Why does racism seem to affect the African American community more intensly than African-born immigrants?

Question

I'll put this one to a vote.

See also the answer I chose to this other similar, but less sensitive question.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AvGtvYnwVQMMus4X0ZdaamDsy6IX?qid=20060731194442AACmJmI

Answer 1

Because African born immigrants come to the US with the idea, the hope of making something of themselves, they have experienced hardships that most will never understand or comprehend, so any resistance that they may meet here seems as nothing to them. The persons of the African-American community do not know the type of hardship that the African born immigrants have had to endure, but feel that there is nothing compared to the hardships that their ancestors four or five generations be for them had to go through. And they are still blaming that for their plight today. The African born immigrants do not look for a person, or group, to blame for their hardships, they just work as hard as they can to overcome them, and to make it so that they never happen again. And no job is beneath them as so many here, both black and white, feel. They know that it is hard work and diligence that will better their lives, not complaining and waiting for someone to change things for them.

Answer 2

The difference is the word American. If your an American citizen born and raised and I am an African American(A.A.) citizen born and raised than shouldn't class, education, liberties, equality, virtue, respect, and discrimination be the same? Naturally, were all human beings. Not saying that racisim doesn't affect Africans, but being an American citizen I shouldn't have to be treated as a foreigner. Superiority is alive and well, and even from the past it has scarred the black community. Until there is a eugenic remedy than that will never change.

Answer 3

I think the sum of jenn,novia and mara's answers hit it right on the head, this is gonna be a hard one to pick a best answer for but so far i think one of them should get it, Funny though all the best answers are coming from the women, its that a sign???
Answer from the last question like this:
the African American community IS immigrant Africans, Im black dont call me African American cause Im not from Africa. Im American and thats it I have never been out of the country. Do you call white people born in the US European Americans. I have never heard the term.
To answer your question though, I think people dont generally tend to think of people that are visualy actual Africans like they do people they can tell are Black and born in the US. Why I dont know, and now that i think about it, it puzzles me but who knows?? maybe that should be your next question

after the people i mentioned above I now know why and it is manly true, and not just for blacks but Americans in general. The "American Dream" has got Americans on a high horse about what kind of jobs we will take, African Amercian's, Arabics,Asians and everyone else will come over here and take jobs that you and I feel we are too good to do or dont feel like doing, use them as a stepping stone for a couple of years and the next thing we know they have 5 stores, a big house, nice car and plenty of money to get the rest of their family over here but we cant even stay above the poverty line and we wonder why. My Dad had been saying this for years but it never really clicked in my head until a few months ago and even more upon this question and the people i mentioned answer's. Its really sad when you think about it.

Answer 4

For me at least. My own experience. Every now and then I get. You speak very well. Like their shocked or something. Am I not supposed to speak well because I am African American. My own family history alone, bears deep scares that runs threw our blood. For some of us we are only a few generations out of slavery or segregation. My mom and dad where not permitted to sit at lunch counters, or use certain bathrooms,or get waited on at department stores and vote simply because the color of their skin. Things that we take for granted today and I am only 35. Think of the people from New Orleans. Would it be different if they were white. These type of questions will all ways be asked, simply because of the history of African Americans. Africans have their on history just as devastating as ours, and it still goes on in their country today, they just do not look at it as black and white. Most of the time its more political than race.

Answer 5

i think it depends on where you live. i live in indiana. one of my classmates dad's was a grand wizard in the kkk. when 2 of my nieces moved in with us, they were the ONLY african-americans (they were 1/2 and 1/2) in the town. not 1 time did we have a problem. however, just about 2 years ago we noticed that there were quite a few a-a's there and the kkk started putting flyers on everyone's doors and talking crap uptown. they egged a friends house because her kids were part a-a and part white. here i think they would ALL be affected by racism more than in say nyc where there is a greater diversity.

now the 'funny' part is they tried to recruit me. they said 'we are not racist, we are against abortion and inter-racial relationships. kids from mixed backgrounds are confused about what they are.' (here's the kicker) the girl that told me that was on the springer show going off on an older jewish man...for being a jew.

p.s. my nieces are both in their 20's now and they work their butts off to provide for their families. not once have they had the attitude that they are owed anything. of course, that could be due to the fact that they were raised mostly in our white household. i think it has alot to do with the fact that we believe individuals, not groups are what you need to see when you look at a person.

Answer 6

Because, the african Americans don't have the ability to move on or bring up a new issue. Its always just look at me I am black give me something for free. My people were slaves, I want this or that. Not I am an American and I need to work my butt off too. I am black give me something free! Think about that statement next time you hear one of them trying to make a point it will come out just like that.

Answer 7

As a african born sister, i know what you are talking about; we know where we came from we can always go back home, we love to work and send some money back. From my experience, my african american friends feel like america did them wrong, they need to be compensated, why were they brought here? they did no ask to come. They have sufered a lot, and racism is the top of the iceberg, you can call me black i know that i am and very proud.

Answer 8

Because African-born immigrants try to stay above it. I work with a lot of refugees from African countries, and they've told me on different occasions that they don't like African Americans because they find them to be rude/lazy/ignorant. Someone even told me that he felt like "black Americans" are out to get him and don't want to help him because "they earned the right to be here and they think I just came off the plane and want to enjoy the rights that they fought for."

It seems to me like there is still a lot of hatred and residual anger in African American communities, especially in poorer neighborhoods in the South. It's unfortunate, but often their anger and hatred provokes others to discriminate against them.

Answer 9

First, let's rid of the "African-American" tag, something I personally view as racist as the KKK, and it's inferences.

Black Americans are exactly that: born in the USA; African immigrants were born in Africa. Simple as that.

The older Black Amercian generation long remembers the violent historic events of the "civil rights movement"; African immigrants have NO clue of the socio-impact that era had on blacks in the USA because they weren't here.

Black Americans are as racist as their enemy KKK or Ayarin people; black Americans pass the resentments and tend to twist historical fact...brewing up in the new younger (and more dangerous) generation of black Americans a heightened senseless hatred of whites.

Answer 10

If you look at behavorial differences alone, with total disregard to skin tone you'll see how american black CULTURE not people preach that being ignorant is cool ect.

So in my theory the image of lazy, uneducated, violent sterotypes is whats causing the bad image rather than the color.