I dont understand Homiegesus. Are you trying to say that african americans dont know that they came from africa? Because that is incorrect. peaceoutmedusa
It is all about how far back you go actually. There is objective proof that all people came from Africa at some point. That is not my argument but I'm just trying to stress the fact that it leads to an assumption. We could say a light skinned individual is European-American but as a broad a term that is there is no proof that their ancestry is dated back to Europe at all point in times, maybe at some point, but if including some point in the argument then you would see that most dark skinned individuals heritage dates back to Europe as well or a number of other countries and islands.
People might dislike Glenn Beck, but he isn't alone on this issue. Andy Rooney did a monologue on this on 60 Minutes a long while back, before Fox even knew who Glenn Beck was.
I kinda agree. I haven't and never will use african american, mainly because A. It does not encompass the entire race (only americans of african decent, which technically could be white as well...) and B. Black is just a better term, to me.
[QUOTE="Meinhard1"]Well there's the element of 'roots'. I'm sure many take pride in being an 'African' American.RJay123
taking pride in a country or continent that you aren't a part of anymore can only divide us as a nation It's not so much the country of Africa, as their history in America. Because up until the the last 40 - 50 years they were set apart, many of them have feelings of cultural unity - a similar past with similar struggles. It's not about division, it's about family heritage.
Why should we label one another based off pigmentation colors as well?
GTA3_Darkel
Easy to point out people in a crowd. If there is one black guy in the middle of 100 white guys I wouldn't say "Can you tell Mr. Bobby that his table is ready" I would say "Mr. Bobby, the black guy over there, that his table is ready"
It's definately a PC term. There was a point in american history not too long ago, when all of a sudden it wasn't right to call a black person, well, black. I always thought that was wierd. Should we not call white people, white?
It's got a limited use as a term when someone means "American of African decent." But it's incredibly funny when someone labels someone who's nether an African, or American, an African American :lol:
I hate Glenn Beck but Ive always thought that African-American is a totally hollow and inaccurate term.
So it is "hollow" to make sure I (and other african americans) identify with our anscestry??? Doesnt anyone recognize about our culture before the slave trade??? I dont think that there should be anyone who should tell us what we can and cannot be called. Thats just plain idiotic. And it sure as heck wont be that racist piece of crap Glenn Beck. There is no reason why identifying with your ancestry would be considered a bad thing, but what about individuals who are darker skinned that came from another country other than Africa? No one would be able to identify their ancestry unless it was already known, so an African American assumption wouldn't work in a context that involved no knowledge of the persons family tree. In other words, it is fine for you to identify with your ancestry but for other people to identify with your personal ancestry I would see that as a personal relationship between you and the individual not from a stranger who is assuming. African migration and slave trading to the west occured in the last 400 years (not thousands of years lol), so you would be hard pressed to find someone who doesnt know where he came from, let alone since we use THE WHOLE CONTINENT to say where we come from. It works out fine.
It's got a limited use as a term when someone means "American of African decent." But it's incredibly funny when someone labels someone who's nether an African, or American, an African American :lol:linkthewindow
How is that funny? In english (which is a broken language anyway) it makes sense. And in context to what we mean by the phrase it still makes sense. It is supposed to be a cultural matter of the account that we still came from Africa. Now if your race was enslaved for over 200 years then I wouldnt find the matter funny at all. Cant you see that it is extremely offensive when someone says what you said???
[QUOTE="linkthewindow"]It's got a limited use as a term when someone means "American of African decent." But it's incredibly funny when someone labels someone who's nether an African, or American, an African American :lol:peaceoutmedusa
How is that funny? In english (which is a broken language anyway) it makes sense. And in context to what we mean by the phrase it still makes sense. It is supposed to be a cultural matter of the account that we still came from Africa. Now if your race was enslaved for over 200 years then I wouldnt find the matter funny at all. Cant you see that it is extremely offensive when someone says what you said??? I'm confused, are you saying it's right to call a Jamaican an african american because his skin is black?
