Why do people say African-American?

and yet, some people (Black) don't mind the word Black, so it's inaccurate to contrast "some" Black people who are offended with the belief that all white people don't mind being called white.

There are Americans who are Jewish who use the term Jewish-American, yet not all Jews who are American use that term, let alone the term Jewish.

Why does it bother you if some Black people pefer the term African-American?


Hi, I'm God. Can I touch You?

I'm trying to figure out how it hurts or matters to anyone to refer to "black" people as African-Americans? Also, if "white" people don't seem to be caught up on it, what does that have to do with black/African-Americans?

That's because White is Right. No seriously, I am old enough to recall black people as Negroes. The term black rose in the late 1960s and was supposed to be a step up. By the 1970s, "Black is Beautiful" was the official saying. This hard to write and harder to pronounce African American is strictly a PC term. It's all about image and self-confidence.

it;s because black unlike white is equated with evil and death. so african american seems better by comparson. however there are many african americans taht prefer black because they weren't born there. it depends on the person everyone is differnt. futher more some black folk like to be called a person of color, which sounds to much like colored people to me. i don't think that there are to many people that will get that upset with you if you use any of these terms. just don't call us *beep* and i think that everything will be allright.

edit: it is important for us to have something to decribes us. african-american is a word that shows that we are differnt but we are all americans.

Boss Tees wrote: Some people are offended by being referred to as “Black” for whatever reason so African American is being used instead. Oddly enough Caucasians are still referred to as being “white’ and don’t seem to caught up on the whole thing.
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"White" really doesn't have a negative connotation. That's is why we do not get "caught up on the whole thing." Moreover, we are the ones really doing the naming of different phenotypic groups when it really isn't any of our business. It takes a racist mind to write something as cruel as your post which incidently doesn't have anything to do with the movie. I feel sorry for you.

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it's just easier to say black and white, why it really matters i dont know. Also african-american is kinda dumb to say, because then you're generalizing that all black people are from africa.

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In a perfect non-racist world it wouldn't.

It's a terminology thing. To counter the diabolical n-word categorizing. And it is an American behavior, but then other countries, as someone noted, in England they simply say Black, this is because England didn't have the black slave issue as America did.

It is our history, not their's. Canadians seems rather befuddled by the whole race thing as well.

You can watch programs from the early seventies, such as Sanford and Son, and they will say 'colored'.

NAACP; the C stands for 'colored' so that was the term when this organization came into existence.

And no, not ALL black people care for being called African-Americans.

And I use black because persons I associate with really don't care for the African-American title, as they feel no direct connection to Africa. Slavery eradicated much of this, if not all of it.

A movie called "Forever Young, Forever Free" with Jose Ferrer and Karen Valentine, and a song sung by Bernadette Peters, has a moment in the film where a small African boy, who doesn't speak English, is lost in New York city.

Two cops, one black and one white, hear on the radio what his nationality is, Swahili, the boy was from Kenya or somewhere.

The white cop asks the black cop if he can speak that language. The black cop says he doesn't even know where the country is.

This movie was from 1976.

As to white people who prefer white or Caucasian or Irish-American or Italian-American, their history and roots weren't damaged based on personal racial discrimination.

If they were discriminated against, they were allowed to leave and enter through Ellis Island to America, so that preference in labeling is slightly diverse.

As to how effective it all is, two examples: Lenny Kravitz and Tiger Woods.

Kravitz is half-Jewish. Is he called a Jewish-American? Is he seen as a Jewish-American?

ABC Newswoman Carole Simpson said about Tiger Woods, who was trying to call himself 'cablinasian' referring to all his racial heritage, "when he tries to get a cab in new York city, he will find himself cabless."

Poor joke, but her point was that he is still regarded as Black. Can he fairly be called African-American with just as much white and Asian heritage?

Why aren't African-Americans, Irish-Americans, Hispanic-Americans just called Americans? Why the seperation??

You are rite about there being little connection to our African ancestors due to master/slave breeding (as I pointed out in my last post which I think you missed). My POINT is as to why we call ourselves AA. It doesn't matter to me if I'm called black, american, or AA. I wanted to clear up why we call ourselves that name.

AND as I posted in my last post previous before the last one....I am first and last an American no matter what other title is used.

