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African Americans? Anyone Else Offended By That Term?
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| tiesto14 |
I am just curious on people's opinions on this matter. Do you find it offensive and/or a slap in the face to real Africans that live in horrendous situations like Somalia and Rwanda when people in America call themselves African Americans?
These "African Americans" call Bill Clinton their first "black president"..yet Bill Clinton did nothing for Somalians and very little for the Rwandan genocide.
They go on and on about their struggle yet they never lived in Africa. They walk around with their bling bling and most do not donate money to their "African" brothers and sisters.
I never hear any mention from these "African Americans" on the AIDS crisis in Africa either.
And why is it we do not hear people call themselves "African Europeans", "African Canadiens", "African Asians" etc etc...why are American blacks so quick to call themselves African Americans yet, for the most part dont know jack about the struggle in Africa?
I find it disgusting when people like Oprah WInfrey and SPike Lee or these rappers who live in million dollar homes and drive 200 thouaand dollar cars talk about they are Africans.
Or was caring for Africans an 80's thing for these people?
What are your opinions? |
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| Dervish |
A person can choose to identify themselfs as they will. Whether we choose to accept the identification is a different thing.
Personally I recon people will choose whatever option gives them the biggest feeling of pride.
If they choose to separate themselfs then fair enough thats what they identify with.
I mean if I moved to America (or anywhere) I'd still feel Scottish, and I want my kids to feel part Scottish. My grandkids.... well I'd say they would be pretty much stright up American or whatever.
The Irish and Itailians seem to do it to a lesser extent too (possibly just conjecture). |
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| tiesto14 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dervish
A person can choose to identify themselfs as they will. Whether we choose to accept the identification is a different thing.
Personally I recon people will choose whatever option gives them the biggest feeling of pride.
If they choose to separate themselfs then fair enough thats what they identify with.
I mean if I moved to America (or anywhere) I'd still feel Scottish, and I want my kids to feel part Scottish. My grandkids.... well I'd say they would be pretty much stright up American or whatever.
The Irish and Itailians seem to do it to a lesser extent too (possibly just conjecture). |
Right but you were BORN in Scotland...you ARE Scotish. I am tlaking about black Americans who never step foot on African soil...who's ancestors have lived in America for centuries. |
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| Dervish |
| Yeah but thats what I'm saying my grandkids would be pretty much all American (with a Scottish great grandad). |
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| zig |
There are millions of Americans who would consider themselves "Irish Americans" and they would consider former American president John F Kennedy as an "Irish American President" and most of these people have never been to Ireland, i meet lots of them every summer here as tourists, and they would normally not have been to Ireland before, but would still consider themselves Irish American.
I suppose its about your heritage and where your ancestors have come from, America is still a relatively young country, and with the blacks its about having come from a background of forced slavery mainly from Africa. |
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| svens_bath |
you're making some pretty big assumptions there.
why shouldnt they call themsleves african-americans? what do you suggest they call themselves? Black?
after all they were dragged kicking and screaming from africa, to america. hence african-americans. regardless of how often they visit, im sure they all realise that in the end they came from africa.
in america everyone seems to have to idenitfy their roots, and i think these people are just doing the same..as Dervish pointed out. |
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| tiesto14 |
| quote: | Originally posted by svens_bath
you're making some pretty big assumptions there.
why shouldnt they call themsleves african-americans? what do you suggest they call themselves? Black? |
They should call themselves Americans.
| quote: | Originally posted by svens_bath
after all they were dragged kicking and screaming from africa, to america. hence african-americans. regardless of how often they visit, im sure they all realise that in the end they came from africa.
in america everyone seems to have to idenitfy their roots, and i think these people are just doing the same..as Dervish pointed out. |
I dont think rappers, Oprah and Spike Lee were slaves...
Just seems to me that they pay attention to Africa when it becomes chic to do so.
I just dont see how u can call yourself African American yet i guarantee if u went up to half of the blacks in NYC that they couldnt tell u what happened in Rwanda or name more then 2 Afircan countires besides Egypt....let alone tell u about the AIDS crisis. I feel it is an insult to true Africans. |
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| svens_bath |
| quote: | Originally posted by tiesto14
I just dont see how u can call yourself African American yet i guarantee if u went up to half of the blacks in NYC that they couldnt tell u what happened in Rwanda or name more then 2 Afircan countires besides Egypt....let alone tell u about the AIDS crisis. |
is that a money back guarantee? i should hope it is.
its not so easy to call yourself American, when for centuries you have been oppressed by those who act in the name of America.
even if you are correct, and they dont know much about what happened in Rwanda, id say this is more down to lack of education than a failure to 'care' about what happened. |
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| svens_bath |
| quote: | Originally posted by tiesto14
I just dont see how u can call yourself African American yet i guarantee if u went up to half of the blacks in NYC |
just noticed this. so you would call them Blacks then?
see, you have thought it necessary to label them not as Americans, but as Blacks..and so you see why they themselves choose to identify themselves a certain way. |
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| tiesto14 |
| quote: | Originally posted by svens_bath
just noticed this. so you would call them Blacks then?
see, you have thought it necessary to label them not as Americans, but as Blacks..and so you see why they themselves choose to identify themselves a certain way. |
No i would label them Americans...is aid blacks cus saying whites would make no sense..or if i had said Americans it would of made no sense...dont jumble my words. |
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| svens_bath |
ok well ive said all i have to say here. ill leave everyone else to draw their own conclusions about your argument.
;) |
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| zig |
| quote: | Originally posted by tiesto14
They should call themselves Americans.
I dont think rappers, Oprah and Spike Lee were slaves...
Just seems to me that they pay attention to Africa when it becomes chic to do so.
I just dont see how u can call yourself African American yet i guarantee if u went up to half of the blacks in NYC that they couldnt tell u what happened in Rwanda or name more then 2 Afircan countires besides Egypt....let alone tell u about the AIDS crisis. I feel it is an insult to true Africans. |
No, but i bet they could tell you about recent American history regarding black Americans, Martin Luther King and the civil rights movement, where they were discriminated against by white people.
You could also argue about more recent history, during the 2000 American Presidental election, with allegations of fraud mainly disenfranchising black voters in Florida and possibly swinging the election as a result. |
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