A curiosity.

[Harter66]

Why are some countries/countrymen lumped together and ok w/that and others get all twisted up?

Inspired by the question ''If South Africans immigrate would they be/claim to be African Americans ?''

Example. The Africans are just Africans except those on the Med ,God help you if you suggest Morroccons,Libians or Egyptians are Africans . Romans while Italians are Roman. Nobody is from the UK but from some particular state/county. Polinesians are cool about it except a few Islands like Guam and the philpians. The Sloves don't seem to be to fussy uless they're Mongols who ARE NOT Chinese or Russians . Germans I've never heard define east or west but are firm about Bavaria(and the old bounderies). Russians have to be pressed for a ''state'' unless they are Slovic,or Ukrainian.
Could it just be North America's skewed view having just 3 countries or is there something deeper about the need to be separately identified.

I have porposely omitted a couple of huge chunks of the globe because they can't agree that the sky is blue so lets not cite them.

[Freightman]

if he or she is a citizen of the US then they are US AMERICANS PERIOD.

[Harter66]

I feel the same way, but it amused me that a very probably white guy could correctly claim to be an African by birth and an American by Citizenship since South Africa is the only country called Africa. Which of course just twists that whole race thing on its ear.

[foesgth]

My maternal great grandparents migrated to California in the early 1900's from South Africa. I ALWAYS check african-american on all government forms. :bigsmyl2:

[scaevola]

I've known a few 'African-Americans' over the years who were white. Born in Africa (Kenya, Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) and South Africa), they all seemed to get a kick out of people here having trouble dealing with it.

ETA: When I asked them if there was ever a problem checking 'African-American' on forms they all said nobody ever commented on it.

[Deliverator]

At what point does one become a "Native American?" I mean if you were born here, your parents were born here, their parents were born here, and their parents were born here, is that not enough? What if you can track your lineage back to 1400's of people being born within the current borders of this country? That is like 20 generations of American born people. Are you still not a native?

I find these arbitrary borders we draw out for people to be grouped together ridiculous. We are Americans. Anything that happens in this country affects ALL of us. I don't care if you are brown, pink, yellow, green, purple, chartreuse or aquamarine. Why do we need to account for these things? Even the census accounts for this ****, though it has 0 relevence. I can understand the need for things like primary spoken language, that way the governmental bodies and businesses can accomodate these particular situations, but the color of your skin or your geneology has absolutely no bearing on how you are treated (or should).

[Harter66]

We have National Archive letter copies from a Widow pleading for her Revolutionary War vetrans widows pension on 1 side and a half Osage and a Confederate Scout that registered as an Indian in 1873 on the other. I guess I've got that 1 beat either way. There's even a legal 1st cousin President....he was assaniated in 1901.....

[shooter93]

Hyphenated Americans has always been a very large factor in the problems in this country. But division works for the powers that be and makes it easy for them to pander to select groups for votes. I have no problem with people who come here legally but you should then be an American first, last and always. Lose the hyphen.

[Hogdaddy]

I'm a American by birth,, Southern by the GRACE of GOD ; )
U/D

[Duckiller]

Anyone whose ancestors were born in North America in the 1400s qualifies as a Native American. The offspring of Virginia Dare probably aren't considered native Americans. I can trace back to ancestors that came here in the 1600s and probably stiil viewed as an invador by some groups. My ancestors moved from Europe to North America well before the American Revolution, other people's ancestors moved from Asia to North America maybe 400 years before mine did. Federal law considers them Native Americans but not me. If the Bureau of Indian Affairs hadn't stolen so much money from them they probably could become fuul fledged citizens without special laws for them. The thievery is a matter of public record. Started with oil revenues from Oklahoma Reservations. Any money any tribe had was held in trust by the federal government and Uncle just took it and didn't account for it. Alaskan Indians and Eskimos have observed this and won't let the BIA get anywhere near their money. If you are white or black you are NOT a native American. If your ancestors came from Asia and they got here before 1492 then you are a native american. Asians that came after 1492 aren't native americans.

[Harter66]

There is validable proof of Europeans here as early as 1100 in Arkansas nevermind Canada.

The thought here isn't limited to just US.

[captaint]

If you believe the experts, and I do, there were people here from just about everywhere well before the 1400's. They didn't necessarily stay, all of them, but they were here. This hyphen business needs to stop. Nobody calls me a German, Swiss American. Or my kids, German, Swiss, Italian, Irish, Phillipine Americans.

[searcher4851]

I reckon if you're fresh off the boat, the hyphen might be accurate. If you've never lived or were a citizen of one side of that hyphen, you shouldn't be hyphenating anyhow. Nothing wrong with acknowledging your ancestry, but that hyphen business is just for show for most that use it. For some of us it could get downright difficult. I know my ancestry for the last 500 or so years, folks from several nations including an Indian nation, but I'm just an American.

[rockrat]

Hmm, guess that makes me a European-American. Need a new box on forms now.

[Harter66]

I've always prefered Anglo American ........ Saxon is probably closer :bigsmyl2:

[BrassMagnet]

Listen to the song "Before the Hyphens Came" by Madison Rising.

