Is calling someone African American racist?

[The Crucifix Family]

It is something special to us, something that no European, American, Arab, Jew, Indian, White, Asian, or Oceanic person can lay claim to and a sign of racial unity.

And here racism kicks in. [/quote]

It is not used for the purpose of fostering superiority. It is used to give unity to all of African descent and give pride in our unique history and culture.

[Eofaerwic]

However, the term 'British Pakistani' is quite common.

Hmmmm...Well no. More than often I hear in the media: British with pakistani desent.

There was a report just last week on the Beeb, discussing exactly this.

Many folks interviewed self-identified as British-Pakistani or Pakistani-British.

Arguably though that's an ethnicity not a racial descriptor. For example, you wouldn't apply it to someone who was British Indian or indeed to anyone who it wasn't know to be both British and of Pakistani origin? Or if you were merely trying to describe someone physically without knowing anything else about them.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

Calling someone 'African-American' isn't racist. It's simply pointing out that that person is an American who has African ancestors, or belongs to an African ethnic group. It's no more racist than calling me a Celtic-American.

Yes..but many people who are 'black' are called African-American even though they don't have ancestors from the past 300 years coming from Africa

[Valkyriana]

Well, I'm Black (African American, of African descent, whatever), and me and just about all of my Black friends either refer to ourselves as black or African American and see nothing racist about it. It is a term used to identify those with African ancestry. Because the term was not invented to dehumanize us (like colored was), it is not considered racist. Those who call themselves African-American do so not because they don't see themselves as American first, but as a matter of racial pride and love for our heritage. Frankly I don't consider it as deplorable as the many blacks I know who refer to themselves as "nigger" or "nigga", two terms invented for the purpose of demeaning us. I have only use those words myself a few times, and it was never as terms of endearment, but for their actual purposes: to call someone slothful or lazy. African isn't a nationality; it is a cultural term. Any who trace their roots as being the early peoples of Africa, such as the Berbers, can call themselves African, and many consider themselves African for love of our history. It is something special to us, something that no European, American, Arab, Jew, Indian, White, Asian, or Oceanic person can lay claim to and a sign of racial unity.

Well I think that this one guy's views on which words are offensive and which words should be used has as much validity as most of the rest of us combined ie he gets to chose which words means what when refering to himself but no doubt someone will try to tell him he's wrong.

I must admit to smiling when I saw he's happy enough to use black and african-american so maybe black isn't quite as offensive as some uberPCers would like us to believe.

[Bluth Corporation]

"Franklin said some things Whitey just wasn't ready to hear."
"Gob, weren't you also mercilessly beaten outside of a club in Torrance for that act?"
"He also said some things that African-Americany wasn't ready to hear, either."

[Tiesabre]

I loathe being called an 'African American'. I did not just jump off the boat from Africa.

I'm Black and born here in Ohio and will not accept being called anything else. Being called African American is simply a another way white people attempt to assert themselves over us. It wasn't a group of black people who decided to call black people African Americans, it was a bunch of white people.

And if you support calling a black person an African Americans, than all white people should be called European Americans as far as I'm concerned.

[Eofaerwic]

It is something special to us, something that no European, American, Arab, Jew, Indian, White, Asian, or Oceanic person can lay claim to and a sign of racial unity.

And here racism kicks in.

It is not used for the purpose of fostering superiority. It is used to give unity to all of African descent and give pride in our unique history and culture.

But you are making an assumption of said history and culture based on racial characteristics. Someone who is a second generation immigrant from Uganda is going to have a very different history and cultural identity than someone who's ancestors were brought over to the US as slaves several hundred years ago. The trouble with using what is effectively an ethnicity term, capturing a shared history and culture, as a racial term is that the group you end up identifying is overly heterogenous and non-representative of what the original label/concept is meant to identify. And merely ends up emphasising the physical differences rather than the cultural/historical differences, which, IMHO, doesn't necessarily help when trying to tackle racism.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

I loathe being called an 'African American'. I did not just jump off the boat from Africa.

I'm Black and born here in Ohio and will not accept being called anything else. Being called African American is simply a another way white people attempt to assert themselves over us. It wasn't a group of black people who decided to call black people African Americans, it was a bunch of white people.

And if you support calling a black person an African Americans, than all white people should be called European Americans as far as I'm concerned.

Finnally a (wo)man who speaks sense.

[The Crucifix Family]

I loathe being called an 'African American'. I did not just jump off the boat from Africa.

I'm Black and born here in Ohio and will not accept being called anything else. Being called African American is simply a another way white people attempt to assert themselves over us. It wasn't a group of black people who decided to call black people African Americans, it was a bunch of white people.

And if you support calling a black person an African Americans, than all white people should be called European Americans as far as I'm concerned.

Finnally a (wo)man who speaks sense.

Was that suppose to be a snipe?

[Chumblywumbly]

"Franklin said some things Whitey just wasn't ready to hear."
"Gob, weren't you also mercilessly beaten outside of a club in Torrance for that act?"
"He also said some things that African-Americany wasn't ready to hear, either."

I love Franklin.

[Katganistan]

Whenever I hear this phrase..I laugh. A black person here would never be called African British...it just sounds silly. By pointing out this Africanism in someone...does that make it racist or not what is your views?

