Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Like I said..they HYPHENATIONS were self imposed....if you choose to live in the past that's your problem.
Hey, I got picked on for being white when I was a kid living in black neighborhoods so I should be granted an excuse for picking on blacks for the rest of my life now right?
I'll say what most are afraid to...Black people in the US are some of the most racist people ever.
They will even treat other blacks poorly for being too black or not black enough. They will castigate their own for fitting in with the other 80% of society or being successful.
...Unless of course they make their wealth through a means that is accepted by the black community.
Let me tell you a little secret about the whole Uncle Tom or sellout thing.....EVERYONE has to conform to the business standard if they want to make it! I would have to dress, speak and conduct myself accordingly too to be in big business.
I just came back to America after a short trip to some places I wanted to visit. On my last trip, I went to Italy and Namibia. One thing I learned from this trip is we as American's divide ourselves so much. My taxi driver was actually an Asian man, but he said he was just plain Italian. He didn't feel the need to describe to say he was Asian-Italian.
So my point is I am not African American, and I am not a Black American. I am an American. Why are minorities labeled as sub-Americans? I don't see anyone saying Euro-American. Are white people the only true Americans? No. These labels just divide us. This causes a lot of problems. Why do we do this?
Probably just a general perception across the globe. Although, some European Americans claim Irish, or German, or English, or Italian, or Dutch, Russian, Romanian, Hungarian, Polish, etc.. The general perception across the world, however, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, is that the prototype "American" is Aryan, blonde haired, blue eyed, tall, thin, and speaks English.
Well, it is caused by a few things:
1) Some is self imposed by people who are weak in standing within a larger culture or who have little to no identity or suffer from identity crisis - so they grasp for the common element to make themselves feel 'special' or hold onto a few vestiges of an old culture for unity and sense of belonging rather than accepting being a part of the greater whole.
2) Political powers love hyphenated identities because they are more easily isolated, herded for voting bloc control and manipulation. See The Century of Self by Adam Curtis in link below
3) Mass Media / Corporate entities derive profits by creating conflict and controversy to sell things. The reinforcement of these hyphenated identities and segmentation correlates to 'target' marketing and advertising (propaganda) techniques and opportunities. $$$
Alot more than ya think . All the cities are still named in German.
If we got rid of labels, we could unite our self as a country.
Racial differences exist. There was a time when there was little integration except for in the mediteranian.
I see the labels as no more than descriptors needed to describe something.
From that time when there was little integration, there also was strife sometimes, the prejudice we dislike is from that.
The divisions I see are artificial promoted by media, and if there was anything really worth unifying around here in America we would do it. With free speech abridged, that might not happen. When Americans see each other unified in principal, the labels will disappear.
If i told another American that i am an "American" he or she would probably look at me like i'm being a smartass
I like your assertion of being an American. It's hard for some to wrap their minds around.
I had an American Staffordshire terrier for 14 years - banned where I live because he was classified as 'pit bull'. People would always ask if he was a pit. I learned to give absurd answers to what I considered absurd questions. I told many people he was gay which sent them on their way. I told some kids 'if he were a hole in the ground I would have fallen in long ago'. Whoosh...over their heads.
Some people would ask 'What kind of dog is that?' I learned to answer with 'Mine'. It would escalate to 'But what kind is it?' My answer would remain 'Mine'. I PO'ed a lot of people.
Here it is in regards to African Americans. Africans were brought to America and stripped of their identity and their family structure totally destroyed. Then throw in lack of financial, social, and educational opportunity and people wonder why there are issues within the African American community? Do a search on Black Wall Street and other incidents of what happened when Blacks were doing for themselves. Next search how Blacks were treated during war times. My point is America has had a hard time embracing their own people. Please don't bring Native Americans in the topic. How many people know anything about how the Asians were treated during the World War 2? We are all Americans one nation under God. Sounds good but walk in another man's shoes.
Regardless most came to America from Europe because of starvation in wales and even Ireland to the british masters .basically my grand father came as a miner and died from working with black lung at 35 as did his brothers within short time. My father quit school at 13 to go to work to help support his mother and sister. lots of sad stories but most even Jews discriminated around the western world struggled and prospered. My gran father isn't a excuse for me or my father's lack of education and opportunity other than hard labor. Even Asian have prospered so tell you tale and get on with your life's success or remain where you are by your choice. Lots of shoes to walk in over the century that tell sad tales.
Regardless most came to America from Europe because of starvation in wales and even Ireland to the british masters .basically my grand father came as a miner and died from working with black lung at 35 as did his brothers within short time. My father quit school at 13 to go to work to help support his mother and sister. lots of sad stories but most even Jews discriminated around the western world struggled and prospered. My gran father isn't a excuse for me or my father's lack of education and opportunity other than hard labor. Even Asian have prospered so tell you tale and get on with your life's success or remain where you are by your choice. Lots of shoes to walk in over the century that tell sad tales.
Where groups such as Jews and different Asian groups have prospered, it's been because they did not assimilate, but retained their ethnic and economic integrity--they used the "divide" successfully.
I believe society is both divided and united along more fault lines than the popular media would lead to you believe. Think of these factors.
1) I'm fairly conservative. My father is fairly liberal. We are opposed on political affiliation.
2) I'm not religious. I'm father is fairly religious. I'm more socially liberal than my dad. We disagree on religion - I am a lot more liberal on gay rights than he is. I'm more pro firearm than he is. We're both against abortion.
3) We completely disagree on local issues. I've chosen to trust empirical data that TN is a poor place to live - high crime, high poverty, low education, etc. He knows this stuff intellectually, but continues to ignore it because it's where he's lived his entire life. No matter how dire the situation or what information he's presented with, he sticks his head in the sand.
4) We both like drinking, football, and partying. We've had a lot of the same friends as well as different ones.
We're very divided on a lot of issues, but we also see eye to eye on a lot of others.
As far as the general question, the human instinct is to sort "like" and "unlike" or "other." I want to be around people who are "like me," but because I'm a real oddball and don't fit neat stereotypes, I usually end up on the "outside" of most social groups. For people less discerning, perceptive, or intellectual, they may either ignore their inconsistencies with their own groups, not notice them, or simply not care, and proceed on like nothing's off. Most people sort themselves and others into relatively simple "buckets" of politics, religion, neighborhood, class, race, orientation, and never delve into the deeper nuances.
I guess that's why we refer to them as COLOREDS today huh?
Moderator cut: personal remarks
Blacks themselves in the 80's and 90's (Long after the whole colored thing ended BTW.) began hyphenating themselves along with other minorities...
Black people are not like other "minorities." Other racial groups bascially had a choice to come to this country.
However, black people did not have a choice. They were forced/kidnapped.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. All the cities are still named in German.
I like your assertion of being an American. It's hard for some to wrap their minds around.
