The Official "Ask A Brotha" Thread - Part 1

[MessiahDecoy123]

I have a lot of African friends. Most of the ones I know believe "African-Americans" have a very unreal idea of what it actually means to be African. That's why I stop calling myself that. I'm just "black". Take from that what you will...

This intrigues me.

I wish I could hear an African list exactly what the misconceptions American blacks have about being African.

I'll see if I can find something on YouTube (plus I need too see that Ariel Spears stand up )

 

[terry78]

Some people genuinely have a problem being called black by other races. I don't get it personally, but whatever.

 

[Warhammer]

I'll see if I can find something on YouTube (plus I need too see that Ariel Spears stand up )

Oh, it's pretty good. He has two similar sets but the one I'm talking about isn't him at Chocolate Sundaes. It's from his Showtime special.

Some people genuinely have a problem being called black by other races. I don't get it personally, but whatever.

Those black people are just looking for something to complain about.

 

[Lencho01]

Speaking of Africa, why do you think some people still refer to it as if it's one country?

 

[Warhammer]

Because as far as it's represented in the media and middle school geography classes, it practically is one country. It's hot as hell. Everybody knows it's just one big safari with lions, elephants, hyenas, zebras, and other s*** running around. Along with the animals, it's some butt naked African people carrying sticks running around speaking gibberish. The exceptions are Egypt and South Africa, of course.

 

[terry78]

It's not a monolithic continent but at the same time I know there are many different countries that do have similar things going on, aside from being completely full of black folk. I won't pretend that I know the difference between each and every country in the joint.

 

[PyroChamber]

Because as far as it's represented in the media and middle school geography classes, it practically is one country. It's hot as hell. Everybody knows it's just one big safari with lions, elephants, hyenas, zebras, and other s*** running around. Along with the animals, it's some butt naked African people carrying sticks running around speaking gibberish. The exceptions are Egypt and South Africa, of course.

yeah, in South Africa it's African people carrying guns and machetes running around speaking gibberish.

 

[chamber-music]

I have a lot of African friends. Most of the ones I know believe "African-Americans" have a very unreal idea of what it actually means to be African. That's why I stop calling myself that. I'm just "black". Take from that what you will...

I feel pretty disconnected from Africa as well. I'm sure plenty of White Americans are disconnected from their European roots as well.

It's not a monolithic continent but at the same time I know there are many different countries that do have similar things going on, aside from being completely full of black folk. I won't pretend that I know the difference between each and every country in the joint.

I watched Ewan Mcgregor and Charlie Boorman's Long Way Down series in which they ride their motorcycles from Europe to South Africa. The pair rode right down the African continent and you really got a sense of how diverse and different each country and its people are in the show.

 

[Lencho01]

It's interesting since White people are rarely referred to as European Americans.

I recently read Superman: Earth One and there was a moment where they were showing various countries during the invasion in their own panels. Egypt was one of the countries. And so was Africa.

 

[charl_huntress]

This intrigues me.

I wish I could hear an African list exactly what the misconceptions American blacks have about being African.

One of the sentiments that was expressed to me was how weird it is to identify one's self from a place that they have no real connection to. My friend who is Ugandan pointed out he's an African-American since he's from the Uganda and a naturalized American, while I have about as much connection to Africa as I have to Europe. Considering I'm a fair skin black woman, what he said made sense.

I feel pretty disconnected from Africa as well. I'm sure plenty of White Americans are disconnected from their European roots as well.

I don't even know how strong my "African" roots are. My mother looks like she could be white, though she's 100% black.

It's interesting since White people are rarely referred to as European Americans.

People tend to generalize Europeans as monolithic. They do the same with Eastern Europeans and Latinos as representing all of Latin America. I don't think this just applies to Africa.

 

[SentinelMind]

Has this been posted? If not, it should be:
[YT]lKGObPjg1ms[/YT]

 

[SentinelMind]

I'd like to visit an African country one day.

I'd be ok with returning to my home country (Caribbean, not African) if I was guaranteed a solid job there in my career field.

 

[MrsKent26]

I feel pretty disconnected from Africa as well. I'm sure plenty of White Americans are disconnected from their European roots as well.

I am totally disconnected from any European roots I may have had. I know that all white people came to Canada from Europe somewhere, so that is technically my ancestry, but it's so far removed that I just consider myself Canadian, given that I was born here.

 

[E-Man]

Negroes always get uptight about our classification. Black, Negro, African-American, Afro-American, chocolate, it's just names. I don't care as long as I'm not called the N-word.

 

[charl_huntress]

I think people in general get upset about classification...yet always seek to classify themselves as something or other.

 

[MrsKent26]

Negroes always get uptight about our classification. Black, Negro, African-American, Afro-American, chocolate, it's just names. I don't care as long as I'm not called the N-word.

You're ok with the word "Negro"?

I thought that was something people hated being called. I guess it depends on the person.

 

[Warhammer]

I think people in general get upset about classification...yet always seek to classify themselves as something or other.

This is true.

 

[E-Man]

You're ok with the word "Negro"?

I thought that was something people hated being called. I guess it depends on the person.

