? for our African American members

Shugardrawers

<font color=teal><b>Ovarian Cancer Survivor!<br><f
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Is it not pc to call african americans black anymore? I was talking to Dh on the phone and was telling him about a show I was watching and said "well, there's this black guy" (the color of his skin actually was a part of the humor in the sketch). Anyway, Dh informed me that it's no longer acceptable to call african americans black. Is that true? Is it offensive or just a better word has been found? I certainly don't want to offend anyone so I thought I'd better ask.
 
My dear friend and neighbor hates the term African-American, since she is black, but European.

I never use that term, unless I'm at work. I mean, I don't describe myself as Italian-American, do I? If I need to distinquish someone by physical characteristics I use white, black, Asian, Hispanic or American Indian.
 
It's not something that I think about. Although I am far removed from the "black" communities and often suffer more racism from them than other races.

I don't think there is anything wrong with calling a black person a black person, we call white people white, what's the big deal?
 
Whether something is or is not offensive is entirely subjective. One person may find a term offensive but another may not. I think political correctness is ridiculous, but that doesn't mean I go around spouting derogatory terms. I'll refer to someone as black and have no problem if someone refers to me as white.

Personally I think Theodore Roosevelt had the best to say on the matter back in 1915 --

There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts "native" before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance. But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as any one else.

The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic. The men who do not become Americans and nothing else are hyphenated Americans; and there ought to be no room for them in this country. The man who calls himself an American citizen and who yet shows by his actions that he is primarily the citizen of a foreign land, plays a thoroughly mischievous part in the life of our body politic. He has no place here; and the sooner he returns to the land to which he feels his real heart-allegiance, the better it will be for every good American. There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else.

For an American citizen to vote as a German-American, an Irish-American, or an English-American, is to be a traitor to American institutions; and those hyphenated Americans who terrorize American politicians by threats of the foreign vote are engaged in treason to the American Republic.
 

icebrat001 said:
I don't think there is anything wrong with calling a black person a black person, we call white people white, what's the big deal?

Very well said. :wave2:
 
DH hates the term African American, he is black and will say he's black when having to answer any kind of race type question on forms or etc. It leaves too much room for variations, example: Charlize Theron who is techincally also African American but not black. That seems to confuse some people. In the famous words of my black DH "My ancestors came from Africa but I've never been to Africa and never plan on going there so why do I have to be African-American? I'm black, you're white, let's move on."
 
cheerful chickadee said:
DH hates the term African American, he is black and will say he's black when having to answer any kind of race type question on forms or etc. It leaves too much room for variations, example: Charlize Theron who is techincally also African American but not black. That seems to confuse some people. In the famous words of my black DH "My ancestors came from Africa but I've never been to Africa and never plan on going there so why do I have to be African-American? I'm black, you're white, let's move on."

I like your DH's philosophy. :teeth:

I hate political correct-ness when it makes no sense. I'm with your husband, time to move on.
 
snoopy said:
My dear friend and neighbor hates the term African-American, since she is black, but European.

I never use that term, unless I'm at work. I mean, I don't describe myself as Italian-American, do I? If I need to distinquish someone by physical characteristics I use white, black, Asian, Hispanic or American Indian.

My DH best friend is from the Carriben, but his wife is from Africa and they are both americans now. (and both black.)

So black people in Europe, do they consider themselve African Eurpoen? I think Europe is more progressive about this then we are.

Oh and my best friend's brother and his wife live in Africa (Kenya) raise their kids and are citizens there. They aren't black.
 
I wonder about things like that myself. I have a friend who came here from Africa and became an American citizen and she said there was a big divide between people like her who came from Africa recently and the black kids who were already born here. She said the ones who were born here tried hard to find their African roots, while the ones from Africa tried very hard to shed them and become just plain Americans. So she doesn't mind being referred to as black.

I had a similar thing happen with my DH that the OP had. I'd referred to someone as Oriental and he went off saying how offensive and non-PC it was and I was surprised. So I asked a friend who was Japanese and she thought he was crazy and said she used the term Oriental herself!

