How many generations before the hyphen disappears?

[Crankyshank]

I'm not a mutt, I'm a multi-ethnic American

 

[Luv'sTink]

Here will be my one and only comment here...

People claim they want equal treatement, that everyone should be treated exactly the same, because it doesn't matter if your white, brown, black, jewish, catholic, gay, straight, and the list goes on......

But then they place those very lables on themselves, therefore calling attention to those differences...

Why not just be people and leave the lables at home....

 

[bananiem]

Well, in my family the hyphen never occured. My relatives all came here to become Americans because the life they left behind was so bad. All changed either pronounciation of the last name or changed it completely so they wouldn't be labelled anything but American. Except then they moved to an all Irish community, for the most part. Do you think the brogue gave them away? Anyway, my Dad's parents moved to "the big city" and did everything they could to hide their "Irish-ness", including hanging out with the Italian families down the street. Dad grew up with everybody thinking they were Italian.

 

[JoyG]

ITA!! And, I applaud you for being so honest, in a discussion that is often "danced" around. I think it is mainly caucasian Americans that take issue with the African American label (and, before we go any futher, I am caucasian). I think the real problem here (correct me if I am wrong), is that all words used to describe African Americans previously were "put" upon a race of people. These words...some nicer than others, have all come to have certain "negative" implications.

The truth of the matter is this...Africa is not a country, but a continent. So, when people in this country make comparisons to Irish-American, or otherwise...they are, in essence comparing apples to oranges. The true comparison would be "European American"...something to which NO one identifies (at least, not yet). Ironically, this is the complaint I hear most often from detractors of the use of "African-American".

Joy...I think you used "descendants" when you really meant "ancestors". I TRULY imagine you actually know where your "descendants" came from!!

Well said! That was exactly what I meant.

I went back and changed the word decendants to ancestors....you're right, if I didn't know where my decendants came from I'd be in pretty big trouble!

 

[jgmklmhem]

I think my problem lies with someone else brought up but hasn't really been touched on yet, African-American. It has now ofr better or worse become synonymous with the "black" race. This however can be very misleading because not all black people are African and not all Africans are black. Those who are on the outside are marginalized and derided for even using the moniker like the Moroccan and South African examples given earlier even when they are only 1st generation African-Americans just because they are not black, when many who do use it and are not derided have been in America for 5-6 generations, but are black. The only reason I single out the African-American example because most all the others don't seem to have this problem.

 

[Master Mason]

check out this quote

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 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 ...
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.

Theodore Roosevelt

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

you're right drop the hyphen when people ask me what i am I only say Mexican and that's that!

 

[smartestnumber5]

Here will be my one and only comment here...

People claim they want equal treatement, that everyone should be treated exactly the same, because it doesn't matter if your white, brown, black, jewish, catholic, gay, straight, and the list goes on......

But then they place those very lables on themselves, therefore calling attention to those differences...

Why not just be people and leave the lables at home....

I don't see how these are mixed messages at all. The call for equal treatment says "don't refuse to hire me or deny me the rights associated with legal contracts or refuse to rent me an apartment, etc" because you are a bigot and hate/fear people who are so and so color or so and so nationality or so and so sex or so and so hair color or so and so weight or so and so sexual orientation, etc.

The labels just point out what is often point out what is obvious to a five year old--we all have differences that are important to us and that's okay....some of us have black skin, some of us are girls, some of us go to Temple, etc. Besides, labels or no labels many of these characteristics of people are obvious to a stranger on the street (i.e. sex, race) and usually apparent to friends, co-workers, employers, teachers, customers, and acquaintances (religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, etc). The bigots will easily be able to find out what characteristics each of us has anyone simply by looking and listening. So why should we bother to hide it when it's an important part of our identities and our lives?

 

[Beca]

.

The labels just point out what is often point out what is obvious to a five year old--we all have differences that are important to us and that's okay....some of us have black skin, some of us are girls, some of us go to Temple, etc.

Okay...totally , but my dd is 4 (almost 5)...and, I used to hold my breath when we would see someone different from us in public...I mean color, race, language, size, disability, illness, age.....whatever. I was just unsure how I would handle those loud, "Mom....did you see that lady/man...she has/is..(fill in the blank).

But you know what...it NEVER happened!!! My dd has friends of all races. She has a friend with down syndrome, and a friend with a speech impediment. She speaks with every elderly person who gives her the time of day. She has NEVER embarassed me, or even inquired about differences. The only thing she has ever said to me is, "Mom...sometimes I have a hard time understanding *****, but when I do understand her...we have a LOT of fun." Her teacher asked me how I explained Down Syndrome to her....and, I told her I didn't even know she had a friend who was Down's. I don't think she knows....she's just her friend who is different...like all of her friends are different....each in their own way.

It's interesting...it made me realize that we, as adults, quantify and qualify differences far more than the babies. If you are nice to my dd...she likes you...end of story. We could learn a LOT from children!!!



Beca

 

[truebelievers]

As long as Americans continue to reproduce (which is something we're really good at), the hyphen will live on. Love it or hate it or don't give a $#!% -- we are what we are, and if someone wants to hyphenate their nationality, that's fine by me.