We are Americans

[vinceasneed]

I really don't like when we refer to ourselves as African Americans or European Americans and so forth. That is very controversial. People disagree with me, but it is only opinion. I think that as long as we continue to see ourselves as different, we will always be different. We must stand as Americans. Then when someone like Eric Garner dies, the world will be concerned because he is a person regardless of what his race is. Morgan Freeman said the way to end racism is to stop calling him a black person and he will stop calling whites white people. I see where he is coming from. We are not really the United States unless start acting united.

 

[gmckee1985]

I concur with your post 100%. We have to start looking at people as individuals rather than members of specific ethnic groups or income brackets. We're all humans and we're all Americans. We should strive to live in a color blind society.

 

[starshine]

Fair point. I see why people use "African American" because at least it's not "Nigger", a term who connotates racism and old relations of powers who are used to make the black people feel inferior. So, "African American" is better; however, it is true that it still marks a division rather than unity. I'm not sure that to take away any term is better -- it reminds me of people who want that we stop dividing between "male" and "female" in a way, but it also reminds me of Socrates who, when asked where he was from, simply answered "I am a citizen of this world".

 

[User911]

I really don't like when we refer to ourselves as African Americans or European Americans and so forth. That is very controversial. People disagree with me, but it is only opinion. I think that as long as we continue to see ourselves as different, we will always be different. We must stand as Americans. Then when someone like Eric Garner dies, the world will be concerned because he is a person regardless of what his race is. Morgan Freeman said the way to end racism is to stop calling him a black person and he will stop calling whites white people. I see where he is coming from. We are not really the United States unless start acting united.

I agree completely. People make way too much of skin color. Did you know that it is all due to a pigment called melanin? People with lighter skin have less of that pigment and people with darker skin have more melanin. It's all genetics. That's all it is. Imagine if we obsessed about hair color or eye color. Then we would have groups like the Brunette-Americans, the Blond-Americans, the Blue-Eyed Americans, the Brown-Eyed-Americans. How silly! If one is an American citizen and they love America, then they are an American!

 

[xTinx]

Well it doesn't matter. Although I agree with your point, it's far too late in the game to suddenly change the way people use racial terminologies. What's important is that the person does not have any intention to discriminate when he or she utters the word "African American" or "European American."

 

[003]

Yes, I agree that there must be an equality in the place where you live in. And if that is in the America and you live there despite your origin, you must be called American, and as long as your heart is in America, you must be called American. It's time now that we banish those boundaries that our origins are telling us. We must be one with America and with its principles.

 

[vinceasneed]

It would take many generations for our country to change that mindset. We will all be dead and gone by the time it would change. It would have to start with a living generation to get things rolling but it would be over a century if at all that it could change. Until then, we will continue to see protests and unrest over racial matters in our country.

 

[Tigoci]

I'm on the exact same line as you are yourself, vinceasneed.

Mind you, I'm not from America. Anyway. Whenever I see somebody refer to another person as an African American, I always get thinking; the person you're referring to is an american. Full stop. He's not half-american, he is a citizen of the United States of America aka. an American.
Is this going to change? Probably not, at least not anytime soon. At this point, I also find that there are a lot more important race, religion and ethnicity problems to have discussed, than the terminology of Americans.

 

[drc65]

I really don't like when we refer to ourselves as African Americans or European Americans and so forth. That is very controversial. People disagree with me, but it is only opinion. I think that as long as we continue to see ourselves as different, we will always be different. We must stand as Americans. Then when someone like Eric Garner dies, the world will be concerned because he is a person regardless of what his race is. Morgan Freeman said the way to end racism is to stop calling him a black person and he will stop calling whites white people. I see where he is coming from. We are not really the United States unless start acting united.

I don't think that there will ever be an end to racism. Given the way that history has gone, racism will always be a word at the very least. I do agree with the sentiment however, if we stop identifying people as either white or black there will be a greater sense that we are all 'one'.

 

[allenrexler]

America is completely different than the vast majority of nations because we don't share a common culture and we don't look the same. It just isn't the same at all. Alexis De'Toquville may have saw this as a good thing in "Democracy in America" but I think the jury is still out. It makes America an interesting case sociologically and for a cultural anthropologist.

 

[missbishi]

I can see both sides of the coin. It is true that you are all American citizens and therefore Americans, but the cultural divides between the ethnic groups (if that is the correct term to use) are so vast that it gives little hope for unity.

When people use the terms "African American" and such like, I don't think they mean any harm. It's just that the PC division are always so quick to tell us what we can and cannot say that we don't always know which is the correct term to use. Obviously, "Americans" is the most suitable, but "Humans" and "People" also sound good too!

 

[dyanmarie25]

Fair point. I see why people use "African American" because at least it's not "Nigger", a term who connotates racism and old relations of powers who are used to make the black people feel inferior. So, "African American" is better; however, it is true that it still marks a division rather than unity. I'm not sure that to take away any term is better -- it reminds me of people who want that we stop dividing between "male" and "female" in a way, but it also reminds me of Socrates who, when asked where he was from, simply answered "I am a citizen of this world".

Actually, many black comedians crack racist jokes about themselves, even using the term "nigger. So, I guess if they really want to stop racism, why add more fuel to the fire?

 

[Lieutenant]

Internal issues are non of our concern.

Closed.