What is an African American?

[OklahomaSooners]

? I guess my friend who is white, Who was born and raised in Africa, and lived there for 27 years, Is also an African American? Yes he lives in the US now. And he is legal!!!

[TheHumanAlphabet]

This won't end well...

But the answer to your question is - yes, technically but what is the definition of definition???...

[stoops the eternal pimp]

didnt start well

[OklahomaSooners]

Well? I am not trying to start anything at all, Just wondering because of a conversation we had together!!

[colleyvillesooner]

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/9997/800pxnotagainpicardgp8.jpg

[OklahomaSooners]

In the conversation, umm... he said he has been there (obviously) and if someone who has not can call themselves African American, Can he do the same? Im like well... umm.. err... I... You... well you see what I mean!!!

[TheHumanAlphabet]

That's what you get for hyphenating people...

I'm no longer "white" I am either Norwegian-German-American or I am "other"...

[yermom]

it's a dumb designation

i don't see what the continent has to do with anything

i did find this hilarious though:

http://www.ketv.com/education/2783824/detail.html

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Now thats crazy.

You want to define a color and/or race, then don't hyphenate or PC the word because this is exactly what happens. Technically they were right, but... I don't believe they weren't trying to stir something up by being technically correct. 17?, they were stirring shat.

[OklahomaSooners]

To be clear, I wasn't trying to bring out race, Its kinda hard for it not to look that way though. It really is an innocent question on his part. He is not racist nor am I. He has been around more people of color in one year than I have been in my entire life, He has only been here for 3 years now and during the conversation, Politics became the subject, then Obama came up and then he just popped the question to me. I didn't quite know how to answer him!!! So please don't make this a race issue. Although I am sure it will become one at some point. And when it does I will withdraw from the conversation.

[shaun4411]

an african-american is someone of ethnic decendence from the continent of Africa who is currently an American citizen living in the usa. it is an ethnicity, NOT a race. black people are black. you dont see black french people calling themselves african-french do you? no, under race they put black--just like they do in the UK and Germany.

other ways to be african-american:
born/raised in africa, and moved to the usa and has become an american.
born of 2 african parents, in the usa.
born of 2 american parents, in africa (maybe american-african?)

as far as decendance goes, id say no more than 2 maybe 3 generations. in other words, if your granddaddy isnt a true-blue african, neither are you.
the same applies to situations where say you and your parents emigrated to the usa from israel in the 70s to avoid the violence. you have your first child, who can say he is israeli-american because his grandparents are fullblooded, and so are you.even though he is 100% born and raised in the usa.

[yermom]

seems like it's insinuating that "American" by itself means "white"

that just seems to perpetuate racial garbage

i get so sick of dancing around crap like this

[SicEmBaylor]

seems like it's insinuating that "American" by itself means "white"

that just seems to perpetuate racial garbage

i get so sick of dancing around crap like this

That's a very good point.

[Turd_Ferguson]

seems like it's insinuating that "American" by itself means "white"

that just seems to perpetuate racial garbage

i get so sick of dancing around crap like thisThat's why I don't dance.

[william_brasky]

Brother Malcolm explains (http://youtube.com/watch?v=xDXPpfGAZrU)

[shaun4411]

not buying it. this is the only country in the world that seems to think african is a race.

do you think egyptians say their race is african-american when they apply for a job in the usa? what about an african who isnt american? then what?

[VeeJay]

When I first moved to Miami, I went out with a gal who told me initially she was "from England" and had a lovely British accent. She later told me she was "from Africa" and then I asked if she was a military brat. No, she said, her dad was VP of a multinational corporation. One Sunday afternoon at the Miami Seaquarium on Key Biscayne I met her and she'd been drinking margaritas with her friends. She was horribly intoxylyzed and threw up a little on my t-shirt while I was carrying her to the car. I drove her home and kept her car a few days. I didn't want to give it up. It was a very nice car.

[Sooner_Bob]

Do Moroccans consider themselves African or Moroccans?

Are folks from Sudan Sudanese or African?

African Americans (to me) are folks from Africa who now live in the US (regardless of the color of their skin). If you were born in the US you're American. You may be black or descended from people who once lived in Morocco or Sudan, but if you were born in the US you're an American. Anything after that is you trying to separate yourself from the rest of us in this huge melting pot.

Hanging on to your culture is important, but creating false racial boundaries isn't.

[Curly Bill]

Was she hawt?

edit...this was supposed to be above Sooner Bob's post.

edit...though I must say I like Sooner Bob's post.

[mdklatt]

You ain't a _____-American unless you're from ______. Even then it's dubious unless you have dual citizenship. And even then, pick a side, man. That South African kid in Omaha should sue the pants off of that school district for being stupid.

"_____-American" = meaningless
"differently abled" = meaningless
"homicide bomber" = meaningless

Value precision above all in language.

[VeeJay]

She was hawt.

She had friends who were on the LPGA Tour. One of those friends actually had a lover of the opposite sex (with plumbing like mine). That one told me once at a gathering (they lived on a golf course) that the perception was that the entire LPGA tour was lesbian. "When in actuality, it's maybe only 60% that are lesbians."

[Curly Bill]

She was hawt.

She had friends who were on the LPGA Tour. One of those friends actually had a lover of the opposite sex (with plumbing like mine). That one told me once at a gathering (they lived on a golf course) that the perception was that the entire LPGA tour was lesbian. "When in actuality, it's maybe only 60% that are lesbians."

only 60% ....:D

[VeeJay]

Pssshawww - that was nothing - then the WNBA came along.

[Curly Bill]

Pssshawww - that was nothing - then the WNBA came along.

WNBA :eek:

[VeeJay]

There were some lookers in the LPGA at one time. I think that 40% showed up at my girlfriend's place one night for a throwdown.

[olevetonahill]

Im a
Mutt-american
and Proud of it :P

[texas bandman]

I am Native American and all of the rest of you _________-americans are squatting on my property! Go back to ________! :D

[VeeJay]

**** off dip ****

Me an' Curly's talkin' about munchin' here.

[RUSH LIMBAUGH is my clone!]

Do Moroccans consider themselves African or Moroccans?

Are folks from Sudan Sudanese or African?

African Americans (to me) are folks from Africa who now live in the US (regardless of the color of their skin). If you were born in the US you're American. You may be black or descended from people who once lived in Morocco or Sudan, but if you were born in the US you're an American. Anything after that is you trying to separate yourself from the rest of us in this huge melting pot.

Hanging on to your culture is important, but creating false racial boundaries isn't.Reasonable, for sure.

[OU4LIFE]

I could not agree with Bob more.

IMO, the people who use modifiers like African- or Irish- or Mexican-, that were born in this country, need to get over themselves.

[MamaMia]

When I first moved to Miami, I went out with a gal who told me initially she was "from England" and had a lovely British accent. She later told me she was "from Africa" and then I asked if she was a military brat. No, she said, her dad was VP of a multinational corporation. One Sunday afternoon at the Miami Seaquarium on Key Biscayne I met her and she'd been drinking margaritas with her friends. She was horribly intoxylyzed and threw up a little on my t-shirt while I was carrying her to the car. I drove her home and kept her car a few days. I didn't want to give it up. It was a very nice car.Jack Handey, is that you?

[stoops the eternal pimp]

We're in America, we speak American..