Nothing African about them

Discussion in 'Political Opinions & Beliefs' started by stan1990, Aug 24, 2020.

?

Do you agree with the term "African American" to describe Americans based on their skin colour?

Poll closed Sep 23, 2020.
  1. Yes

    8.0%
  2. No

    80.0%
  3. N/A

    12.0%
  1. stan1990

    stan1990 Active Member

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    Their citizenship is American, born in America, spoke English, eating American food, listening to American music, dressing American, and nothing African about them. However, they call themselves African Americans.


    If they are so charming about Africa, why don't they go back to the land of their ancestors? Why do thousands of Africans travel to America or try to obtain an American visa every year? Do they think of America as the evil that enslaves their ancestors?


    African people can be Black, White, Asian, Arabs and the list could go on. These fools think that their skin colour defines who you are.


    End
     
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  2. VotreAltesse

    VotreAltesse Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Clearly, many "african american" are more some kind of metis. I suppose that if someone like Colin Powell would travel in deep africa, people would consider him as a white, or at least clearly not black. I already spoke with african born people (black people), that told me they were able to tell apart people from different african (black) ethnic group because of their appearance. Many north african see themselves as "whites", but when they come to Europe, they're seen just as "arabs" not really white people.

    In the same time, we often use the word "black" to speak of people with an "african" physionomy. However, many people from the indian subcontinent have a darker skin than many african people that have sometimes more a "caramel" skin when some Indians have more an "obsidian" skin.

    There is obviously no perfect way to speak of the different type of physical aspects in the human species. I don't think there is anything perfect way to speak of that.
    Speaking in term of geographical origin is what enable the most nuance in a description, however we can't deny there is something alienating in that. Obviously, there is no perfect solution to that issue.
     
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  3. 21Bronco

    21Bronco Banned

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    And this is the problem we run into when you try and look at someone's melanin content instead of their ideas and beliefs.

    I'd vote for Candice Owens or Thomas Sowell before Biden - in a HEARTBEAT. I simply don't care what color a person's skin is.

    Am I racist?
     
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  4. VotreAltesse

    VotreAltesse Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I will state the very obvious. That's the core definition of not being racist.
     
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  5. ArchStanton

    ArchStanton Banned

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    Only if you are white :nod::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
     
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  6. Montegriffo

    Montegriffo Well-Known Member

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    Are you asking why they don't go back to where they came from?
     
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  7. Darthcervantes

    Darthcervantes Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    Nice way to take ONE sentence and spin it to try and make it sound racist. Do you work for CNN? they would love you there!
     
  8. Gdawg007

    Gdawg007 Well-Known Member

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    I think you a couple problematic statements here.

    First of all, much of the music, food, and whatnot you describe as American came from somewhere else. It may no longer be in it's purest form, but it wasn't invented here. And much of it came from the very people you are referring to.

    Secondly, African American is a very vague term. More over, you are still forcing them to conform in a way that isn't truly white Americans conform. For example, if I ask you your ethnicity, is your answer American? Nope. Ask me and you won't get the answer "American" either. America is my nationality, but it's not my identify.

    Lastly, it wasn't black people who chose to let their skin color identify them or their place in American society. That was forced upon them by white Americans. More over, your notion that if they want to call themselves something you don't like that they should return to the land of their ancestors is frankly a piss poor thing to say. People can be proud of their heritage and to be an American at the same time. You're notion that they must conform to your ideas or go home is frankly un-American.
     
  9. Montegriffo

    Montegriffo Well-Known Member

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    Did he or did he not say ''why don't they go back to the land of their ancestors''?
     
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  10. drluggit

    drluggit Well-Known Member

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    Well, there was a qualifier proceeding that part of the sentence for sure. why did you edit it out? This really is what "shut up... Racist" looks like in our country today.
     
  11. ChiCowboy

    ChiCowboy Well-Known Member

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    Awww...somebody upset over a word. How adorable.

    We have more pressing issues than how people identify themselves. It's a free country. If you don't like it maybe you should go back to where your ancestors came from
     
  12. VotreAltesse

    VotreAltesse Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    To be fair, there is nothing in this world that it's "purely" from a place. I don't know any civilization that never have been significantly influenced by another.

    I don't agree with the OP. However, I don't agree with your statement, yes, black people have a tragic history in USA, but you're treating them purely as passive people. Nobody can force yourself to be considered in a way. I don't pretend that's easy, but you're never passive in the way you consider yourself.
     
  13. God & Country

    God & Country Well-Known Member

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    Blacks are not alone in who uses the hyphen. I understand it and don't condemn it but wish we could all just go by American, to become America, it's been 234 years, it's time.
     
