Is African-american a racist term?

Question

... which does not includes the non-blacks africans like Egyptians, Lybians, North-africans, Mauritanians, Musulmans, Christians, Jews, who live in the U.S.A. ?

So Africans can only be black like in TV series ?

If I understand, this term has been created to distinguish the ancient slaves and is forbiden to the other africans ?

I am Jewish, coming for Tunisia and I saw a TV serie where Tunisians and Algerians where represented as black "savages" living in mud cases.

Am I African-American ?

For the N word
Leopold Sedar-Senghor, former President of Senegal and a great poet, said that NEGRITUDE and ***** are honorable word which represent the Universality of black poeple.

Answer 1

I never did like this term for the reasons you stated. So those who are white and born in Africa can share the same label? And does this mean all these others are not as good as the African black people cause they can't share that title.

Answer 2

Is African-American a racist term? - I'm afraid that's relative. It depends on your perspective. It is probably accurate that most people that are dark skinned who have ancestry from Africa dint mind the term. I'm also sure theres at least one guy that matches the description above that considers it racist. Personally I think it is because it denotes a difference and therefore causes a rift. We are all Americans (well those with citizenship). Think of Rome, racism didn't exist in Roman society if you were Roman. In other words there weren't African-Romans out there. You were Roman or you weren't. Also on the whole confusion thing of what to call someone I just look at it like this. If I can be can be called white then they can be called black. After all based on skin color no one is any better or worse than me. Of course this is all coming from a North American American so you are welcome to disregard if you don't think I have the right perspective.

Answer 3

OMG, no!

I am black... or African American... or whatever the term they come up with next.

It gets pretty silly... how we focus so much on what we should call eachother... it's OK as long as you use a term with respect... Some people may get offended, but, like they say "You can't please all the people all the time". If someone gets offended, they just have to explain why & try not to get all bent out of shape about it!!!

People can have so many different origins of their ancestors... are we going to make up a name for the thousands of combinations that can occur? Actually... I'm a "very light skinned person of color who was born in the United States and I have African, Irish, Dutch, Cherokee, and Seminole ancestors"... and I would prefer that you refer to me as such!!! ....Haha, do you see how silly it could get???

Hey, I agree with the answerer below me... How about this... we all just refer to eachother as human and come up with some pre-determined skin shades numbered 1-50, kinda like paint sample swatches at the paint store... None are any better, none are any worse, none are offensive, they're just names of paint sample chips. Haha!

Answer 4

African-American is some silly term made up by people worried about being politically correct and afraid of offending black people. Why a black person in America today would want to be called an African anything is beyond me. Everyone living in America today, except for Native Americans (who, btw, prefer to be called Indians) are descended from people who came from somewhere else. To get downright picky, even the Indians came from "somewhere else" ages ago. People don't run around calling themselves Swedish-Americans or Russian-Americans or Hungarian-Americans. It wasn't until we got into all this stupid pc, afraid of being labeled a racist stuff, that we started labeling people this way. To me, it is much more offensive, simply because it is such a wussy, tippy-toe way of speaking. I don't know why we have to speak of anyone by race. Race is part of a description of who a person is, but it is not the essence of a person.

Answer 5

In a modern world where everyone tries to distinguish themselves in a way that separates them from everyone else, we have coined phrases like African American! In reality, you cannot be both!!! You must either be African, or, American!!! With the daily strife of our lives today, you would think that intelligent people would be finding ways to come together!!!! Unfortunately, that is not the case!! So, for the record, I am an Welsh, English, Danish, Blackfoot, Ute, Scottish, American!!!

Answer 6

I don't know about racist but I do find the term offensive the same as I am offended by Irish or german or anything else going in front of American.
I know several people from Warsaw Pact countries, you know the old Soviet Union.
And each of these people will tell you very quickly that they are now American.

Every day people die trying to get to this country.

It may only be my opinion but if you have to say you are anything else in front of American then you need to go to that country and live.

Answer 7

No, in the 70s or the 80s, it was common for African Americans to insist on being called just "black" because "African American" seems so foreign and alien to what everyone else in the world is called.

But, nowadays, racism is going back up among ALL races, so you have to say "African American."

Answer 8

Unless someone was born in Africa and then came to America, they are not African-American. 99.9% of black people in America are just that: black. I am white, I don't claim to be European American because my ancestors came over a couple hundred years ago from England.

Answer 9

it's racist...just not in the way that you're thinking.

Calling someone an African-American is defining that person
on perceived racial traits : Seeing that their ancestry was probably from Africa long ago, and presuming that they are American. Not the best thing to do. If someone calls themselves African-American, that's their privilege.

Answer 10

No, it's not. Actually, when referring to "black" people, you should use the term African American. My mom taught me that no one is white and no one is black. Every one just has darker and lighter shades of skin. TV shows are stupid because they use that term. It's not a big deal. They have a darker shade of skin, so what!