I am NOT African American...
- Thread starter Swift
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keefThe reason most people refer to Africa as one country is because there is no obvious difference from one counrty to the other. They all have black people and lions, right? Plus, nobody can pronounce the names, if they've even heard of them. How many Americans do you think could point out where Upper Volta or Mauritania is? What about Swaziland? I always thought that was an amusement park in Australia.
Ok, that was seriously weak. Why do we differenciate between the European countries? The only difference is that language and facial structures and what not...wait, is it the same in Africa?
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Wouldn't what is considered Oriental and Occidental - according to your definition - change according to the location on the Earth from which you are "observing"? What's Oriental from one location, may be considered Occidental from a location that is "more toward the east" than the former location.Famine
I know "we" (Europeans and so on) are considered "Occidental" and "they" (Chinese, Japanese, and so forth) are considered "Oriental", due to customary denominations.
But who's to decide where to set the absolute frame of reference such that everything to the East of it is "Oriental" and everything to the West of it is "Occidental"? In other words, who decided that Japan is "The Land of the Rising Sun", therefore making "us" "The Land of the Setting Sun"?
Back on topic: I am Italian. I am located in Mississippi for the time being, until I graduate. Then I'll be back home - permanently.
I don't really care what/how people call me, as long as they are my friends. As a matter of fact, me and my friends here greet each other in very particular ways - ways that, unfortunately, can not be repeated here, or will grant me immediate bannination...
The Wizard.
Keef
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Most Americans know a little something about European history because that's what they're taught in school. The origins of America were in Europe. We get a little about Africa and Asia when we speak of slavism and the Vietnam War, etc., but the majority of Americans can ramble off quite a few countries from which the original settlers of the east coast came. We learn about WW1 and WW2, with the emphasis usually on the Europe when covering WW2. We hear about them on the news, about how they're helping in the war on terror. France, England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Sweden, Italy, Greece...
They're the important ones we hear about and learn about. Britain is our closest ally, France has a bunch of fancy wusses, Germany had Nazis and has the autobahn, Greece invented the Olympics, Spain and Portugal faught over the world all over the world, Ireland has Leprechauns, potatoes, and angry drunks, Sweden has really hot women, Italy had one of the greatest civilizations ever, Rome, and spaghetti.
Egypt is in Africa and has pyramids. There's a big desert and a jungle that lions live in. Poor, starving people abound.
Which paragraph was longer? I can't believe people actually think lions live in the jungle.
Of course we all know about the Middle East now, and we could ramble off a few countries over there, if not some things they're known for. America has dealt with them in the past, so we learn about it now. Sure, we had a conflict in Somalia, but everyone has forgotten about that little mishap.
They're the important ones we hear about and learn about. Britain is our closest ally, France has a bunch of fancy wusses, Germany had Nazis and has the autobahn, Greece invented the Olympics, Spain and Portugal faught over the world all over the world, Ireland has Leprechauns, potatoes, and angry drunks, Sweden has really hot women, Italy had one of the greatest civilizations ever, Rome, and spaghetti.
Egypt is in Africa and has pyramids. There's a big desert and a jungle that lions live in. Poor, starving people abound.
Which paragraph was longer? I can't believe people actually think lions live in the jungle.
Of course we all know about the Middle East now, and we could ramble off a few countries over there, if not some things they're known for. America has dealt with them in the past, so we learn about it now. Sure, we had a conflict in Somalia, but everyone has forgotten about that little mishap.
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keef
Considering that Upper Volta hasn't existed since 1984, not many, I hope.
TheWizard
It's a good point - especially given that I've just posted about Special and General Relativity in the CvE thread.
Fact is that, currently, we've arbitrarily decided upon the Greenwich Meridian as being the point of reference, but that's basically because Europe discovered big boats and swords before anyone else and set out to own the world - which they did quite successfully - but needed a zero point.
The Japanese call themselves "The Land of the Rising Sun", quite literally. The Japanese name for Japan (Nihon) is composed of the characters "Sun" and "Origin". Since their name for themselves quite neatly coincides with our definition of "Orient", Japan has become the Orient, the Meridian is the middle (again, quite literally) and the US is the Occident.
Of course, relatively speaking, travel east enough and you'll reach west, but still going east.
Tourettes Guy
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Tourettes Guy
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Keef
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I'm asking permission right now.
Anyway, I guess I need to get new globes. The two I have right now still have the ol' USSR on them. Good times, man, good times. But here's an alternate question: How many Americans could tell you where Upper Volta once was? Not many.
Anyway, I guess I need to get new globes. The two I have right now still have the ol' USSR on them. Good times, man, good times. But here's an alternate question: How many Americans could tell you where Upper Volta once was? Not many.
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FPS_nOOb
That was pretty good.
Of course there are some black guys that dance just as badly. 
