African Americans?

[Rich Parsons]

Once again I will quote: "TIME: Special report: America at 300 Million" - October 30, 2006.

In this edition there is an article that deals with the break down of the USA:

51% Female - 49% Male

80.1 % White
14.8 % Hispanic of any Race (* This means the numbers will not add up to 100% now *)
12.8 % Black
4.4 % Asian
1.6 % Two or more races
1.0 % Natice American Indian and Alaska Native
0.2 % Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander.

If you exclude the Hispanic numbers you get:

80.1 + 12.8 + 4.4 + 1.6 + 1.0 + 0.2 = 100.1 so obviously these numbers are rounded up.

So this means all sports should represent this, all business should represent these numbers. Right it all has to be equal or there is some form of racism going on. Correct? (* Sorry for the sarcasm here. *)

The replacement value for children is considered 2.1

White: 1.85
Black: 2.02
Amer Ind: 1.71
Asian: 1.93
Hispanic: 2.82


So does this mean that we need to slow down the Hispanic Growth Rate and force the other cultures to increase their rate? NOTE: Not sure if Hawaiian and other Pacific is included in American Indian or not. They might have a real low rate, not sure.

So do we control the population growth as well to insure the correct replacement of the existing populations? To me this would be absurd, but one never knows.



So while I applaud the accomplishment of the two coaches as individuals, and also thsoe who played the game on both teams, I am not sure if the concentration on Race brought out an issue to the light or if it put up fences by saying more about the separation of people, instead of just saying we are AMERICANS.

But I have been wrong lots of times in my life and will continue to be wrong through out my life.

 

[Tez3]

Looking from the outside on America we think of you as Americans (or Yanks tbh!), when we see tourists etc over here again you are still Americans! Obviously we are aware that you can be different colours lol but you are all more alike than different. Perhaps its the same when you look at us though we have divides here on country grounds that could leave you seriously bruised if you mistook one for another! A Scotsman would not thank you for being thought English nor would a Welshman!

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Looking from the outside on America we think of you as Americans (or Yanks tbh!), when we see tourists etc over here again you are still Americans! Obviously we are aware that you can be different colours lol but you are all more alike than different. Perhaps its the same when you look at us though we have divides here on country grounds that could leave you seriously bruised if you mistook one for another! A Scotsman would not thank you for being thought English nor would a Welshman!

Pouring wine in the Napa Valley, we get tourists from all over the globe. I make it a personal mission to find a way under the skin of each. With your countrymen, and this particular -ism, I just mentinon to them that, despite their differences, they "all smell alike".

Good for an occasional glass of wine on the work shirt. :angel:

 

[matt.m]

I am color blind. Figuratively not literally, look in combat I saw the word Marines on the nametape, not Jones the black guy or Vazquez the Mexican. My father is also color blind. He says I never knew a "John the black guy." I knew John the guy.

To be quite frank I don't care much for people that speak of others by race, creed, color, etc.

 

[elder999]

Blacks are black. Plain and simple. You really can't call all black people "African Americans," since there are quite a few black folks whose ancestry came from non-African areas.

Whites are white. Plain and simple. Not all whites are of European descent, and as pointed out already, there are people who have emigrated from South Africa who are white, and whose children can legitimately be called "African Americans."

Errr.....actually, there are brown people, and pink people...or maybe just a few different shades of brown......

 

[JBrainard]

I was reading through this thread and I remembered an experience from college. I was in a writing class and somehow the whole political correctness issue came up. The interesting thing was that there were these three young Jamaican women who made the same point Grenadier did: NOT ALL BLACK PEOPLE ARE FROM AFRICA. They said that on some kind of document (a can't remember what kind, over 10 years ago) they had to check off their race. They couldn't choose "Black" or "Jamaican," only "African American." And you know what, they were pissed!
What's my point? I guess it's that in trying to be politically correct you can end up sounding like a bigot. Dumb, huh?

 

[CoryKS]

My wife is black. Don't try calling her African-American, she hates it. I hate the term too, because it is imprecise and often incorrect. Once you start using it as a synonym for black, you're just asking for trouble. I seem to recall an Olympics announcer who referred to a black gymnast from France as an "African-American". And I've heard an account, don't know if it's true, of a high school teacher who had a student turn in a report on "Othello, the African-American Moor of Spain". :rofl:

 

[Flatlander]

A Black man can not have a physical love scene in a movie if the backers want it to earn more than $20 million. It just won't happen. That lurking fear of the sexualized Black man is still out there.

Actually, did you see Miami Vice? Jamie Foxx has a love scene in that movie, and according to this source it grossed over $63M (though it still lost money - it was rather expensive to produce....) At any rate, "It just won't happen" seems to be an unreasonable generalization.

