i’ve used both. i’ve heard african americans say both, as well.
Black. African American can be inaccurate.
black. my bff (whos black) doesnt like the term african american, cause her heritage is more from haiti, DR, jamaica, etc…
Is he even an American? How can you tell?
Black – what if he’s Jamaican? Or Dominican? Or any number of ethnicities?
The former.Lol @ the responses. I guess people don’t know who he is.
black.
black. what if he’s not african OR american?
that’s why people call me white.. they don’t know my ethnicity!
blackblackblackyblackblack
Black. I have white friends who were born in Africa – African American. Plus, he might not be American.
I’d use black. I don’t know whether he’s from America or not so calling him African-American would be wrong. Well, unless he’s a citizen I suppose… but still, I’d call him black.
im not sure why but, with my friends *whispers the term black* with teachers around, *whispers afraican american
Charlize Theron is an African American. This guy is black.
African.
Having been to Africa, many of those people get offended when someone black calls themselves ‘African American’ because they feel like if you aren’t originally from Africa you can’t claim that.
Black, ’cause what if he’s African-BRITISH?
Besides, there’s never a dilemma about calling other people “white” versus “Caucasian” is there? We’re just white people. Ergo, black people are just that.
IDK, I’d prolly find out his name first and just use that. But meh, that’s just me.
I say both. But I realize African American, like Asian, in description of race is nonsensical, since more than one race lives on both continents.
*shrugs* black if he isn’t african american..use it only if it is appropriate..but how if you don’t know? hummm,
I just call him Black.
Why wasn’t nigger or negro a option, Dan? (Not that I would call anyone that.)
@ccarothers - Totally never thought of that. It makes absolutely no sense to call someone African-American if they were born here.
Gonna keep that in mind!
he’s from like a county in west africa so tech. he’s african, but not american. I guess since he married an america he is african american…
Skin color descriptions are such a pain in the ass. I mean, really. I started quite a debate in one of my classes about this very question. The consensus (of a room full of white people) was: either is acceptable.
I used to lean toward “African American” because it felt slightly more PC than “black.” But now I’m leaning toward “black” because black is black and it isn’t African, American, Jamaican, Haitian, etc. It’s just the color of the skin and doesn’t tie a person down to a place he or she may not have ties to.
So if “white” is acceptable and “black” is acceptable, are “red” and “yellow” acceptable or are they derogatory? Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight…
whichever he prefers.
I would call him Djimon Honsou. Or Mr. Honsou.
he’s African…
Black. No way to know he’s American. Or African.
He’s black…and I’m brown and you’re white and we’re all precious in His sight…
I’d call him black… and rather handsome, if not for the lack of eyebrows.
You don’t hear Asian people being called “yellow” that often, eh?
Black. A lot of black people are not from Africa, so African American can be inaccurate.
No one calls me European American or Irish-Scottish-English-French-German-Polish-Danish-Finnish American I’m white.
Black!
Because there are African-Americans that aren’t black. I personally know one Algerian who’s paler than pale and he’s “African-American.” And many South Americans are white/caucasian.
I’d call him on a telephone. 21st century technology is amazing.
I’m with an editor from fox News right this minute. Lucky Me.
Umm, Why can’t we just call him a man?
I neither know, nor care.
Black… I only say African American if I know for sure they are from America.
African American is not a race; it’s an ethnicity.
Black.
He’s just a man.
@ihsankhairir - Haha true, I knew this kid who immigrated here from South Africa who was of white as snow Boer/Scottish ancestry. He always proudly checked the “African-American” box on college scholarship applications and other questionnaires which asked of race or ethnicity.
Negro. ha
I swear to you, I heard a talk show host on the (black) power xm radio station say that these guys who have just come over from Africa this generation have no idea what it is to be African American. I say aren’t they the only ones who should be able to use the moniker?
I’d call him black
black
black. I’m so sick of people trying to be politically correct. What if the person is carribbean? It’s like calling white people white. Don’t call us caucasian, we’re not all from the caucus mountains. grrrr!
Black.
