"African American"

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Suburbanite mor eof a misunderstanding, i thought you were saying Alex Haley didn't have a hard time overcoming that fact. What you're saying, I guess, is that Alex Haley found out what culture in Africa he is from? I didn't know that about him, but so has Oprah, it doesn't mean shit though. Firstly, most still can't find out without genetic testing, secondly, the drift is such that you cant relate to it.

Well, if you had read the actual words I wrote, in context, the misunderstanding would not have occurred. Apology accepted.

[Suburbanite]

Quote by: Chancellor Well, if you had read the actual words I wrote, in context, the misunderstanding would not have occurred. Apology accepted.

what apology? Get bent, and stop misreading posts

[Jack]

No more sniping. Back on topic.

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[sevendogs]

No, I heard on TV that many outstanding black people of America consider themselves just Americans, not African Americans. African Americans is a political group and the idea is picked up by American media and many poiliticians to get more money and support. This bnecame another politically correct item in our country.

[ZNFYRH]

sevendogs

Precisely. It refers to citizenship or nation of birth. It's stupidity to use it as the name of an ethnicity.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: ZNFYRH sevendogs Precisely. It refers to citizenship or nation of birth. It's stupidity to use it as the name of an ethnicity.

Why is it that only in America do blacks seem to insist on hyphenating themselves? Blacks in Canada don't go around referring to themselves as "African-Canadian;" blacks in Britain don't go around referring to themselves as "African-British," blacks in Nigeria don't go around referring to themselves as "African-Nigerian." And why is it that blacks born and raised in places like Canada and Britain speak with the same accents as the white folks there while so many blacks in America don't speak like white folks here?

[phoenix_fire]

Quote by: Suburbanite Life is beautiful, first of all. Secondly, I've posted dozens of specific examples scattered throughout these African American and Affirmative Action threads. Crack laws being higher than cocaine laws. Jena 6. Rodney King. The list is HUGE, I could really go on for hours. Black people are targeted more harshly by police officers, given less freedom in the judicial system, and are also disadvantaged in the education system. Since the 60s there have still been massive efforts made to disenfranchise black youth. Black people are incarcerated for drug crimes at an inconsistently higher rate, and make up the majority of drug busts but a minority of drug users.

*steeples fingers*

And....calling them a heptasyllabic name will fix it?

Off topic.

[Suburbanite]

Quote by: Chancellor Why is it that only in America do blacks seem to insist on hyphenating themselves? Blacks in Canada don't go around referring to themselves as "African-Canadian;" blacks in Britain don't go around referring to themselves as "African-British," blacks in Nigeria don't go around referring to themselves as "African-Nigerian." And why is it that blacks born and raised in places like Canada and Britain speak with the same accents as the white folks there while so many blacks in America don't speak like white folks here?

well, firstly, Blacks, are NOT a collective voice. This is one of black people's biggest pet peeve, how white people assume they all think the same way. Ive never once been corrected for saying Black by a black person, and i've never heard a black person say african american.
Also Canadian blacks are African Americans you ethnocentric fool, obviously canada is part of the Americas, as are all of south America. ONLY AMERICANS think they have exclusive rights to the word. It refers to ALL people moved from the continent of Africa to the Americas. African-American. It is to distinguish the lineage of Africans from the lineage of African Americans who obviously have developed entirely different cultures as a result of slavery in ALL of the Americas. Get it now?
And Black people not speaking like white people is because of their southern upbringing, and their isolationism, as well as a lack of education, or educated parents. Dude, seriously, your most ignorant post to date.

[phoenix_fire]

So...foshizzle and bling and so forth are the result of being uneducated and living in the south? Interesting.

[Marilyn Monroe]

=Suburbanite;469198]well, firstly, Blacks, are NOT a collective voice.

They do stick together more so than whites do. It's kinda like they are living in a foreign land, but yet they've been here almost from the beginning. They've been here longer then my family has. This resulted from the civil rights struggle is what I think. They became united at that point.

