Generic Japanese GF question: Offtopic about terms for racial groups

TwistedMac · 20 Oct 2004

King of Tokyo said:
What the hell is so funny about that? It is a site for African-Americans in Japan, is that so unbelievable? Why do you find humor in that?

what about just "africans"?
or black people in europe?

or is it a closed society for only americans?

( serious question, don't take it wrong )

King of Tokyo · 20 Oct 2004

Winter said:
KoT: I LOVE you're sig and avatar.

Sarcasm Detector: Scanning..
Comment Approved

Heh. Thanks. I made it in paint seeing as I have no talent in Photoshop.. Nor do I even have Photoshop. And ofcourse included one of my favorite rappers. I like it anyway.. Heh.

TwistedMac said:
what about just "africans"?
or black people in europe?

or is it a closed society for only americans?

( serious question, don't take it wrong )

Heh.. I some how doubt that any member that is not American would be shunned away. I see you take things a little to literally.

TwistedMac · 20 Oct 2004

what is a black person in europe called anyway?..

african-european?... then is a white guy in africa a euro-african?

OHMIGAWD! i'm having deep thoughts here..

wait, I've heard "Eur-asian" before but i dunno what it is.. so is that europeans in asia?

always asumed it was the offspring of an asian and a european person :?

Mike Cash · 20 Oct 2004

TwistedMac said:
what is a black person in europe called anyway?..

african-european?... then is a white guy in africa a euro-african?

OHMIGAWD! i'm having deep thoughts here..

wait, I've heard "Eur-asian" before but i dunno what it is.. so is that europeans in asia?

always asumed it was the offspring of an asian and a european person :?

I remember hearing an American reporter doing a report from Africa and referring to the people there as "African-Americans", when he had to differentiate the dark-skinned people from the Caucasians.

EscaFlowne · 20 Oct 2004

☝ ..............

What does it even matter about being called African to African-American or
Euro. It was a general comment to describe where that person was from. I think you guys are taking it too far and will probally end up offending someone, so you should probally stop while your ahead.

dreamer · 21 Oct 2004

Errr...do you feel concerned Esca?

EscaFlowne · 21 Oct 2004

Nope just commenting ya know. I mean all tha blah blah blah blah gets on my nerves when there could be something more consructive to talk about for example the reason for the thread instead of something as small as the difference between African-American, african-european,euro-African.... lord you guys have a wild imagination...euro-african...i nerver even heard of that

dreamer · 21 Oct 2004

rofl
It reminds me of the face of those japanese people when they asked me where I came from and when I answered that I was french

antantrevolution · 31 Oct 2004

You know, I remember a time when it was ok to say simple terms such as white, black, asian and heaven forbid mexican or spanish without having to bring up a fricking geneology chart to figure out who is african american twice removed but again added by way of marraige and being the sister's brother's cousin's girlfriend who works at 31 flavours that saw ferris pass out last night.

God, political correctness is moronic.

As long as you aren't being rude or racist, can't we all get along and keep it simple?

And whe the hel did blacksploitation cinema such as shaft and cleopatra jones get turned into soul cinema?

I do not understand, ah well.

Ant

Mike Cash · 31 Oct 2004

Are you familiar with Dr. Walter E. Williams and his personal opinion on the matter of a self-referent term as relates to his skin color?

TwistedMac · 1 Nov 2004

mikecash said:
Are you familiar with Dr. Walter E. Williams and his personal opinion on the matter of a self-referent term as relates to his skin color?

is that some "I get to say it, but you don't" thing?

antantrevolution · 1 Nov 2004

I don't know, but all I can say is that the US has become a 'verbal minefield' where one misstep can really do a number on you. It's insane. Should I be called European American because I have ancestors from Germany? Hell no, I'm born here so I am American. And I am white. Simple as that.

And people should judge their own self worth, not hide behind political correctness to do so.

Ant

Mike Cash · 1 Nov 2004

TwistedMac said:
is that some "I get to say it, but you don't" thing?

No, far from it. Dr. Williams is an African-American who refers to himself as "black". It took me a while to find the quote, but here it is:

home

excerpt said:
Today, it has become fashionable to refer to me as an African-American. I protest. One reason is that I risk being confused with an American of Egyptian or Afrikaner ancestry since both can legitimately be called African-Americans. Another reason is that I'm simply tired and worn out, not to mention the confusion for white people. Being 65, I've gone through a number of name changes that range from derogative names such as coon and nigger, to colored, person of color, Negro, Afro-American, and black. I refuse to change again and I'm going to leave this world as a black man.

antantrevolution · 1 Nov 2004

Thanks for that post Mike.

I just want all to know that what I say is not racist, I am just tired of the frightening rate in which our country took to political correctness. Christ, it seems that in another five years, everything will be as generic as that damned Star Trek show. Maybe next is numbers for everyone so that nobody will feel left out.

Ant

okaeri_man · 1 Nov 2004

i think the phrase "why be politically correct when you can be correct?" sums it up well.

Mike Cash · 2 Nov 2004

I left the US before that PC BS really got started good. And I am glad to have missed it.

