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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.
What's stupid is making uninformed assumptions such as the one above.
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If you want to call yourself black, even tho you aren't, I don't care.
Now that makes sense. You shouldn't care about what we call ourselves.
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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.
You're right, it shouldn't matter.........Then again, the Constitution was written by and for people who owned slaves and even quantified blacks as being 3/5 of a human being. So I'm admittedly and justifiably not swayed by the arguments of people who wish to invoke the Constitution to justify their views on this subject.
Have I traced what? My African ancestry? Yes. My European ancestry? Yes. My Native ancestry? Yes.
No one "announces" anything. We use these terms when appropriate or when we are forced to document them on the various forms we feel out in our life. No one is asking you to go around town in the streets declaring your heritage.
You say a lot when you say you are not too proud of being American right now. I don't even have a lot of understanding for a comment like that. Sorry, but I am pretty proud to be a citizen of this country.
True, though during the Columbus Day, Kosciuzko Day, St. Patrick's Day, Bastille Day, Oktoberfest, Hibernian and Hellenic Festivals, we certainly see people doing this. What I don't see is anyone condemning white Americans for celebrating their European culture, ancestry and heritage, so I wonder why there is such hostility toward that which is African American?
I dont consider myself white, even though that is what I am. I consider myself a human being that is american, and that everyone bleeds red.
when I got my purple heart in 1991, I did not care if the blood that was given to me came from a white, black, yellow or green human, I just cared that it helped me live.
I know plenty of people that consider themselves african american, but I also know quite a few that consider themselves to be black as well.
what you consider yourself is up to you, as you are the human being that has to live with the name.
If you'd have gotten that Heart in '41, it wouldn't have mattered, as military blood banks were segregated, even though the American physician who had the most impact on the development of them was an African American named Dr. Charles Drew.
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?
I think you are either African, or American, unless you have just immigrated and hold dual citizenship, then you are African-American.
The term African-American cannot define one's race, as I know several WHITE, African-Americans.
I also note MANY documents that request race don't say WHITE, they say Caucasion. I do hope that you are against that also, as many people who are white don't believe that their ancestors came down from the caucasus mountains.
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.
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?
I think it will need to start with government paper work and remember the census categories, The government keeps us divided, civilians rarely think about it, except when the brainwashing crap from the gov kicks in. The innumerable threads are because people can't help themselves, they've been white walled.
Funny you brought that up - a year ago when black immigrants in Europe...were rioting - CNN refered to them as African Americans...none of them had ever been to America - just like refereing to blacks in America as Africans - They are NOT from Africa...They are Americans. After a couple of hundred years you become part of the new national family - not white - nor black...My parents came out of Russia after the war...I was born in England - came to Canada as a baby...I am not a Russio-Canadian - Even though I spoke Russian as a child in the house - I have never been to Russia...in fact I don`t even like them that much as a culture... Nation signifys an extended tribal family - Country signifys real estate - the land...When you are part of a national family..adopted or other wise - YOU have nothing to do with your ancestoral beginings.
Other than entertaining the idea that it is some sort of homeland - which it is not - Nothing more silly than a black or white person dressing up in clothing from Africa...or Europe...and stating through that tradtitional dress that is who you are - Your homeland is where your home is...not some distant place that you know nothing of that your great grandparent once lived in.
That grand parent that might have originated in Russia - might have been a spawn out of Egypt - or China...people migrate...and home and idenity is where your family is.
Um, is it just me or is the comparison of "White" versus "African American" flawed from the outset?
Wouldn't the more appropriate consideration be "White" versus "Black"?
Black includes all African Americans, but not all Africans; as well, not all African-descended people in the US are African American. Some are West Indian, Latino, from the continent (Ghanaian, Ethiopian, Moroccan, etc.)
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If you said you'd stop calling yourself black if we stop calling ourselves white, your post would make 100 times more sense.
"White" doesn't imply nationality, while "African American" does. Apples vs oranges comparisons in my view.
Problem is, as I pointed out, white Americans can and do call themselves German American, Italian American, etc. We cannot link ourselves to a country as every other American ethnic group can.
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The government keeps us divided, civilians rarely think about it, except when the brainwashing crap from the gov kicks in. The innumerable threads are because people can't help themselves, they've been white walled.
