What is an African American? I have some friends that are actually from Africa, so yes, they would be African American. A few of my "black" friends are even insulted by this term. One guy even said, "I have never been to Africa. Never seen it. I don't want to go. I am not African American. I'm American!"

"White" people that are born and raised here aren't called European Americans. They're called "Caucasians" even though this term isn't used that often anymore unless describing a "white" man in the news for instance.

I am bi-racial, and I'm personally offended by all of the dividing racial terms.

Maybe it's time to get rid of these stupid labels of our races and all just be American! Is this not "One Nation... Indivisable"?

i don't think we should all be called "American" cause the best thing about America is the mix of cultures so by removing the labels of your cultural identity your not solving the problem you are changing yourself to meet the world in a way instead of changing the world's views i'm black and i'm not exactly the same cultural wise to a white person and as far as i'm concerned i have no problem with asians, whites, hispanics but i know who i am and where i'm from and i won't change that.

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African American

It's still an improper term if your working for descriptions based on skintone. I know several white african americans (from south africa) and I know black irish americans. It's where your from that's being described there in my opinion not your color. and seriously by your logic about african americans we are all african american because that's where life started and we all came from africa at some point.

Seriously though what's so wrong about being just plain American? Americans are all the same (or should be) in the status of rights and recognition regardless of race, religion, gender et al. If you cut me I bleed red, I cut you, you bleed red. What's the big deal? Okay you have higher melanin levels then I do but seriously who gives a rats ass?

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Originally posted by EarthGoddess:
Having dark skin doesn't make you a Negroid...

Do you mind not using the term negroid. it's very offensive.

I like the term African American. Even if some of us stolen away from our homeland, years ago, it still reminds us of our roots. Don't allow the media to make you feel embarrased of your African heritage. If you are black. You are African. Period. Even if you come from the Carribean, you were still brought from Africa and actually preserved more African traditions than Africans in the US have. WHy should we be shamed of where our ancestors come from. I'm proud to be an AFRICAN American. You can try and deny it all you want but the fact remains that Americans aren't all the same.

I'm Asian.

Caucasian!

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Originally posted by hubbabaloo:

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Originally posted by aria87:


But the question is, what are you going to do about it? I just wanna know. How will you try to change this stitch in American society?

For starters, I've stopped putting my race on anything. It's none of their darn business what race I am. If there's not an option for not putting it, I'll put other. If there's not an other, I put mixed. When they give me a rough time about the mixed, I am 1/64 Cherokee, so it's not technically a lie. Anyways, basically, I'm making my voice heard. It's not going to change anything. But at least I feel better.

Hey, more power to ya. I feel you, and you never know what one voice can do to or for a person.

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Originally posted by aria87:


But the question is, what are you going to do about it? I just wanna know. How will you try to change this stitch in American society?

For starters, I've stopped putting my race on anything. It's none of their darn business what race I am. If there's not an option for not putting it, I'll put other. If there's not an other, I put mixed. When they give me a rough time about the mixed, I am 1/64 Cherokee, so it's not technically a lie. Anyways, basically, I'm making my voice heard. It's not going to change anything. But at least I feel better.

I don't try to ignore anything. Race and gender are a very valid part of an individual's life. It helps define them, for society and for themselves. I find it nice sometimes to not see them, and other times it is frustrating. I just dismiss it. Have you heard the term "namaste"? In rough translation it means: my soul bows to your soul [in equality]. When I look at someone, I try to see their soul, who they are inside, the heart of them. Over time, trivial details like race filtered out of my mind and there are just people now.

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Originally posted by Shade:

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We are taught from birth to see color and that will never change because it's everywhere

I honestly don't know what people mean when they say this. I don't see colour (or gender). If I meet or havea conversation with someone and later you ask me what colour their skin was, I couldn't tell you.

Well I'm happy there are people out there who don't see color or gender or nothing just a being. I don't think I've ever met a person who has said that before.
What I mean by what I said is in my life I have noticed that people unintentionally put race and gender on things. It could be the little things we say, or the little things we think.
It's not always a bad thing, except when it's bad thoughts. But I do find it hard to believe that you don't see any of that. It must be nice. But do you feel like by you saying that..that you are trying to ignore something that shouldn't be ignored?

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We are taught from birth to see color and that will never change because it's everywhere

I honestly don't know what people mean when they say this. I don't see colour (or gender). If I meet or havea conversation with someone and later you ask me what colour their skin was, I couldn't tell you.

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Originally posted by hubbabaloo:
Racism will never stop until we stop calling attention to race. I don't think it should be listed on anything, considered in anything public (private...discriminate all you want. It's your dang private business), I don't think it should be asked for on forms, or listed on standardized tests. We'll always be a racist country until we stop caring.

Ok, well consider this. What happens when they do remove it for applications, standardized test, and other forms used today? Someone gets mad. No matter what it's a lose lose situation. Speaking from an African American (or black) standpoint there always be someone to complain because blacks aren't given special opportunities as a means to compensate for what happened 200 years ago( as everyone says). I myself agree that those terms should be eliminated. Reason being, as I am studying here in Puerto Rico, I see black, white, brown, yellow Puerto Ricans...and you know what they call themselves...Boricuas, Puerto Ricans. We are taught from birth to see color and that will never change because it's everywhere.

But the question is, what are you going to do about it? I just wanna know. How will you try to change this stitch in American society?

Racism will never stop until we stop calling attention to race. I don't think it should be listed on anything, considered in anything public (private...discriminate all you want. It's your dang private business), I don't think it should be asked for on forms, or listed on standardized tests. We'll always be a racist country until we stop caring.

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Being African in origin makes you Negroid.

Okay. If that's the way you define that word, then you have a point.

Being African in origin makes you Negroid. The person whom I was speaking to said that they were African American and that their ancestry orginates in places other than Africa, which is wrong and impossible. Unless she means that she is part Asian or White or whatever.

I just have a problem with people that think Negroids originate in places other than Africa, like the West Indies. It makes me cringe.

Then what does?

Having dark skin doesn't make you a Negroid...

Well, I know some girls from Fiji who have very dark skin and are sometimes called African American, which they do not like.

Then where else do we come from?

Um, actually, they don't EG.