The Term African American

[Sista]

Originally Posted by macallan25

You have issues.

Please, don't be vague, tell me what my issues are?

[DSTCHAOS]

So to get this topic back on course.

I've already answered the topic but to be more detailed, I'm still not picky on black versus African American or even African diasporic if we're going beyond "race."

On a different note that relates more directly to what macallan, DSTRen and I were typing about in the last few pages (and to what folks said before that):

Instead of just focusing on the terms (black versus African American, etc.), people should examine what being of a particular group implies or entails.

Originally Posted by macallan25

Watch MTV.........white people on their love to act black.

A White kid decked out in FUBU, Sean John, and Phat Farm with a white doorag, Timbalands, and a half sideways flat billed baseball cap, whom only listens to screwed and chopped freestyle rap, sips Crunk Juice and tries to talk like TI = "Acting Black"

These are the negatives of the title "black" because they have been used to caricature and minimize a culture and contribution of a group of people.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

So to get this topic back on course.

I've already answered the topic but to be more detailed, I'm still not picky on black versus African American or even African diasporic if we're going beyond "race."

On a different note that relates more directly to what macallan, DSTRen and I were typing about in the last few pages (and to what folks said before that):

Instead of just focusing on the terms (black versus African American, etc.), people should examine what being of a particular group implies or entails.



These are the negatives of the title "black" because they have been used to caricature and minimize a culture and contribution of a group of people.

.................

[Sista]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Instead of just focusing on the terms (black versus African American, etc.), people should examine what being of a particular group implies or entails.

Why, because you said so?


You just told me that their is a before and after, if that really applies, that means it would be legitimate to conclude that the terms black versus African American etc. should also apply.

If not, your beginning and between rant was just rubbish, something for you to use in an effort to save face.

[DSTRen13]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

Instead of just focusing on the terms (black versus African American, etc.), people should examine what being of a particular group implies or entails.

As well as where those implications come from - who creates and maintains them in our culture - and how to begin to dismantle them.

[DSTCHAOS]

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

As well as where those implications come from - who creates and maintains them in our culture - and how to begin to dismantle them.

I agree because focusing just on the labels ignores the social dynamics behind them. Of course, "blacks" view being called "colored" as more derogatory than "black" but it isn't just about the way it sounds, it's about the treatment of "coloreds."

This reminds me of the film "Black Is/Black Ain't." http://www.itvs.org/external/BIBA/index.html

[Mz_Doc]

Reading through this thread actually got me thinking about a conversation I had with a friend a couple of weeks ago. He had asked me if I preferred being called black, African American, or African, since I was born in Nigeria and both of my parents are Nigerian. He stated that he wanted to know my opinion because his girlfriend is Ghanian and she got very upset when someone had called her African American and she demanded to be called African instead because that's where she came from.

Now I personally don't care what I am referred to as simply because I know who I am inside and where I came from. Because I have grown up in the US and do not have an accent, many people assume that I was born here so it would not cross their mind that I would be African. When it comes up in conversation, I will tell people about my background, but I don't feel it necessary to explain it to everyone all the time.

Basically to sum it up, what are your thoughts on this?

[DSTRen13]

I found the Blackness Auction text I mentioned earlier, if anyone is interested who hasn't seen it before: http://rhizome.org/thread.rhiz?thread=1821&page=1#2739

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by Mz_Doc

Now I personally don't care what I am referred to as simply because I know who I am inside and where I came from. Because I have grown up in the US and do not have an accent, many people assume that I was born here so it would not cross their mind that I would be African. When it comes up in conversation, I will tell people about my background, but I don't feel it necessary to explain it to everyone all the time.

Basically to sum it up, what are your thoughts on this?

Given this day and age, you are so fortunate to decide your sense of self and define your own self identifying parameters/boundaries.

But remember the many who died that allowed "soceity" to choose to call you as what YOU define yourself as.

Moreover, you all are from COUNTRIES that have some level of "freedom" and "governments" for their people. Essentially, out the guises (and disguises) of utter enslavement from foreigners.

