African-American or Black?

cawacko

cawacko

Well-known member
Knowing the make-up of this board I really hesitate posting this question but against my better judgement I will. I had three black friends on Facebook pose this question recently which garnered a long line of responses which is why it is on my brain. All three said I'm black call me black and enough with this african-american stuff. As long as you don't call me the n-word we're fine.

Probably because I'm lazy and black is shorter and easier to say than african-american that is the term I have always used. African-American seems to have been considered the more politically correct term but I don't recall any real instances where someone got in trouble for saying black instead of AA.

In all three Facebook posts my friends started the strong majority of people who replied said they didn't care whether they were called black or AA.

I was curious if people on here use one term or the other and if there is a particular reason behind it if they do?
 
cawacko said:
Knowing the make-up of this board I really hesitate posting this question but against my better judgement I will. I had three black friends on Facebook pose this question recently which garnered a long line of responses which is why it is on my brain. All three said I'm black call me black and enough with this african-american stuff. As long as you don't call me the n-word we're fine.

Probably because I'm lazy and black is shorter and easier to say than african-american that is the term I have always used. African-American seems to have been considered the more politically correct term but I don't recall any real instances where someone got in trouble for saying black instead of AA.

In all three Facebook posts my friends started the strong majority of people who replied said they didn't care whether they were called black or AA.

I was curious if people on here use one term or the other and if there is a particular reason behind it if they do?
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I don't know anyone who gets upset at "black" but I do know people who are Haitian that get pissed off at being called "African-American."
 
Dungheap said:
I don't know anyone who gets upset at "black" but I do know people who are Haitian that get pissed off at being called "African-American."
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Interesting. My brother-in-law's mom is white and his dad's background is from Trinidad/Tobago. He would fall into a similar category I assume, black but not african-american.
 
cawacko said:
Knowing the make-up of this board I really hesitate posting this question but against my better judgement I will. I had three black friends on Facebook pose this question recently which garnered a long line of responses which is why it is on my brain. All three said I'm black call me black and enough with this african-american stuff. As long as you don't call me the n-word we're fine.

Probably because I'm lazy and black is shorter and easier to say than african-american that is the term I have always used. African-American seems to have been considered the more politically correct term but I don't recall any real instances where someone got in trouble for saying black instead of AA.

In all three Facebook posts my friends started the strong majority of people who replied said they didn't care whether they were called black or AA.

I was curious if people on here use one term or the other and if there is a particular reason behind it if they do?
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USC Grad or Mentally Challanged?
 
Darla said:
I use black (or "blah") in informal settings, and this includes when I am with black friends. I use African-American in formal settings.
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Do you have all the Black rules written down and marked in your PC handbook for quick access?
 
Darla said:
I use black (or "blah") in informal settings, and this includes when I am with black friends. I use African-American in formal settings.
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?????....how informal do things have to get before "blah" can be construed to communicate something?.......
 
Yes but the black community would be offended if you called him that.

It works like this, people like to be offended, most of he time they should grow a thicker skin and move on. If black is offensive than white should be too, so since it isn't than neither is black. This is logic.
 
PostmodernProphet said:
?????....how informal do things have to get before "blah" can be construed to communicate something?.......
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Ask rick santorum. I'm sure he can explain it to your satisfaction.

Rick Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania who nearly won Iowa’s caucuses, says he didn't single out black people during a speech at a New Year's Day rally in Sioux City, Iowa.
9951701-small.jpg
View full sizeJOHN C. WHITEHEAD, The Patriot-News/fileFormer Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.
NPR quoted Santorum, talking about government aid such as food stamps and welfare at the rally at a diner: "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money and provide for themselves and their families."
Santorum is seeking the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential race.

The NPR story says: "Santorum did not elaborate on why he singled out blacks who rely on federal assistance. The voters here didn't seem to care."

Santorum on CNN says he doesn't remember saying "black" and believes instead he was simply tripping on his words. “It was probably a tongue-tied moment as opposed to something that was deliberate,” CNN quoted Santorum.

He told CNN's John King that he's "pretty confident" he said "blah" while deciding what to say.


NAACP president Benjamin Todd Jealous called the alleged remark "outrageous."

CBS News, which has the video on its website, says Santorum explained the quote by saying he'd watched "Waiting for Superman," a movie that analyzes the American public education system, and had the black children in the movie on his mind.

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2012/01/rick_santorum_says_hes_against.html
 
ah, I thought the reference was to Charlie Brown's teacher.....which is generally the voice that fills my head whenever I read one of your posts.....
 
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