# The term "African-American" **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 15, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955 "2004-08-15T16:41:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/21 "2004-08-16T07:29:20Z")
Ii would suggest the preferred term be “American”. If you need to specify, then what’s wrong with _black_? Reminds me of a US sitcom I saw a few years ago with a woman introducing her dog as a “Canine American”. We’ve gone waaay too far with this nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/22 "2004-08-16T07:31:05Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Ii would suggest the preferred term be “American”. If you need to specify, then what’s wrong with _black_? Because there are black people not of African descent. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/23 "2004-08-16T07:33:31Z")
Umm… [ **Marley** dude, I’m agreeing with you. I’m supporting use of the term “black”. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/24 "2004-08-16T07:35:54Z")
I’m not for or against the ‘black,’ I don’t care either way. I just think it’s annoying when the two are conflated, because they mean different things. Or should, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/25 "2004-08-16T07:42:35Z")
Agreed. I don’t really “care” either, in that I don’t have an agenda with it. I find “African-American” to be very PC and contrived, and “black” just seems to be a sensible word used to describe somebody, just as “tall”, “fat”, "man, “woman”, “kid”, etc. If you are describing a stranger in the street, this is plenty adequate. If you need to specify ethnic origin, then it’d be a more specialised situation, and you could be a bit more verbose: “a black male, possibly of Pacific Island origin” etc… For most of us, “black” and “white” are inoffensive and practical. ---
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/26 "2004-08-16T08:08:06Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > “black” just seems to be a sensible word used to describe somebody, just as “tall”, “fat”, "man, “woman”, “kid”, etc. If you are describing a stranger in the street, this is plenty adequate. If you need to specify ethnic origin, then it’d be a more specialised situation, and you could be a bit more verbose: “a black male, possibly of Pacific Island origin” etc… For most of us, “black” and “white” are inoffensive and practical. And Michael Jackson fits… where…??? 😛 On a serious note, at least where I’ve lived in the US, “black” is synonymous with “african descent.” Everyone else is ‘white’ or ‘asian’ with qualifiers, or is specified: Indian (from India), Mongolian, Hispanic, etc. It is true, MJ aside, that there are some people of part African heritage who look light enough to be a tanned “Caucasian.” Not many “C’s” are dark enough (and lack other physical characteristics) to call them ‘black.’ I might, in being descriptive, use, "A dark-skinned male, possibly of \_\_\_\_\_ \_\_\_\_ origin. If I said “black” I would mean African heritage. Not that I think it’s fair… In Hawai`i, almost everyone is labeled. Blacks are 'popolo,' whites are 'ha`ole,’ and orientals are divided into several sub-groups based on nationality. People of mixed descent who grew up here are ‘locals,’ and Hawaiians are (surprise) Hawaiians! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/27 "2004-08-16T08:27:29Z")
I knew a white guy from South Africa that used to enjoy pissing people off by referring to himself as African-American. I don’t have an opinion on the subject. I just like mentioning that guy. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/28 "2004-08-16T11:46:24Z")
> [@TheLoadedDog](#): > > Reminds me of a US sitcom I saw a few years ago with a woman introducing her dog as a “Canine American”. _snort_ That’s priceless. 😃 Personally, I don’t see what’s wrong with simple words like “black” and “white”. It’s not so much of a hot-button issue here. Now, calling a Surinamer an Antillian, _that’s_ just cruisin’ for a bruisin’. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/29 "2004-08-16T13:40:26Z")
> [@](#): > > If you are describing a stranger in the street, this is plenty adequate. Um, no it isn’t. As a political label, black is very specific. Using it we can understand how Julian Bond, Will Smith, Oprah Winfrey, and Halle Berry can all be lumped together. As a physical descriptor, this “unity” breaks down. This definition of “black” is much more arbitrary and subjective than the current definition. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/30 "2004-08-16T14:06:14Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > But now I hear Barack Obama referred to as African-American. For example, the biography on his campaign website mentions that he “served as the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.” His father emigrated from Kenya and his mother was from Kansas, so by that reasoning, should he not be called Kenyan-American (or even Kenyan-Kansan)? > > My goal isn’t to pick on Barack Obama, but instead to point out that the term should be used more carefully. All Kenyans are African. Not all Africans are Kenyan. I don’t see a problem with his terminology. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/31 "2004-08-16T14:10:00Z")
