Question for non-US members....

So I've been thinking about this a bit and find this particular question irking me. I cant seem to find an answer online and don't recall EVER seeing it raised before.

What does every other country refer to their racially diverse populations groups as a whole.

Here in the US we have African Americans, Latin Americans, Asian Americans, etc....

How are these groups named in your country? Are white Americans named as such, for example, American African, American Asian, American Latino?

What's funny to me is that as a white American, born and raised here, I can't think of what I'd be called if i lived in another country....sure, ex-pat is the typical....but do i go by Anglo German or Anglo African, etc...?

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Migrants?

Nationality of origin?

HMM interesting question.

I am intrigued ..

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Migrants?

Nationality of origin?

Well...I would venture to say majority of blacks here did not originate from Africa, so why call them African American or any other person with heritage from anywhere else? If they were born here then why not just American?

I'm wondering more if I were to move and maybe have a kid in another country...what would my kid be labelled as there?

I've always thought it odd to pigeon hole people by race in this manner, but whatever floats the ID politik crowds boat I guess....
As an American living here in oz, I'd refer to you as yank, then buy you a beer

originally posted by: Artlogic


I've always thought it odd to pigeon hole people by race in this manner, but whatever floats the ID politik crowds boat I guess....
As an American living here in oz, I'd refer to you as yank, then buy you a beer

Would you call a black person from the US the same? If not, what would you call him/her? Same for Asian or German, etc....

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Oh they got names for us. Not very flattering ones, I assure you.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: Artlogic


I've always thought it odd to pigeon hole people by race in this manner, but whatever floats the ID politik crowds boat I guess....
As an American living here in oz, I'd refer to you as yank, then buy you a beer

Would you call a black person from the US the same? If not, what would you call him/her? Same for Asian or German, etc....

Still just yank mate, race irrelevant.....

German would be a kraut.

Australian culture is quite different to pretty much everywhere else, the more we like you, the more derogatory we get, generally our most misunderstood trait.....

To my knowledge no other country categorizes like the USA. I have a Canadian friend who is now a USA National. She likes the joke:
What do you call a black person in Canada?
A Canadian.

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme
To my knowledge no other country categorizes like the USA. I have a Canadian friend who is now a USA National. She likes the joke:
What do you call a black person in Canada?
A Canadian.

Right...I say everyone born here is American. Now I can see if I were born in another country maybe wanting to be a Brazilian American but at what age does that occur? I mean if I were 30 and moved to the US as a Barazilian, I think I'd still call myself Brazilian.

It seems as if there is some odd need, for those here that have distant ancestry from another country, to identify first as that ancestry and then American as well....why is that seemingly ONLY in the US?

a reply to: Vasa Croe

Canada has erased the category of race from its census. Personally, I agree that race should be erased altogether.

as singaporeans .
we have a variety of races chinese , malay , indian , eurasian .
we stand united as singaporeans and dont divide ourselves by race the way you lot over there divide yourselves .

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme
To my knowledge no other country categorizes like the USA. I have a Canadian friend who is now a USA National. She likes the joke:
What do you call a black person in Canada?
A Canadian.

Hmmm, then there's the Frogs, the Newfies, the Bohunks.....shall I go on?

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Canada has erased the category of race from its census. Personally, I agree that race should be erased altogether.

Actually, that started before census. It was police profiling that caused the uproar. A suspect's description excludes his ethnicity......?

a reply to: VengefulGhost

Sadly it's not us lot. It's the way the folk want it to be.

When I lived in Bangkok, Thailand, the Thai people some times refer to non-Asians as "Farong", meaning "Round eyed", which is a slightly insulting slang.

Though mostly I was called "boy".

When we moved to Italy in my later teen years, I was called "Americano", mainly because there were plenty of other red headed, fair skinned Italians.

Here in the South Eastern US where I live now, I'm mostly referred to as a "Red Neck", being partial to fixing things with duct tape, and using the phrases "Bless yer heart!" or "Looky here boy!"

originally posted by: nwtrucker

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme
To my knowledge no other country categorizes like the USA. I have a Canadian friend who is now a USA National. She likes the joke:
What do you call a black person in Canada?
A Canadian.

Hmmm, then there's the Frogs, the Newfies, the Bohunks.....shall I go on?

All terms I have never heard. Please do go on.

a reply to: Vasa Croe

I highly doubt any nation doesn't break down into religious or ethnic groups and have derogatory labels for those outside their own 'group'.

The difference is in the U.S. it is politicized. Without end.

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme

originally posted by: nwtrucker

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme
To my knowledge no other country categorizes like the USA. I have a Canadian friend who is now a USA National. She likes the joke:
What do you call a black person in Canada?
A Canadian.

Hmmm, then there's the Frogs, the Newfies, the Bohunks.....shall I go on?

All terms I have never heard. Please do go on.

Really? You live in Canada? Must be quite an insulated circle you travel. The ones I cite are more of a 'blue collar' environment.

originally posted by: nwtrucker

originally posted by: LesMisanthrope
a reply to: Vasa Croe

Canada has erased the category of race from its census. Personally, I agree that race should be erased altogether.

Actually, that started before census. It was police profiling that caused the uproar. A suspect's description excludes his ethnicity......?

It’s best to describe individuals using adjectives, not outmoded anthropological categories.