Just curious about something here, and since I already had this thread going that has race and politically correct terms in it I figured I would just ask it here.

Is someone who was born and lives in the USA but is of Morrocan ancestry considered to be an "African-American"? Or would they be "North African-Americans"? Or are black americans the only ones who get to claim that title? What about black people who live in South America? I've never understood why black people in the USA every now and then have changed what they wanted to be referred to as. Negroe, Colored, Black, African-American..... How come they have to be differentiated at all? Can't they just be Americans like us white redneck hillbilly's? Sure if you need to describe someone or point someone out you would still say, "that white guy" or "that black guy" or "that oriental guy". But these continental classifications like "asian americans" or "african americans" don't really make much sense to me when both of those continents have multiple races of many different skin colors.

Is it really any wonder why I (and probably others) get really frustrated when the media does nothing but constantly reinforce these stupid classifications. I have lived in every corner of the US at times and have met and talked to lots of people of different colors. Not one of them ever used the terms "African-American" or "Asian-American" or "Native-American" to describe people. It's the media that makes these stupid terms up I think and then they constantly use them in whatever form of the media they work in. I just get tired of hearing and reading it.

To be fair, I did actually hear one that I enjoyed. But only because it was funny, not because they were serious or anything. And that was in the recent Dukes of Hazard movie when one of the Duke Boys says something along the lines of "We prefer to be called Appalachian-Americans". I probably butchered the line but it was funny in the movie.

while americans of egyptian decent are technically considered african-americans, this is not the common use today. in fact, most of the north africans i know would be fairly angry if you tried to call them african-american.

furthermore, many black americans of caribbean descent who i know also take offense to being called african-american.

ditto with the black africans who are not american (almost every one of these folks rip "african-americans" pretty hard).

anyway, this is why i personally find the term "african-american" to be a bit over the top and continue to use the term "black".

i've lived in the northeast corridor for a few years of my life, and i tend to attribute the pervasive use of these terms to white-liberal guilt and these very same white-liberals being dominant in mass media. the bizarre byproduct of this group is that they try to be inclusive (e.g., via affirmative action) and exclusive (e.g., via affirming minority identity) yielding very conflicting desired outcomes.

don't get me wrong, a lot of liberal ideas were developed with the best intent and often with extremely effective outcomes, but once these ideas were adopted by the PC folks, the ideas tended to become more style than substance. frankly, i find most NE liberals to be more racist in their actions than many people in the south. many of these NE people speak sweet words, but don't back it up with action. hypocrites.

imagine what would happen if a Long Island JAP (jewish american princess) brought home a black boyfriend from college. more often than not... scandal.

And we'll be racing to lock it. How sad is that? The beauty of Internet forums is they are truly color-blind. And they should remain that way.



How I would love to see a time in this country when Seb's words were not inflammatory. When we actually didn't even NOTICE a black man did something for the first time, that it was not a big deal. I hope your generation can accomplish what my generation has not, but I have very little hope of it.

Race relations is a touchy subject in this country, to say the least. You can tell the absolute truth and just saying it can get you branded as a racist. Nothing can get you hated faster than being right about color, any color, any side of the equation. I'm tap dancing on thin ice just making this post.

Imus said, "why is it that minorities are given a pass when it comes to making fun of them?"

He's right, but he catches hell for it.

Chris Rock was absolutely on the money, but apologizes for saying it.

Bill Cosby is hated by many in his own community, even though he was dead on target. He gets huge points from me for not backing down. (Although he's been quiet since, which disappoints me, greatly.)

No white person in this country could say publicly what either Mr. Rock or Mr. Cosby said. He'd be branded a racist. They told the truth and were roundly criticized. Imagine what the President would get if he said the same thing? A candidate would never survive.

Nothing will change in this country until there is a time when honesty is rewarded and the truth is acknowledged, on BOTH sides.

Blacks must stop playing the victim.
Whites must stop being afraid of blacks.

There has been much movement toward this in my lifetime, but not enough. How many more lifetimes will it take?

When it comes to racism, it's too often a black/white issue. Why is that?

How many groups of people have been discriminated against? Catholics, Irish, Chinese, Italians, Japanese. Our history can be traced by how each group was treated, yet all of these have overcome it. Except one.

There is blame to go around on both sides, yet neither is fully willing to accept any blame at all. Whites accept a little, but stop when it's not rewarded with understanding from the other side.

I make a personal admission. I am very bitter about my attitudes changing over the past three decades. I have more negative feelings about African-Americans now than I did 30 years ago. How much does that suck? Seriously. Believe me when I say this...It's NOT MY FAULT. I'm outraged that it's happened and angry that I couldn't stop it.

I have always had black friends, from childhood up to the present. This isn't one of those b.s. white guy things of "some of my best friends are black." No, I mean people I really, really like who just happen to be black. Yet my feelings toward the race have changed and not through any conscious decision or fears of black people moving in next door, or taking my job, or marrying my daughter. There are times I'm afraid of black guys who may steal my money or shoot me in a robbery. If it didn't happen, and it absolutely DOES happen, too often. I understand the news business. I know when something is sensationalized and when it's commonplace. 1 out of 5 black men between 18 and 30 have a felony record. That's fact. I would not bet my life on 4:1. But, I'm not afraid of the whole race of African-Americans. That's ridiculous and ignorant.