Although, if you ask me, folks from those countries have yet to atone for the millions they allowed to be sent to the bellies of slave ships. Let's be honest. A lot of us who actually choose to African in Amerikkklan, hurt deeply because of this fact. That's why some never participate with various festivals for Africans.

But those are my thoughts and opinions and folks can choose to disagree with me.

[Sphinx101]

Originally Posted by DSTCHAOS

So to get this topic back on course.

I've already answered the topic but to be more detailed, I'm still not picky on black versus African American or even African diasporic if we're going beyond "race."

On a different note that relates more directly to what macallan, DSTRen and I were typing about in the last few pages (and to what folks said before that):

Instead of just focusing on the terms (black versus African American, etc.), people should examine what being of a particular group implies or entails.



These are the negatives of the title "black" because they have been used to caricature and minimize a culture and contribution of a group of people.

I think it does matter in the grand scheme of things what people of African descent in the USA define themselves as. I think alot of the social problems facing our people today comes from this perpetual identity crisis... we can still feel the affects of slavery today, in our everyday lives, because we can not define who WE are!

You can't have a future with out a past...and so much of OUR history is unknown to us, so where do we go from here?

[Sista]

Originally Posted by Sphinx101

I think it does matter in the grand scheme of things what people of African descent in the USA define themselves as. I think alot of the social problems facing our people today comes from this perpetual identity crisis... we can still feel the affects of slavery today, in our everyday lives, because we can not define who WE are!

You can't have a future with out a past...and so much of OUR history is unknown to us, so where do we go from here?

You as a black person of African decent, how do you define yourself?

Or shall I ask, with all that you know about who you are and where your roots mostly stem from, how do you define yourself?


Or, are you, or are you not a mjority of African blood? Or do you not really know?

I define my self as African, but I will accept African American as a defintion to describe who I am. I know for sure that the majority of my blood work is a drect Kin to Africa and Africans but I was born and raised in America.

[AKA_Monet]

Originally Posted by Sista

You as a black person of African decent, how do you define yourself?

Or shall I ask, with all that you know about who you are and where your roots mostly stem from, how do you define yourself?


Or, are you, or are you not a mjority of African blood? Or do you not really know?

I define my self as African, but I will accept African American as a defintion to describe who I am. I know for sure that the majority of my blood work is a drect Kin to Africa and Africans but I was born and raised in America.

I disagree with your tactics, but you are asking some poignant questions, something I had neglected to think about and I had forgotten.

In my opinion, for us, we are defined by our actions and educational accomplishments. With good works and higher advanced degrees sometimes those things will yield a small and minor self-definition. It is constant work because it is self-evolving.

Now, that won't stop ignant blonded weave wearing fat "gwirlfriend" up in the broke down with Black biracial badass "Bebe's Kids" working temporarily at Walmart who will still ask a "powerhouse sista" for her i-d-e-n-t-i-f-c-a-t-i-o-n on her $50,000 credit limited debit VISA card...

So, you have to take those things in stride, keep breathing...

[Sista]

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

I disagree with your tactics, but you are asking some poignant questions, something I had neglected to think about and I had forgotten.

My dear sister Monet, there are people who don't mind my tactics and there are people who can't stand my tactics. I have been to many discussion forums where I am hated and the ones who do not like me make it known for all to see. Funny thing, those who absolutely love me always make it a point to contact me by email or Instant message to let me know that they absolutely love my tactics. It is not a difficult thing to analyze why it is that the ones who like my tactics want to keep it a secret. This is nothing directed towards you, I was just voicing in text my observations. I guess I observe to much and then I have the audacity to voice what I have observed. I am somewhat of a rebelious type. Some people don't like a big mouth Sista who interupts everything. People like to live in comfort zones and comfort zones to me don't make us as black people work hard enough, especially when it comes to each other. We seem as though we can not tolerate each other, yet we have for a long time and still to this day tolerate anyone who is not black. What this say's about us I can only imagine but what it say's to you, I will leave that up to you. Any way, enough said on that...please excuse me.