 

[crushing]

Rich,

Did the Time article specify how one's race was determined? The 1.6% for 'Two or more races' seems very low to me. Would Tony Dungy be considered 'Black' or 'Two or more races'? Similarly, another timely figure, Sen. Obama?

While I don't know if Sen. Obama is 'Black', 'White', or 'Two or more races', I do think he would have a legitimate claim to being African-American (or maybe even Kenyan-Kansan).

Do you think the media, or society for that matter, is still stuck on the 'one drop' rule?

 

[CTKempo Todd]

The only true classification is 1: Human Being

Then there is Male and Female..

That's it. Sorry nothing more. Referring to color is racist period.
I don't care what color your skin is: You are a human being and you are either male or female..(ok wise guys I know...)
I know this is utopia and a bit simplistic but its the way it should be.

I hate any classification further than that.."BET" for example is SO offensive to me simply for what is stands for and in principal is exclusionary based upon skin color..

 

[fnorfurfoot]

The only true classification is 1: Human Being

I agree. If only the government would allow us to leave it at that. But they always want to separate us into groups.

 

[Kacey]

My wife is black. Don't try calling her African-American, she hates it. I hate the term too, because it is imprecise and often incorrect. Once you start using it as a synonym for black, you're just asking for trouble. I seem to recall an Olympics announcer who referred to a black gymnast from France as an "African-American". And I've heard an account, don't know if it's true, of a high school teacher who had a student turn in a report on "Othello, the African-American Moor of Spain". :rofl:

One of my neighbors says the same thing - her husband is from Haiti, and she is from the Bahamas, and neither knows where their ancestors came from prior to those two countries. Both are naturalized citizens, so they don't have a problem with the "American" part - but neither is African that they are aware of.

 

[Kembudo-Kai Kempoka]

Here's a pot-stir for y'all.

People are so concerned about being Politically Correct, thet they have taken to avoiding the obvious, and softening what does not need to be softened.

Blacks don't have an issue with being called black; many celebrate the cultural differences, and wouldn't want to be some boring-*** cracker anyways. Whites, however, have an issue with being percieved as racist if they call a black person...well, black. Calling someone black is not intrinsically derogatory. Neither is referring to a senior as old. Guess what? They're old. It is possible they somehow didn't notice it until you used the phrase colloquially, but chances are...they know. We don't need to sanitize language and culture so far that we cease observing the obvious; that gay people are gay (as opposed to "differently oriented sexual preferences"); blacks are black; yellow peeps be yellow, and so on. "They" aren't.

Merely being the majority does not necessitate sanitation in favor of the minority. It does not equal discrimination, unless YOU use the differences in a discriminatory fashion. Obvious statements are NOT racial epithets.

Mexicans, puerto ricans, chicano's, and asundry hispanics also know they are brown. Many where I live even boast Brown Pride paraphenilia. Many of the mexicans where I live are damn proud of it, too. Oddly, the whites are so uptight about angering or offending the mexicans around here, that they have turned their lives upside down, re-writing school year timetables and cirriculums to account for the custom of going south of the border when the work dries up to see family and bring down the money they made here to inject into their economy, instead of the US economy from which they earned it. Do you think for a minute they feel bad about it? Do you think they are going out of their way to sanitize their behavior to avoid offending the wealthy landowner whites they work for in the north? And they have negotiated fund-raisers with the local aristocracy to pay for the head-count swells in illegals that coincide with the work flow tide, since the state has restrictions on per-capita compensation amounts and attendence.

I'm white. I grew up in a rural part of Hawaii that was not white. Got the crap beat out of me often. And? So what? Does that mean I should show up there, and attempt to sanitize local culture away from using the derogatory terms for whites versus locals, and switch to some innane universal term for "person"? Maybe that, alone, would magically undo the years of discrimination and economic depression many Hawaiians have faced in an economy run largely by whites...and economy that employs them, but does not aid them in gaining an improvement in the quality of life by keeping wages low, jobs scarce, and the cost of living high.

Bigotry and language are not the same, people. It's what's between your ears that sets you apart as someone for whom language is a term for derision and subjugation, or just a term.

Every black man and woman I've had the pleasure to know has waaaaaaayyy preferred being called black, to being called African-American, negro, or negroid. If you want to know, just ask a couple. I'm sure that, after they knife you and take your wallet then jack your car, they'll be glad to tell you.

D.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

so the other day i watched a rerun of 'all in the family'. absolutely brilliant show. tackled social issues like race, drugs, the war, gender roles. did it in ways that nobody had before and nobody has since.

the thing that really got me was, since political correctness really hit the forefront...there is absolutely no way that show would have been greenlighted now. would have been considered offensive.

