to all african-american members

[longtime lurker]

Calling a black person from outside of America an African American would be ****ing stupid.

[NumberSix]

Well, do you refer to any white American as a European-American? It's easier to say white or black, it's a bit arbitrary cause you can call an American with Chinese/Korean etc ancestry an Asian. But you can't really go ahead and call them yellow, so yes, this kinda shit is delicate business.

The only people that use "European-American" are white supremacists.

[NumberSix]

blacks are racist to asians. they often use the phrase "china man" or "jackie chan" to describe an asian person, and they do it openly.

How is "China man" racist?

[BurningHammer]

How is "China man" racist?

Maybe because they use the term to refer to any East Asian-looking persons regardless of whether they really are Chinese or not.

[dunksby]

So because no one says "European American " that makes "African American " offensive?

Think about what you're saying.

What people call whites had absolutely no bearing on the offensives of "African American "

Like if people did say "European American" then suddenly "African American " is acceptable?

Whatever people label the white community dictates what is offensive?

Ridiculous

What are you going on about? If you don't refer to white Americans as European Americans then why would you do that about blacks? It's not about shit being offensive, but going by your own rule.

[Trollsmasher]

how do African Americans feel when a proud, pureblooded Subsaharan calls them lightskins and whitey's dogs?

[dunksby]

The only people that use "European-American" are white supremacists.

Exactly.

[~primetime~]

What are you going on about? If you don't refer to white Americans as European Americans then why would you do that about blacks? It's not about shit being offensive, but going by your own rule.

I always assumed it was blacks who preferred that, as to separate them from Africans.

Why is it that whites have to set the rule on this? Shouldn't whites be upset that no one says "European Americans"? Why did you decide that blacks got shorted on this and not whites?

[CavaliersFTW]

I'm going to go ahead and play the devil's advocate here and repeat that since nobody refers to a white American as a European American then African American shouldn't be either.

I get it sort of... but at the same time I have with certainty heard people who are trying to be descriptive towards white people as being German-American, Irish American, Italian American, etc

African in the sense that you're thinking would be used in place of ethnicity. And not intended to be offensive. So why be offended by it? I get that using it frequently would be annoying though I guess. But if someone trying to describe me regionally so as to indicate my appearance or w/e called me Northwestern-European-American, I wouldn't feel offended by it at all. I just don't see what's offensive about it?

[CavaliersFTW]

The only people that use "European-American" are white supremacists.

Exactly.

No.

This is judgemental and overly sensitive at the same time.

[outbreak]

I'm going to go ahead and play the devil's advocate here and repeat that since nobody refers to a white American as a European American then African American shouldn't be either.

But they do say things like Chinese american or italian american or dutch american etc etc etc etc.

Some parts of africa haven't kept as distinctly different cultures and languages as some areas of europe have which is why you hear african american instead of somalian american or congolese american but you hear german american or italian american

[CavaliersFTW]

It's just weird to me how sensitive people are. Fragility, sensitivity and violence go hand in hand in my opinion.

I was raised to think my own sensitivity was MY problem. No one elses. If someone said something I didn't react well to, my REACTION was my own responsibility/problem. Not other peoples. Words are just words, and most words aren't intended to be offensive even if they can make us feel uncomfortable depending on the context. We live on a planet of 8 billion people, there is literally nothing you can do to not be HATED by someone out there, to the point that they want you DEAD. Yes you. If you're American for example you're hated simply for being such. What are you going to do, be offended by it? Settle down. Yet here we are talking about how the words "African American" which were at one point created strictly to be less offensive, are offensive. These are not real problems.

[Akrazotile]

It's just weird to me how sensitive people are. Fragility, sensitivity and violence go hand in hand in my opinion.

I was raised to think my own sensitivity was MY problem. No one elses. If someone said something I didn't react well to, my REACTION was my own responsibility/problem. Not other peoples. Words are just words, and most words aren't intended to be offensive even if they can make us feel uncomfortable depending on the context. We live on a planet of 8 billion people, there is literally nothing you can do to not be HATED by someone out there, to the point that they want you DEAD. Yes you. If you're American for example you're hated simply for being such. What are you going to do, be offended by it? Settle down. Yet here we are talking about how the words "African American" which were at one point created strictly to be less offensive, are offensive. These are not real problems.

Well said.


But being offended in the social media age has become an incredibly effective way to get attention, get sympathy, and have people/businesses who've 'offended you' bend over backwards in submissive apology so as not to lose your business or taint their image.

We need to single out people who cry wolf about sensitivity and openly scorn them. They're not doing it for justice, they're doing it for self-aggrandization, leverage, and power.

[Patrick Chewing]

I usually say "molasses looking fella"