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African American? I thought otherwise...

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posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:10 PM
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Now, this thread is not whether I agree or disagree about his policies, or think he is some crazy terrorist, it is something more simple.

Why does every media source keep saying this is a special day for African Americans? Are they inferring that Obama is African American or that just having "brown" skin makes you one?

If I remember correctly, is his mother white and from Kansas, while his father is from Kenya?

This is not of major significance to me, I just found it awkward that Obama has been called African American for so long by the media and not a single thing has been said about it?

Am I missing something blatant or does this matter at all...

Thoughts?



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:32 PM
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as a bi-racial american, i understand your concern. however, having said that, he has chosen to self-identify as african-american. which is his right. i am by no means "fair-skinned" and i also self-identify as african american. my daughter who is very light chooses to identify as african american. it is a matter of personal choice. there are probably many people out there who appear one way, and choose to be caucasian. that is their right. some forms have multi-racial or other as a choice. my question to you is, if you didn't know obama's parents race and you saw him on the street, what race would you assume him to be? there are people who see me and my daughter side by side and assume the wrong thing. she looks every bit caucasian yet, she has a black mother and caucasian father. it all boils down to perception of self and others.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:35 PM
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If his mother is American and his father is African wouldn't that make him, literally, African-American?



[edit on 5-11-2008 by davion]



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:36 PM
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There is doubt to where Obama was born. If he was born in Kenya, that would legitimately make him an African-American. But at the same time that would make him ineligible to be President.

If Obama was born in Hawai'i like he claims that would make him a Native-American, but you won't hear anyone calling him that.

So what do we call him? The liberal LA Times once called Obama "The Magical Negro"...sounds good to me?

www.latimes.com...



[edit on 5-11-2008 by RRconservative]



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:38 PM
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uh, you know kenya is in africa correct?



so whats the deal? I dont get this thread



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:47 PM
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Then.... If that is how it works...

Then no matter what I look like or really am, I can check any of the ethnicity boxes I want? Assume I was Irish, etc... With pale skin, right red hair and green eyes.
Could I choose to be African American if I want to? Or "Hispanic" ?



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 04:50 PM
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Originally posted by MurderCityDevil
uh, you know kenya is in africa correct?



so whats the deal? I dont get this thread


WOW - Shows how good my geography skills are...

There are others in this thread who assumed the same


Lock and remove this thread before my IQ drops further.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:13 PM
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reply to post by LostNemesis
 


you can, but be prepared to have someone look at you sideways if what "they" see in front of them doesn't quite add up to what you wrote down or checked off. my daughter deals with this everyday. she isn't offended by the questions. she has more patience than i.

[edit on 5-11-2008 by heather65]



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:15 PM
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Originally posted by FritosBBQTwist

Originally posted by MurderCityDevil
uh, you know kenya is in africa correct?



so whats the deal? I dont get this thread


WOW - Shows how good my geography skills are...

There are others in this thread who assumed the same


Lock and remove this thread before my IQ drops further.

well it should not be removed because it does get one thinking about something important. See, it is supposedly politicaly incorrect to say someone is black, or white now. but how is one to know wrether someones decent is from africa or egypt or wherever? why is it wrong to say something like "he's a strong black man"? i am white, but according to these "rules" of correctness, people should call me a European American. i don't like the tone of that. besides sounding totally silly, it just seems to me that it also divides us into being something else BEFORE we are american. why can't we do away with the term African American and just say American of color, or something like? please don't take this the wrong way, i am all for further education of americans to minorities, and tolerance, and equal rights on EVERYTHING accross the board, but the term African American does bother me. can some minorities chime in on this to help me understand why one would take offense to being called black? i do not mind being called white, even though im great grandma was a full blooded Cherokee, i appear to the eye to be white, and indeed, i am very white looking, so it just makes sense that one would wish to call me a white person, it takes out all guesswork, should someone ask me where my ancestery hails from before deciding what to call me? i wonder how many black folks are called african americans when in fact they come from Haiti, or somewhere else, i know that that would personally drive me nuts to have my culture denied like that, to always be pigeonholed to being african decent, when in fact i had no one in my family tree from africa. like i said, please no nasty comments about prejudice and what not, this is not anything racist, it's an honest question that i desperately want to understand better.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:19 PM
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reply to post by FritosBBQTwist
 


i assumed you didn't understand why the label "african american" was applied to obama. that label is used by many black people born to parents that are born in america and descendants of africans. maybe you should expand your social circle. i don't quite get the reason for your post. are you're questioning the use of the label? or the use of it meaning literally being a child of someone who is african. if you don't mind my asking, are you a person of color?

