I lived in Detroit until I was eight. There weren’t any African-Americans then, just blacks and a few Negros, I suppose (left in 1972).
I voted I’m not black and I don’t care!. I do kind of care, though, and I hope the pendulum swings back to “black”, just because then I’ll be retro, instead of old. But it’s not offensive.
Most black people I know prefer “black”, but don’t really give a fuck.
I don’t use the term, as I think it’s awkward and inaccurate. I’m not crazy about Native American either, but if that’s what you feel is necessary as a member of a tribe, then who am I to challenge it? Hispanics are just Hispanics, as far as I know, although why some people aren’t insisting on the term Latin-Americans or some equivalent is puzzling. Technically, they ARE Americans, just as Canadians are Americans, just not the US version of Americans. To me, such terms create further divisions, rather than contributing to a homogeneous society.
Some Latin American immigrant populations find the term ‘‘Hispanic’’ offensive and prefer the term ‘‘Latino.’’ I always say ‘‘Latino’’ because every Spanish-speaking immigrant population I have ever worked with is self-described Latino. In the SW U.S. I understand most Mexican-Americans prefer the term ‘‘Chicano.’’ Some Native Americans prefer ‘‘American Indian’’ (not to be confused with Indian American!) For friends of other ethnic groups I tend to go by generation. For example I would describe one of my friends as 2nd generation Chinese and sometimes I refer to my husband as 3rd generation Italian. It really depends on the context and how closely that person identifies with their ethnic heritage. Generally speaking I refer to people the way they want to be referred to. As you can see people’s preferences vary dramatically!
I’m black and I like it just fine, but I’d be okay with everyone dropping the term for good, since that means people would stop feeling the need to pretend not to understand it.
I’ve heard a news broadcaster refer to Nelson Mandela as an African American.
Alchemist: Don’t you mean you’ve been killing African American vampires?
Jefferson: No, I said Blackulas. I was in England. There are no African American vampires in England.
I once read an article referring to Nelson Mandela as an African-American. :smack: (Either that or it was someone who was interviewed who did so, but for that had to take the cake)
Agree. I don’t know what it is about “African-American” that causes people to react that way. You never hear the same reaction to, say, “Asian-American,” though you just as easily could.
I typically only use it within an academic setting. Even then, when I was still writing papers I would also use black.
I grew up on a Native American reservation. Guess what they all called each other? Indians.
That town was also mostly Hispanic and so was my family. Guess what we called each other? Mexicans.
And now living in a city with a good sized African-American population, they usually call each other blacks. And if they’re under 25, The Certain Word Rhyming With Trigger is nearly is often used. Hell I’ve even overheard blacks calling each other Negroes more often than African-American. From my experience and observances how nicely the term being used counts a lot more than what term is used.
Hoo boy. I’m transplanted to Canada from Scotland, via Northern Ireland. We should talk.
On one of my trips to the southern US I wound up having copious drinks in a bar with a nice young couple from Ireland; I think it was San Francisco.
Anyway, they were peeved when people would tell them “Hey! I’m Irish!” when in fact maybe their great grandfather on their mother’s side came from Ireland. They were seriously upset with this misrepresentation.
Odd question. Since the term African-American became popular when I was a kid. I recall our high school creating the first African-American studies club. Black pride and heritage was a very big thing in the 70’s. Colleges and high schools started clubs and some students wore traditional garments and head scarves from Africa.
I see nothing wrong at all in celebrating ones heritage by using the term African-American.
I’ve worked with a lot of blacks, in the Navy and elsewhere, and I’ve never heard any of them refer to themselves or each other as anything but “black.” Good enough for me…
Don’t know about the Sioux, but the Cherokee and Navajo I’ve known all called themselves “Indians”…
Only when used to describe someone who’s not American, but what offends me there is not the term, it’s the stupidity.
All the black people I know use “black”. All the Indians I know use “Indian”. I’ve never known any to be offended by “African-American” or “Native American”, but that’s not what they call themselves. So while I don’t find the terms offensive at all, neither do I generally use them.
And yeah, I laugh at people who use “African-American” when referring to black people from other countries. I also laugh at them when they mumble around trying to figure out what to say once they realize that phrasing doesn’t work.
I think the whole Hyphenated-American thing is silly.
A person should feel free to call their self whatever they want, not what self-appointed guardians of acceptable speech think they should be called.
Yeah that’s one of those things Irish people need to get over. #1344 to be precise. 
I’m thinking “Outside agitators coming over here to stir up our peaceful community”.
On second thought, that’s just what them there "Furriners’ are doing, so, carry on.
I only say African American if I’m trying to distinguish between that and African. Even then I’ll usually just say black American. But I don’t care either way.
Don’t ever call my black dude African American unless you want to hear a long crazy diatribe about how he’s not African American, he’s Hebrew.
I think it’s political correctness and it’s moronic. But I repeat myself.
It’s a really lame attempt to continue being racist without appearing to be so.