Glenn · 2 Nov 2004

[RANT]

Is it just me, or is the changing of referring to black people from "black" to "African-American" just some artificial and cosmetic way for politicians to attempt to show that they are affecting some sort of change that will help the plight of the black person in America, while at the same time making the language more inefficient and inaccurate, and creating a double standard for different groups of people? I mean, really, what's the point of the change in the first place? I can understand changing from the heavily emotinally charged words like "coon" and "nigger," and even "negro," which created a double standard due to it coming from a foreign language when "black" was and is the way we say it in everyday use, but how is "black" such a bad word? I'm not going to get beat up if I say that someone is black, so obviously it isn't all that bad. In fact, the only people who think it is are the people who bought in to the whole politically correct nonsense in the first place.

This discussion is stupid, but not because people are "taking things too literally." This discussion is stupid because it is one that should never have even been conceivably possible. TwistedMac asked a valid question from outside the scope of political correctness, because he's lucky in that he lives in a country that hasn't been affected by political correctness trying to impose unnatural changes on language (or at least that seems to be the case).

It seems to me to be the epitome of all things politic to come up with some stupid rule change in language that doesn't really matter, but is just there for PR. If politicians really wanted to help black people, then they should work on coming up with programs that will guarantee that black people have all of the opportunities for success that everyone else should have, instead of going off on some irrelevant tangent. If someone can show me cold hard evidence that using "African-American" has directly and on its own made the world any less racist than it was when we were saying "black," I will consider changing my position. However, I highly doubt that anyone could come up with such evidence.

[/RANT]

Fantt · 2 Nov 2004

Usually, the race of a person is irrelevant unless you need to describe them to someone else. And even in that case sometimes it's pretty difficult to do. Is Lenny Kravitz white or black? His parents were one of each. I know plenty of other examples of people who are really difficult to peg as being one race or another. Back in the bad ole' days, anyone with the slightest bit of African DNA was just "black."

I try very hard to use non-racial terms when speaking about someone else. I'd rather say, "He's the new guy that always dresses really nice and he wears glasses" than "He's that black guy."

antantrevolution · 2 Nov 2004

@ Glenn - I agree that this type of discussion should never have to take place. Sadly, our forefathers set this political correctness phase up for us a long time ago through their mistreatment of anyone not white.

PC isn't going to go away unless we can all get along and stop labeling things.

Anywho.

Ant

Elizabeth · 2 Nov 2004

Glenn said:
[RANT]

Is it just me, or is the changing of referring to black people from "black" to "African-American" just some artificial and cosmetic way for politicians to attempt to show that they are affecting some sort of change that will help the plight of the black person in America, while at the same time making the language more inefficient and inaccurate, and creating a double standard for different groups of people?

What politicians are you referring to as promoting these referential changes in the language ? As I recall, it was blacks themselves that argued for African American that would reflect a higher awareness of ethnic identity, assert ancestral or group pride, etc., although a majority today seem to prefer 'black' over the newer terms. As "Indians" prefer that to "Native American," for whatever reasons that will continue to fluctuate every generation or so.

bossel · 2 Nov 2004

antantrevolution said:
PC isn't going to go away unless we can all get along and stop labeling things.

Labelling things or people is not necessarily bad. People fit in certain categories, so what. It would be better to educate the world that people are not necessarily less worth than you just because they are different (belong to another category).

TwistedMac · 2 Nov 2004

bossel said:
Labelling things or people is not necessarily bad. People fit in certain categories, so what. It would be better to educate the world that people are not necessarily less worth than you just because they are different (belong to another category).

yeah, Like I'm a Swede and Bossel is German.. ok, now that's a bad example since that in facto makes me worth more than him...

.... just kidding!... if you didn't get that you need to be spanked!

but seriously, each person fits into a multitude of categories, depending on nationality, skin colour, hair colour, eye colour, sexual preference, shoe-size, mental stability, social status, type of computer one uses and a million other things.

Why do we keep getting stuck on the question wether someone is better or worse as a direct effect of a category you happen to fit into?

It's irrelevant and petty.

Winter · 2 Nov 2004

Elizabeth said:
..As "Indians" prefer that to "Native American," for whatever reasons that will continue to fluctuate every generation or so.

I've not noticed this.

When I was growing up, I lived sporadically in San Francisco, and in my fathers' rez in Arizona, and never once growing up with his tribe did I ever hear anyone refer to themself as Indian or Native American. It was always the tribe.

Last time I remember, Indians hailed from a certain country in Asia.

Elizabeth · 2 Nov 2004

Winter said:
I've not noticed this.

When I was growing up, I lived sporadically in San Francisco, and in my fathers' rez in Arizona, and never once growing up with his tribe did I ever hear anyone refer to themself as Indian or Native American. It was always the tribe.

Last time I remember, Indians hailed from a certain country in Asia.

I don't claim any inside sources, but from Wikipedia, people I've met travelling over the years as well as the new memorial in Washington to the American Indian rather than Native American. Of course the labels they refer to themselves are going to be much more relaxed than what is appropriate from outsiders, just as blacks can use racist language for themselves that would be totally derogatory from a white or Jew or Hispanic or whatever.

Native Americans - Wikipedia

TwistedMac · 2 Nov 2004

Elizabeth said:
a white or Jew or Hispanic or whatever.

Native Americans - Wikipedia

aren't jews and hispanic people white?

hispanic are the spanish descendants, right?...

or is it White=aryan?

Generic Japanese GF question: Offtopic about terms for racial groups

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