[Discussion] Why do we call black people...

[RasenUchihaChaos]

We'll I'm not called an African American

Lots of my own kind call me

An Uncle Tom some say I'm like Uncle Ruckus from the boondocks or if any if you saw Django unchained they say I. Like Samuel l Jackson

 

[vicious92]

Because White people, particularly males, have never had their identity taken away from them. They can be called "white" and still trace their roots very easily. The black people of today have no idea where they are from, thanks to Whites. Plus, someone can "look" African-American and be from Belize, Dominican Republic, etc and not want the association we have here with "black" because they feel more in touch with traditional Hispanic culture.

Sigh.. Everyone needs a reason an excuse to be right or have a more legitimate argument.. We all bleed the same. When you die do you think you'll be thinking about your complexion?

 

[Multiply]

We'll I'm not called an African American

Lots of my own kind call me

An Uncle Tom some say I'm like Uncle Ruckus from the boondocks or if any if you saw Django unchained they say I. Like Samuel l Jackson

Being an Uncle Tom and an African American are completely two different things.

 

[ZK]

Because White people, particularly males, have never had their identity taken away from them. They can be called "white" and still trace their roots very easily. The black people of today have no idea where they are from, thanks to Whites. Plus, someone can "look" African-American and be from Belize, Dominican Republic, etc and not want the association we have here with "black" because they feel more in touch with traditional Hispanic culture.

I don't agree with this. I think the trend stems from the American fascination with their roots. There's no shortage of Americans who'll call themselves Italian-American, German-American, Israeli-American, etc, etc. Certainly, you can ask why, then, few will identify as Mali-American or Congolese-American, but I think we have to remember that when the Europeans shipped Africans to the Americas much of Africa wasn't organized into nation states. Certainly there were nation states in Africa, some very developed ones too like the Mali Empire, but in many instances the Europeans traded with individual tribes who did not see themselves as part of a nation, but simply a tribal society with only immediate affiliations to their tribe.
Of course you have a point in saying that many blacks do not know their specific geographical roots mainly because of slavery, but honestly? I think calling blacks African-Americans stems from this fascination with origin, plus it's the politically correct term. Twenty years ago it was Negroes, further back it was another n-word. It's a way of calling someone black without actually calling them black. I suppose it's like describing a guy as a WASP or a 'European' if you want to call him white.

 

[Waindo]

I totally don't care about this, I've never labeled people in my life and I honestly look at everyone equally. The bigger amount of melanine does not make them any more different. We're all the same inside.

:wesobi:

To conclude, if someone is black he/she is black. My eyes don't decieve me. So ye, calling all black ppl afroamericans is kinda stupid, but does it really matter?

 

[Power Bottom]

Why are people given labels like pet dogs. The whole African American, Black, Colored, N***** are all terms people referred to quote on quote Black or Africans.

The who term black is nonsense most so called black people I have seen aren't even black

African American is acknowledging the fact your ancestors came here as slaves so not positive imo

 

[eyesofthekyuubi44]

Sigh.. Everyone needs a reason an excuse to be right or have a more legitimate argument.. We all bleed the same. When you die do you think you'll be thinking about your complexion?

Well, I'm not black. I'm Arab- American actually, and pretty damn pale at that. So probably not, but in terms of power and social structure, white men have undeniably been on top for far too long.

 

[Made in Heaven]

You know why Lol

 

[Multiply]

You know why Lol

Nope.

 

[chopstickchakra]

African Americans? Why is this even a thing? Why can we not just be called black people, as whites are generalized as white people. Why does everyone with dark skin certainly and undoubtedly have to be from Africa? We're African American while white people are just American? uttahere:

Because black people in the 60's and 70's took offense to white people calling them black people and wanted to separate themselves from "oppressive white America" and identify themselves as African-American.

 

[Multiply]

Because black people in the 60's and 70's took offense to white people calling them black people and wanted to separate themselves from "oppressive white America" and identify themselves as African-American.

You may have said that wrong because the logic behind that is retarded.

 

[Red Flag X Drake]

You may have said that wrong because the logic behind that is retarded.

