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I'm curious to know when "African-American" was inaccurate. I'd think that "Black" is more inaccurate because most of us aren't "Black." So, I'm thinking people should be bothered by that even more. I mean, what's the big deal with African-American? It's obvious that it is just a term used to describe one's ancestry or heritage. What's wrong with that? Yet, Italian-Americans can proudly say they are Italian? Why can't we say "African?" I mean ... are we embarrassed, ashamed or something? We are indeed of African heritage and blood.
I'm curious to know when "African-American" was inaccurate. I'd think that "Black" is more inaccurate because most of us aren't "Black." So, I'm thinking people should be bothered by that even more. I mean, what's the big deal with African-American? It's obvious that it is just a term used to describe one's ancestry or heritage. What's wrong with that? Yet, Italian-Americans can proudly say they are Italian? Why can't we say "African?" I mean ... are we embarrassed, ashamed or something? We are indeed of African heritage and blood.
Our family has never identified ourselves as anything but American. It is ridiculous these forms ask the question when oh I don't know, Danish-American or English-American or Dutch-American isn't included as a choice. It is insulting. We are either Americans or not. End Affirmative Action, it only serves to divide us and categorize us rather than unite us. We will never be considered equal until Affirmative Action ends.
African-American is for those black people with roots in America; it doesn't cover black Americans from the West Indies, Africa, etc. Hence not every black person in the United States is "African-American".
After reading innumerable threads and comments regarding racial self-identification, lack of assimilation, and screeds about multiculturalism I thought to myself why is it that I've never read a thread or comment advocating the ending of the classification referred to as white? I mean if African American is so offensive because of its alleged inaccuracy then why not do a way with the term white, after all, white people are exactly white or anything close to it. So, in the hopes of bringing about that much touted color blind society, I would like to make the following offer.
Do away with the idea or whiteness and I will stop identifying myself as an African American and ask others to do the same.
What do you think?
Isn't black the opposite of white?
I refuse to use the term African American. It's just stupid, none of you give a damn about Africa, nor have anything to do with that continent. If you want to call yourself black, even tho you aren't, I don't care.
I would agree with the folks here that say as long as your American, your ancestry, gender or skin color shouldn't matter. The Constitution says we should all be treated equally before the law - no special groups.
African-American is for those black people with roots in America; it doesn't cover black Americans from the West Indies, Africa, etc. Hence not every black person in the United States is "African-American".
Good point. What do you call a Black American whose family is from Brazil or Haiti? African American? Probably not.
Isn't black the opposite of white?
I refuse to use the term African American. It's just stupid, none of you give a damn about Africa, nor have anything to do with that continent. If you want to call yourself black, even tho you aren't, I don't care.
I would agree with the folks here that say as long as your American, your ancestry, gender or skin color shouldn't matter. The Constitution says we should all be treated equally before the law - no special groups.
It was not only acceptable but encouraged to be divisive based on race up until the 1960s, and grandfather in all the inequalities in political and economic institutions based on this country's racist history, and an "It's all good, darkies" is supposed to be suffice?
I believe any incentive programs in this day and age should be based on economic background and not race or gender, but believing black people should all forget about race when white people remind them on a regular basis racial differences still exist, is ignorant as well as insulting.
white = race, typically used on forms which require race or identifying a suspect to distinguish from other races..though caucasion is the correct response
African american = ethnicity/nationality, its equivalent would be hungarian american or german american, a term which hardly anyone uses. nothing to do with race.
American, is a comprehensive term used by all ethnicities to describe their nationality and embrace a untiy with all others declared to be Americans.
Don't ruin his whine...
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