[QUOTE="linkthewindow"]It's got a limited use as a term when someone means "American of African decent." But it's incredibly funny when someone labels someone who's nether an African, or American, an African American :lol:peaceoutmedusa
How is that funny? In english (which is a broken language anyway) it makes sense. And in context to what we mean by the phrase it still makes sense. It is supposed to be a cultural matter of the account that we still came from Africa. Now if your race was enslaved for over 200 years then I wouldnt find the matter funny at all. Cant you see that it is extremely offensive when someone says what you said??? I really don't think people care that much buddy...
He's right, your race doesn't change because you got on a boat and move to another country. Brainkiller05
EXCUSE ME??? We (african americans) never said that it did, neither did we exclude "black" from being used. "you got on a boat" hell no, WE were enslaved and captured to a boat and lost a lot of our culture and background, so you can stop with the smartass comments.
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"][QUOTE="linkthewindow"]It's got a limited use as a term when someone means "American of African decent." But it's incredibly funny when someone labels someone who's nether an African, or American, an African American :lol:Brainkiller05
How is that funny? In english (which is a broken language anyway) it makes sense. And in context to what we mean by the phrase it still makes sense. It is supposed to be a cultural matter of the account that we still came from Africa. Now if your race was enslaved for over 200 years then I wouldnt find the matter funny at all. Cant you see that it is extremely offensive when someone says what you said??? I'm confused, are you saying it's right to call a Jamaican an african american because his skin is black? IS THAT WHAT EVERYONE IS SAYING IN THIS THREAD???? Dont people know that Jamaicans call themselves black or "Jamaican American"!!!!!!! Wow, I really had no clue that people didnt know that.
My thoughts are this. If a group of people wants to be called a specific term, then out of respect I will call them that term. African-american is fine for me to use.
My thoughts are this. If a group of people wants to be called a specific term, then out of respect I will call them that term. African-american is fine for me to use.
Well, isn't he correct? Not all black people in America are from (directly or genetically) Africa. :|
Theokhoth
FOR THAT LAST TIME, nobody said that they were. Thats why they would call themselves JAMAICAN AMERICAN!!!!! duh. And technically, african culture moving to the west occured in the last 500 years, so yes, all black people wouldve originated from africa.
Well, isn't he correct? Not all black people in America are from (directly or genetically) Africa. :|
Theokhoth
It is definately a PC-term as well, and one which if anything is offensive to black people as it seems to be saying that 'black' in itself is an offensive word. There's nothing wrong with being black, you dont need a made-up term to try and refer to a black individual. 'African America' is indeed a silly expression; it is commonly used to refer to all black people, even if they're not from africa or america.
[QUOTE="tocool340"]I hated being called African American as well. I'd whether be called brown guy....MuddVader
If I saw a black guy working at a department store and asked him "Hey, brown guy, wheres the ' '" I would most likely get my face all bloodied up. You could say..."Hey department store d00d help mi!!!":P
Well, isn't he correct? Not all black people in America are from (directly or genetically) Africa. :|
peaceoutmedusa
FOR THAT LAST TIME, nobody said that they were. Thats why they would call themselves JAMAICAN AMERICAN!!!!! duh. And technically, african culture moving to the west occured in the last 500 years, so yes, all black people wouldve originated from africa. Yes, but the point he's trying to make is that most people would refer to black people as african americans, when they are not from Africa. In that regard it's a silly term. There's nothing wrong with the word 'black', i would be offended if someone made up a term to refer to me because referring to me by my actual identity is implied to be offensive.
@Dr-McNinja Thats ridiculous. We arent supposed to think "just because a couple people say the word with the wrong person, we will throw out the word, because we get them all confused". If anything, that is silly. I would be hard pressed to find someone to say that polish american or Italian American or Irish American is silly and should be thrown out.
@Drmcninja Thats ridiculous. We arent supposed to think "just because a couple people say the word with the wrong person, we will throw out the word, because we get them all confused". If anything, that is silly. I would be hard pressed to find someone to say that polish american or Italian American or Irish American is silly and should be thrown out.peaceoutmedusa
It's not a couple of people. If asked to describe someone who is black, the average person would likely refer to them either as black or as 'african american'. That's just silly. They could be black and british. Or american and of Jamaican descent. "African american' is just such a vague and inaccurate term, and like i said earlier, it is not intended to refer to a person's nationality in the same way as polish american is, but was devised as a PC term for the police to use in reference to black people during a time where a lot of people were getting offended by the word 'black'. That situation has since changed, with many black authority figures calling for people to abandon 'african american' and be proud to be black and referred to as such. There's no need to make 'black' a dirty word, because it isn't one.