Moving right along...

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

In my opinion, for us, we are defined by our actions and educational accomplishments. With good works and higher advanced degrees sometimes those things will yield a small and minor self-definition. It is constant work because it is self-evolving..

For us, I get that you are speaking of decendants of African slaves right? If so, what exactly does our accomplishments define us as? From what I know, or from what I have witnessed, observational wise is this, Black people who are educated and who have achieved something, higher advanced degrees and so forth, they are looked at as to be different from the so called disadvantaged or disenfranchised blacks also, they have been trreated so called better by whites. In other words, they are the so called lucky blacks, in other words, Tokens.

It is just like how it was on the plantation after slavery during share cropping times, all though all blacks came from a family full of African and mullato slaves of African and white origin, if one of the family members got a scholarship to go to a college, most likely the mullato, that black person was treated as if he was a token amongst the whites who accepted him or her due to the fact that he or she was a college student, mind you, during that time, the Universities were white establishments with white educational values, nothing but negativity in those places were being taught about blacks, if anything about blacks was being taught at all.

This is the catch, those same whites did not accept those blacks who did not go to college and aspire a higher education, degrees and so forth.

Question: Just because some blacks got the opportunity to aspire a higher education and so forth etcetera, etcetera, did that make them any different from the other blacks, less? Did that make them altogether a different definition of black? How does education classify black people from other black people? Or how does education classify one to be African American verses Black, Negro or Colored? How did Africans in America go African slaves to Colored, Black, Negro and African American and how does education play a role in the scheme of this all?

Originally Posted by AKA_Monet

Now, that won't stop ignant blonded weave wearing fat "gwirlfriend" up in the broke down with Black biracial badass "Bebe's Kids" working temporarily at Walmart who will still ask a "powerhouse sista" for her i-d-e-n-t-i-f-c-a-t-i-o-n on her $50,000 credit limited debit VISA card...

So, you have to take those things in stride, keep breathing...

Hmmm, that was funny!

[Ch2tf]

Originally Posted by Sista

Or shall I ask, with all that you know about who you are and where your roots mostly stem from, how do you define yourself? Or, are you, or are you not a mjority of African blood? Or do you not really know? I define my self as African, but I will accept African American as a defintion to describe who I am. I know for sure that the majority of my blood work is a drect Kin to Africa and Africans but I was born and raised in America.

Since you apparently know that the majority of your "blood" is predominantly African, I ask HOW do you know that. I ask this because A LOT of African-Americans seem to "know" that they are predominantly of African descent, and in fact that may not be the case. I think back to the PBS special that ran February 2006 where Henry Louis Gates Jr. did a DNA/bloodline trace of some African-American celebrities (Oprah, Chris Tucker, Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, and so forth) and while some of them did have a DNA connection to some peoples of Africa, others like Quincy Jones and Whoopi Goldberg (YES Whoopi!) did not have a predominant "African" Heritage as read through their DNA.

[DSTRen13]

Originally Posted by Ch2tf

Since you apparently know that the majority of your "blood" is predominantly African, I ask HOW do you know that. I ask this because A LOT of African-Americans seem to "know" that they are predominantly of African descent, and in fact that may not be the case. I think back to the PBS special that ran February 2006 where Henry Louis Gates Jr. did a DNA/bloodline trace of some African-American celebrities (Oprah, Chris Tucker, Quincy Jones, Whoopi Goldberg, and so forth) and while some of them did have a DNA connection to some peoples of Africa, others like Quincy Jones and Whoopi Goldberg (YES Whoopi!) did not have a predominant "African" Heritage as read through their DNA.

I did not see this particular special. So I don't know exactly what it claimed. But the problem with many things of this nature is simply that it isn't good science to claim that you can tell racial heritage through DNA testing. Good TV, maybe, but not good science. "Race" is not science - it's sociology. When the two start getting too mixed together (not that I believe they are ever truly separated, but it should at least be a goal), then things turn out very, very badly. JMO.