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American or African American? - MasPan - 2008-12-24
Ok, this was a conversation I had with a close friend that ended up being quite heated. Why, I cannot understand...
It started like this -
Blahblahblah I'm African American blah blah (Black friend of mine)
No, you're American, you've never lived in Africa (me)
How dare you, that's racist, I'm proud of my heritage, etc (Black friend again)
I have a lot of European blood, does that make me European American? (me again)
No, you're white. Besides, you didn't immigrate from Europe (Black friend)
So why are "African Americans" special? He basically repeated my entire point back to me against my argument that I was European American, but somehow that doesn't apply to African American :f6:
I don't understand, maybe I'm missing something -
If I'm a white American, why isn't he a black American? Neither of us was born outside of the US, so neither of us is an immigrant - therefore, we are both simply Americans, nothing more, nothing less.
Any help or opinions on the matter?
As an experiment, I am going to walk around referring to myself as a "European American" to every person I meet, and see how many people believe that I immigrated from a foreign country. I'll have a black friend do the same thing, except as an "African American" and see if they get a different reaction...
American or African American? - GMSInfighter - 2008-12-24
I had a similar convo with erich a lil bit ago.
He was saying he was communist cause he's 50% hungarian and hungary was I guess communist, but isn't anymore.
I told him that's like saying I'm 25% Nazi seeing as how I'm 25% German.
American or African American? - ZachAttack - 2008-12-24
It's because minorities for some reason are all treated as immigrants.
For instance, I'm asian american even though I don't speak chinese, or any asian language fluently, and I've lived in america 100% of my life.
>_>
American or African American? - MasPan - 2008-12-24
GMSInfighter Wrote:I had a similar convo with erich a lil bit ago.
He was saying he was communist cause he's 50% hungarian and hungary was I guess communist, but isn't anymore.
I told him that's like saying I'm 25% Nazi seeing as how I'm 25% German.
Then I must constantly be at war with myself, I'm like 5% German, 5% Native American, 25% English/Irish, 20% French, etc...
American or African American? - Laur - 2008-12-24
I don't exactly like the term "African American" either. American works just fine and I don't exactly like to be grouped with people who descend from Africa when I am in fact.. not.
American or African American? - Management - 2008-12-24
If he's not African American, you aren't Caucasian.
American or African American? - Kawasari Mimoto - 2008-12-24
American is the correct term if you are born in the United States. If you lived in another country, and came over to the US, and perhaps then are bilingual, you'd be _______-American. So theoretically, your friend is an American. Now I think of it, a lot of people who calls themselves African American aren't even African Americans. They were never from Africa, even if their great-ancestors are from Africa. Probably 75% of 'current' ..and 'so-called' African Americans are just.. well, Americans.
American or African American? - MasPan - 2008-12-24
Kasuhitomi Wrote:American is the correct term if you are born in the United States. If you lived in another country, and came over to the US, and perhaps then are bilingual, you'd be _______-American. So theoretically, your friend is an American. Now I think of it, a lot of people who calls themselves African American aren't even African Americans. They were never from Africa, even if their great-ancestors are from Africa. Probably 75% of 'current' ..and 'so-called' African Americans are just.. well, Americans.
Pretty much where my annoyance spawns - just try explaining this to an "African American"
American or African American? - Greg22 - 2008-12-24
He has descendants that were born in Africa, so he's African American. Whether the majority of his family was born in Africa or not, there's no wrong in calling himself such.
American or African American? - sidewinderl - 2008-12-24
"African-American" is nothing but PC BS. It's American, end of story.
"Proud of African heritage" is also almost always nothing but BS. In the case that they actually know their African heritage, it's probably guarantee'd to suck. Africa certainly isn't the bright spot in the universe, and if they're ancestors were slaves (as many probably were), it was because their own people sold them into slavery back in Africa. Yeah, that's something to be reallll proud of.
And, Management, you're right. The "Caucasian" race doesn't even exist. Its usage today is purely more PC BS.
American or African American? - Katie - 2008-12-24
you are american. he is american. i guessmy soul is constantly in turmoil since im 1/2 lithuanian(jewish) and 1/2 german.... so what does that make me?
American or African American? - Dusk - 2008-12-24
I refer to "African American" people as black, unless they immigrated from Africa. Political Correctness is BS.
Besides, I'm pretty sure it's just "black" now.
American or African American? - DarkGenzo - 2008-12-24
What Dusk said.
This world, or America atleast, has gotten too pineappleing out of hand with what is politically correct or not. You can't say a single thing anymore, without someone jumping down your throat saying it's racist.
