Questions about African-Americans

[HPX5000]

Three questions:

Do you think African-Americans would be offended if they were called lost Africans? I mean they aren't exactly in touch with Africa, so why don't they drop their prefix and acknowledge the fact they have little connection with Africa and recognize themselves as simply Americans? Why do you call every black person in the world African-Americans (PC maybe?) even though they are not Americans?

CNN's Carol Lin and the French "African-Americans"

[jfella91]

The alternative would be calling them blacks, which people deem off as offensive... lol

[LordZeebmork]

At 11/11/07 06:43 PM, HPX5000 wrote: Three questions:

Do you think African-Americans would be offended if they were called lost Africans?

What?

I mean they aren't exactly in touch with Africa, so why don't they drop their prefix and acknowledge the fact they have little connection with Africa and recognize themselves as simply Americans?

Some things just don't make sense.

Why do you call every black person in the world African-Americans (PC maybe?) even though they are not Americans?

Because political correctness is incredibly stupid.

[HPX5000]

At 11/11/07 06:56 PM, LordZeebmork wrote:

At 11/11/07 06:43 PM, HPX5000 wrote: Three questions:

Do you think African-Americans would be offended if they were called lost Africans?

What?

A lost African is someone who is descended from Africa but lost their heritage and culture through slavery.

[LordZeebmork]

At 11/11/07 07:01 PM, HPX5000 wrote: A lost African is someone who is descended from Africa but lost their heritage and culture through slavery.

Ah. Somehow I don't think that term would go over very well with... anyone.

[Ronald-McDonald-LoL]

At 11/11/07 06:52 PM, jfella91 wrote: The alternative would be calling them blacks, which people deem off as offensive... lol

People used to call them Negroes. Then Blacks, and now African Americans.

[SolInvictus]

i think you answered your own dilemma, they're Americans, end of story. for descriptive person you could refer to them as black (no one is really black, but no ones really white either, so why should refering to someone as one or the other be offensive?).

[rominnome]

how about brown it is basically what there skin color is and if they deem it offensive then they can get together and make h=there own names b/c cause we cant make it for them all the time

[RedSkunk]

I say roll with the standards of the times. If african-american is inoffensive, why balk at its usage? Also, I don't know very many people that call all blacks "african-american." That would be pretty ignorant.

Thirdly, I often use the term black if and when there is no need to distinguish between nationality. I've never been ostracized for this......