Re: Wait wait wait Tobias

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Re: American-American

Feb 11, 2021, 9:57 AM

I am of Scotch-Irish heritage with a little German thrown in late, so I am about as white as I can be, but I grew up during the 60s so I was around when this trend started. In the 50s colored was the term to be used if one did not intend to show disrespect - even though it did. In the 60s Black became the proper term. Then in the 70s African-American came into vogue.

I cannot tell you how prevalent it was for white people to talk to black people in degrading ways in the 50s and 60s. There was plenty of far more serious degradation as well. So the term black or African American grew out of fertile and turbulent soil. These terms became ways to show that you viewed Blacks as full human beings and that they themselves would refused to be treated any other way. I tend to get stuck on Black because that is what I learned to call my brothers and sisters in my most formative years.

I understand the desire to be American-Americans, but us white people have always been automatically considered to be such. People of color have not always enjoyed that assumption. Even today, I think there is some small presumption that Hispanics or Asians might not belong here (or are here illegally).

Most people get hung up in the first word in the phrase, but I pay attention to the second. To me, these people are affirming their commitment to America. They are saying that even though I am of African or Asian or Hispanic descent, I am committed to American values - I am an American regardless of what my skin color might have you think.

One day it may be totally unnecessary. One day we might all assume that people who live here are all Americans no matter their ethnicity, but we are not there yet.

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American-American

Okay... How about "you Tory Iroquois traitor"? I kid, I kid.

Re: Okay... How about "you Tory Iroquois traitor"? I kid, I kid.

Some Cherokee myself from paternal grandmother... Mixed

Re: Some Cherokee myself from paternal grandmother... Mixed

This is similar to "Why don't we have white history month?"

Okay... Who's speaking for the Native Americans?***

Re: Okay... Who's speaking for the Native Americans?***

Re: This is similar to "Why don't we have white history month?"

Re: This is similar to "Why don't we have white history month?"

Re: American-American

Wait wait wait Tobias

Hey it's one horse pony Cac again with a racist

That escalated quickly.

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