And Black people not speaking like white people is because of their southern upbringing, and their isolationism, as well as a lack of education, or educated parents. Dude, seriously, your most ignorant post to date.

I don't agree with you here. I think it is something modern that developed, and a lot of it comes from music and lifestyle, and wanting to fit in with the brothers. Blacks don't live just in the south, and haven't, and they've been getting educations from the beginning, too, it's mandatory till you're sixteen.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: Suburbanite well, firstly, Blacks, are NOT a collective voice. This is one of black people's biggest pet peeve, how white people assume they all think the same way. Ive never once been corrected for saying Black by a black person, and i've never heard a black person say african american.

Did you notice that I never once said "all black people"?

Also Canadian blacks are African Americans you ethnocentric fool, obviously canada is part of the Americas, as are all of south America. ONLY AMERICANS think they have exclusive rights to the word.

Yes, we are the only ones who have the right to the title "American" because we are the United States of America. And blacks in Canada (those born there or naturalized there) are CANADIANS.

It refers to ALL people moved from the continent of Africa to the Americas. African-American. It is to distinguish the lineage of Africans from the lineage of African Americans who obviously have developed entirely different cultures as a result of slavery in ALL of the Americas. Get it now?

Wrong as usual!

And Black people not speaking like white people is because of their southern upbringing, and their isolationism, as well as a lack of education, or educated parents. Dude, seriously, your most ignorant post to date.

Nonsense! I know plenty of black people who were not brought up in the South and whose last Southern ancestors that lived in the South lived there more than 100 years ago. I know plenty of blacks who at least graduated from high school (as did their parents). They all speak this really piss-poor excuse for English that some people a decade or so ago tried to call "ebonics." I also know blacks who don't speak in this "ebonics" and who don't sound any different than many whites.

[grandpa]

Quote by: Chancellor Yes, we are the only ones who have the right to the title "American" because we are the United States of America.

People have the right to call themselves whatever they want. It should be of little consequence.

Grandpa h.

[saucie]

Quote by: Marilyn Monroe They do stick together more so than whites do. It's kinda like they are living in a foreign land, but yet they've been here almost from the beginning. They've been here longer then my family has. This resulted from the civil rights struggle is what I think. They became united at that point.

I'm sorry, but this makes little sense to me. "They" did not unite at any point, but are constantly regrouping around commonalities, whether it be points of culture or disadvantages of the oppressed.

Quote by: Marilyn Monroe I don't agree with you here. I think it is something modern that developed, and a lot of it comes from music and lifestyle, and wanting to fit in with the brothers. Blacks don't live just in the south, and haven't, and they've been getting educations from the beginning, too, it's mandatory till you're sixteen.

I disagree, I also would argue that dominant black culture takes root in the South. A vast majority of the black population was located in the South because of slavery, and that is the area of origin for many black Americans. True, not all black people live in the South now, but they are still highly influenced by Southern tradition. The modern music and lifestyle that we seem to agree are what currently shape black culture is rooted in Southern tradition. That is not to say that all Down South music and the crunk fad are what dominantly dictate the culture; it goes deeper than that.

Quote by: Chancellor Yes, we are the only ones who have the right to the title "American" because we are the United States of America. And blacks in Canada (those born there or naturalized there) are CANADIANS.

The only reason Americans use the -American is because America is the supposed "melting pot." It's simply not necessary to use the hyphenation in other countries because those are the countries that give way to the first part of this method of identification.

And I have to disagree that American refers only to citizens of the USA. Anybody of the Americas is free to call themselves an American, purely by semantics.

Quote by: Chancellor Nonsense! I know plenty of black people who were not brought up in the South and whose last Southern ancestors that lived in the South lived there more than 100 years ago. I know plenty of blacks who at least graduated from high school (as did their parents). They all speak this really piss-poor excuse for English that some people a decade or so ago tried to call "ebonics." I also know blacks who don't speak in this "ebonics" and who don't sound any different than many whites.

