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I think the best thing to do is let people call themselves whatever they want. Except this does not mean the individual has to accept what anyone else calls themselves. This includes the claim that this color or nationality give them any claim on guilt from someone else, or that they are superior in any way, or that anything is owed them for the percieved condition.
Treat everyone as humans. Look at how they act towards other human beings and apply the same standard to all. No pity party accomidations. No allowance for "the old days" however it goes. Just look a human being. Do they really want to achieve the goal? Do they put value in it? Will they put the work in, and have they shown any history of it? If the last two are 'no's' its a trial period and your out if you don't give your all.
Fair? Sure, since each of us is an individual and everyone has it in them or doesn't to rise for the occasion. This would not only give those 'minority' applicants the chance to prove they can, but screen out the 'usual' who aren't willing to.
Ban the use of any term but your citizenship on forms. Be a nation/or greater of human beings. In the end the ones who want it enough will fight for it, and the ones who will settle for less will get less. But for those who need it make available a really effective education system using any and all methods since people learn in different ways. Involve parents heavily in their children's education as its made a partership. Part of school is the parent reading to young children, helping and learning along with children if they need to. No excuses like they don't have time. If you don't then don't have them.
Let *human* potential shine, not only for "color" or "race" but for those who are disabled, allowing ways to contribute if they can, and to the extent they can and for the duration they can. (Want to read about a lot of steriotypes, try being disabled)
Not likely to happen, but the good start would be removing that questions form forms and call everyone people. It shouldn't even *matter* what percentage any 'group' is since it stifles all of them as individuals.
nightbird47, that is one humdinger of a post. Reps to you!
Neither is "Asian" yet I don't see people complaining about people referring to themselves as "Asian Americans"
Great point! I will "borrow" this one anytime I see criticism of the term "African-American" in the future.
Funny, I don't see any suggestions in this thread for a better term to use, since "black" is a MUCH LESS accurate term for people who are clearly brown.
Great point! I will "borrow" this one anytime I see criticism of the term "African-American" in the future.
Funny, I don't see any suggestions in this thread for a better term to use, since "black" is a MUCH LESS accurate term for people who are clearly brown.
Well, looks like 'negro' is not a choice either...even though it is still used to some extent. How about 'colored'? Yep - that's the one - the NAACP uses it...it's good enough for them. Colored it is...
Great point! I will "borrow" this one anytime I see criticism of the term "African-American" in the future.
Funny, I don't see any suggestions in this thread for a better term to use, since "black" is a MUCH LESS accurate term for people who are clearly brown.
Human would be a good choice, as the poster above pointed out so succinctly.
If a person is if mixed racial heritage, why would they be forced by a form or a government official, or by peer pressure, to identify with only one portion of their heritage - based on their skin tone?
Human for me and mine, thank you very kindly! "Human," "American," "Texan," "member of the armed forces," "veteran," "mother," "father," "sister," "brother," "wife," "husband," "daughter," "son," - those all work nicely too for my family members. And are much more accurate than "African American," or "European American," or even "Asian American" (for my Korean daughter in law).
Well, looks like 'negro' is not a choice either...even though it is still used to some extent. How about 'colored'? Yep - that's the one - the NAACP uses it...it's good enough for them. Colored it is...
I'm looking for a suggestion that is accurate and most likely to be adopted. Besides "brown" and "African-American", I'm not sure what else comes close.
Most people will not use "negro" since it's so close to the "n-word" and it still means BLACK in Spanish, which is still inaccurate. Both "negro" and "colored" are less likely to be adopted by most people since both sound like an old fashioned, segregation kind of word.
"Colored" is inaccurate as well, if you take the entire population into account. Even so called "white people" have color. They aren't the color of a sheet of paper.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
Human would be a good choice, as the poster above pointed out so succinctly.
If a person is if mixed racial heritage, why would they be forced by a form or a government official, or by peer pressure, to identify with only one portion of their heritage - based on their skin tone?
Human for me and mine, thank you very kindly! "Human," "American," "Texan," "member of the armed forces," "veteran," "mother," "father," "sister," "brother," "wife," "husband," "daughter," "son," - those all work nicely too for my family members. And are much more accurate than "African American," or "European American," or even "Asian American" (for my Korean daughter in law).
I agree with Human, but it's never going to happen. People of all races find comfort in describing a person as "that ______ guy" or "that _______ girl".