[edit on 5-11-2008 by heather65]



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:23 PM
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Obama is not "African American" in the sense of what that term usually denotes, someone the decendant of African Slaves who were brought to America.
He is African American, however just like I am Scotch-Irish American and German American.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:26 PM
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reply to post by Enigma Publius
 


as a black person, i have never met anyone who was offended by being called black. it may be just a matter of personal preference that a person may want to be referred to as african american. i personally, don't mind black or african-american used to describe my ethnicity because that's what i am: an american born of a woman who was descended from ethiopian ancestors and a man who is caucasian. in my outward appearance, it would be really silly to call myself caucasian because i don't look anything like that. but hey, that's just one black woman's opinion. if you ask someone else, you'll probably get a totally different answer. oh well, what are you gonna do?



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:31 PM
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reply to post by Enigma Publius
 


i may be wrong but, haitians are descendants of africans. the africans were slaves brought there by the european settlers i believe.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:50 PM
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why does America a country that is proud of its status as the worlds melting pot still find the need to segregate every aspect of race or the past. You are not African American you are American the same goes for Irish American, Italian American does any other country do this. Was it Morgan Freeman who refused to take part in Americas black history month because he said Americas black history was American History there is no difference, all cultures come together as one people. Regardless i think Obama will unite more people in the long run, he seems like a good man, a good American.

This isnt a dig by the way im just curious, I guess as such a large country everyone wants to feel a part of something.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 05:54 PM
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reply to post by R-evolve
 


i understand your point but, unfortunately that's america for you. our history of race relations have led to this reality of compartmentalizing.
would be great to have a different society in that regard, but i don't see it happening.



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 06:03 PM
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reply to post by FritosBBQTwist
 


Just to Clarify once and for all, Kenya is in Africa, Kansas is in America....

I wonder if you feel that the offspring of White Slave Owner/Black Slave relationships should also have their 'African-American' status 'revoked'? Or are you upset that Obama is not being referred to as the 'First Mulatto President' because the term is not Politically correct? For all intents and purposes 'Bi-Racial' citizens of the United States are treated as if they were 'Black'

I dare you to go ask any African American on the street if having white blood in them makes them any less 'Black'.
en.wikipedia.org...

Mulatto is no longer commonly used in the United States. Some who prefer terms such as biracial may consider it offensive. [16] It existed as an official census category until 1930[citation needed]. In the south of the country, mulattos inherited slave status if their mothers were slaves.


Maybe you are upset that Obama's mother was a white woman? If he were the biracial offspring of a white man and a black woman, would you question his authenticity as a member of the African American community?

Honestly, I am more than a bit disturbed by the obtuseness of your premise.
DocMoreau



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 08:34 PM
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Originally posted by DocMoreau
reply to post by FritosBBQTwist
 


Just to Clarify once and for all, Kenya is in Africa, Kansas is in America....

I wonder if you feel that the offspring of White Slave Owner/Black Slave relationships should also have their 'African-American' status 'revoked'? Or are you upset that Obama is not being referred to as the 'First Mulatto President' because the term is not Politically correct? For all intents and purposes 'Bi-Racial' citizens of the United States are treated as if they were 'Black'

I dare you to go ask any African American on the street if having white blood in them makes them any less 'Black'.
en.wikipedia.org...

Mulatto is no longer commonly used in the United States. Some who prefer terms such as biracial may consider it offensive. [16] It existed as an official census category until 1930[citation needed]. In the south of the country, mulattos inherited slave status if their mothers were slaves.


