How ridiculous is the euphemism "African-American"

[Andy9o8 2]

Yes, linguistically, it's ridiculous. I tend toward the pedantic, so I certainly see it.
But you know what? In practical application, say, 98% of the time, it really doesn't matter. Fact is, most black people in the US have come to prefer that label for themselves, so "technically" awkward or not, it's really no skin off my ass.

[likearock 2]

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YFact is, most black people in the US have come to prefer that label for themselves, so "technically" awkward or not, it's really no skin off my ass.

How do we know that? Did the NAACP put out a white paper describing a study? Was there even a poll taken that supports this preference? How do we know this isn't just some arbitrary decision from a self-proclaimed "leader"?

[Andy9o8 2]

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How do we know that?

Because the Negroes keep correcting me.

[kallend 2,114]

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YFact is, most black people in the US have come to prefer that label for themselves, so "technically" awkward or not, it's really no skin off my ass.

How do we know that? Did the NAACP put out a white paper describing a study? Was there even a poll taken that supports this preference? How do we know this isn't just some arbitrary decision from a self-proclaimed "leader"?

I know a girl who wants to be called "Sunshine" rather than Cheryl, the name she was given by her parents; fine by me. I know a guy who likes to be called "Buck" although his real name is Frederick; fine by me.

There's even a person around DZ.COM who calls himself "likearock" and another who calls himself "birdlike" although they're not their real names.

If a person wants to be considered an XXXXX-American, fine by me.

If "African-American" really bothers anyone, I suggest they do not have enough real problems in their life to worry over.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[crwtom 0]

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Fact is, most black people in the US have come to prefer that label for themselves,

not without reason (see above) ...

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Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true

[likearock 2]

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How do we know that?

Because the Negroes keep correcting me.

We were talking about whether the term "Afro-American" is preferable over "black".

[likearock 2]

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YFact is, most black people in the US have come to prefer that label for themselves, so "technically" awkward or not, it's really no skin off my ass.

How do we know that? Did the NAACP put out a white paper describing a study? Was there even a poll taken that supports this preference? How do we know this isn't just some arbitrary decision from a self-proclaimed "leader"?

I know a girl who wants to be called "Sunshine" rather than Cheryl, the name she was given by her parents; fine by me. I know a guy who likes to be called "Buck" although his real name is Frederick; fine by me.

There's even a person around DZ.COM who calls himself "likearock" and another who calls himself "birdlike" although they're not their real names.

If a person wants to be considered an XXXXX-American, fine by me.

If "African-American" really bothers anyone, I suggest they do not have enough real problems in their life to worry over.

If people prefer the term, by all means let's use it. My question is: How do we know that the term "Afro-American" is preferred over "black" in the greater community? I haven't seen anyone try to answer that question. And Kallend, keep in mind your very cogent dictum: The plural of anecdote is not data.

[birdlike 0]

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Yes, linguistically, it's ridiculous. I tend toward the pedantic, so I certainly see it.
But you know what? In practical application, say, 98% of the time, it really doesn't matter. Fact is, most black people in the US have come to prefer that label for themselves, so "technically" awkward or not, it's really no skin off my ass.

I consider it "skin off my ass" because I'm expected to keep up with whatever it is that black people want to be called this week--and what it's forbidden to call them--and if I slip up I'm a racist. It's not like I'm walking around saying, "Hey, did you see that negro?" "Black" is a contemporary term and it is neutral. If you come back with, "Well, it's not 'neutral' to them," I would say, "Then neither is 'white,' and in order to not be racist, everyone has to refer to formerly 'white' people as 'Light-skinned-Americans." Call me white, and you're offending me, and are a racist.

Spirits fly on dangerous missions
Imaginations on fire

[ianmdrennan 2]

I've always been annoyed by the term 'african-american' - mostly because the majority of people claiming this 'label' have never even set foot in Africa and almost always certainly aren't citizens of it. A close friend of mine who I often talk politics, religion, and a host of other difficult issues (we don't see eye to eye on religion but respect each others view points) who's black, feels the same way.

I am a South African citizen, and a US Citizen - technically African-American While I have Scottish and Irish ROOTS I don't run around calling myself a Irish-Scottsman

The reality is that the majority of these people, claiming this label, are simply.....Americans. Period.

Race and Country aren't the same.