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"]@Drmcninja Thats ridiculous. We arent supposed to think "just because a couple people say the word with the wrong person, we will throw out the word, because we get them all confused". If anything, that is silly. I would be hard pressed to find someone to say that polish american or Italian American or Irish American is silly and should be thrown out.Doctor-McNinja
It's not a couple of people. If asked to describe someone who is black, the average person would likely refer to them either as black or as 'african american'. That's just silly. They could be black and british. Or american and of Jamaican descent. "African american' is just such a vague and inaccurate term, and like i said earlier, it is not intended to refer to a person's nationality in the same way as polish american is, but was devised as a PC term for the police to use in reference to black people during a time where a lot of people were getting offended by the word 'black'. That situation has since changed, with many black authority figures calling for people to abandon 'african american' and be proud to be black and referred to as such. There's no need to make 'black' a dirty word, because it isn't one. "The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before.
[QUOTE="Doctor-McNinja"][QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"]@Drmcninja Thats ridiculous. We arent supposed to think "just because a couple people say the word with the wrong person, we will throw out the word, because we get them all confused". If anything, that is silly. I would be hard pressed to find someone to say that polish american or Italian American or Irish American is silly and should be thrown out.peaceoutmedusa
It's not a couple of people. If asked to describe someone who is black, the average person would likely refer to them either as black or as 'african american'. That's just silly. They could be black and british. Or american and of Jamaican descent. "African american' is just such a vague and inaccurate term, and like i said earlier, it is not intended to refer to a person's nationality in the same way as polish american is, but was devised as a PC term for the police to use in reference to black people during a time where a lot of people were getting offended by the word 'black'. That situation has since changed, with many black authority figures calling for people to abandon 'african american' and be proud to be black and referred to as such. There's no need to make 'black' a dirty word, because it isn't one. "The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before. Times have changed. Please get over yourself.
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"][QUOTE="Doctor-McNinja"] It's not a couple of people. If asked to describe someone who is black, the average person would likely refer to them either as black or as 'african american'. That's just silly. They could be black and british. Or american and of Jamaican descent. "African american' is just such a vague and inaccurate term, and like i said earlier, it is not intended to refer to a person's nationality in the same way as polish american is, but was devised as a PC term for the police to use in reference to black people during a time where a lot of people were getting offended by the word 'black'. That situation has since changed, with many black authority figures calling for people to abandon 'african american' and be proud to be black and referred to as such. There's no need to make 'black' a dirty word, because it isn't one. Solid_Snake325
"The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before. Times have changed. Please get over yourself. What an ignorant an non factual thing to say. You all need to calm down and get over yourself. Because most african americans are proud of the term "african american". You have respect for that. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to call us african american. But if I were to call or identify myself as an African American, then you sure as hell have no say so in the matter.
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"] "The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before. I'm not saying throw it away. I just said i think it's a silly and inaccurate term. Nothing i said was ridiculous, biased (that one is just confusing) nor ignorant. And you havent clearly explained how i've said anything of that nature. I think it's silly to refer to a black person as an 'african american' because you have no knowledge of whether that person is indeed of african descent or even american. It's a fair point of view.
[QUOTE="Solid_Snake325"][QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"] "The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before. peaceoutmedusa
Times have changed. Please get over yourself. What an ignorant an non factual thing to say. You all need to calm down and get over yourself. Because most african americans are proud of the term "african american". You have respect for that. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to call us african american. But if I were to call or identify myself as an African American, then you sure as hell have no say so in the matter. Where are you getting all of these so-called facts? I sincerely doubt that most black people are proud of the term "african american"....