He may not even be American. People describe me as white, why can’t I call black people black? Or brown?
@MomGoneMadd - hahaha, speaking of brown…there are three guys at school that are getting the bear nicknames from scrubs. This black guy is chocolate bear, this mexican dude is caramel bear, and his name is raoul, so it’s even better…and of course the white guy is vanilla bear. it’s awesome.
Considering he’s from Benin, I’d say African American. If he ever gained citizenship that is..otherwise he’s just african/beninese
That other high melanin population within the states? Black. Calling people African American still is silly.
He’s dark chocolate. I like to keep things creative.
I would only refer to his race if it were relevant to the issue at hand.
The AP has for the last several years been advising reporters to use “black,” so in most print publications that is what you will see. And probably hear, on broadcast news. And yeah, it’s the term I use, only when necessary to differentiate or describe.
The interesting thing is, the acceptable terms evolve. I’m reading a book from the late ’60s about statistical analysis/reporting as it pertains to the health industry, and it has occasion to refer to black people. Back then, the acceptable term was “Negro,” proper noun, capitalized.
Weird, huh? That fell out of style when it became bastardized to the more offensive “abbreviation.” Not sure why or how African-American fell out of favor.
Black. I’ve called people “African American” before and they got offended. They said they’re just black.
Black it is far shorter. And the fact that “African” says were you are from. It has little to do with your race
I personally thing African American is stupid. That man is not from the US, so he’s not American. Well, if someone isn’t born here but they are now a legal US citizen, do they consider themselves American? I don’t know. I think black is an acceptable term to use.
that depends on whether he is american, of course.
wow. Djimon Gaston Hounsou is African. Literally as he was born in West Africa. Though he is now a us citizen I would consider him African because of his place of origin.
Black. like..i’m black and nobody ever calls me British-African- lol you can’t always assume
Bottom of the barrel man. Fucking shame
@ccarothers - Thank you for speaking the truth. I’ve had black Americans get “offended” when someone doesn’t call them African American, although they weren’t born in Africa. No one calls me Scottish-American just because I’m white, but you don’t see me getting my panties in a wad about it. Why can’t we all just be Americans?
Nigerian. Lol! Sorry, I don’t have a clue who he is.
I’d say he’s black. To heck with PC!
I can legitimately say I’m Australian American, because I was born in the land Down Under and hold citizenship there. But just because my background is purely Croatian and Slovak, I still don’t call myself a Slovak-Croatian-Australian American :p
To-may-to to-mah-to.
I have never heard a Caucasian individual refer themselves “European American”.
That man is black. He is not an American (as far as I know from reading above). That does not make his race an African American. His origins are simply from Africa.
I attend a college where the ratio is 5/1 black to white. All of the students that have dark skin have no quams about being called ‘black’. We even make a joke of it. On the first day of a class, the students in the class always make a remark about how I ‘broke out of the mold’ – I stand out in the 99% black class.
I have no idea who this is, so how would I know if he is American…? I think we’re all so hung up on titles… Would you call me a German American? I was born here. My parents were born here. This is ridiculous.
Black.
What the name is for?
I have trouble with the term “African American.” I do not refer to myself as “Irish American.” I refer to myself as “white.” So, I naturally would refer to this gentleman as “black.” I don’t consider it a put-down in any way, it is just a description.
He’s human
Black. Because he or his ancestors are not necessarily from Africa and he’s not necessarily an American.
I would call him black unless I knew he was from Africa or preferred being called African American, but really I don’t have too many situations where I need to identify someone by their race.
I’d call him African lol, isn’t he from Benin Africa?
he is an african, who i think maybe lives in america.
Black.
Is this the guy with the penis in Amistad?
I call em black.
Black… But if given the choice not to even bring it up, I wouldn’t…
Black.
He’s Black.
More to the point he’s an AMERICAN. Just like I’m an AMERICAN.
The sooner we get past the color of skin or country of origin, the sooner this nation will pull together as one and deal with our problems in a unified manner.
I’d say black.
he is black, unless the person was born in African then became American; calling a person an “African American” makes no sense.