Blues,
Ian

Performance Designs Factory Team

[Lindsey 0]

Call me white, and you're offending me,

"Caucasian" will usually work when "white" is offensive.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[Skyrad 0]

I know a South African (White) who went to New Orleans, he was in a bar and got chatting to a black guy who asked him where he was from, when he told him SA the black guy told the South African that he was not a African but that the black guy was. When the South African asked him had he ever been to Africa the black guy said no, so he asked him if either his father or grandfather had been to Afica, again no. So the the South African asked the 'Afircan-American' did he speak any African languages, no the black guy replied. So 'let me get this right' the South African replied, I speak Xhosa, Zulu, and Afrikaans, was born in Africa as were my father and his father and his father before me, have lived all my life in Africa but I'm not African but you who has never even been to Africa the same as your father and grandfather and you speak no African languages yet you are an African? "Correct" said the 'African-American'

(The same guy was also asked by someone else in the US if there is a bridge between South Africa and Australia another friend was on a US DZ and when asked by a American where he was from replied South Africa, the American then asked "Where abouts is that?".....Anyway, I digress)

When an author is too meticulous about his style, you may presume that his mind is frivolous and his content flimsy.
Lucius Annaeus Seneca

[PLFXpert 0]

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I was thinking about this as I read the newspaper recently.

I was reading an article that could not refer to blacks as "African-Americans" because the blacks were, I think, Canadian.

I was under the impression the term "black" was the preferred adjective for news reporting.

I was just about to look it up when I decided instead to eat a bunch of caramels.

Paint me in a corner, but my color comes back.

[rehmwa 2]

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Did the NAACP put out a white paper describing a study?

I find the term "white paper" offensive. I prefer, "pigmentally sparse parchment".

Why won't someone PLEASE think of the children?

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[NickDG 23]

Once when I was working at the DZ in Cal City we imported a new AFF Instructor straight from Italy to help out over the summer.

And being an Italian myself, I was looking forward to meeting him. When we did met I mentioned, "I'm Italian too." And he said, "No your not, you're an American."

Now I was born in New York City in a Italian neighborhood, I ate Italian food, went to an Italian church, celebrated all the Italian holidays, went to all the Italian parades and feasts, and banged as many Italian girls as I could.

But he was right. I've been over to Italy and besides my name, and the fact I looked like people over there, I'm nothing like them. I don't act like them, speak like them, or do any of the things they do. Culturally we are from two different planets.

Today, when I see American Samoan, Irish, Polish, whatever, pride parades I think get over yourselves. You are a product of where you were born and raised.

So I've made peace with the fact that I am, and will always be, just an all American boy from New York City . . .

(But I am serving pasta tonight!)

NickD

[billvon 3,087]

>I consider it "skin off my ass" because I'm expected to keep up
>with whatever it is that black people want to be called this week . . .

No, you're not. Call them whatever you like. Personally, I don't see "black people" as one big group anyway. It's not like I've ever needed to say "hey, look! A large group of african-americans!"

>Call me white, and you're offending me, and are a racist.

I bet you're not really white anyway, more like a pinkish tan if you're like me. If it bugs you, ask people not to call you that. If they insist, then put them in your "politically incorrect" category and never speak to them again. Problem solved.

[nerdgirl 0]

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I find the term "white paper" offensive. I prefer, "pigmentally sparse parchment".

[sarcasm]

"pigmentally-challenged mono-textured cellulose"

[/sarcasm]

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[rehmwa 2]

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I find the term "white paper" offensive. I prefer, "pigmentally sparse parchment".

[sarcasm]

"pigmentally-challenged mono-textured cellulose"

[/sarcasm]

"cellulose" is an older term with a lot of emotion behind it. If you went through the issues the various printing houses went through during the 40's and 50's - then I'd think you wouldn't be so casual just tossing that term around like you do.

I can't believe just how insensitive you are being right now. It saddens me just how much more enlightenouseousness is needed today in this world - and especially your country - whichever it is.

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[nerdgirl 0]

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I am not sure how you figure Amerindian is like Oriental.

“more akin to” … and the methodology was logical extrapolation from your assertions and boundary conditions.

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I see Amerindian more like Asian.

And that’s fine if that what you see. By your argument it is more akin to the argument you’ve made against Asian, i.e., because it’s too large of a geographic descriptor and it doesn’t fit the assumed/assigned phenotypic or behavioral characteristics. You “like” Amerindian more than Asian so you use that. You “like” Oriental more than Asian so you use that.