Negro isn't a slur at all. It's just a scientific classification of a certain race. It's the same thing as black, but it's short for Negroid. Some people get mad because they say it sounds close to the N-word, but that's ridiculous. Then again a lot of black people get all uptight about what you call them. You may say the word 'black," have someone jump down your throat for not using the term 'African-American,' and then five minutes later have someone jump down your throat for using 'African-American' instead of black.

For me I'm a Negro that was born and raised in the United States. That makes me African-American, but if you want to call me black I don't care because that's accurate too. As long as you leave the hyphen in my name I won't pull a Larry Holmes and dropkick you from the top of a limo.

 

[MrsKent26]

Negro isn't a slur at all. It's just a scientific classification of a certain race. It's the same thing as black, but it's short for Negroid. Some people get mad because they say it sounds close to the N-word, but that's ridiculous. Then again a lot of black people get all uptight about what you call them. You may say the word 'black," have someone jump down your throat for not using the term 'African-American,' and then five minutes later have someone jump down your throat for using 'African-American' instead of black.

For me I'm a Negro that was born and raised in the United States. That makes me African-American, but if you want to call me black I don't care because that's accurate too. As long as you leave the hyphen in my name I won't pull a Larry Holmes and dropkick you from the top of a limo.

Thanks for the answer. It is almost impossible to find the right term for people. Just like you said, what's appropriate to one person, is offensive to another. I don't want to offend anyone, but have been told that certain terms are ok, but then they aren't for someone else. I guess simply asking a person what they prefer is the way to go.

 

[charl_huntress]

I'm not a fan of someone calling me a "negro" though I know that's the same as black... Go figure...lol

 

[Hobgoblin]

I am totally disconnected from any European roots I may have had. I know that all white people came to Canada from Europe somewhere, so that is technically my ancestry, but it's so far removed that I just consider myself Canadian, given that I was born here.

I read a story in the paper a few years ago about the misconceptions that Irish Americans have about Ireland. So many of them travel to Ireland with preconceived notions that the locals resent. They expect to be treated like countrymen but the Irish consider them to be Americans.

When I traveled to Europe I tried to blend in as much as possible (I speak some German) but people still recognized me as American. So no matter how much we try, we cant get rid of our "otherness."

 

[Manic]

Ironically, wasn't negro the politically correct term a few decades ago, and black was considered a slur?

 

[MrsKent26]

I read a story in the paper a few years ago about the misconceptions that Irish Americans have about Ireland. So many of them travel to Ireland with preconceived notions that the locals resent. They expect to be treated like countrymen but the Irish consider them to be Americans.

When I traveled to Europe I tried to blend in as much as possible (I speak some German) but people still recognized me as American. So no matter how much we try, we cant get rid of our "otherness."

Indeed. It relates to what Charl was saying. I think that not only do many people like to classify themselves, but people are also classified by others whether they approve of this classification or not, like how people classified you as American or "other."

I've gotten a couple comments in my life from people wanting to classify my looks. I'm very pale with blue eyes and light-ish brown hair. I've had a few people ask me about my "descent" or asking me if I'm Swedish or Nordic. I guess, to them, I look like I'm from there or related to people there. But I'm not. At least, not recently. I tell people I'm not from either of those backgrounds and they then say "Well, what are you/Where are you from?" and I just say I'm Canadian. Then they say "But where were you from?" and I never know what to say. To me, I am just Canadian. I have no clue who my ancestors were beyond my great-grandparents and I figure it doesn't matter either way because my family has been here for 3 generations at least.

It's definitely amusing to see the differences in how people classify themselves and how others classify people.

 

[charl_huntress]

Ironically, wasn't negro the politically correct term a few decades ago, and black was considered a slur?

I believe it was. I think "black" came in to fashion in the 70s as part of the movement to "reclaim" the word. I just don't like "negro" because I would rather be called black. t: I also don't like the word negroid, which I have heard used once and I think that turned me off to the word forever. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't start throwing fists if someone called me that. It would just strike me as very odd.

I've gotten a couple comments in my life from people wanting to classify my looks. I'm very pale with blue eyes and light-ish brown hair. I've had a few people ask me about my "descent" or asking me if I'm Swedish or Nordic. I guess, to them, I look like I'm from there or related to people there. But I'm not. At least, not recently. I tell people I'm not from either of those backgrounds and they then say "Well, what are you/Where are you from?" and I just say I'm Canadian. Then they say "But where were you from?" and I never know what to say. To me, I am just Canadian. I have no clue who my ancestors were beyond my great-grandparents and I figure it doesn't matter either way because my family has been here for 3 generations at least.

It's definitely amusing to see the differences in how people classify themselves and how others classify people.

I get that a lot. When I was younger people were always asking me to quantify myself because I couldn't be "just black". I had to be mixed with something, so when I was younger I was more creative and I came up with all sorts of heritages...lol. I think that's why I'm okay with being "just black" now.

 

[E-Man]

I'm not a fan of someone calling me a "negro" though I know that's the same as black... Go figure...lol

Yeah but you're a violent person who tries to terrorize the youth and stuff.