I have used both terms, and we have to realize that what is acceptable has changed many times over the years. As mentioned by @SladeTheGreyFox - many people are abandoning these terms, preferring simply to be called Americans. When describing someone in order to be able to locate them, referring to skin color or ethnicity is necessary, as is height, weight, hair color, distinguishing marks, etc. Other than that, race and ethnicity should be merely an interesting part of discussions about heritage. @joyouswind - “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight”…FTW!!!
have you ever wonder why the only to race that has a debate is “White or Black”. Now all other nation under the sun that’s in the U.S. only has a background other than the U.S. and they allow themselves to say” I’m this American and I’m from here American”
That person you has on this pic is whatever, he wants to be. Some people call themselves only American, some call themselves _________American. It all the same. We are still here and living day by day.
@joyouswind - Now this is some soul searching joyouswind. And be truthful about life, liberty, and the persult of happiness.
Here is some other truth for your information: In Acts 10:34,35 tells us what God feel about Humanity.
I’d just call him a man. I recently wrote about people being hung up on skin color and said the only time it should be used is to describe to the police, etc., to narrow down the list of those they need to search for along with other pertinent information such as height, weight, hair color, clothing and a description of the get-away car.
UMM Black – I’m white – not Irish American. I was not born in Ireland, I was born here, in NJ. If you are not born in Africa, you are not African American.
Black. Not that I have any reason to hold more ground than any of these people because I am black. Ever notice that anything subtitled as “American” sucks?
It is my personal opinion that God created colors of this world we live in because it is beautiful. Have you ever notice when you see beautiful shade and blands of color of flower and animals we say WOW, what a beautiful sight.
Now when it come to humanity, that where the problems come in: Now because in the literature and poetry of this text in Acts 10:34,35: Then Peter opened his mouth, ans said, “Of a TRUTH I PRECEIVE that God is no RESPECTER OF PERSON: But”……………………………. How this is a person perspective of what our life day by day should be?????? This poetry states that no person is any better than any other person.
Here is so more poetry of this Book that is just simple beautiful. In Acts 17:24-27 Just this out: The Question is: Why did God put nations on planet earth? And why has god allowed the habitations of nation in this earth?
Now in this literature of hope in 1 Corinthians 15:39 This is only saying that man, beast, fish and Bird, DO NOT have the same flesh.(SKIN)
But notice what it says about the flesh of men. There is only one kind of flesh of men.( This only saids that ask we look at each other we as human are all the same.( only different colors because it is beautiful.)
Black - I can’t tell where in the world he’s from. But he’s a great actor and I really like him.
@polishswede - yeah the whole issue of what to call a person is just for lack of a better word silly… something more to bitch about. I’m a beaner, mexicunt, brown fog, wetback, home deopt working mojada…I dont really care, and neither should anyone else. There are so many worse things in this world to be concerned with…
@ccarothers - That’s my main concern. But how many generations in the U.S. must you wait before removing the person’s country of origin? Hmm…I think it has more to do with the disappearance of culture. Like, a 10th generation U.S. born Chinese person most likely wouldn’t have the same cultural values as a first or second generation U.S. born person would. Then would they be American, and no longer Chinese-American? Would they be an American Chinese, but not Chinese-American?
Haha, I saw a news report once where a woman was reporting from Britain, and there were a bunch of black men boycotting this business, and the reporter, who was British herself, said, “—is being boycotted by African Americans today–”
It was a true facepalm moment.
@MomGoneMadd - exactly. people just need to get their panties out of a wad.
Sexy.
Fuck! Wrong post.
Human.
Black , the same as I would prefer to be called or black american because I have never been to Africa . Don’t really care where my ancestors where snatched from .
I’d call him Djimon Hounsu. (I can’t spell his name, but that’s his name.)