 

[evenflow1121]

I think that the more you end up dwelling on the politically correctness spectrum the more it hurts society. I am not too big on hyphenated names, I am half Cuban and half Israeli (funny mix huh, well I am sure the Miami, FL thing gave it away =D) anyway, not to deviate from the topic at hand the term African American, two problems with it, one is most black people in this country have absolutely no ties to Africa say that their ancestors were brought here from Africa several hundred years ago. My other reason is this, you go to the mall say and you interact with a black sales person, because of this whole pc bs you may automatically think oh there goes an African American, but what if that black man or woman is from the carribean or what if he happens to be British, see how it doesn't work. It would be unfair to label all black people in this country as African American, then you have the other side of the coin, White South Africans living in the US for example, they happen to be African and living in the US, they are definately African Americans as well. And please dont get me started on the whole hispanic/latino concept.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Rich,

Did the Time article specify how one's race was determined? The 1.6% for 'Two or more races' seems very low to me. Would Tony Dungy be considered 'Black' or 'Two or more races'? Similarly, another timely figure, Sen. Obama?

While I don't know if Sen. Obama is 'Black', 'White', or 'Two or more races', I do think he would have a legitimate claim to being African-American (or maybe even Kenyan-Kansan).

Do you think the media, or society for that matter, is still stuck on the 'one drop' rule?

My Apologies the sub article has the following sources:

U.S. Census Bureau; Population Referecne Bureau; National Center for Health Statistics; Pew Hispanic Center.


I believe if they answered on the census information of multiple races then they would be considered multiple. If they entered only African American then they would be part of that grouping.


As to the problems with using African American, I went to college with a caucasion who selected African American. There were some people who were extremely upset by this and thought he was trying to get away wiht something. He asked what the "legal" qualification was for the term. The only answer he could get was "Ancestors" from the Continent of Africa. His parents were South African. He was born there as a child and nationalized as a Child to USA with his parents.

So, if a scholorship stated Negro or Black he would not qualify, if it stated African American he would qualify. It was not the intent, but given the existing definitions he did qualify. The problem is that if you state all human life cam from the "Cradle" area then one has to wonder if we are not all African Americans.

I have Native American. A Grand Mother burned the docs to get rid of the disgrace. (* Her and my loss in the end *) I have no affiliation to any tribe or nation, with no such recognition I cannot claim Native American. Even though the percentage is low, I have some of the features. I once had aninterview where I did not fill out the "Optional" material for race and such. The HR person asked if I would as it was for a Government contractor. I did. He re-read it all and when he came to Caucasion, he asked if I as sure. I then had to explain the above. He wanted me to select Hispanic or Multiple or something, as he was hiring "Minorities" as a priority. Well It took me 6 months to get into the job instead of 2 weeks. And looking at those who were hired before me, they all were either female and or some racial minority, I realized my hunch was correct. But I was honest and could sleep with myself.

So I am not white enough for many whites who are racist.

I am not a minority by any legal definition.

I am just an American who is trying to make it through life the best I can, with the choices I have made and will make.

:asian:

 

[Tez3]

I think we all have far more in common than we have differences and alot of the political correctness is of little use really. Those of us who are parents worry about our children's futures, we worry when the children have a fever, when they are sad or don't do well at school. We worry about our mortagages or rent, we stress about our jobs or lack of. We worry about elderly parents, hospitals and everyday life problems. I'm a mother in England and I'm sure any mother anywhere in the world will have the same concerns as I have. Those concerns won't be about colour or race. Politicians should realise the priorities we really do have in life and get on with making life better for all of us!

 

[CTKempo Todd]

I agree. If only the government would allow us to leave it at that. But they always want to separate us into groups.

Unfortunately you are right. Same with the media. How many times do you read in the paper...WHITE cop shoots BLACK man and vice versa..

Another example:
Police officer (K9 unit) friend of mine back in early 90's was called in to crowd control duty in New Brunswick NJ and his dog bit someone who threatened him. The guy happenned to be black (not that the dog cared because I believe they are color blind) and the media was all over this the from the get go because of the color of the guy. Then Al Sharpton moves in and has mock funeral for the dog carrying a casket with the dogs name on it in front of my buddies house..So sad...

 

[elder999]

Okay then.