He's black. You're white. He's American, you're American. That's all there is to it. He's not African-American if he did not immigrate from Africa to the United States of America. The same goes for you. Unless you were born in Europe, you are an American.
People that can't get that through their pineappleing skulls need to learn what it is to really be _____ American.
American or African American? - SuGaRnSp1C3 - 2008-12-24
Well I refer to myself as Black NOT African American because I'm not from Africa even though somewhere along the line my ancestors had to have come from Africa & mixed with the Carib Indians when they were brought to the Caribbean islands to harvest the sugar cane there & then came to America. Yes it is true some of the African leaders did sell their slaves to the Americans but some were actually taken too. The African Americans here don't like the fact that we black americans call ourselves that becuase it's technically not right & blah blah blah. It's all politically correct crap because they don't want to offend anybody. And a lot of employers don't use Black American anyways, they use African American :f6:..I say if you were born here, you're an American, even though some countries don't see it as that..they see the 'typical American' as being white, & whatever ethnicity you are(non-white), you're from that country.
American or African American? - MasPan - 2008-12-24
SuGaRnSp1C3 Wrote:Well I refer to myself as Black NOT African American because I'm not from Africa even though somewhere along the line my ancestors had to have come from Africa & mixed with the Carib Indians when they were brought to the Caribbean islands to harvest the sugar cane there & then came to America. Yes it is true some of the African leaders did sell their slaves to the Americans but some were actually taken too. The African Americans here don't like the fact that we black americans call ourselves that becuase it's technically not right & blah blah blah. It's all politically correct crap because they don't want to offend anybody. And a lot of employers don't use Black American anyways, they use African American :f6:..I say if you were born here, you're an American, even though some countries don't see it as that..they see the 'typical American' as being white, & whatever ethnicity you are(non-white), you're from that country.
Ty, I was trying to remember the other argument I always hear - "well, when I took ___ test, it said African American, not Black American"
Pure BS, like you said - it "sounds" more correct, so it is used more frequently.
American or African American? - Blankout - 2008-12-24
GMSInfighter Wrote:I had a similar convo with erich a lil bit ago.
He was saying he was communist cause he's 50% hungarian and hungary was I guess communist, but isn't anymore.
I told him that's like saying I'm 25% Nazi seeing as how I'm 25% German.
Katie Wrote:you are american. he is american. i guessmy soul is constantly in turmoil since im 1/2 lithuanian(jewish) and 1/2 german.... so what does that make me?
Not all Germans were Nazis.
American or African American? - SuGaRnSp1C3 - 2008-12-24
Blankout Wrote:Not all Germans were Nazis.
QFT! & Not all Germans are rude(I've been there)
American or African American? - Management - 2008-12-24
What was the point of placing "Jewish" in parenthesis next to Lithuanian again?
American or African American? - Chompy - 2008-12-24
SuGaRnSp1C3 Wrote:Well I refer to myself as Black NOT African American because I'm not from Africa even though somewhere along the line my ancestors had to have come from Africa & mixed with the Carib Indians when they were brought to the Caribbean islands to harvest the sugar cane there & then came to America. Yes it is true some of the African leaders did sell their slaves to the Americans but some were actually taken too. The African Americans here don't like the fact that we black americans call ourselves that becuase it's technically not right & blah blah blah. It's all politically correct crap because they don't want to offend anybody. And a lot of employers don't use Black American anyways, they use African American :f6:..I say if you were born here, you're an American, even though some countries don't see it as that..they see the 'typical American' as being white, & whatever ethnicity you are(non-white), you're from that country.
Hypothetically your ancestors could be New Zealanders, etc. and you'd be Black and 100% African Free. (Impossibly rare but w/e)
...
Speaking of which this brings my story of:
In high school when an "African American" (just some regular ole' Black American kid) got in a fight with a New Zealand American and called him an African explitive (which greatly confused me) and then the New Zealander proceeded to beat the pineapple out of him while yelling awkward racial slurs that were directed at the kids' Africaness...
Awkward and funny!
American or African American? - Derimed - 2008-12-25
Most people that use "African American" (rather than "black") also use "white" (rather than "Caucasian.") That suggests linguistic inequality biased towards the blacks, whom it gives more respect than the whites. In reality, ppl that use "white" should use "black" and people who use "African American" should use "Caucasian."
Typical of shenenigans by the likes of Jesse Jackson, who are bigots themselves.
In reality both African American and Caucasian are bullpomegranate. Caucasian refers to a very small group of people somewhere in Europe as I recall. The vast majority of African Americans trace their ancestry to people who lived in America for many generations, so they're much more American than African. I am personally sick of politically correct whining to the point where I don't give a pomegranate.