish-speaking people have direct ancestral links to Spain, while some do not. All Spanish-speaking people have cultural links to Spain, though they may be more culturally (and ancestrally) African or indigenous American than Spanish.
Only because they speak Spanish, not because they feel any real connection with Spain.
The point is that they do.
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Most black people around the world (with the exception of some South Asians and Pacific Islanders) have direct links to Africa. Some Spanish-speaking people have direct ancestral links to Spain, while some do not. All Spanish-speaking people have cultural links to Spain, though they may be more culturally (and ancestrally) African or indigenous American than Spanish.
Unless they have migrated from the continent of Africa within the last two generations, most blacks are no more directly linked to Africa than Hispanics are. African Americans specifically have to be one of the most diluted group of people to be affixed with the term Afro. The cuisine in the West Indies (including the hispanic nations) is closer to what I'd find in parts of West Africa than the United States.
Unless they have migrated from the continent of Africa within the last two generations, most blacks are no more directly linked to Africa than Hispanics are. African Americans specifically have to be one of the most diluted group of people to be affixed with the term Afro. The cuisine in the West Indies (including the hispanic nations) is closer to what I'd find in parts of West Africa than the United States.
African Americans are disconnected culturally from Africa through no volition of their own. Because their culture was destroyed by slavery, but also because of the unique political laboratory that US segregation was, the black American population is politically more united but culturally more disconnected from their origins than any other black group (including Caribbeans or/and black Latinos). That does not have an impact on whether or not they should self-identify as African descendants.
All African Americans have African roots. Not all speakers of Spanish in the Americas have Spanish roots.
African Americans are disconnected culturally from Africa through no volition of their own. Because their culture was destroyed by slavery, but also because of the unique political laboratory that US segregation was, the black American population is politically more united but culturally more disconnected from their origins than any other black group (including Caribbeans or/and black Latinos). That does not have an impact on whether or not they should self-identify as African descendants.
All African Americans have African roots. Not all speakers of Spanish in the Americas have Spanish roots.
How do you compare an ethnic group to people who speak a common language? People of any background can learn and speak any language. Language is acquired, descent isn't. Who even challenged the idea of people self identifying as African descendants in this thread? I never brought up how or why Black people label themselves, I acknowledged that some hispanics refer to themselves as Spanish. I didn't elaborate or how or why because that doesn't change the fact that some identify as such. I also stated that "Personally, I feel like lumping Hispanics under Spanish is no better or worse than affixing Afro in front of the ethnicity of most Black people around the world that have no direct link to Africa". By that I'm suggesting that most Blacks are African in the same way that most Hispanics are Spanish. Both groups can trace a portion of their heredity back to Africa and or Spain. Neither is 100% and neither is 0% in most cases.
A large portion of Hispanics may know very little about Spain (although Hispanic usually refers to people who come from nations that just so happen to have once been part of the Spanish Empire) so why should or shouldn't they be labeled Spanish?
Most blacks outside of Africa have very little to no connections with Africa and probably couldn't care less. Why should African be affixed to the denonym of most of these people?
How do you compare an ethnic group to people who speak a common language? People of any background can learn and speak any language. Language is acquired, descent isn't. Who even challenged the idea of people self identifying as African descendants in this thread? I never brought up how or why Black people label themselves,
You have got to be kidding me.
Can you remember what you wrote?
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I acknowledged that some hispanics refer to themselves as Spanish. I didn't elaborate or how or why because that doesn't change the fact that some identify as such. I also stated that "Personally, I feel like lumping Hispanics under Spanish is no better or worse than affixing Afro in front of the ethnicity of most Black people around the world that have no direct link to Africa".By that I'm suggesting that most Blacks are African in the same way that most Hispanics are Spanish. Both groups can trace a portion of their heredity back to Africa and or Spain. Neither is 100% and neither is 0% in most cases.
And I'm disputing and refuting that assertion. There is no comparison. Most Blacks ARE African; indeed, all Blacks in the Diaspora, which includes Spanish-speaking Latin America, ironically, ARE African. As you said, anyone can pick up a language. But many Latin Americans are NOT Spanish. All African vs. NOT All Spanish.
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A large portion of Hispanics may know very little about Spain (although Hispanic usually refers to people who come from nations that just so happen to have once been part of the Spanish Empire) so why should or shouldn't they be labeled Spanish?
They shouldn't be labeled Spanish because they are NOT Spanish. Roberto Quispe from Bolivia or Juan Carabali from Colombia or Alberto Fujimori from Peru are NOT Spanish.
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Most blacks outside of Africa have very little to no connections with Africa and probably couldn't care less. Why should African be affixed to the denonym of most of these people?
That is for us Africans to determine, not someone who assumes that any of us "probably couldn't care less."
[quote=WestbankNOLA;16535821]That was the point......
How do you compare an ethnic group to people who speak a common language? People of any background can learn and speak any language. Language is acquired, descent isn't. Who even challenged the idea of people self identifying as African descendants in this thread? I never brought up how or why Black people label themselves, I acknowledged that some hispanics refer to themselves as Spanish. I didn't elaborate or how or why because that doesn't change the fact that some identify as such. I also stated that "Personally, I feel like lumping Hispanics under Spanish is no better or worse than affixing Afro in front of the ethnicity of most Black people around the world that have no direct link to Africa". By that I'm suggesting that most Blacks are African in the same way that most Hispanics are Spanish. Both groups can trace a portion of their heredity back to Africa and or Spain. Neither is 100% and neither is 0% in most cases.
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A large portion of Hispanics may know very little about Spain (although Hispanic usually refers to people who come from nations that just so happen to have once been part of the Spanish Empire) so why should or shouldn't they be labeled Spanish?
Do you speak English? Why aren't you labeling yourself English?
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Most blacks outside of Africa have very little to no connections with Africa and probably couldn't care less. Why should African be affixed to the denonym of most of these people?
I'm mostly German, my family moved here in the early 1900s I think I'm the 3rd or 4th generation depending on what side of the family you look at. Other than my grandpa knowing how to speak a little German even though English is his first language, I have no cultural ties to Germany. If I visit Germany I won't blend in, people will know Im not from there, they will know I'm from America. After my family has been in this country for 100 years I think it's safe to say I'm American. I recognize and respect my acestry ties to Germany and other parts of Europe, but I don't consider myself European.. because I'm not.
I wouldn't be surprised if in 2020 or 2030, American is first in the census before German, Irish and English ancestry.
American ethnicity counted 12.4 million people in 1990 and 20 million in 2000. This is the largest numerical growth of any ethnic group in The United States and I think it's going to continue to increase.
Soon American will be also the majority ethnic group in the Northeast, Midwest and West.
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