In England black people are happy to be called black, why do they insist on being called African American...?

Question

...in the U.S.A.

Question with no ulterior motive!!!

Answer 1

Actually I prefer to be called American because the only thing truly African about me is that my ancestors once lived there.

Answer 2

I thought they were called africans there

Answer 3

A few years down the road they'll want to be called something else,

Its not cool to say "colored person" but its OK to say "person of color". I think they are afraid they will become obscure.

Same with Latin American, Mexican American, Chicano Hispanics.

Obamas are making sure the black voters stay bought with racial preferences. If Clinton had been nominated, she'd be singing the same song.

Answer 4

I think it's all about context.

Now, the world don't move to the beat of just one drum,

What might be right for you, may not be right for some.

A man is born, he's a man of means.

Then along come two, they got nothing but their jeans.

But they got, Diff'rent Strokes.

It takes, Diff'rent Strokes.

It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

Everybody's got a special kind of story

Everybody finds a way to shine,

It don't matter that you got not alot

So what,

They'll have theirs, and you'll have yours, and I'll have mine.

And together we'll be fine....

Because it takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.

Yes it does.

It takes, Diff'rent Strokes to move the world.  

Answer 5

First, saying all black people in the U.S. insist on being called African-American is not true. At all. All my black friends insist on black. I've met black people who insist on African-America, but they are more of a minority in my experience. The term African-American originated with white people. African-American is also used incorrectly, as a person of ethnic Moroccan, Eqyptian or Tunisian ancestry or white people from countries such as Zimbabwe or South Africa is technically an African-American but not black.

In journalism, when a physical description is necessary or relevant to the story, you are taught to say black unless 1) the person you are writing about specifically requests African-American, 2) African-American is part of a the name of an organization, or 3) you are aware that a person prefers African-American.

Most national news outlets still used African-American, but most local city and state papers use black unless one of the three rules above applies. The same applies to most politicians: on the federal level, they use African-American, on the state and local level, it's typically black.

To be clear, neither is incorrect, it's just preference. Neither is politically incorrect either. Both are generally acceptable, but if you ask around, most prefer black.

By the way, your BBC uses the term African-American to refer to black U.S. citizens.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7584...

Answer 6

Well coz black... it doesn't sound good... i mean no one is black in the real sense of it... and the afros in england... i dont think they like being called black but are just answering it anyway...

Answer 7

I have only seen the opposite. Every black american I've met wanted to be called either black or brown

Answer 8

As an American I've often wondered the same thing, it's as if many people like the idea of being segregated or stereotyped on superficialities.  As Utopian as it sounds, I've always like the idea that there is only one race, Human.

Answer 9

bc thats what we are African..............American.

personaly i dont give a popcorn f**t what "England black people "  call them selves!

Answer 10

We don't insist on it. Many of us are fine with being called black, some of us even prefer it. Most of us in the U.S. will tell you to just call us American with no prefix, or call us by our first names if you ask our real opinion, though.

Answer 11

ok...well i'm british and i want to be called black. i can't speak for AA but i do think a lot of them preferred to be called black and i've certainly never heard of them insisting on being called AA. an example please?

ss- no. if we were born here then we are called black or british.

edit: ok, but Obama is a presidential candidate. when he addresses people he is expected to be pretty formal and PC, which is why he may say AA rather than black.

Answer 12

MOST of the people of colour in the US are born here. As talent74706 said, about the only thing "African" about the people of colour here, is their heritage! I call them "people of colour" because there are so many different colours to the skin. The majority are actually more of a brown. A lot of them are a beautiful shade of "Mahogany". Others are a rich Chocolate and still others are more of a coffee with lots of cream colour. There are really very few people who are truly "Black."