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Don't speak for all whites. I certainly take no pride in my Czarist Russian-Hungarian Slovak heritage. Most Jewish Americans take lots of pride in being Jewish, and none in our European heritage.Most of our ancestors fled under conditions that were messy and best, tragic at worst.
My mother's side, from Czarist Russia (Ukraine) were deserters from the Czar's army. I know little about my maternal grandfather's (modern Poland) or my father's (Czech Slovak) side but all fled with barely the clothes on their back. We do not have pride in people who wanted us dead.
Notice how I did not say "every white on the Earth." Only people that I have met and know personally. They are very proud of their ancestry.
Notice how I did not say "every white on the Earth." Only people that I have met and know personally. They are very proud of their ancestry.
My post was misread. I am very proud of my Jewish heritage. Whiteness adds little or nothing to the mix. The term "Caucasian" derives from the Caucasus Mountains in Russia, where the people are hardly typical of being "white." The Jews derive from the Levant, similarly not typical of being white. I don't know or care where the "whiteness" gene comes from.
IMO Its like the same dilemma you have with a trans individual. I am expected to look at a person who is black an accept that they identify themselves as not being black. Society demands that we look beyond people's: class, ethnicity, political affiliations, sexuality, body type, handicap etc., in order to live in a civil society. I think we as individuals have a responsibility to challenge people's impressions of us by our actions.
Its an almost meaningless term since we all came from Africa, also if you are a white South African Algerian or Egyptian living here ,arent you also an African American??
You never hear a; Jew, Mexican, Indian or an Asian person say they no longer want to be called a; Jew, Mexican, Indian, or Asian, "just call me an American." Isn't is ironic that the blackest thing a person can do is say they don't want to be called a black person.
You can run but you can't hide from blackness
Last edited by thriftylefty; 01-21-2024 at 01:33 PM..
For 349 years white people said I wasn't a real American and for the last last 50 years white people say I am not a real African.
You're neither one exclusively. In the eyes of the world.
As a black American, who has traveled to many countries, there are plenty of people who do not believe I'm a real American. They don't care about my English language and American accent. They don't care about my passport or how I dress. They believe I'm an "African immigrant" or "from a African dictator family." It is beyond their comprehension that native blacks have lived in America for over 400 years.
Asians and Indians face the same issue. If they tell someone abroad, they are Canadian, German, American, British, etc., they get the follow up question: "No where are you really from?"
In the eyes of the world, you will never be a real American. In the eyes of Africans, you will never be a real African. Signed, a black man who has lived and traveled to many countries.
Its an almost meaningless term since we all came from Africa, also if you are a white South African Algerian or Egyptian living here ,arent you also an African American??
If it was a meaningless term, then you wouldn't know what it means. I think we all know what it means. Frankly, if one doesn't know what the term means...where have you been? Of course, all continents have at least a tad bit of diversity.
You're neither one exclusively. In the eyes of the world.
As a black American, who has traveled to many countries, there are plenty of people who do not believe I'm a real American. They don't care about my English language and American accent. They don't care about my passport or how I dress. They believe I'm an "African immigrant" or "from a African dictator family." It is beyond their comprehension that native blacks have lived in America for over 400 years.
Asians and Indians face the same issue. If they tell someone abroad, they are Canadian, German, American, British, etc., they get the follow up question: "No where are you really from?"
In the eyes of the world, you will never be a real American. In the eyes of Africans, you will never be a real African. Signed, a black man who has lived and traveled to many countries.
I think you make very valid points.
However, I have been known to ask, "Where are you from culturally?" I do think that's a different thing.
You're neither one exclusively. In the eyes of the world.
As a black American, who has traveled to many countries, there are plenty of people who do not believe I'm a real American. They don't care about my English language and American accent. They don't care about my passport or how I dress. They believe I'm an "African immigrant" or "from a African dictator family." It is beyond their comprehension that native blacks have lived in America for over 400 years.
Asians and Indians face the same issue. If they tell someone abroad, they are Canadian, German, American, British, etc., they get the follow up question: "No where are you really from?"
In the eyes of the world, you will never be a real American. In the eyes of Africans, you will never be a real African. Signed, a black man who has lived and traveled to many countries.
I find this very surprising! What countries have you been to!?
P.S. "they don't care about my ENGLISH language" lol
There's a Bloom County cartoon from the late 80's.. Steve Dallas, after having his personality flipped, is calling out his mother who said "There's the cutest little colored girl outside"
The mother says "well, there's the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.. I don't think the negroes mind at all"..
Dallas - "You can't say Negro in 1988!"
Mother - "What about the United Negro College Fund?"
Dallas - "Lets just agree to use the term "People of Color"
Mother - "People of Color.. Colored People"
Lord knows how many content filters I just hit with that. Anyway. this topic just reminded me of that cartoon. and i'll bring up a few rambling points..
It's a double edged sword how we are a melting pot, but keep pride in our heritages. I've got ancestors who fought on both sides during the civil war. I can trace my family heritage back to Scotland.. Where Castle Sorbie still stands, our ancestral home.. We were tossed out of Scotland and migrated to Ireland, then England, then the US, at least on my fathers side. Clan Hannay.. Think about that. How wild do you have to be to be kicked out of Scotland?
My mothers side.. I know little about. She was adopted. I figured out her parents.. And her great great grandfather, as best I can tell.. Was ether black or some mix.. Don't know much about him.. If you want to stereotype.. He literally went to the store for a pack of smokes and still hasn't made it back.. But.. My genetic profile, thanks to him, is 1.2% Sub-Saharan Africa with Nigeria being the most prevalent.. Along with just a smidge of Asian and Native American.. Unfortunately, not enough to claim some of that sweet casino money.
What am I supposed to call myself? Well.. Like most of us.. I'm a mutt.
But.. While I do take some pride in the Scottish heritage, and have the skin and melanoma from it.. It doesn't define me. There are people, however.. We'll never truly be our own until we stop identifying ourselves by pretty ancient ancestry.
Also.. Look.. You look at me.. I'm the whitest guy in the room. Just like the Scottish ancestry (If it's not Scottish, it's CRAP!) the fact that I have a small amount of African ancestry is nothing more than a curious piece of the puzzle that makes up me.
I do take perverse joy in the people who are racist and find out that they have African ancestry, tho.. There is NOTHING that sets off the schadenfreud in me quite like that.
Just another random thought.. Someone brought this up.. Anyone black in the US is almost automatically considered "African American".. I think it was Crab Man on "My Name is Earl", when his white wife brought up they could try to get reparations he mentioned "My family immigrated from Canada". I think it'd probably be shocking how many "African Americans" have very little African heritage. Often a whole lot of South American is mixed in there.
As for people in England and elsewhere asking where someone is originally from.. Remember.. Compared to them.. We're a very young country. Even here at ~250 years. England and France have been around much, much longer than that. So, in a sense, that's a bit understandable.
FWIW.. you track any of us back far enough.. Pretty sure you hit Africa. It's not called the cradle of civilization for nothin'.
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I find this very surprising! What countries have you been to!?