Quote:
Originally Posted by NinjaPoodle
I am African-Native-American. Simple as that. I do not like the terms: - Black-my skin is a beautiful chocolate brown
- Negro
- Negroid
- Nig***
- Niggras
- Darkie
- Sambo
- Colored
or any other negative connotation created to make me (or my people) feel like we do not belong to the HUMAN race.
My roots go back to Africa and to the Blackfoot Nation of this country though I wouldn't doubt there is some Caucasian somewhere down the line of my family tree.
I like the term and I find it to be an accurate term for those who have African ancestry but are American citizens, not those who are Haitian, Jamaican, Trinidadian, etc..
I don't put much energy into "correcting" people into my line of thinking because ultimately, we are all going to think what we want however, if someone were to ask me, then I will say I am A.A.-Native American. If some 90 year old woman who is still stuck in the 50's terminology (I personally know people like this of all races) says "and then the colored woman said blah blah..", I let it go. It's not worth the energy. |
Should "white" be offensive, then?
I am "white", but I am not white at all. I'm a light tan.
I haven't heard/met anyone who used the term "black" in an offensive manner. I have heard almost all of the other terms used either by old folks who aren't going to change their ways or by people who intend to be hateful. But I haven't heard "black" used in that manner. I'm not saying it hasn't happened, but I don't think it has a negative connotation like the racial slurs listed do. We can all think of racial slurs for every race under the sun including white, Asian, black, Hispanic...anyone and everyone. Some people in every race enjoy tearing down a different race. It's just that I haven't heard "black" nor "white" in anyone's arsenal of hateful words.
Would you feel it accurate for me to call myself Scotch-Irish Italian American, as that is my "ancestry"...about 200 years or more back. European American would I guess be a more accurate analogy to African American. There are still heirlooms and bits of speech here and there in my family that have been passed down so the heritage is there, but I think people would find that description of myself inappropriate or unnecessary.
I'm curious to know because for some reason this doesn't seem to translate. It's interesting to me.
Also, someone else brought up an interesting point...someone who is white but was born and raised in an African country and moved to America is African-American, if the term is used correctly. There IS a place for skin color in descriptions...it's a physical characteristic. I guess that's why to me "black" and "white" make sense. Anyone with eyes knows that both descriptions are rarely absolutely correct, but it simplifies. "White" is the color of an eggshell and how many people do you know that are THAT color? Few. "Black" is the color of ink and again, how many people are that color? Few. But everyone knows "white" means a person who is Caucasian, and who is probably somewhere in the range of white to deep tan and that "black" means someone who is African and probably somewhere in the range from black to light brown.
Maybe I'm idealistic, but I enjoy the idea of limiting differentiations based on race to simply physical characteristics...white, black, brown, tan, etc. But "African American" or "Asian American" to me, for someone born in the US many generations back creates a division. We're all Americans. It's different for someone who was born and raised in a foreign country and probably does owe some allegiance to their childhood home. But for those of us who have been here for generations it feels divisive to me, and it is used in an overly PC manner. Many people have given the example of a person who is of "African descent" but from another country like England or a Caribbean island being called "African American". I just find it all interesting. I think we should all form our own personal identities, but I don't feel like I'm being offensive when I call someone either "white" or "black", I guess. I don't feel obligated to differentiate between "African American", "Asian American", "European American", etc.
Quote:
Originally Posted by preciousjeni
Then take yourself out of the conversation.
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The point of discussion is to discuss. For instance, someone could explain to me why it is offensive. I explained why I do not understand...because I do not find "White", an inaccurate description of my skin color, to be offensive. So why is "black" offensive? That is what I'm discussing/asking. Since it is simply an overly simplified physical description (as is "white"...or "brunette"...or "redhead"...there are shades of every color we have on our skin, heads and in our eyes), it seems useful in describing a person. Like white girl with long brown hair and blue eyes or black guy with short hair and brown eyes.
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