[Zyx]

[youtube]lukiDn3GZN0[/youtube]

These are Asian-Americans.

They are very different from Asians in America.

Also, Canada is much more different from the U.S. contrary to what Dr House would tell you. I'm not even sure if they have hyphenated citizens.

Nevertheless, integration into Americanness depends near entirely on ethnicity, to the point where the hyphen is just a recognition thereof.

Your counter examples of Canadian intricacies are irrelevant. Further, your misunderstanding of Asian-Americans doesn't help your cause. Finally, your confusion over Obama's ascription despite noticing that I wrote something compatible with Obama is plain intellectually abominable.

[kraychik]

I think it's silly to suggest that Obama's self-description as an African-American is the result of his acknowledgement that he is rejected by the majority of Americans on ethnic grounds. Wouldn't his election disprove that claim, anyways? You sure do have a lot of dumb opinions on things.

EDIT - Since when are you the owner of the definition of Asian-American?

[Le Rouge]

Contrary to the running paradox of this thread, one would not call someone from China an Asian-American (or a Chinese-American) even if they became a citizen.

Wait... what?

[Zyx]

I think it's silly to suggest that Obama's self-description as an African-American is the result of his acknowledgement that he is rejected by the majority of Americans on ethnic grounds.

Those are his own words, though.

Wouldn't his election disprove that claim, anyways?

Do you think that he just assumed the title African-American a year ago?

You sure do have a lot of dumb opinions on things.

And you are a genius, I am sure.

Wait... what?

Is a person from China a Chinese-American?

[kraychik]

When did Obama state that his choice to describe himself as an African-American was his acknowledgement that he is rejected by the majority of American on account of his ethnicity?

[Zyx]

One of his videos he says how he always felt different for being darker than others.

Or he'd say how he was teased or what have you.

kraychik, you just troll, ever confused about reality and ever angry toward it.

Relax and accept that you're not really wise in any sense of the word.

[War Angel]

The use of African comes more from the fact that technically speaking, African-Americans were taken forcibly from Africa, hence they don't view themselves as fully American.

So, why are they staying in the USA, if they don't feel like Americans?

I think you're going a little too far with this - it's not about how they feel more African, or that they don't feel American. It's about wanting your heritage to be recognised, and 'black' just doesn't cut it.

African-Americans are the descendants of slaves, so a white African cannot be called an African-American.

That doesn't make any sense. What does slavery have to do with anything? If a white dude from Africa becomes an American citizen, he is technically an African-American.

However, there is a real and tangible African-American culture, so I think it is necessary to use the term in that case.

There's a distinct black culture in the USA, and you can call it whatever you want.

Just to nitpick a little, 'dark-skinned' is much too broad a term to really apply to black Americans, given that it can apply to anyone whose skin isn't depigmented, including Southern Europeans.

Agreed. Still, 'black' is about as accurate not PC-ishly nauseating as I could come up with.

Is a person from China a Chinese-American?

If they come to the USA, yes. Their children, however, will not be. They will simply be Americans of Chinese origin.

[Kaspar]

So, why are they staying in the USA, if they don't feel like Americans?

I'm saying where the term comes from, as I was saying previously. During the back to Africa movement of the early 1900s, the term Afro-American was very common, and from this came African-American. The term African-American came from the fact that certain blacks wanted that part of their lives recognized, just as the back to Africa movement was a movement that wanted blacks to recognize their African roots.

It's about wanting your heritage to be recognised, and 'black' just doesn't cut it.

That's true, and it's a completely legitimate concern for blacks who are concerned with their heritage being lost. I don't feel that this sentiment is really widespread in the black community though, but then again, the term African-American isn't really widespread in the black community either.

That doesn't make any sense. What does slavery have to do with anything? If a white dude from Africa becomes an American citizen, he is technically an African-American.

Now you're just meddling around with semantics.

There's a distinct black culture in the USA, and you can call it whatever you want.

But there is a clear separation between blacks with family ties to the segregation era (and slavery era) and blacks who migrated to this country afterwards. That is where the word African-American comes in. African-American makes that separation. If that separation is needed, that could be debated, but as far as the term African-American is concerned, its pretty much a consensus in the United States that it stands from something greater than just an African who now lives in the United States.

[War Angel]

the term African-American isn't really widespread in the black community either.