[Hamish]

I've often wondered if I should be mad at the Norsk Veeking who raided my ancestral homeland, or the Ainglish who oppressed my Eirish/Norsk ancestors,,,,,.


What always struck me about the difference between "me and them" is who's wearing a t-shirt with crossed flags, one of which is the Stars and Stripes, and who's wearing tri-colors,,,,,.


And, uh, oh by the way, God bless these here United States of America.

Or, as the kids like to say; Murica!

[bangerjim]

My ancestors sailed to these shores, took up residence, and surveyed the very 1st roads in early Jamestown, so my family has been here a very L_O_N_G time. I guess, other than the native Indians, my roots have been here a lot longer than most and I am truly an American. Yet, I consider anyone who is a LEGAL US citizen equal to me. And this nation is exceptional......no matter what that bozo Kerry says over there.


I guess I will have to start calling myself "a proud Anglo-American" to fit in with all the BS hyphenated-name garbage that is so PC these days.

banger

[Harter66]

I was raised in a grey house on a grey street in a school district w/a black population that topped out at 6 students my jr yr. There were some Latinos but they blended in w/ the Piutes . Fact is I was pretty sure racism was dead and gone ,until the winter of 1988 in Wichita Ks when some ******' red neck (dirogatory context not the current) called me a N***** lover. It took me about 10 seconds for me to figure out what he said and about 12 hr for the need to beat him smart to go away. I'm a cooler head 26 yr later ,but I can't help wondering if he went right to the top or rotted in a dumpster. All that and today I have a 175 yo hall desk that, 4th hand at best, once held human titles.... funny how a little thing like being raised w/o color definitions changes 3 generations only to have it destroyed by a few religious fantics. I never felt that way about Japanese,Italians Germans, Koreans, Phillipenos, or Viet Namese......come to think of it not even the Russians. This of course is a derailment yet a facet of all of the above.

[attrapereves]

I had a professor from the Caribean. She had black skin. She was neither African, nor American, but she always selected "African American" on forms. Her justification is that in the US, African American is a race, not really heritage. I don't know why they don't just put black down.

[45 2.1]

I don't know why they don't just put black down.

They did at one time. I could narrate what what they have been called since my grandmothers youth..... it changes every so often.

[RED333]

My Family came to America in the 1600s, we have been here so long there in more races in my wood pile than I can count.
So what does that make me, an AMERICAN!!!

[Harter66]

Me too. I would start w/the character from Brar' Rabbit,small male children, male deer,garden tool like a shovel etc. Kinda makes a guy proud to be a Redneck, whitey, honkie, ginger,carrot top,cracker,pastey,blue blood,boss ,hoss ,Adam..... Ibet theres others.

[fatelk]

I've wondered about the genetic DNA testing they can do now, that can apparently give you a pretty accurate history of where your ancestors came from. I guess I'm a bit of a "Mongrel-American", and my kids even more so; little bit of this, little bit of that, from Native American to Scandinavian.

I worked with a true African-American for a while. His family emigrated here from Algeria when he was young. Very smart, hard working, polite young guy. Someone asked him if he got any advantages in college for being African-American. He laughed and said he had looked into that. He said he was told definitely that he could not legally claim that because his skin was too light. Those of Arabic ethnicity are considered "white" legally.

[dtknowles]

I hate labels. Only thing that I am sure of is I am a Earthling. My fiancé says I am a tall white hoser. I am not really that tall. I think I am Anglo-Roman and that is why I was raised Catholic. I had curly black hair and the nose. I grew up with a bunch of Scots and French Acadians. The starting line-up for my Senior High Soccer team had two short guys with flaming red hair. Half the town had French surnames only black man in town was the football coach, he was from away. My paternal grandmother was from Nova Scotia but none of that rub off on me.

African-American is just not very descriptive or useful term. It is way too broad and does or does it not include Caucasian Africans in America. I have met Black Africans in America who are truly African and I have met black people here who are more Caucasian than they are African. Here is Louisiana they have Cajuns and Coon-AXX who are in other categories to call them Black or African American or French or Caucasian would be wrong. I wonder what they put on their census forms. I wonder what the census does if you put down High Yellow.

Tim

[Taylor]

I'm a American by birth,, Southern by the GRACE of GOD ; )
U/D
Amen brother!

[TXGunNut]

Do residents of Central and South America consider themselves "Americans"? If I was to choose a label I'd check "Texan"....even tho I was born in Tennessee. I glow in the dark so some folks from TN probably can guess where I was born.

[Harter66]

I'm just a desert rat , born smack dab in the middle of the Mojave ,I grew up on the western edge of the 40 mile. As a tag line says elsewhere ''Redneck,white boy,blueblooded American''.

I read an artical several yr ago and the short version is that several Cancer specialists were treating Genetically linked cancers in NYC ,LA and Omaha. What picked there intrest is that all of there patients claimed to be latiano which was wierd because this was a Hebrew cancer strain. After 3 yr of digging they tracked it back to 34 original families in New Mexico..... Spainish Jews that were escaping the inquesition. That discovery made all of the Family traditions oddly timed festivals make sense,it also united some 1200 cousins back to their home community. It of course left a lot of issues for many of them to sort out like the 50 yo saying ''Grama you said we were Mexicans,How can we be Jewish ?'' Grama saying ''sweetheart we were never Mexicans or Indians''.