I grew up in a mostly white neighborhood. When people identified their ethnicity then, they called themselves "Italian," or "Irish," or "Polish" or Lithuanian." Not "Whatever-American." While those ethnicities are hyphenated from time to time, odds are most of you who are of similar descent simply identify yourself as such: "Scotch-Irish" for example. In the end, I’d look pretty silly identifying myself as "African," so, in this respect, it makes sense. Otherwise, it just doesn’t. "Black" has been more than good enough for years, and is far easier than :"African/Native/Polynesian/Dutch/Scottish-American" which is far more accurate. I despise "PC" talk, and all it entails-most of the time, I check "Other" on those EEO identification questions, especially if it says (and sometimes explains) "African American." I certainly don’t need anyone’s affirmative action-not with my resume-and don’t intend to allow anyone to take credit for it.

For the record, I’m legally half Indian, or American Indian, not from India. I may be less than half, I could well be more- a grandparent on each side was legally full blooded. I bring this up only because the blood quota thing has become such an issue, not only in and amongst the tribes, but in the tribe and individuals relationship with the federal government. I also bring it up because we were "Indians" before we were "Native Americans," something that some find insulting, because the First Nations were here before there was an "America."

I’m also the descendent of freed slaves on my father’s side-my name is the Anglicization of a Ghanian name, and Cuffees have been free men in the U.S. since…well, before it was the U.S. I bring this up not to brag, but to point out that the appellation "African American" is made distinct-whatever one’s thoughts about its necessity or the lack thereof- entirely to distinguish those in this hemisphere who are descended from slaves-not necessarily just in the U.S., mind you-Brazil, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Bermuda the Bahamas and Haiti and a variety of other places-all in the Americas -all have black populations there whose ancestors were brought there as mine were: as cargo-and, while we can be fairly certain of the variety of regions and tribes most were brought from, far too few can say with any degree of certainty where in Africa their ancestors came from.. Of course, cultural differences in most of those places lead to those people being called other things, and sometimes, perhaps rightfully, resenting being called "African American, (just as I do) but the term could be rightfully applied to them, under the terms I set above, at any -rate. Funnily enough, I have a colleague, well, no a mentor at the lab who is a naturalized American citizen from South Africa-quite white. He often conferred with me as "one African American to another." In Brazil, the distinction "black" has more to do with socio-economic status than skin color, and it’s a social gaffe of the highest order to call someone much darker than me "black."

What then, is it, besides slavery that leads to such a distinction in the U.S., aside from our storied history of racial disharmony? While I find the variety of "only see one color" posted answers here extremely enlightened and gratifying, the reality is far too different. One only has to look at the fuss over making English our official language, or immigration, or Barack Obama and his being called "articulate" to see this. While data are also gathered for demographics, and used by companies for what I call EIEIO purposes, the fact is that many people, white and black, would be more comfortable if Obama sounded a bit more like Fifty Cent, or Snoop Dogg, or at least was articulate in the fashion and cadence of Jesse Jackson. One only has to go through what I have every time I’ve dealt with the police, or had people start in actual surprise to find that I am in fact the person who rightfully occupies the office of the person they’ve come to meet, to know that we have a way to go. On only has to see how quick those who are not from the states are to separate themselves from black America and all the negatives that are associated with it: Jamaican, Bahamians and Haitains, for example-to see that the distinction of race is important to many people, for reasons good and bad.

The gentleman in question at the beginning of this thread are the first black coaches to make it to the Superbowl, and thus one was the first to win it. We continue to have "African American" firsts in this country, and perhaps when there are no more to be had, we’ll have moved-as a society-past the need for labels, and pointing such things out.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Okay then.

I grew up in a mostly white neighborhood. When people identified their ethnicity then, they called themselves "Italian," or "Irish," or "Polish" or Lithuanian." Not "Whatever-American." While those ethnicities are hyphenated from time to time, odds are most of you who are of similar descent simply identify yourself as such: "Scotch-Irish" for example. In the end, I’d look pretty silly identifying myself as "African," so, in this respect, it makes sense. Otherwise, it just doesn’t. "Black" has been more than good enough for years, and is far easier than :"African/Native/Polynesian/Dutch/Scottish-American" which is far more accurate. I despise "PC" talk, and all it entails-most of the time, I check "Other" on those EEO identification questions, especially if it says (and sometimes explains) "African American." I certainly don’t need anyone’s affirmative action-not with my resume-and don’t intend to allow anyone to take credit for it.

While I take your point and understand it, I would have a much better warm fuzzy with someone saying Kenyan-American or ..., then just a whole continent.

For the record, I’m legally half Indian, or American Indian, not from India. I may be less than half, I could well be more- a grandparent on each side was legally full blooded. I bring this up only because the blood quota thing has become such an issue, not only in and amongst the tribes, but in the tribe and individuals relationship with the federal government. I also bring it up because we were "Indians" before we were "Native Americans," something that some find insulting, because the First Nations were here before there was an "America."

I also find it funny that the PC name does not fit properly and could and does find itself insulting.

Thank you for sharing.