You are, in one breath, mistaking an exception for the rule and stereotyping an entire group of diverse people. In the Los Angeles area, you will find a generation of Chicanos that do not speak a word of Spanish, yet still speak with an accent. This is due to association. Why should "white" accents be the only accepted accent? That doesn't fit with the evolving nature of language. And I already addressed my views earlier in this post on how one can take root in the South without living there.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: saucie You are, in one breath, mistaking an exception for the rule and stereotyping an entire group of diverse people. In the Los Angeles area, you will find a generation of Chicanos that do not speak a word of Spanish, yet still speak with an accent. This is due to association. Why should "white" accents be the only accepted accent? That doesn't fit with the evolving nature of language. And I already addressed my views earlier in this post on how one can take root in the South without living there.

Who said anything about speaking with an accent? If you're going to disagree with me then disagree with what I wrote and not with what you think I wrote!

[Marilyn Monroe]

Quote by: saucie I'm sorry, but this makes little sense to me. "They" did not unite at any point, but are constantly regrouping around commonalities, whether it be points of culture or disadvantages of the oppressed.

Whenever this regrouping occurred, it occurred. Let's not make out one group to be more compassionate than another, I don't believe there's a difference. There are good commonalities, and bad commonalities. No culture is perfect. This is why I never understand why people put their "cultures" on such high pedestals.

I disagree, I also would argue that dominant black culture takes root in the South. A vast majority of the black population was located in the South because of slavery, and that is the area of origin for many black Americans. True, not all black people live in the South now, but they are still highly influenced by Southern tradition. The modern music and lifestyle that we seem to agree are what currently shape black culture is rooted in Southern tradition. That is not to say that all Down South music and the crunk fad are what dominantly dictate the culture; it goes deeper than that.

I think a lot of their culture came from when they were in Africa. I believe the music and dancing really came from that culture, not the south. Some of their cooking came from southern tradition, but from what I've read frying came from Africa. They still have some of their culture being passed down from the continent of origin.
We all have mixed up cultures today. We've melted into the big pot.

[ruksak]

Quote by: Suburbanite Inspired by another topic. What does "African American" mean? Are all blacks in America African American? Are all African American's black?

"Negro" has always been a far more accurate term.

"African American" is about as ignorant as the term "Ebonics".

[freedom13]

Quote by: ruksak "Negro" has always been a far more accurate term. "African American" is about as ignorant as the term "Ebonics".

Negro means black in Spanish and not all African American have black skins. African American means that their ancestors were brought here in America as slaves from Africa immorally and unjustly. African heritage represent “Birth Right” and they have the “God giving right” or “by any means necessary right” to claim what have been lost and stolen from them.

[ruksak]

Quote by: freedom13 Negro means black in Spanish and not all African American have black skins. African American means that their ancestors were brought here in America as slaves from Africa immorally and unjustly. African heritage represent “Birth Right” and they have the “God giving right” or “by any means necessary right” to claim what have been lost and stolen from them.

Would you prefer "darkies"?

A negro is black skinned. I will not argue over the semantics of skin tone.

Frankly, in the long run, blacks today are far better off than they would have been had Whites not brought them here. Look at it as if their ancestors paid a dear sacrifice for them to be Americans today. Otherwise, Shaquille O'Neal would be Shaquille Motumba and he would likely live in a hut made of cow dung.

[Chancellor]

Quote by: freedom13 Negro means black in Spanish and not all African American have black skins. African American means that their ancestors were brought here in America as slaves from Africa immorally and unjustly. African heritage represent “Birth Right” and they have the “God giving right” or “by any means necessary right” to claim what have been lost and stolen from them.

There is no such thing as an "African" heritage. There are numerous indigenous cultures in Africa and it is from those cultures that the heritage of various people descended from African slaves is derived.

[ruksak]

Quote by: Chancellor There is no such thing as an "African" heritage. There are numerous indigenous cultures in Africa and it is from those cultures that the heritage of various people descended from African slaves is derived.

You like your semantics, don't 'cha?

It is still properly termed as "African heritage", despite the fact that there are numerous African heritages.

American heritage is diverse as well. Example; If your ancestors were "Okies" as opposed to Bostonians.