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.
No one said that they aren't racially black. They are just not of the "American black" ethnicity, because they aren't natives of this country.
Hyphenated identities like Jamaican-American or Haitian-American are more accurate to describe them.
ok, i see what you are saying. i never heard the term american black, i guess to me that would be african-american. fyi jamaica and haiti are in north america. i consider anyone with at least (what used to be a green colored alien registration card) a us legal resident id to be a us-american.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IAMDWRECK
The above is relevant and distinct, I'm saying that to say we are different than our brothers and sisters in Africa and I'm also saying that to prove that your racial identity is based on how you look not always what you really are. IN AMERICA... Most (black/white) mixed children are labeled African-American even if they identify more with their European ancestry
i've heard this argument before and i agree with it somewhat but if you are half-scandinavian then that means you should check with your doctor concerning osteoporosis more regularly when you get older (especially women). having african dna doesnt cure the higher probability of that affliction.
my theory is that since the closer you are to the north pole the less sun you get (and less natural lithium is absorbed thru the skin) and after multiple generations the trait ends up being passed down to descendants (i am not a geneticist; just guessing).
Last edited by stanley-88888888; 04-16-2015 at 06:58 AM..
As a black American, I absolutely despise when people call me "African-American". First of all, I was born in America (August 29, 1995, suburban Philadelphia), not Africa. Secondly, besides ancestral, I have no connection whatsoever to Africa.
Is anyone else getting tired of hearing "___-American"? Why can't we just call ourselves Americans? If you were born in this country, then I consider you to be an American.
P.S. When I traveled to Paris, France for study abroad last month, NOBODY there considered me "African-American". All of the French students considered me American, which was a GREAT feeling!
Sadly for you, you will ALWAYS be "African American", because many prominent dark skinned Americans want it that way. I fully agree with what you are saying and it is silly. As a so-called white person, whatever that means, I do look at darker skinned Americans as just American, so you have one other person out there that views it like you do.
Europe is WAY ahead of the US on race. They have international minds and think in terms of country if you are first generation only.
We need more people like you! Get rid of the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, they are creating the separation. Sadly, Obama has even created a separation in the past few months. The situation in Ferguson was a HUGE step backwards which created a massive separation. Most educated people saw Michael Brown as a common criminal that just robbed a store, which was caught on video but some in the so-called black community somehow felt he was some hero? Odd stuff.
Keep preaching your way. I know that is for the best. Separation is never good. Look what happened to the Jews in Germany. It might happen again to them at some point.
OP never mentioned if she minded being called "black" instead of AA. That's the only reason I'd say AA - to distinguish between people when I don't want to sound brash or non-PC. I'm asian myself and my race (looks) is used to describe me vs. another person (which is a reason people won't just say "that American"). I don't mind. If asians were otherwise referred to as purple, I wouldn't mind being called purple either. Yellow has a negative meaning so that would be offensive. Brown is ok for East Indians. Is black offensive? Would the OP care about being called black?
... Sadly, Obama has even created a separation in the past few months. The situation in Ferguson was a HUGE step backwards which created a massive separation. Most educated people saw Michael Brown as a common criminal that just robbed a store, which was caught on video but some in the so-called black community somehow felt he was some hero? Odd stuff...
barack obama is responsible for the situation in ferguson ? i dont beleive in capital punishment (especially when the suspect is guilty of stealing $12 worth of property).
barack obama is responsible for the situation in ferguson ? i dont beleive in capital punishment (especially when the suspect is guilty of stealing $12 worth of property).
Goodness, talk about a leap, but I guess if you are struggling with reality, you would have to think only in extremes. Obviously I said nothing about Obama being responsible for Ferguson in the least. I voted for him and if he would run again, I would vote for him again. Anyway, it wasn't the cost of the property he stole from the innocent clerk by bullying him and then walking down the middle of the street ignoring police, it was the sequence of events. If the so-called black community can only find someone like Brown to rally around, I think they need to rethink their ways.
I don't believe in a bunch of separate Americans. IMHO, there are no "black" Americans, nor are there Jews as some subset. They are Americans and I could care less about all the idiots like Al Sharpton's out there. They are just fanning flames "for the cause". Actually, they are fanning the flames to line their pockets, but I digress.
I dont like the term African American either as it connotes that the person is from Africa, directly. However I also dont like the description "black" either because its still identifying people by the color of their skin. I think its hard to come up with a pc description and its sad that we have to have a separate description. I cant wait for the day when we just call each other Americans and leave skin color out of it.
I think it might be because "black" is truly not accurate for most people whose ancestors came from Africa, just as "white" is not truly accurate for most Caucasians. Anyway, thanks to tanning, I know some Caucasians who have darker skin than some so-called "blacks" have!
I think this whole business of identifying Americans by color or ancestry is just silly unless they are first or second generation "pure" [whatever]. Every one of my husband's and my nieces and nephews have at least three of the following ancestries, for example: Japanese, African, Irish, English, German, Welsh, Mexican, French and Scottish.
I call myself just an "American" usually, although I do acknowledge my ancestry, since it's interesting, and, at least on my mother's side (Italian immigrant grandmother), culturally relevant to my upbringing.
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.