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… Ameridian which is how the CIA classifies native Americans

Okay, if you want to use CIA classifications as the metric, what does the CIA use? Most generally: Asian. If one needs to be more specific: “East Asian” (which means China, ROK, DPRK, Japan, Taiwan), “South Asian” (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), “Southeast Asian” (which includes the ASEAN states, i.e., Thailand, Vietnam. Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar [nee Burma], Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Laos). Or even more specific: “Han Chinese,” “Zhuang Chinese,” “Manchu Chinese,” “Hui Chinese,” “Uyghur Chinese,” “Tibetan Chinese,” [any idea what phenotype those last two groups exhibit?], “Karen Burmese” “Khmer Cambodian,” etc.

Those are ethnic groups. “Oriental” is a historical artifact not an ethnic group.

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The reason, I see that like calling somebody Asian is because its taking many different groups and putting them together as one. An Amerindian could be an Inca, a Maya, a Cherokee a seminole, etc... I guess one difference you can point out is that you are not taking a member of that logical group and deciding to exclude them.

Depending on the situation, I would concur. If one wants to be precise in communications a more specific regional designation like “East Asian” may be appropriate or a precise ethnic group may be needed to understand intra-national issues, e.g., Punjabi vs Pashtun Pakistanis, or for ethnic groups that reside in multiple nation-states, e.g., Pashtun from Afghanistan and Pakistan, Tajiks living in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Alternatively, one can use the nation-state name.

Similarly, based on your argument, that’s largely why “Oriental” is so problematic: in the 21st Century, the term can refer to anything from a recently deceased Egyptian-Palestinian literary scholar at Columbia Univ (in NYC) to a Turkish national museum (Anatolian artifacts) to an Italian restaurant in Kyoto (Japan) to a rug from Pakistan.

/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[Amazon 7]

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I bet you're not really white anyway, more like a pinkish tan if you're like me. If it bugs you, ask people not to call you that. If they insist, then put them in your "politically incorrect" category and never speak to them again. Problem solved.

KEWL.....I can see it now.. a boogie picture of Jeffrey....and brainy Bill

Labled.. Pinkie and the Brain.

[nerdgirl 0]

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I find the term "white paper" offensive. I prefer, "pigmentally sparse parchment".

[sarcasm]

"pigmentally-challenged mono-textured cellulose"

[/sarcasm]

"cellulose" is an older term with a lot of emotion behind it. If you went through the issues the various printing houses went through during the 40's and 50's - then I'd think you wouldn't be so casual just tossing that term around like you do.

I can't believe just how insensitive you are being right now. It saddens me just how much more enlightenouseousness is needed today in this world - and especially your country - whichever it is.

My apologies, I was ignorant of its historical and cultural ramifications.

How about “pigmentally-challenged mono-textured non-lignin plant-derived writing material”?

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[Baksteen 84]

"Pigmentally challenged" implies inferiority

"That formation-stuff in freefall is just fun and games but with an open parachute it's starting to sound like, you know, an extreme sport."
~mom

[nerdgirl 0]

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"Pigmentally challenged" implies inferiority

"Pigmentally-controverted"?

"Etiolated"?

"Albumin-like"?

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[rehmwa 2]

now that's good thread drift

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[rehmwa 2]

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My apologies, I was ignorant of its historical and cultural ramifications.

How about “pigmentally-challenged mono-textured non-lignin plant-derived writing material”?

Please, do not apologize - in this world, everybody is correct, unless told they are not. I am allowed outrage, but in no way should you consider it indicates an error on your part.

In fact, the council is sending you a medal for your efforts. AND, so no one feels diminished in any way, the council will be sending medals to everyone.

key points:

1 - no one is wrong

2 - everyone is outraged

3 - medals for all

it's a brave world

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Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[stayhigh 2]

all black friends i had in the past and and now friends hate the term "african-american"...

one of my friends quote on the subject "I've been to africa and I ain't one of them, I'm from Philly and I'm black and I am American."

People who use term african-american are usally rich Caucasian who doesn't really have any black friends.. or by Ding Dongs who never lived anywhere near Compton or I-Wood, and raised at Newport or Laguna..

and no matter how close friend you are, you can't use the word nigger, only black people can say that word without getting lynched..

meaning of Ding Dong- Black on the outside White inside.. and another term Twinkie= asian on the outside and white inside....

Bernie Sanders for President 2016