And to your point on slavery I am well aware that many other races have been enslaved. So you didnt break nothing to me. I never pointed my own people out personally. We are discussing the title of AA so I am covering that topic only. I did not go anywhere near the topic of enslavement. YOU took this to a new direction on your own.

SO before you attack someone know ur facts and understand what is being said.

Brantano: "I'de just like to point out that pretty much -every- human is thought to originate in africa, so uh..If your black and your in america your a black american. Just like if your white, and in america, your a white american. I'de also hate to break it to you but DNA evidence has shown that alot of black people are actually mostly white, due to master/slave breeding long ago.

You cant just call yourself african american, because hell, everyone originated from the african (as well as asian) countries. We were all monkeys once, and we were all probably black once.

Also just a little question to let this sink in. If you move from england (I suppose this would make you english) and took up permanent residence in canada. What would you be called? (Hmm lets see, the awnser is CANADIAN). Same thing if you moved from France to the United States, you'de be called an AMERICAN.


Oh, and a point on that little slavery thing. You do realise that there have been alot of races, from asian all the way to white and black that have been enslaved? And i'de hate to break it to you, it was ALOT longer than the blacks in america were enslaved. No one is special, everyone is exactly the same other than there skin. Just about every race has gone through some sort of harshness in the past."
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Your wording leaves much to be desired.

I did not originate in Africa. The first human beings did.

I have never been a monkey. This is Darwinism. If I were to believe these theories, then it would be that my ancestry was a monkey.

As to black people being 'mostly white' this is why persons of these hues find it disagreeable to be labeled 'black'. they are not all the same shade. Alex Hailey is not the same shade as Sidney Poitier, who isn't the same shade as Halle Berry.

As to their being 'mostly white', it is white people who won't recognize this heritage, not blacks. This is why generally these 'mostly white' people tend to be more accepted in black crowds.

Whites only accept them as passable tokens.

Surely you don't think you are opening anyone's eyes with that declaration about other races being enslaved?

Clearly we are dealing with a different reaction to being enslaved, to gaining freedom and still being discriminated against where black is concerned or where Chinese or Jews are concerned.

The reactions haven't been the same, have they?

As to the person from England moving to America, I can answer this one very easily. In the numerous instances I am familiar with, they were never regarded as Americans. Several of them are brides from WWII American soldiers.

They are still very English. They can give up their citizenships, never return to England again to visit family. Fella, it doesn't matter.

A document may regard them as American, but in casual conversation, they still get "where are you from originally?"

You're rite it shouldnt have become a heated discussion but some idiot decided to butt in my on-going convo with andy so i had to ck him. I don't find it forbidden at all its a very good topic to discuss. I dont think anyone who asks me about it is racist, mean, etc...just curious.

aenglert04: "It's such a forbidden topic that people can't even ask question out of curiosity anymore; if someone brings it up, it automatically must be that it's meant to be mean/racist/etc... "
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You'd be surprised at the open dialogue that exists between black persons and what would be construed as white racists.

The funniest I guess I ever saw was a little white redneck fellow who saw a black magazine and the caption on front said "how a black man can sexually please a black woman" and that little fellow took off to show it to a much bigger black co-worker of his in a joking manner.

I'm not offended by anything you've written but I will add-on.

I felt the residents of the Housing Complex acted appropiately to those conditions. Remember the scene of lady letting Lorenzo (Jackson) know that her mother was having some sort of seizure and the cops would not let her go to the hospital... what the hell? My fam has to die so cops can wait out a confession by locking down a housing commnunity! I'm cussing up a storm just the same. No I will not peacefully sing Kumbaya my Lord! I've never heard of the police locking down Chinatown or Little Italy for crimes within those communities.

Were some residents uncooperative, yes. But family are truely unlikely to give up a fam member for a nickle sack weed charge. Should anyone get in an officers face and argue irrationally, no. Man, but what an irrational situation they're already in. Also I could tell just by the looks on some of the cops faces that some felt remorse for what was about to go down. Just as William Forsythe's character showcased. Those few good cops are just overwhelmed by the bad and basically they simply have a job to do.

But understand too that the Sindey Portier "upstanding black" is also a sterotype. Although I do see Freedomland and To Kill A Mockingbird as similar films, glad you brought it up Enna_1.

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