So basically my rule of thumb is, if I'm speaking with someone I know well, I use whatever term I'm comfortable with, but if I'm writing or speaking with a stranger I use the most PC language I know.

Now, if they'd only come up with a good PC term for fat person. :rolleyes1
 
I worked with a black lady from England for a while. She was always befuddled by our tendency to stick '-American' on everything. She called herself British-Black-American and always laughed about it.

I really don't believe that Chad is in any way racist. I think that he's trying to make a point about the term 'African-American' but of course I could be wrong.
 
Briarmom said:
No. We will only live there (Egypt) for a little bit and then on to Europe somewhere. :goodvibes

Egypt, wow! Sounds like fun. My mom had a good friend of hers invite her to Egypt for two weeks. She had an awesome time, saw the Pyramids, rode a camel, all in all had a blast. I've always wanted to go to Egypt to see the pyramids.
 
Okey Dokey! :earboy2: I'm black, but you know what little cheerful terms I like to use: I use "chocolate" for my people, and I use "vanilla or french vanilla" for caucasian. :goodvibes :goodvibes It's gets lots of smiles from both sides. I don't care what you call me because I'm human, a human whose coloring is just a bit darker than others. ;)

Sure would like to know what Chad's comment was all about. :confused3 That was really surprising. :(
 
cheerful chickadee said:
DH hates the term African American, he is black and will say he's black when having to answer any kind of race type question on forms or etc. It leaves too much room for variations, example: Charlize Theron who is techincally also African American but not black. That seems to confuse some people. In the famous words of my black DH "My ancestors came from Africa but I've never been to Africa and never plan on going there so why do I have to be African-American? I'm black, you're white, let's move on."
Exactly!
 
icebrat001 said:
It's not something that I think about. Although I am far removed from the "black" communities and often suffer more racism from them than other races.

I don't think there is anything wrong with calling a black person a black person, we call white people white, what's the big deal?

Oprah mentioned just yesterday that there is a lot of racism within the black community but didn't really go into it. Not having experienced that I don't understand. Can you enlighten me?
 
Marseeya said:
Now, if they'd only come up with a good PC term for fat person. :rolleyes1

I got one! I got one! I used to be one before I lost 40 pounds on Atkins. :teeth: :goodvibes How bout "horizonally impaired"? or "fluffy"? :earboy2:
 
Tiggerlover91 said:
I got one! I got one! I used to be one before I lost 40 pounds on Atkins. :teeth: :goodvibes How bout "horizonally impaired"? or "fluffy"? :earboy2:

I like fluffy! Or the Dis term, "pooh sized." :goodvibes

Congrats on the 40 pounds!
 
Tiggerlover91 said:
I got one! I got one! I used to be one before I lost 40 pounds on Atkins. :teeth: :goodvibes How bout "horizonally impaired"? or "fluffy"? :earboy2:
:rotfl: my old bf used to call me fluffy :rotfl: my friends used to say what is she peanut butter now :rotfl:
 
cheerful chickadee said:
DH hates the term African American, he is black and will say he's black when having to answer any kind of race type question on forms or etc. It leaves too much room for variations, example: Charlize Theron who is techincally also African American but not black. That seems to confuse some people. In the famous words of my black DH "My ancestors came from Africa but I've never been to Africa and never plan on going there so why do I have to be African-American? I'm black, you're white, let's move on."

That's what I was thinking- we have friends who are "white" but came here from Africa. We always joke about them being african american.

I like to look at it from a child's eyes. When DS was describing a friend at school, he said he was "brown" just as he would say I have dark brown hair and blue eyes. Its just a physical attribute to them. Too bad it couldn't be like that for everybody.
 
Tiggerlover91 said:
Okey Dokey! :earboy2: I'm black, but you know what little cheerful terms I like to use: I use "chocolate" for my people, and I use "vanilla or french vanilla" for caucasian. :goodvibes :goodvibes It's gets lots of smiles from both sides. I don't care what you call me because I'm human, a human whose coloring is just a bit darker than others. ;)

Sure would like to know what Chad's comment was all about. :confused3 That was really surprising. :(
I LIKE the way you think!! You are so right...we are all just human. :goodvibes
 


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