  14. Gdawg007

    Gdawg007 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, but what distinguishes good behavior from bad is acknowledging those influences as opposed to claiming them as your own. This isn't the biggest of deals, but it's silly to think that creole food wasn't heavily influenced by black people brought to America.



    Passive? Being sprayed with a fire hose isn't passive. Having your churches blown up isn't being passive. Being denied the right to vote based on requirements non-blacks also couldn't meet and yet were allowed to vote isn't being passive. If you are claiming black people haven't tried to change America, I think you are way off base. They are trying right now and still being dismissed as criminals or ignored. I think you are sorely mistaken here.
     
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  15. Gdawg007

    Gdawg007 Well-Known Member

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    Uh, the OP said it. No one is spinning anything...
     
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  16. Lesh

    Lesh Banned

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    What about

    Irish American

    Polish American

    German American

    Italian American
     
  17. Moi621

    Moi621 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    What about / aboot :flagcanada: les Quebecois ? !

    First "French"
    2nd :flagcanada:
    As long as a Trudeau runs things. . .
    Witness the benefits of bilingualism !

    Racism
    Nationalism

    Quelle et la difference.
     
  18. VotreAltesse

    VotreAltesse Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    No that wasn't my point. My point was : if your color of skin can unfortunately define your place in a society, that doesn't mean it have to define who you are and how you consider yourself. And again : I said it's easy to say, extremely hard to achieve.
     
  19. VotreAltesse

    VotreAltesse Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    There is a deep difference between defining yourself by what you are or what you do.

    Your language, your culture and your customs are what you do.

    And I'm not hostile to the idea of people appreciating to be black, white or whatever, it's a trouble when it become a tool to justify hatred.
     
  20. Gdawg007

    Gdawg007 Well-Known Member

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    But when you are enslaved because of the color of your skin, denied equal opportunities based on the color of your skin, and not just you but your children and their children and even after you fight for that freedom you continue to have to fight for it for another hundred plus years, at what point does self-definition outweigh how you are treated? I mean, human spirit and all, but I am fairly certain all that was done to black people by white people in this country WAS to define them and have them self-define as they were "seen." And I think it was quite successful and we are still feeling the aftershocks of that success.
     
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  21. rkhames

    rkhames Well-Known Member

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    I have been deployed to Somalia. While there, the black members of my unit experience what can only be termed as discrimination. The local business owners refused to serve out black (or as we called them back then "Dark Green" Marines) because they believed that they believed that they were owned special treatment. This was because they were in fact black. The local owners found blacks arrogant, and refused to serve them. I had to visit every establishment, and tell them that I would put their business of limits to all Marines if they did not serve all of them equally. If I found that they refused service, or treated Dark Green Marines any different the every other race, then they would not have any business from Marines. They were making a lot, by their standards, off the Marines, and did not want to lose it. So, they treated Dark Green Marines the same as everyone else.

    If they are not accepted in Africa, then how can they claim to be African Americans. Most family line of so-called African Americans can to this country more then a century ago. Most have never been to Africa. Therefore the title does not fit. "Black Americans" would be more appropriate.
     
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  22. Moi621

    Moi621 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    How about the small store owner
    in Yukon
    required to be "metric" and
    Frog Friendly

    .
    NO TO BILINGUALISM
    NO ONE ON BOARD SUPPORTS
    FREEDOM FOR :flagcanada: PEOPLES more
    THAN Moi :oldman:
     
  23. Moi621

    Moi621 Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    If U Say So


    or please, express your idea with more
    illumination



     
  24. VotreAltesse

    VotreAltesse Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    I would try to make an analogy :
    Let's suppose that one of your parent have been abusive, and he always considered you as unworthy. Such individual would feel for a large part of their life feel unworthy. That individual as the "choice" to consider himself not as unworthy. Obviously, changing your own perception of yourself isn't simply something you do at the morning, that's a long fight to gain freedom about the way you consider yourself, that can't be done in a day, but require years. That individual could spend his life blaming his parents, and yes, it's not to be denied that an abusive parent has a very harmful impact on the beginning on your life, however blaming everything wrong in your life because of your abusive parent is also a mistake.

    From my point of view, obviously racism is to be rejected, but the trend to see some populations (in that instance) only as victim is harmful. It deny the responsibility of someone in is own life, considering someone solely as a victim is denying him or her to be your equal, as you don't see them as responsible. There is clearly no obvious answer and it require to stay extremely nuanced. I find often the answer of the right and the left wing to be too simplistic, neither "it's just their fault" or "they're just victims".
     
  25. Bearack

    Bearack Well-Known Member

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    Your response made me giggle, considering the progressive left will explode if you use the wrong pronoun.

    [​IMG]
     

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