I refuse to call a black person African American. 100% were born in American, therefore?

Question

aren't they just Americans?

Answer 1

You read what Riddle Me This said. That's our future if Obama becomes president. Even people who can't spell his name are going to be accusing anyone who disagrees with his policies of bigotry, or, more likely, "racism". It will never be because you just don't like whatever it is he wants to do.

And 100% of blacks weren't born in America. But the ones that were have the right to be called whatever they want.

Although it is funny when you realize that most of the people who will screech the loudest about "divisiveness" are the ones who defend loudest this way of dividing us into subsections.

Answer 2

I dont mind that...Just tell your friends in the media

But I will still recognize that Im Black..To ignore the physical differences between people is a little overtop..If your the only white person in a room full of black people..You will recognize your white..

Call me a Black American

Answer 3

You're right 100% on this issue. I'm an Arab originally of Egyptian descent, so I guess in a way I'm African American, but I'm defintely not black.  

Answer 4

Yes I am American. You can call me black. But seriously, there's more important feats to conquer, don't you think?

Answer 5

Personally I have raised my children to refer to themselves as Americans.  I do not consider myself African and black is a color and I get a lot of flack for that but I can live with it.  B. O. is an African American, his dad is an African and his mom is an American. My best friend that was born and raised here considers herself Puerto Rican. To me she is an American, not a Hispanic American, Brown American.... to each its own.  having said very few people in this country originated here all have ancestors from someplace else.  That is, besides the one true Americans (Native)

Answer 6

They are AFRICAN-Americans, because their ancestors were slaves brought from Africa. What's so hard to understand?

Answer 7

LOOOO:

Not all Black Americans are from Africa.

Just like not all White Americans are from the same country/continent.  

Answer 8

Do you also have a problem just calling us by our names?

And how do you know where anyone was born?  Can you honestly tell the difference between a black person who was born in the U.S., the Caribbean, Africa, South America, or some other country just by looking at them?  

Personally, I am American and I am black.  I don't prefer the term "African American".  But I also don't like other people, particularly non-black people, labeling me.  

Answer 9

It is a white prerogative to call people what we want rather than what they ask us to call them.   Funny, no one questions what we call ourselves, b/c other races seem to have a certain amount of respect for other cultures.  We are not white, we did not come from the Caucasias mountains, and we are not Anglo-Saxon, but we claim it.  Still,we call people what we want, try to rationalize it, and then get upset when they call us racists.  

Answer 10

No we're Black Americans, and AA is a politically correct term, but  I don't mind being referred to as Black.

Answer 11

And so were Irish-Americans, Polish Americans, Italian Americans, etc.

It's a nod to their ethnic heritage.  Big deal.  If you can go through life without having to label anyone by race or ethnicity, good for you.  That's what we should all be striving for.

Answer 12

You think that for identification purposes that black folks use that term?  h**l no they don't.

Black guy gets robbed by another black guy they don't tell the cops "he was African-American"  they say black....or worse.

Most I know think that AA is really stupid.

Answer 13

You are totally right and it about time some one said it. Theodore Roosevelt warned us about the dangers a hyphenated America would pose to our unity as a nation. This is how ridiculous i think this is : My family immigrated like seventy years ago firm ireland. So does that make me, a second generation American, Irish American ? No but accordingly this is how we are supposed to refer to the blacks in this country. Besides Africans for the most part don't like being associated with "African American" culture. Besides blacks in this country have a culture that is unique to the western hemisphere. Why in this brave new world we live in is it such a bad thing to be just American ? No hyphen, no compound descriptive noun...... just American. Besides throughout the world we are unique in the respect that we are all mixed with something anyway. I mean who else can claim the title of global mut ??    

Answer 14

First off 100% were not born here, there are immigrants here from Africa just like anywhere else. Secondly, I somehow think it wouldn't be much different than some one being Asian-American, Irish-American, Italian-American, etc. For arguements sake I would think YOU would say they ALL are Americans as YOU would probably put it .  I may be the last one that should answer this because I am Native American proud to be of the Cherokee Nation. A true AMERICAN on this stolen land! Anyway, does it really matter?

Answer 15

How about we switch things around to more accurately reflect the real identifier!  Lets use American-(insert label here).  That way, we identify ourselves as Americans first since....that's what we all are, right?  If you choose to use a label which puts your ethnic/racial/geographical first, then you have effectively diminished your standing in your country of choice, and shown that you are NOT an American first.  I have a problem with that.  Be yourself, and if you live here in the USA, call yourself an American first, and be proud of it!