I am not an "African-American." In fact, I hate the term "African-American".
Somehow that became the acceptable term for black people in America because the words nigger and negro just wouldn't do. Wikipedia defines an African American as "citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub Saharan Africa". Why does America find it necessary to define only one set of people's ancestry? That definition says nothing about color, but if you are American, and from South Africa, but happen to have white skin, what does America call you? Not African-American.
Caucasians are just called white, not German American, English American, Scottish American, Italian American, etc. Typically, only 1st generation descendants will go by those terms, yet I can go back my family ancestry for six generations and find nobody from Africa yet. In fact my great-great-great grandfather was a white man, does that mean anything? No. Why? Because as much as America likes to try to deny it, people are placed in these ethnic groups due to the color of their skin. I would love to see the census for every "white" person of African descent and see what boxes they check.
If I was truly an African American, I or my parents would have been born in Africa. I know plenty of true African Americans, what do people call them? African. Are they not Americans? It's a travesty that this takes place. I have never been to Africa, neither has anyone in my immediate family. I would love to go, but how am I supposed to claim something that I have never seen? It's a slap in the face of true African Americans.
America, since we love color so much, let me put it simply. If white/Caucasian Americans of German, English, Scottish, Italian, etc. descent are referred as simply American or White American, then black Americans of African descent should be referred to as simply American or Black Americans.
Why does this happen only in America? You know what people call black English people? English. Black french people? French. But black Americans are ??? African-American? Nationalities and ethnicity's are not the same thing...unless you live in America. Why do people not realize this? America! It's OK to call me black. If everyone in America was referred to where their family came from prior to America or where the family was in the 1800s, we'd have a lot more "Inset Here - Americans".
Somehow we found it ok to just to pinpoint one ethnicity and separate them from the rest. How is that ok America? I cannot claim being an African America, because I am not one. I am an American, and if color is a requisite, a Black American.
I'm right there with you man! A little different angle considering I am less brown or white as commonly referred to. I live with the creed that we all bleed the same color blood and we are all shades of brown really. I mean a white tee does not act as camouflage and magically blend into my skin nor does a black tee with you. Scientifically you have more melatonin due to ancestry, and migration patterns of early man and that is it. Outside of birth defects, we are all born with about 99.9999% of the same stuff once you look past the cover so to speak. I feel that we are all Americans, regardless of pigmentation and that the use of hyphenated origins is ridiculous for anyone not holding dual citizenship or at least born in that country and moved here. It only continues to further the divide in America and prevents our society from ever embracing the idea that we are all part of the human race...
ReplyDeleteLance, you are absolutely right! I have never liked the term, African American, nor have I referred t myself as such. But this term further proves that the culture of America is to "box" or categorize people, regardless of the truth or actuality.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the feedback guys. Jason, you're correct. If anything else is 99.99% the same, people wall call it the same. ground beef only has to be like 60% beef and it's still ground beef, lol.
ReplyDeleteOn to a more serious comment, on facebook one of my friends made a comment about "native americans" and where do they fit in with my point of view.
I, like many people, have "native american" bloodlines. The term "Indian" is more a travesty than "african american". For years people referred to "native americans" as "Indians" because back in the 1600s Christopher Columbus simple self thought he had sailed to India, really?
There can be no true an American, than a "native american". Portugal conquered Brazil as the English conquered America, you know when native brazilians are called? Brazilians, not native brazilians, not chinese, lol. How are we as a society supposed to be so far ahead everyone else, yet trail them in such things like defining who we are.
To put it simply, "native americans", just like "african americans" are simply Americans to me.
If we can close the ethnicity gap, then maybe we can close the nationality gap and stop looking for ways to make everyone different and just accept that we are all the same. ALL. We are human.