If you move from Africa to America, aren't you African-American?

[jmebonner]

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/ar...TICLE_ID=36764

Seems they have a point. Of course, I consider myself Native American. After all, I've lived here all my life...that makes me a native

[geeraff]

How clever of those boys.

It must have been hard work for them to watch, what was it? Mad TV, I believe, to get the idea.

[jmebonner]

They are from Africa. I couldn't really say where they got the idea. I don't watch Mad TV or anything of the sort...

[geeraff]

Neither do I. Awhile back a pal described a bit on one of the sketch-comedy shows that featured Charlize Theron (white actress from South Africa) as an "African-American."

[Ed_S]

I think the kid's got an EXTREMELY valid claim to the term - he's actually from Africa, and IMO that gives him a lot more right to "African-American" than someone who may or may not be descended from a native African and uses the phrase purely to denote skin color.

Personally, I think phrases like "Anything-American" are just wrong beyond the 3rd generation. If neither you nor your parents ever sat foot in another country, you're an American, plain & simple. A mutt just like the rest of us. Get over it!

[geeraff]

It's just semantics. Everybody knows that it's a term used to describe the descendants of slaves brought to The New World from Africa.

It's not even a term that's self-applied. The preferred term is "black."

[jmebonner]

Originally posted by GeeRaff
It's just semantics.

Yup, that's the crux of it. Still found it humorous that they did it. They may not have gotten it from Mad, though. The date on the article was January 25th.

I

[Bovon]

Roughly the same as Native Americans...except that is a perfectly valid description of our ancient friends of North America. That pretty much came about by a few "American Indians" who were disgruntled at being misnamed "Indians" because Columbus thought he had discovered a sea route to India.

The only N/A I have been closely associated with was in the military..this was back in the 50s, prior to the flap about being called Indians, etc. Those that I knew were very happy to be referred to as American Indians, or in some cases, by their tribes name.

IMO, anyone who is a citizen of the USA is an American...especially after a couple of generations.

That being said, personally I have no problem with the Blacks in this country that are true descendent's of African bloodlines referring to themselves as 'African-Americans'. That is a politically correct term today, and those people are honoring their ancestors country...

At least they know (pretty much) where their ancestors came from... I have been doing family genealogy for 6 or 7 years, and I have no clue where my ancestors came from..other than I am white and the possibles are pretty well limited to perhaps the British Isls, or perhaps Germany or some of those countries in that region.

[Lemon[H]ead]

Any kid brought up honoring (see, american spelling!) american values, with an american accent is from the USA (or, indeed canada) and is *-american is certainly *part* american, or IMO eligible for a passport

Just the same as Indians and Pakistanis (and other former colonies) born in england or iraqis\afghans born in (and any G.W. Bush target, and believe me i'm not complaining. I've been beaten up with sticks and stabbed in the bad parts of asylum-seeker scotland) Scotland can become british. If they are brought up here through our education, it doesn't matter their religion, they're british (if they choose to be.)

[Knothead]

Originally posted by Ed_S

Personally, I think phrases like "Anything-American" are just wrong beyond the 3rd generation. If neither you nor your parents ever sat foot in another country, you're an American, plain & simple. A mutt just like the rest of us. Get over it!

HAHAHA! I agree, Ed. One of these days I'm gonna start a thread about the characters who inhabit, and work in, the industrial park that my shop is located in. You want ethnic diversity? WHOOO-HOO!! We got a SMORGASBORD of nationalities...

And every man-jack one of 'em is glad to call their ownselves "An American"! It's great!

Originally posted by Bovon
That pretty much came about by a few "American Indians" who were disgruntled at being misnamed "Indians" because Columbus thought he had discovered a sea route to India.

Hey, Bovon, here's something you may find interesting; I heard it from (of all people) George Carlin, who said that the name "Indians" came from Columbus' reaction to the native people that he met when he and the boys got here...he described them as "a people who live in God..."

It read litererally in his writings as (a people) In Dios... meaning, "In God"...

So the word got corrupted, and became "Indians", giving way to the myth that Columbus didn't know where the heck he was...quite a disservice to such an excellent seaman, eh?

Such is history...anyway, I thought you might like that.