Um, isn’t that like Djimon Honsou (or however you spell that)??? He’s actually from Africa. So he’s not African American, he’s just straight up African. So, Dan, the answer is neither of your options. Sorry.:) @openmindedgirlk - yay! I’m so glad someone else recognized him and said that he’s actually from Africa! I thought I was the only one… and he’s kind of a big deal in the acting world, having been nominated by the Academy, HFPA, etc. a few times.
casually, i would say black to describe his race. if i needed to be more formal or socially acceptable for one reason or another i would say african american, even though i personally don’t think that is necessary.
It depends on with whom I am conversing.
Black because now they are seeing that African American can be inaccurate.
black… however he is a true african so i would probably call him african as well… he is not an american citizen (i dont think) so afican american would not fit
nice blog, thanks for posting
African American
@ihsankhairir - Good point. Charlize Theron is directly from South Africa, after all.
I’d call Djimon (sp?) black. I mean, he is directly from Africa, but like most people here are saying, he may not have American citizenship yet. But hey, why are we making a big deal out of this?
Hot. cuz he’s sexy. ^.^
Coloured.
Both Djimon Honsou and Charlize Theron are Africans from Africa (Benin and South Africa) who have become naturalized American citizens.
If you can use the term African American for both these people without it feeling weird, then maybe yes, African American he is. Otherwise I say he is black.
I remembering hearing that Black actually refers to those who are the descendants of slaves. So it seems a little derogatory to me, or rather it brings up a lot of bad blood that will never be forgotten.
African-american obviously refers to someone who is has roots in both African and America. If my history memory is correct many Africans were brought over from Africa to the Americas (US, Haiti, Jamaica, etc). So African-American would be the better term as many would trace their roots back to those Africans who were brought over.
I would say African-American based on my historical knowledge.
I say both, but Black mostly.
xo
I would call him a hunk
chuck congo lol ya hes def BLACK lol
black. what if he’s not american?
also why aren’t white people referred to as european american or something? we’re just white. but black people can’t be just black. makes no sense yo
Black
just by looking at him, i’d say he’s black. a lot of people throw a bitchfit about being called african american (ie “i’m not african, i’m jamaican!”).
Ya know, that bald guy with the goatee beard thingymabob? who wore that grey pin suit, with a white shirt, with the baby blue tie? yea him.
Black.
Thank you for posting this. Just yesterday, we were discussing at University the words “race” and “ethnic origin.” People use them interchangeably, but apparently that is wrong. To me they have always been the same, but on thinking about them, I realise they are not.
I would say my race is Other Asian (not Indian/Pakistani or Chinese/Japanese etc), and my ethnic origin is Iraq.
But some people in my study group said they’d call their race White British, for example, and their ethnicity Christian. To me, religion is a whole different thing, because you can change that any day.
It got even weirder because like we have an Iranian in our group who was born in Iran, so the rest of my group said they could understand his calling himself Iranian in terms of ethnicity. But when I said I am Iraqi, they found it odd because I was born and raised here in England. I just said I don’t feel British. I guess it is all to do with how you perceive yourself, ethnicity, unlike race, which is probably clear. Either way, I believe it’s to do with how you were brought up; I was brought up speaking Iraqi Arabic, eating Iraqi foods, having Iraqi family friends… so even though I grew up in Britain, my life was very “Iraqi.”
It’s interesting with race, because you can get like White British and Black British. I read on a site that an example of race would be white, defined by pale skin, light eye colour, certain characteristics. Then the ethnicity would be further divided, like British, American, German… and so on.
Our group leader told us a funny story about a colleague he had back at college. Apparently, his skin colour was really black, and the guy himself described it as “fresh, shiny black.” But his accent was a sophisticated English. He would always find it fun to confuse people, like for job interviews, he’d talk to them on the phone and they would instantly assume he was white, born and bred. And then they would meet him and sometimes couldn’t hide their utter surprise, haha.
We even spoke about the BNP (British National Party – I dunno how big the States are on our news) leader, Nick Griffin. He claims Britain should only be for British people, and everyone else should be deported. When asked what “British” meant, seeing as there was a time where Britain didn’t exist, so we are all immigrants in that sense, he defined it as having your family line on this land for 60 years or over. That makes you British. So if you’ve been here 58 years, you should be deported.