Keef, what are you talking about? They haven't existed since 1984, that's over 20 years! There aren't many people on this board American or otherwise that could tell you where it was. Also, why no response to my post about why you think we use the term "African American"?
Keef
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Alright, how about Sierra Leon? Sounds like a mountain range in Nevada, right?
I think the term African American is used as a kind reference to black people. It shows respect and acknowledgement of their families' African heritage. But why don't I recieve acknowledgement of my German, or European, heritage? The term African American often annoys me because I interpret it as a person "African" as a person native to Africa and born there. I interpret American as a person born in America. You can't really have both, and I don't like being called a European American, so I'll just stick to American. Any person born here is American. You have white people who're American, black people who're American, beaners who're American... We should come up with a color for them. I think Carlos Mencia would support orange, as in Home Depot.
I think the term African American is used as a kind reference to black people. It shows respect and acknowledgement of their families' African heritage. But why don't I recieve acknowledgement of my German, or European, heritage? The term African American often annoys me because I interpret it as a person "African" as a person native to Africa and born there. I interpret American as a person born in America. You can't really have both, and I don't like being called a European American, so I'll just stick to American. Any person born here is American. You have white people who're American, black people who're American, beaners who're American... We should come up with a color for them. I think Carlos Mencia would support orange, as in Home Depot.
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keefI think Carlos Mencia would support orange, as in Home Depot.
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keef
That's my whole point of this thread. You read the first post right? Also, most people don't know the difference between Finland and Sweeden. So that argument is really totally moot.
You have white people who're American, black people who're American, beaners who're American... We should come up with a color for them. I think Carlos Mencia would support orange, as in Home Depot.
And you call them Beaners because...?
Tourettes Guy
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SwiftOf course there are some black guys that dance just as badly.
Is this from experience??
Swift
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Yeah I "swiftly" noticed that.
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It's funny I just saw this thread.
In our english class we are currently analyzing the movie Ghost Of Mississippi.
A great example of what the American society is still suffering from.
Here in Canada we don't have that much problems.
In our english class we are currently analyzing the movie Ghost Of Mississippi.
A great example of what the American society is still suffering from.
Here in Canada we don't have that much problems.
Keef
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Come on, Omnis. Anyway, I call people of Mexican heritage beaners, when approriate, funny, and/or uncompromising, because he calls himself a beaner. He thinks it's funny and I don't think the word really has anything to do with Mexican people or their history. Dave Chappelle "encourages" the N word in the same way, but I've never put that word in to mass production because of its history. I've never been comfortable using it, especially to my black friends, unless it was in a joke. I have a few Mexican friends at school and they think "beaner" is funny. I realize someone I don't know would be pissed if I said it to them, if they even knew what it was, and that's why I don't.
Tourettes Guy
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I am? Does that mean I'm Mod materal? keef
I've always thought they were making fun of themselves and the odd things about their culture. Is this not ok?
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Carlos Mencia is a moron who only knows how to call people retarded. Just because somebody says something doesn't automatically mean it's correct or whatever. This is exactly what we are talking about with the media and their stupid over-use of the term "african-american."
Openly refering to someone as a "beaner" is completely devoid of tact, anyway.
Openly refering to someone as a "beaner" is completely devoid of tact, anyway.
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Swift
Please reconcile that admirable and laudable viewpoint with this harsh, sad reality:
Reports offer grim forecast for young black men
"The picture isn't new, but the depths of its despair and pathology are."
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Swift
I don't understand this response at all.
Once again, please explain how, in light of the tragic reality of the status of young American men of African descent, you can say that we should somehow ignore it, adopt a Pollyanna attitude, and pretend race doesn't matter any more.
You have got to be kidding.
If anything, race is more of an issue now than it ever was, at least for those guys. Trying to make it go away by clouding it in some sort of diatribe about "political correctness" is just silly.
Do you really think this is about "political correctness"? It's about race, period.
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Zardoz, I believe you have a hard time with reading comprehension.Zardoz
Swift
African-American IS the politically correct term that I want to get rid of. It's not my fault that those guys are in prison. Yeah, they have dark skin and they are in prison. It's what the vast majority of them deserve for breaking the law. I know some are falsely accused or have had racist personal policies that put them there, but that's a very small percentage.
It's about race because people don't want to tackle the real issue of social dependence on the government instead of doing for themselves. That's the ONLY reason race is an issue. Racism, while it exists, is no where near as bad as it was 40 years ago. I'm not denying it's existence, just that black people can't use it as an excuse anymore.
The status of the Black man in America was brought on by himself. Single parent homes, multiple children by multiple mothers and on and on. That is what has destroyed the foundation of the homes of the black(and every other race) families in America. Not the fact that they are black, but what they have done. Obviously, this is not everyone, but enough to erode the foundation of the family.
Putting a politically correct term like, "African American" does nothing but make polititicians sound like they care.