I hear it being constantly used, especially on the news (they say 'african-american male' and not 'black male', for example). It's also a very long, cumbersome term, so it's hard to miss.

Now you're just meddling around with semantics.

This is all it is - semantics. We're trying to find a better term than 'african-american'. A white person from Africa is still very much African.

There's a problem with using the term 'African-American', due to its inaccuracy and failure to describe black Americans' heritage.

If that separation is needed, that could be debated, but as far as the term African-American is concerned, its pretty much a consensus in the United States that it stands from something greater than just an African who now lives in the United States.

That's one of the problems with political correctness - it creates massive ignorance, so much that it seems natural. Americans also have a tendency to mis-use terms (the word 'Liberal' comes to mind..) and generally not know too much about the outside world, so their terms are largely centered around their own (mis)conception of the situation, rather than real, concrete evidence and facts.

[Kaspar]

I hear it being constantly used, especially on the news (they say 'african-american male' and not 'black male', for example). It's also a very long, cumbersome term, so it's hard to miss.

This news is far from being a representation of the black community in the United States.

This is all it is - semantics. We're trying to find a better term than 'african-american'. A white person from Africa is still very much African.

Yes, I am a white person from Africa. I 100% agree with with you on that. But, I can't be an African-American. I can be a South African-American, but not an African-American. If I fully assimilated, then I could just be an American.

You can't look at the term African-American in the same way you look at the term Asian-American, or European-American or anything else. It is different.

[kraychik]

War Angel - It's like others (including myself) have already stated: of course there is an inaccuracy within the semantics of the term 'African-American'. At face value, the term refers to anyone who is is both African and American, which of course can include non-blacks and/or people with no ancestry/connection to the American slave trade of blacks. Sometimes words evolve to have meanings beyond their simple face-values, though. Take the term 'anti-semitism', for example. The term 'semite' includes ethnicities/racial groups that aren't just Jewish. The term 'anti-semitism', however, has evolved to refer to a prejudice against Jewish people, despite the shortcomings of the terms semantics. I hope I'm expressing my point clearly. Put simply, words/terms can evolve to mean something other than their face-value. So in the context of the USA, the term African-American grew to refer to a black person (or partially black person who identifies him/herself as black) who has a direct connection/ancestry to the American slave trade.

Hope that makes sense. Peace.

[War Angel]

This news is far from being a representation of the black community in the United States.

Perhaps not, but it is a representation of American culture and terminology. If I'm in the USA, and I want to say that I say a black person, what word should I use? Now, I already know I can't use 'nig-ger', but is 'negroe' okay? What about 'coloured'? Black? African-American? Of possible, but not definite African origins and somewhat darker pigmentation than the general populace?

Where does this idiocy stop?

But, I can't be an African-American. I can be a South African-American, but not an African-American.

There are white people in other parts of Africa, as well. I think Brio lived in some place in Western Africa.

You can't look at the term African-American in the same way you look at the term Asian-American, or European-American or anything else. It is different.

Asian-American is also problematic. Asia is pretty huge. Europe is also quite diverse. Saying Irish-American, however, doesn't carry connotations of diversity, as there were no non-white Irish to speak of back then, when the Irish Americans came to the United States.

Hope that makes sense. Peace.

My problem isn't with what African-American means, that's cool. It is simply a bastardisation of the words, just like you've butchered the word 'liberal' to mean the exact opposite of liberal.

[Kaspar]

There are white people in other parts of Africa, as well. I think Brio lived in some place in Western Africa.

Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?

If I'm in the USA, and I want to say that I say a black person, what word should I use?

Black person

Where does this idiocy stop?

Black: All people who are black
African-American: Blacks who have ancestors from slavery/segregation era U.S., it's also more politically correct (hence you hear it in the news, etc.) but less common in everyday conversation

[Figlio di Moros]

Perhaps not, but it is a representation of American culture and terminology. If I'm in the USA, and I want to say that I say a black person, what word should I use? Now, I already know I can't use 'nig-ger', but is 'negroe' okay? What about 'coloured'? Black? African-American? Of possible, but not definite African origins and somewhat darker pigmentation than the general populace?

Where does this idiocy stop? :lol:

[youtube]MnCwMDHM_JQ[/youtube]

Sounds not working, so I hope the dialogue is atleast funny... :/