It all depends on how people self-label. Here, people actually acknowledge their family heritage prior to moving wherever they are, even if that goes back several generations. We're a nation of immigrants and don't particularly feel the need to hide it. So yes, American first, but Scots/Irish/Armenian/Argentinian/German/Venusian will get tagged onto it.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

Whenever I hear this phrase..I laugh. A black person here would never be called African British...it just sounds silly. By pointing out this Africanism in someone...does that make it racist or not what is your views?

It all depends on how people self-label. Here, people actually acknowledge their family heritage prior to moving wherever they are, even if that goes back several generations. We're a nation of immigrants and don't particularly feel the need to hide it. So yes, American first, but Scots/Irish/Armenian/Argentinian/German/Venusian will get tagged onto it.

I agree with self-labeling aswell.

[Bluth Corporation]

"Franklin said some things Whitey just wasn't ready to hear."
"Gob, weren't you also mercilessly beaten outside of a club in Torrance for that act?"
"He also said some things that African-Americany wasn't ready to hear, either."

I love Franklin.

As long as he doesn't point out my cracker ass to Ann...

[No Names Left Damn It]

German is a nationality. White is a race. Japanese is a nationality. Asian is a race.

You fucking what?

[The Crucifix Family]

Whenever I hear this phrase..I laugh. A black person here would never be called African British...it just sounds silly. By pointing out this Africanism in someone...does that make it racist or not what is your views?

It all depends on how people self-label. Here, people actually acknowledge their family heritage prior to moving wherever they are, even if that goes back several generations. We're a nation of immigrants and don't particularly feel the need to hide it. So yes, American first, but Scots/Irish/Armenian/Argentinian/German/Venusian will get tagged onto it.

I agree with self-labeling aswell.

I agree. Many Who are black and of African descent simply call themselves African American to acknowledge their culture and heritage. Since most non-African people use the word Black, it is not an issue.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

I loathe being called an 'African American'. I did not just jump off the boat from Africa.

I'm Black and born here in Ohio and will not accept being called anything else. Being called African American is simply a another way white people attempt to assert themselves over us. It wasn't a group of black people who decided to call black people African Americans, it was a bunch of white people.

And if you support calling a black person an African Americans, than all white people should be called European Americans as far as I'm concerned.

Finnally a (wo)man who speaks sense.

Was that suppose to be a snipe?

Whats a snipe?

[The Crucifix Family]

Was that suppose to be a snipe?

Whats a snipe?

I was asking whether he was either:

a-saying that women never make sense.
b-saying nobody else here has been making sense.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

Was that suppose to be a snipe?

Whats a snipe?

I was asking whether he was either:

a-saying that women never make sense.
b-saying nobody else here has been making sense.

Not at all!
I don't know if they are a woman or a man so used both..?

[Valkyriana]

Whenever I hear this phrase..I laugh. A black person here would never be called African British...it just sounds silly. By pointing out this Africanism in someone...does that make it racist or not what is your views?

It all depends on how people self-label. Here, people actually acknowledge their family heritage prior to moving wherever they are, even if that goes back several generations. We're a nation of immigrants and don't particularly feel the need to hide it. So yes, American first, but Scots/Irish/Armenian/Argentinian/German/Venusian will get tagged onto it.

I agree with self-labeling aswell.

self labling is fine, but the situation is not self labled terms, it's one catch-all term that was invented by other people and all black people are called african-american, even those who are not african descent and those who do not like the term.

Sorry but you can't compare scots/irish/etc to african. it's comparing specific nationalities to one single catch all group.
scots/irish/etc = congo/etheopean/etc
african = european

As ws just said:

I loathe being called an 'African American'. I did not just jump off the boat from Africa.

I'm Black and born here in Ohio and will not accept being called anything else. Being called African American is simply a another way white people attempt to assert themselves over us. It wasn't a group of black people who decided to call black people African Americans, it was a bunch of white people.

And if you support calling a black person an African Americans, than all white people should be called European Americans as far as I'm concerned.

[Spredronia]

African American=least offensive.

Black=semi-offensive, but mostly harmless.

<CENSORED>=SO RACIST I WILL CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF IF YOU SAY IT!!!

[Katganistan]

Finnally a (wo)man who speaks sense.

Was that suppose to be a snipe?

Whats a snipe?

An unkind remark. In this case, a sexist remark that implies that women generally are incapable of being sensible. Like a sniper, firing off single shots to hurt someone.

[EvilDarkMagicians]

An unkind remark. In this case, a sexist remark that implies that women generally are incapable of being sensible. Like a sniper, firing off single shots to hurt someone

As above I didn't mean it that way!

[United Dependencies]

I loathe being called an 'African American'. I did not just jump off the boat from Africa.

I'm Black and born here in Ohio and will not accept being called anything else. Being called African American is simply a another way white people attempt to assert themselves over us. It wasn't a group of black people who decided to call black people African Americans, it was a bunch of white people.

And if you support calling a black person an African Americans, than all white people should be called European Americans as far as I'm concerned.

The problem arises when we try black person and then get told by someone else we are being racist. I don't know what is acceptable anymore because of this.

[No Names Left Damn It]

In this case, a sexist remark that implies that women generally are incapable of being sensible.

You're interpreting that wrong. He meant "Finally someone who speaks sense"

[No Names Left Damn It]

African American=least offensive.

Black=semi-offensive, but mostly harmless.

<CENSORED>=SO RACIST I WILL CHOP YOUR HEAD OFF IF YOU SAY IT!!!

How could Black be considered offensive? It's their skin colour.