why do people put labels on themselves such as,african american?

Question

irish american,italian american,greek american,and so on,you are either one or the other,and please dont give me that usual answers when it comes to these type of questions,we have to keep our culture,we need to keep our identity,blah blah blah,if you want all of that its very simple ,go to that country to live ,

Answer 1

because it is silly. If you are born in america then you are an american period. Your ancestors might have been irish american or whatever but the ones born here are just americans that is it.
You make a good point.

Answer 2

Those labels as you call them are cultures. They go back to people's countries of origin and their family histories. The US has no single culture. Almost everyone here came from somewhere else. Many families carry on the traditions of their culture because it brings meaning and a since of belonging and community to their lives. Many people have extended families outside the US. That is just the nature of our country's history. In fact it is what makes this country distinctly American. I am African-American (actually I prefer Afro-American). The African-American culture is a byproduct of American slavery which destroyed the original cultures of the Africans which it enslaved or else I would say my country of origin which is impossible for me to know without DNA testing. If I knew then I would say I am a Nigerian-American or a Kenyan or an Ethiopian-American. People from African countries tend to refer to themselves by the country they come from, not as African-Americans. There are over sixty countries in Africa and many distinct cultures. People of the same cultures often speak one language and share the same customs and values. So they tend to stick together because they share a group consciousness so to speak. They understand and relate to one another. There is nothing wrong with distinguishing your culture. If you ever travel you will discover the entire world is a rich tapestry of cultures.

Answer 3

American presidents Teddy Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson expressed similar sentiments.

The term "hyphenated American" was popularized in the 1910s by President Theodore Roosevelt, responding to the increasing fractionalization within the nation along ethnic lines. In an October 12, 1915 speech to the Knights of Columbus, Roosevelt said,

"There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. ... The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities, an intricate knot of German-Americans, Irish-Americans, English-Americans, French-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans or Italian-Americans, each preserving its separate nationality, each at heart feeling more sympathy with Europeans of that nationality, than with the other citizens of the American Republic. ... There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American. The only man who is a good American is the man who is an American and nothing else."

President Woodrow Wilson also regarded those whom he termed "hyphenated Americans" (German-Americans, Irish-Americans, etc.) with suspicion, saying, "Any man who carries a hyphen about with him carries a dagger that he is ready to plunge into the vitals of this Republic whenever he gets ready."

I personally don't agree. Honoring the heritage of your ancestors need not decrease your devotion to the nation in which you were born or to which you've chosen to give your allegiance. We all started out as Africans, after all.

Answer 4

What are you talking about? No one put labels on themselves, the government put labels on people because they started this. The government started the term "African American". So before you go around judging people like you know everything, get your facts straight.

Answer 5

I think it is out of respect for their culture of origin. We are a nation of people from all over the world. Are we supposed to forget our lineage and history upon arrival to America or are you suggesting a possible time frame when the hyphenated label is no longer acceptable?

Answer 6

USA is land of immigrants, it is just natural for people to say where they from and so the labels
It is very unpolite and unamerican to tell them to go back to the country to live. If the native americans regain control of the whitehouse, then everyone have to leave including you.

Answer 7

To try and keep their culture alive. Why forget where you come from. African American came from African by force. They want to know their heritage. European can trace their roots, but not all African American.

Answer 8

There's nothing wrong with labeling your ethnicity. You don't make much of an arguement against it. African American is overused, though. People would call a black guy from England "African American"

Answer 9

Minutemen are individuals conserving their united states of america! Our borders are open and could have been closed while 9-11 occurred!i do no longer understand in case you comprehend this, yet we could desire to comprehend who's getting into our united states of america?There are significant motives as to why those borders could desire to be closed! What does this could do with race? u.s. includes each and every race prevalent to guy! we are a melting pot! i'm no longer against different races! i'm proud to have any race in our united states of america considering that's what our united states of america is, a mix of definitely all and sundry!as long as they are right here LEGALLY I have not have been given any situation with human beings from different international locations wanting to be individuals! This situation is approximately no count if we can enable an invasion of our united states of america take place and merely sit down decrease back and take it? it rather is a controversy between criminal and unlawful! between individuals and non individuals. between lawbreakers and regulation abiding human beings! Illegals cost u.s. too lots in loose practise, greater desirable taxes, foodstuff stamps, area 8 housing, loose medical care, incarceration expenditures!the upward thrust contained in the crime cost between the unlawful inhabitants is double that of criminal immigrants! Time for the loose experience to be over! u.s. is a sovereign united states of america! Her human beings have an actual to guard her borders! the government has no longer executed what they have been meant to do to guard that's human beings! that's time individuals take decrease back their united states of america! Minutemen are heroes! could the Lord bless them! The final loose element any unlawful could get from this united states of america is a loose escort decrease back over the border! individuals! remember the unlawful immigration situation while vote casting on your new president! God bless u.s.!

Answer 10

boy are you in a good mood? We are just people living in the same country and i agree that is stupid. Who cares where you parents were before they got here.