... actually that is it.

 

[Multiply]

... actually that is it.

Dumbest shit I've ever heard personally.

 

[Transcendence]

Why do all your threads have to do with race?

 

[Jonesy161]

First off, politically correct, you won't, or at least shouldn't, see any forms out there asking if you're 'white'. They usually stick to terms like Caucasian, just as we would refer to black people as African American. Furthermore, that is only used in America, it's just you see dumbass people call any black person African American, no matter where they are from. If they are black from the UK for example, they are politically called 'British Black', 'Black British', or 'African British'. The term is usually their decent followed by their actual place of birth, so if they were born in another country like China, but they have African decent, they are 'African Chinese'. Lastly, who says white people are called just American? Whoever told you that is by far a bigger dumbass than those who call black people world wide African American.

EDIT: I noticed your Uncle Ruckus and Stephen (Samuel Jackson's character in Django), both were characters portrayed as being prejudice and racist on their own culture. Your question was regarding the inequality in terms and/or titles given (even though your query was inaccurate) from blacks to whites, showing you were standing up for African culture in general, to which neither Uncle Ruckes nor Stephen would have done. With that in mind, I would not consider you similar to either character at all, in the least. Furthermore, I hope you understand Boondocks, a show popular among many races, but seems to be more popular among the black community more so, is a show that was initially, and maintained that point of view all the way through, of poking at and making fun of the black community. Funny show none-the-less.

 

[chopstickchakra]

You may have said that wrong because the logic behind that is retarded.

You may have a problem with the logic but that's what happened. It was a movement from the 60's to reconnect with African heritage in response to a perceived white washing of the culture. If you don't agree with the African American moniker I suggest you go talk to some older black men and ask them why they fought so hard to be called African Americans, especially the Black Panther and Nation of Islam ones as they were the most vocal about it. A lot of people at that time were getting offended at the name black because they felt it was still a disparaging term, instead of realizing it's just a descriptive adjective, it's a way to identify a topic easier.

I agree it is a ridiculous concept, but I was just letting you know why it came about which iirc was your question. African American is a misnomer as most of black people in America have no connection to Africa except their ancestors(over 5 generations for most) came from there. I'm not called nor do I identify myself as an Irish-American or more accurately a European American, I was born in America thus I'm an American, the same as anyone born in this country.

 

[Multiply]

You may have a problem with the logic but that's what happened. It was a movement from the 60's to reconnect with African heritage in response to a perceived white washing of the culture. If you don't agree with the African American moniker I suggest you go talk to some older black men and ask them why they fought so hard to be called African Americans, especially the Black Panther and Nation of Islam ones as they were the most vocal about it. A lot of people at that time were getting offended at the name black because they felt it was still a disparaging term, instead of realizing it's just a descriptive adjective, it's a way to identify a topic easier.

I agree it is a ridiculous concept, but I was just letting you know why it came about which iirc was your question. African American is a misnomer as most of black people in America have no connection to Africa except their ancestors(over 5 generations for most) came from there. I'm not called nor do I identify myself as an Irish-American or more accurately a European American, I was born in America thus I'm an American, the same as anyone born in this country.

My bad then man. Yeah calling someone black or white is just an adjective. People tend to think it's racist when you describe someone by their skin color for some reason. I can understand where they are coming from. They were like 1-2 generations coming out of slavery. The hate for the white man hadn't quite subsided yet. Not to mention segregation and all of that racist bs.

Exactly, just because someone has a dark skin complexion does not make them instantly from Africa. What about all of the whites that reside in Africa? It's just ridiculous that we generalize such a massive group of people in this day and age.

 

[Jonesy161]

What about all of the whites that reside in Africa? It's just ridiculous that we generalize such a massive group of people in this day and age.

As said in a previous post, it's their decent followed by place of birth. If they have a decent from the UK, and born in Africa, they would be called British African. They can be white, black, chinese, etc. and still be British African. However, if going by race terms, then it would be White African, Black African, Chinese African, Asian African, etc., or if you want to be blunt, Black, White, Chinese, etc. Again, it's [Decent][Nationality].