My (very unrealistic) opinion is that we need to get rid of race-based identification period. If government's going to be in the "equality business", they should focus less on "race based statistics" and more on helping all people based on poverty and living disadvantaged areas when determining programs, assistance and handups. A rich minority kid doesn't need affirmative action, sorry.
Getting rid of race stats and helping all poor people may even help (in the very long term) to remove the stigma of certain things that are considered racial problems, but are really class problems.
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?
Rather than individuals, it should be the government that stop this racial description, their need for it and their constant demographic breakdown of it. If it's not constantly there for us then we'll let it drop as well.
If the BLS didn't have a breakdown by race, then there would be no racial arguments over it for example.
But that won't happen. And now we get a further divide...an education office just for African-Americans.
Yes, Obama is creating a new office for African-Americans. So you see, our government is telling us that African-Americans aren't equal and need special help. That just promotes the idea that Blacks aren't equal to Whites IMHO.
FWIW I'm against any type of classification based on race but our government pushes it to no end and only serves to hinder the colorblindness.
Great point! I will "borrow" this one anytime I see criticism of the term "African-American" in the future.
Funny, I don't see any suggestions in this thread for a better term to use, since "black" is a MUCH LESS accurate term for people who are clearly brown.
This isn't about skin color but race. You need to learn the difference.
This isn't about skin color but race. You need to learn the difference.
If it's not about "skin color", then why are colors (though inaccurate) used to define the race of a person?
Quote:
Originally Posted by chicagonut
White is a race. African is a nationality. There is a difference you know. I would think that most blacks in this country would call themselves black American and not African.
Based on this earlier post of yours, you seem to prefer the term "black American". Why not "brown American"? It's a more accurate description since virtually all aren't the color of the words I'm typing. Nor are "white Americans" the color of a sheet of paper.
If it's not about "skin color", then why are colors (though inaccurate) used to define the race of a person?
Oh, it's all about color whether people will admit it or not.
You should have seen the flak I got here when I mentioned that my biracial kids don't identify themselves as "black" or "African American." And I was lambasted, not by "white people" - but by "African Americans" or "black people" or "people of color."
To be fair, only one or two. But they couldn't see the hypocrisy of demanding that a person who was part "black" or "African American" or whatever identify themselves as that, rather than saying they are biracial, or brown, or simply "American." They kept saying, "BUT THEY LOOK AFRICAN AMERICAN." And my personal favorite, "My African American family is lighter than your kids - some could even pass for white if they wanted to."
So the hell what? I'm not making any demands of others. Why demand that ANYONE choose one category or the other to identify with, when they are multi-ethnic and multi-racial? It's CRAZY.
Very few of us are racially "pure" - whatever that means. I look as white as Aunt Bea or Meryl Streep and even I have Native American ancestry. Not to mention Jewish ancestry - which historically hasn't been Aryan enough to suit some people.
Oh, it's all about color whether people will admit it or not.
You should have seen the flak I got here when I mentioned that my biracial kids don't identify themselves as "black" or "African American." And I was lambasted, not by "white people" - but by "African Americans" or "black people" or "people of color."
To be fair, only one or two. But they couldn't see the hypocrisy of demanding that a person who was part "black" or "African American" or whatever identify themselves as that, rather than saying they are biracial, or brown, or simply "American." They kept saying, "BUT THEY LOOK AFRICAN AMERICAN." And my personal favorite, "My African American family is lighter than your kids - some could even pass for white if they wanted to."
So the hell what? I'm not making any demands of others. Why demand that ANYONE choose one category or the other to identify with, when they are multi-ethnic and multi-racial? It's CRAZY.
Very few of us are racially "pure" - whatever that means. I look as white as Aunt Bea or Meryl Streep and even I have Native American ancestry. Not to mention Jewish ancestry - which historically hasn't been Aryan enough to suit some people.
You get flak due to ridiculous, long held beliefs about mixed people being "black by default" which were ironically created in the past by racists. (See the "One Drop Rule" and Virginia's Racial Integrity Act of 1924 among many other examples). Personally, I refuse to abide by a mentality that was used to discriminate against my ancestors.
Some may give you flak because they see your kids rejection of "black" as an acceptance and embrace of "white". This may have been always true in the past with those "passing for white" out of necessity, self-preservation or personal gain, but is not always true now, with the wide acceptance and pride of biracial people these days.
I know better, since I have family doing the same thing, the kids call themselves "brown", which is neither an acceptance or rejection of either side.
Last edited by Freedom123; 07-26-2012 at 10:39 AM..
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