Maybe you are upset that Obama's mother was a white woman? If he were the biracial offspring of a white man and a black woman, would you question his authenticity as a member of the African American community?

Honestly, I am more than a bit disturbed by the obtuseness of your premise.
DocMoreau


thanks for the kind replies to what could have been considered a dangerous question, to those who responded politely, thank you! now onto the main point, i can't speak for the OP because i do not know, but i can say that my IMPRESSION from reading it was not that someone should have their "status revoked" as you baitingly called it, because he is half white, and therefore is not 100% african american, i don't think that's what the idea was at all, and to jump to that conclusion is irresponsible. i think the idea was that the OP was under the impression that Kenya is not in Africa, therefore it was erroneous to say Obama was an African American, because him and his ancestors did not ever come from Africa, and the only reason he brought up his white grandmother was to leave out any other relatives that could have hailed from africa, thus eliminating the chance that he is an African American by the strict definition of the word. I don't think anyone ever said you couldn't be African american if you weren't "black enough". the question was meant to be about how anyone who is black OR brown is usually put into the category of african american, when in fact, that is sometimes not the case because there ARE (believe it or not) other countries that have black people besides africa. I know that if my ancestery was not German for instance (and it's not, it's mostly irish and indian) then i would not enjoy being called a German American. and if Haiti residents are indeed origionaly from Africa, i'm sorry for the error, i was just trying to use an example to get my idea across, is it the same for the Dominican Republic and other countries in that region that are predominately black folks? and also, didn't our forefathers get slaves from south america and many other places as well, or was it mainly africa? i thought it was mostly africa, but that MANY MANY others were taken from different countries also. so would that necessitate the need for the term "South American American' in the case of those individuals? i think personally it is a step backwards to classify someone as African American, but i am just a white guy so i cannot speak for the black culture whatsoever, if your wish is to be labeled african american, that is also okay by me, i just don't think i would like it if I were a black man instead of a mostly white man. but the idea that someone is not black enough or whatever is ridiculous, because the idea of ANY of us being a pure race is silly, we are all mutts by now. (forgive the term, being a fellow mutt, i feel it is not offensive, it's meant to lighten the mood here, because this subject is so hard to discuss without people getting upset. i am mixed race, indian and european, i am a mutt, RUFF RUFF!) i don't think it was the OPs intention to make it sound that way.
once again thank you for those who were polite in helping to educate me on this further, to fully understand one another, we must be able to have candid discussions like this!



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 08:34 PM
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Originally posted by DocMoreau
reply to post by FritosBBQTwist
 


Just to Clarify once and for all, Kenya is in Africa, Kansas is in America....

I wonder if you feel that the offspring of White Slave Owner/Black Slave relationships should also have their 'African-American' status 'revoked'? Or are you upset that Obama is not being referred to as the 'First Mulatto President' because the term is not Politically correct? For all intents and purposes 'Bi-Racial' citizens of the United States are treated as if they were 'Black'

I dare you to go ask any African American on the street if having white blood in them makes them any less 'Black'.
en.wikipedia.org...

Mulatto is no longer commonly used in the United States. Some who prefer terms such as biracial may consider it offensive. [16] It existed as an official census category until 1930[citation needed]. In the south of the country, mulattos inherited slave status if their mothers were slaves.


Maybe you are upset that Obama's mother was a white woman? If he were the biracial offspring of a white man and a black woman, would you question his authenticity as a member of the African American community?