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"] "The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before. Doctor-McNinja
I'm not saying throw it away. I just said i think it's a silly and inaccurate term. Nothing i said was ridiculous, biased (that one is just confusing) nor ignorant. And you havent clearly explained how i've said anything of that nature. I think it's silly to refer to a black person as an 'african american' because you have no knowledge of whether that person is indeed of african descent or even american. It's a fair point of view. Ignorant (because it does makes since to the english language), Biased (because you wouldnt strip a term "irish american" or "polish american"). If you dont want to call someone african american then dont. I wouldnt call you dutch american (assuming that you arent dutch) if I saw you in the street either.
[QUOTE="Doctor-McNinja"][QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"] "The situation has since changed" I am pretty sure that I know more about the "situation" than you do. If you think that you dont want to "mess up", then its simple DONT CALL US THAT, but to say to completely throw away a term that most african americans are proud of is ridiculous, biased, and ignorant, as I have clearly explained before. peaceoutmedusa
I'm not saying throw it away. I just said i think it's a silly and inaccurate term. Nothing i said was ridiculous, biased (that one is just confusing) nor ignorant. And you havent clearly explained how i've said anything of that nature. I think it's silly to refer to a black person as an 'african american' because you have no knowledge of whether that person is indeed of african descent or even american. It's a fair point of view. Ignorant (because it does makes since to the english language), Biased (because you wouldnt strip a term "irish american" or "polish american"). If you dont want to call someone african american then dont. I wouldnt call you dutch american (assuming that you arent dutch) if I saw you in the street either. There isn't boxes to check called "polish american" on forms etc, so why is there one that says african american? Why do you call people white? how do you know they aren't american british? Call yourself african american, nobody has a problem with that.
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"][QUOTE="Solid_Snake325"] Times have changed. Please get over yourself.Solid_Snake325
What an ignorant an non factual thing to say. You all need to calm down and get over yourself. Because most african americans are proud of the term "african american". You have respect for that. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to call us african american. But if I were to call or identify myself as an African American, then you sure as hell have no say so in the matter. Where are you getting all of these so-called facts? I sincerely doubt that most black people are proud of the term "african american".... I go to a church that have thousands of congregants that are proud of the term "african american", and all of my friends are proud of the term too. So where is your evidence on something different???
[QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"][QUOTE="Doctor-McNinja"] I'm not saying throw it away. I just said i think it's a silly and inaccurate term. Nothing i said was ridiculous, biased (that one is just confusing) nor ignorant. And you havent clearly explained how i've said anything of that nature. I think it's silly to refer to a black person as an 'african american' because you have no knowledge of whether that person is indeed of african descent or even american. It's a fair point of view. Brainkiller05
Ignorant (because it does makes since to the english language), Biased (because you wouldnt strip a term "irish american" or "polish american"). If you dont want to call someone african american then dont. I wouldnt call you dutch american (assuming that you arent dutch) if I saw you in the street either. There isn't boxes to check called "polish american" on forms etc, so why is there one that says african american? Why do you call people white? how do you know they aren't american british? Call yourself african american, nobody has a problem with that. there is a box that says "black" too if it makes you feel any better.
wow this is the first time I have said this about Glenn Beck, but that was actually a logical argument. He still comes off as an offensive ***** while doing it though however in this case he isn''t necessarily wrong either.
I think my mind was just blown because I found heard a video where Beck wasn't completely illogical.
[QUOTE="Solid_Snake325"][QUOTE="peaceoutmedusa"] What an ignorant an non factual thing to say. You all need to calm down and get over yourself. Because most african americans are proud of the term "african american". You have respect for that. No one is putting a gun to your head and telling you to call us african american. But if I were to call or identify myself as an African American, then you sure as hell have no say so in the matter. peaceoutmedusa
Where are you getting all of these so-called facts? I sincerely doubt that most black people are proud of the term "african american".... I go to a church that have thousands of congregants that are proud of the term "african american", and all of my friends are proud of the term too. So where is your evidence on something different??? I'm just saying it's a bit extreme to say that MOST african americans (of which there are countless total) are proud of the term african american. No black people I know (many of whom are my friends) have ever referred to themselves nor spoken of the term african american and many of them find it outdated and ridiculous.
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