> [@Splanky](#): > > I (and a lot of other people) think that the term “African American” shouldn’t be used at ALL. It definitely promotes a dichotomy in the U.S. which blacks have been trying to end for a long time. There are still people that think that blacks should go “back to where they came from”. The term “African-American” includes them as citizens who have just as much right to be here as anyone else, yet still allows them to identify with their heritage. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/32 "2004-08-16T14:29:35Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Does Obama refer to himself as an African-American or is that just on his website? Does he do so in his autobiography? I haven’t read his autobiography, but he did use the term “African-American” often while being interviewed on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, although not necessary in reference to himself (mostly in reference to some voters). Perhaps he is careful enough not to use that word in reference to himself, but I suspect others are not. The quote I provided was from the biography of him on his website, so perhaps he didn’t write it, but he should have reviewed it. I agree that we’re all members of the human race, and that terms like black, white, etc. are social constructs, but they do exist. I’m just amused when people seem to use “African-American” instead of “black” without considering context. If anyone has any other amusing examples, I’d like to hear them. ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/33 "2004-08-16T17:22:58Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I just looked up my skin color on this [color chart](http://www.freewebmastertips.com/php/content.php3?aid=60) and it turns out that my race is _seashell._ Who knew? I love genealogy. I’m _ **wheat 1** _! Cool! ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/34 "2004-08-16T17:46:55Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > I’m _ **wheat 1** _! Cool! Why don’t you go back to where you came from _Wheatie._ This is seashell land. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/35 "2004-08-16T18:01:16Z")
I just refer to myself as a European-American. If it comes up at all. ---
**Author:** ![rowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowe)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/36 "2004-08-19T22:43:23Z")
I don’t have any problem with calling someone “black”, just as I don’t have any problem with someone referring to me as “white.” On a related note, my Japanese and black coworkers just informed me that I’ll be in an interracial marriage, since I’m a white guy (Irish/German) marrying an Armenian woman from Iran. So our kids will apparently be Asian-American. I guess I assumed we’d be intercultural but I didn’t really consider any sort of racial divisions between us. Oh well 🙂 They’ll be able to check that box on any sort of forms asking for Race in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/37 "2004-08-23T12:31:02Z")
I’m somewhere between Antique White and Linen. Somehow, at my age, Antique White seems more accurate. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/38 "2004-08-23T12:39:07Z")
“African-American”, whatever its merits, works for people within the United States of America. But what about the rest of the world? Here in the UK there is a widely-used term “Afro Caribbean” which describes “black” people from the West Indies (generally the former Commonwealth ones such as Jamaica, Barbados, Montserrat, St Lucia). ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/39 "2004-08-23T13:16:40Z")
It just occured to me that I have seen dozens of threads complaining about the term “African-American”, but never a one about “Asian-American”. So to those of you bothered by “African-American”, do you feel the same way about “Asian-American”? If not, why? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955/40 "2004-08-23T13:58:01Z")
Personally, I think it’s silly to get all worked up about the “African” part of “African-American” if one lets the “American” part slide by without any scrutiny. One can dissect the word “American” until the cows come home, too. There’s North America, South America, Central America… oh, and the United States of America, which clearly references the large landmass that most Dopers live on. So, why is it that Canadians, Mexicans, and Panamanians are not also called Americans? In my view, we do not call them Americans because we all know that Americans refers to United Statesians. It doesn’t matter a single bit what the dictionary definition of American is now or used to be; sometimes a new, common use of a word ends up in the dictionary. We are not slaves to Webster. Similarly, we all know what African-American means, regardless of where the term comes from or how awkward it might be. Personally, if a large number of black people in the US want to be called African-American, I’m inclined to oblige them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-term-african-american/259955.md?page=3)