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Yes my ancestors(none of which are still alive) not me. First of all most black people who call themselves African-American, Have never been to Africa, don't eat or know how to cook african food, don't speak a African language, don't practice a indigenous religion. Nothing about them is African, hell most of the them probably couldn't point out countries on a blank African map.
You could say most of this about members of any other American ethnic group.
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Second of all the term African-American is a very generic PC term.
You wrote a FANTASTIC post re: your reason for calling yourself an AA.
I identify as an African-American for the very same reason. To honor my ancestors who were brought to America against their will and enslaved for hundreds of years. My ancestors were subjected to horrible conditions, yet they managed to survive against all odds. I am EXTREMELY proud of my African ancestors and I chose to recognize their sacrifice, determination and perseverance by calling myself African-American.
In everyday life, I will usually say "black". In the company of other AA's, I will use the term.
I couldn't care less if anyone disagreed with me using the term. Despite what some would wish, the days of white people being able to decide what black people can call themselves are LONG OVER.
I'm one of them. I know the specific country and ethnic group of my origins. So to use a name that encompasses an entire continent of diverse peoples seems absurd. Personally I prefer American, Black American or Ghanaian American.
Why? Why not just American, which is one of three acceptable options you provided? Or, would it make too difficult for you to start threads, if we didn't identify people by their race, ethnicity, color...?
Why do most of you care? What's this thing w/ making other people call themselves what you feel comfortable using? All this complaining about what Blacks/AA/etc want to be called amounts to spite.
It's like complaining about someone wanting to be called "Jim" instead of "James" or "Jimmy." Either you respect the person you're talking to enough to address them how they want to be addressed or you don't and you'll call them whatever you want. Don't sugar coat your choice by complaining about why someone chooses to be called what they want to be called.
I personally think African-American is more accurate than Black. At least it has a specific ethnic connotation to it, where as black doesn't. Aside from me not being literally black, it was a term to describe other groups of people who are not of African lineage at all. The Aborginals were called black, some South Indians(Dravadians) were called black, and even Chinese/Asian South Africans were/are considered black under political benefits. With African-American, I feel like I belong to an actual ethnic group, as well as a nationality. My phenotype is clearly African(Sub-Saharan to be more specific), and my culture is American. Combine the two and wa-laah.. you get African American.
Frankly, I think each individual should be allowed to decide how they like to be referenced regardless of their ethnicity.
I feel these generalizations are blurring even more here in the US where it's not uncommon to meet someone who has a family tree that spans 3+ continents. My significant other has spanish, native american, chinese and european ancestry....my India\Swedish buddy married a gal from costa rica with obvious euro in her ancestry....along with indigenous peoples.
The world is just a whole lot more complex than it used to be 100+ years ago when people rarely went more than 30 miles from where they were born.
York, the sole black on the Lewis and Clark expedition had one indian tribe actually see if they could rub the black of him as he was the first black they'd met. He was *wildly* popular with the various tribes they encountered, especially with the ladies.
Why? Why not just American, which is one of three acceptable options you provided? Or, would it make too difficult for you to start threads, if we didn't identify people by their race, ethnicity, color...?
Lots and Lots of people refer to themselves as Irish-American, Cuban-American, Native-American and so forth...especially those that still have family in said countries and are more recent immigrants.
Trying to lambast Edward because he ID's as ghanian-american is selective outrage.
Frankly, I think each individual should be allowed to decide how they like to be referenced regardless of their ethnicity.
I feel these generalizations are blurring even more here in the US where it's not uncommon to meet someone who has a family tree that spans 3+ continents. My significant other has spanish, native american, chinese and european ancestry....my India\Swedish buddy married a gal from costa rica with obvious euro in her ancestry....along with indigenous peoples.
The world is just a whole lot more complex than it used to be 100+ years ago when people rarely went more than 30 miles from where they were born.
York, the sole black on the Lewis and Clark expedition had one indian tribe actually see if they could rub the black of him as he was the first black they'd met. He was *wildly* popular with the various tribes they encountered, especially with the ladies.
I'm an African American - my ancestry spans five continents (Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and South America). This is not rare among the African American population.
Lots and Lots of people refer to themselves as Irish-American, Cuban-American, Native-American and so forth...especially those that still have family in said countries and are more recent immigrants.
Trying to lambast Edward because he ID's as ghanian-american is selective outrage.
I'm not trying... I'm being upfront about it.
That it is hypocritical, and EdwardA has proven it over and over again to be just that. He tries way too hard to separate self from "them". It is how the very premise of this-American and that-American comes about. What is wrong with simply being called an "American"?
Lots and Lots of people refer to themselves as Irish-American, Cuban-American, Native-American and so forth...especially those that still have family in said countries and are more recent immigrants.
Trying to lambast Edward because he ID's as ghanian-american is selective outrage.
I think the outrage comes from the fact that Edward he goes way out of his way to disassociate himself from African Americans, a people he bizarrely feels "superior" to. It's a uniquely weird obsession of his.
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