[10x]

I've often wondered if I should be mad at the Norsk Veeking who raided my ancestral homeland, or the Ainglish who oppressed my Eirish/Norsk ancestors,,,,,.


What always struck me about the difference between "me and them" is who's wearing a t-shirt with crossed flags, one of which is the Stars and Stripes, and who's wearing tri-colors,,,,,.


And, uh, oh by the way, God bless these here United States of America.

Or, as the kids like to say; Murica!

My Norse ancestors were some of the first tourists traveling to the beautiful beaches and farms of Normandy and England. They enjoyed the hospitality of the locals and the gifts the locals left for them. As well they took back souvenirs as well as found wives and farm workers. They found the churches to be particularly welcoming with treasures and food.
Some even settled in these welcoming lands and married the locals..

Some locals were resistant to these tourists, but attitudes were quickly adjusted...

[10x]

Do residents of Central and South America consider themselves "Americans"? If I was to choose a label I'd check "Texan"....even tho I was born in Tennessee. I glow in the dark so some folks from TN probably can guess where I was born.

Canadians are "Americans" by default, they share the same continent as residents of the U.S.A...
Call a Liberal Canadian "American" and you get a really negative response.
Much depends on whether the term "American" is inclusive or exclusive....

There is a difference between "American" and "Murcan".....

[bob208]

I always check off native-American even though I am only third generation. family came over in 1890.

[MaryB]

I am German, Norwegian, Swedish, English, Irish, Scottish, French Canadian, and Sioux... in other words the typical American mutt

[Mumblypeg]

I'm native American.... I was born here and as much so as anyone else born after 1953. Now shut up. I'm Caucasian... so what. One is a race the other is nationality. Race is one thing... culture is another... or the lack of.

[Boyscout]

My lead under me at work is a naturalized citizen from Niger (the country north of Nigeria). He hates hearing the term Africa-American. I once heard him ask a native born black, "Why do you call yourself African-american do you even care about Africa? This is the greatest country on earth, call yourself an American." As a side note, he did 3 back-to-back tours of Iraq for the US Army but he can't call cadence; his French accent is too heavy!

Why do people nowdays emphasize what separates us and then try to turn this great land into the 3rd World Hell-holes they came from?
Example: New Yorkers moving to North Carolina or Florida.

[Col4570]

As you may know there are many so called British nationals sneaking off to the various Islamic conflicts.They are mostly from immigrant families with Islamic names.They are mostly first generation Brits who have been radicalised by preachers of hate who incite but are not prepared to enter the conflict zones themselves.when there they are taught to use weapons.Mostly they wish to return to the UK along with the skills learned.Since their loyalties are to Islam and not their adopted country you might say it could be a fifth column ready to continue the Jihad here.We do not want them back.Our government is intercepting many on their return but some are getting through.

[adrians]

Well I was born in England so was mom, my dad was born in Ireland and I came to the USA in 1987 at the ripe old age of 28,
So what does that make me,,,, I consider myself an American but others who like to throw the hyphen around may disagree.


Y'all have a good - un :bigsmyl2:

[RED333]

Well I was born in England so was mom, my dad was born in Ireland and I came to the USA in 1987 at the ripe old age of 28,
So what does that make me,,,, I consider myself an American but others who like to throw the hyphen around may disagree.


Y'all have a good - un :bigsmyl2:

Then you are an American, not because I say so, because you say so.

[Owen49]

I agree with Shooter93.

[Harter66]

Gently Col this is Our Town not the Pit.

The very root of these thoughts was a reference by a picked on self proclaimed ''Muslim Ame..... I can't even write that.

I knew a fellow that drives for Boyle trucking ,a Mexican , that did his time and earned his Naturalized Citizenship. Now there is a guy ''down on '' the cheaters ,on fact I didn't relises there were so many slurs is Spainish that make the references to crawling under a fence ,swimming,and over lubed sound like polite black tie diner conversation.

Until 02' I cared very little about about how people identified themselves. Still don't really unless they get there panties in a bunch because I misguessed Irish over Welsh....

[Col4570]

Harter66,Yes I should back off,but then many are and allowing this group to establish their agenda both here and in the USA.I have always adopted a live and let live stance,I am a Grandfather and soon to be Great Grandfather and have a stake in the stable future of my country.I am talking of people who openly broadcast their intentions.

[alleyoop]

I was born here, therefore I'm Native American of Scots-Irish decent. And Southern by the Grace of God !

[fixit]

it should be brought up that the term race is a misnomer as it is used. we are ALL of one race, he human race! the distinctions that become the source for biases are the result of ethnic, cultural differences, some because of bloodlines, which is merely the family branch that they came from, and others are due to the regional idiosyncracies that result from adaptation to the varied hardship or easiness that their region saddles them with. after many generations the differences become so 'normal' that they seem hardwired!