Honestly, I am more than a bit disturbed by the obtuseness of your premise.
DocMoreau

thanks for the kind replies to what could have been considered a dangerous question, to those who responded politely, thank you! now onto the main point, i can't speak for the OP because i do not know, but i can say that my IMPRESSION from reading it was not that someone should have their "status revoked" as you baitingly called it, because he is half white, and therefore is not 100% african american, i don't think that's what the idea was at all, and to jump to that conclusionis irresponsible. i think the idea was that the OP was under the impression that Kenya is not in Africa, therefore it was erroneous to say Obama was an African American, because him and his ancestors did not ever come from Africa, and the only reason he brough up his white grandmother was to leave out any other relatives that could have hailed from africa, thus eliminating the chance that he is an African American by the strict definition of the word. I don't think anyone ever said you couldn't be African american if you weren't "black enough". the question was meant to be about how anyone who is black OR brown is usually put into the category of african american, when in fact, that is sometimes not the case because there ARE (believe it or not) other countries that have black people besides africa. I know that if my ancestery was not German for instance (and it's not, it's mostly irish and indian) then i would not enjoy being called a German American. and if Haiti residents are indeed origionally from Africa, i'm sorry for the error, i was just tryin to use an example to get my idea accross, is it the same for the Dominican Republic and other countries in that region that are predominately black folks? and also, didn't our forefathers get slaves from south america and many other places as well, or was it mainly africa? i thought it was mostly africa, but that MANY MANY others were taken from different countries also. so would that necessitate the need for the term "South American American' in the case of those individuals? i think personally it is a step backwards to classify someone as African American, but i am just a white guy so i cannot speak for the black culture whatsoever, if your wish is to be labled african american, that is also okay by me, i just don't think i would like it if I were a black man instead of a mostly white man. but the idea that someone is not black enough or whatever is ridiculous, because the idea of ANY of us being a pure race is silly, we are all mutts by now. (forgive the term, being a fellow mutt, i feel it is not offensive, it's meant to lighten the mood here, because this subject is so hard to discuss without people getting upset. i am mixed race, indian and european, i am a mutt, RUFF RUFF!) i don't think it was the OPs intention to make it sound that way.
once again thank you for those who were polite in helping to educate me on this further, to fully understand one another, we must be able to have candid discussions like this!



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 09:11 PM
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reply to post by heather65
 

Iam offended by that I'am Pacific Islander, Japanese, Australian Aborigine, & Innuit and get called black and african american all the time.

Black does not mean from Africa there are people in India, Southeast Asia & the Pacific Islands that are way darker than most black americans and could make black americans pass as white and they have as much african heritage and blood as any European and some times less.

Black and African American should be seperated when it comes to forms that ask for race; would you consider a Berber in Africa black ?

There was a lawsuit a couple years ago where an Egyptian was put down as black when he was white because he checked african american in which he would be african american since there from africa but not black. The same would go for anyone in Northern Africa, Malta etc. there from the african continent.

Just like Arabs & Indians there Asians but people usually refer Chinese, Japanese & Koreans as Asians

Or everybody from around the Mediterrean Sea (Italy, Greece, Southern France, Monaco, Spain, Malta, Jordan, Tunisia, Libya, Algeria) are all basically the same oliver color and could not tell them apart if they kept there mouths shut and had the same exact clothes on but somehow they ended up as different races

The problem is people dont seem to understand things like all whites arent from Europe just as all blacks arent from Africa and that just because your this or that color doesnt not mean your from this or that continent. When this was fixed alot of the problems would stop its just that people are narrow minded and parochialist

[edit on 5-11-2008 by kvaniu]



posted on Nov, 5 2008 @ 11:44 PM
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reply to post by kvaniu
 


okay, whoa! slow down remain calm, let's not start getting our feelings hurt, we are discussing this (or trying to) while avoiding all of that. just because people have not come to your line of thinking, or mine because i do feel much the same in idea, it is a bad idea to classify all blacks as african american i agree, let's not assume those who haven't considered that narrow minded or a parochialist (which is one who is narrow in outlook, they are the same thing, like saying "those people are dummies AND stupid")
but you mentioned exactly what i was asking, about being a so-and-so american not being accurate all the time, so we should do away with those labels. So what is the solution? at least when i call someone black or white it is accurate, is that what we should go back to? one would say that in an ideal society we should not need any labels, but if u think about it that is just not realistic until maybe 300 years from now when all of us are made of so many different races that everyone will just kind of start looking much more similar. so i don't know what the solution is, but we should remain more open minded, or non parochial if you will, towards others lack of education in this to help further the solution!




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