The question that should be understood is why did this change in my attitude happen? Would this have happened had Dr. King not been murdered? I can only hope it would not have. His death might have been the death of any greater progress we may have made in the years since. Time has been the only thing that has improved our relationship. Time and political correctness, believe it or not. PC, in this case, has slowly seaped into the conscience of all white Americans, even the most ardently racist white Americans. The proof is you would never, ever now hear even the most devoutly pro-white/anti-black bigot say what he's actually thinking to a group with a black in it. The asshole may say it in a group of white guys--I hear this and I hate it and want to smack him in his stupid face--but I never hear it when there is a black guy there. So, while I really hate PC, I have to give it some credit when due.

I have ZERO, absolutely NO other emotional feelings about this subject, other than disgust, disappointment and distrust of anyone who expresses nothing more than feelings, thoughts and arguments with only one side ever spoken, and loudly at that. That goes for white guys as well as black guys. I can overlook my anger at how my attitudes have shifted negatively and look at the issue with cold logic, but I'm a rare bird in this case. Most have nothing but emotion when the subject is discussed, IF it is ever discussed because for the most part, white people absolutely dread having to confront it.

I'm disgusted at feeling immediately afraid of what might happened when Seb made his first post. He said nothing wrong, yet I was afraid of what he was saying and how people might interpret it. That was wrong of me. I should have trusted him. That shows how really deep the problem is.

I am unfortunately too bold. I have had this conversation many times with both white and black. Too often with nothing to show for it. When I meet someone of either color who says, "you may be right," I'm knocked over. If I ever meet anyone who says, "I may be wrong," I'll be ready to meet my maker, as like Diogenes, I've met an honest man.

And this is absolutely ALL I'm going to say on this subject, as I'm sure I'll be harshly criticized for this rant. Anything else I would express, no doubt, would be received even worse. And that's despicable. I'm an idiot for saying anything at all, but I'm to a point where I simply don't care anymore who likes me or who doesn't just because I'll be honest about this subject. My black friends understand, and so do my white friends. That's why they are my friends. That's good enough for me.

I grew up in the South. Lived in the North. Have seen every side of this, and over the course of my lifetime have seen great changes and not enough. I remember seeing "For Whites Only" signs. I watched the marches and heard the hate from my own people. I have cried when I heard Dr. King's speech in Washington. I cried from the poetry and emotion and I cried at the loss of such an incredible man. I've been bitterly disappointed at both black and white. I'm sorry I may not live to see the words of Dr. King come true.

If there ever came a time when Bill Cosby and say Jeff Foxworthy, or Al Sharpton and Billy Graham, could stand side-by-side on a stage and were able to rip into people of their own color or the other color with equal vigor, then, I truly believe, you would see an immediate and substantial improvement in the relations between the races in this country. As Lennon said, "Imagine..."

Otherwise, we can only pray that time will heal all wounds.

"I see things as they are and ask 'why'? I see things as they should be and ask, 'why not'?" John F. Kennedy

Wow.
Not sure what else to say here except wow.
Kuso, CJ, great posts. I'm glad someone understood my frustration. I'm also glad that there are folks here who can answer my questions intelligently and have a discussion about even the most sensitive of issues without being close minded. These discussions are good and good for people to have. Even if others don't post about it I'm sure they read it and their thought processes are started so that should they ever be put in a situation where they do need to make a comment, it can be an intelligent and open minded comment. If this doesn't happen, change won't occur.
Now the kinda weird but cool thing is that when I made the original post I did not intend on it sparking this kind of discussion but it did and now I'm kind of glad I made the post in the first place.

After reading the 2nd page of this thread I started thinking of my original post that got this all going.
Would anybody care to comment on the 2nd part of that original post? I'd like to see that subject discussed with the same intelligence as the race issue was.

I truly believe in teamwork and being a good representative of whatever organization that you are a member of the team.
Did anybody here at BTP besides me see the Olympic coverage that night? Did you feel like this Shani Davis guy was a good representative of the USA? Good skater or not, he would not be there if it were not for the USA Olympic Team. That being the case, he is a repesentative of the USA. As a US citizen, I was disappointed in the way he represented us before and after the race. The only part of his being a member of "our" team that was any good was his skating performance. But that's not enough when you are part of a team. After his actions in the days leading up to the night he won "his" gold medal and immediately afterwards, he proved he doesn't know what it means to be part of a team and being a good representative of the USA. That being the case I'd rather he'd not been there to begin with as part of Team USA.

Hey CJ,
No dice on the Texan-American thing bud. If I have to point you out, you're gonna be "that bald guy".

First came oppression. Then equal rights. Then, with positive discrimination and quotas, the fostering of a victim mentality.

I don't see how the black community is supposed to feel good about itself while being patronised by a guilt-ridden, largely white and more affluent society.