So it was interesting, and I went home and researched it and I still haven’t found something that clearly draws a line between the two, for me.
All in all, thanks for this entry, at this time, haha. It was interesting to read the comments. I will be sure to go back to my group and share some of these thoughts I’ve read.
Black. I know a lot of black people who hate it when people assume that they are African-American
Neither. He is African. I don’t use “black” for anything other than to describe Americans.
Black.
He’s not actually African is he?
I had a friend in highschool who was African-American. He got numerous scholorships, and had a free ride. Of course, they were taken away when they found out he was white, even though we was technically African-American. -.-
This is stupid. (not you, Dan, I mean the categorization of people by ethnicity). Call him whatever you want, but you can call me Riis. I mean, the only time you’d refer to me as black (which is more a false assumption when describing complexion than anything else), would be if you were talking about me to someone else. Does anyone ever go up to random people and say, “Hello white person.” or “What’s up, Mexican?”. My nationality is American. My ancestry is predominantly Native American and Irish. But based on my complexion, I’m black.
Like I said…
STUPID.
he’s black.. damn, some ppl need to learn some shit
I agree with people above. I’d call him black. I have a friend who is black. She is barely African American. She’s mostly from the Caribbean or India region.
If it’s fine to call caucasians white, it’s fine to call african-americans black I suppose. Unless of course you factor in minority suppression and past ills. Of course, I have yet to come across an african-american who was bothered by using the word black.
black…i hate the term african american.
I’d call him bro.
Black
Black. Unless he specifically asks me to call him African American. But I don’t ask people to call me European American, that would be dumb, especially since neither me, nor my parents, nor my parents’ parents have ever lived in Europe. I would assume that most “African Americans” who live in America could say the same about Africa.
How about simply really attractive?
“Human” works well, too.
I use black. No one I know has been offended when I say they are black when they identify themselves as black.
I used to use African American because I thought it sounded less derogatory, until an old schoolmate was heard saying “African American” by a teacher. The teacher went straight into the student’s face and said, “Black. Black and proud. Don’t you forget that.“
@joyouswind - I thought… (or heard for that matter)
Yellow was asian
Red was Native American
Black etc
White etc.
Actually you know what. I really don’t give a damn. I know people by name!
black
hunk and a half in my book
black. he could be something else, like NOT african american.
Hm, i tend to lean toward what most of a race use to describe themselves and others.. ie African Americans (most that i know) use the term light skin, dark skin or what have you. But white and black are a little drastic considering no one is totally black, and only albinos are totally white… So light and dark are good descriptions, but aren’t there better properties to use when describing another human being?
Well, I don’t know or know of this man, so I guess it would depend on whether he is a US citizen or not. :p
If he is, then I’d call him African-American. If he isn’t…well, it would depend on where he’s from. African-European, maybe, if he’s from Europe. :p
But, I don’t see a problem with using the word “black” either…since I personally haven’t met any African-Americans who dislike being called black. But, that doesn’t mean there are none. But, I don’t like to offend people unnecessarily. Its kind of childish, in my opinion, to do something like that. :/ Its mostly about politeness. If I had a preference on what to be called, myself, then I would hope that the majority of people would be polite enough to respect those wishes when there is no reason for them not to.
Black. He could be french for all I know.
@makethemakersmile - Yeah, def, my brothers are Haitian, and calling them African American is stunningly inaccurate. It doesn’t keep people from calling them that though.
Ry’leh Cuthulu ftagn
@Hippielalah - just out of pure curiosity, how do you personally differentiate?
Black, he is not African American unless he has moved to America from Africa, and that is NOT a race! Not all African people are black…..why this is such a misused term is beyond me, but then again, that is how languages evolve
Black. in this case, “Black Man” He would have to be the one to describe himself as “African American” before I did.
i would say neither… and i don’t want to say something racial and sound ignorant, and then feel like i’m politically incorrect at the same time.
@makethemakersmile - He is from Cotonou, Benin. He was born there and moved to American and became an American citizen. He can trace his roots to a specific place in Africa. I say I’m black because I can’t trace my roots to a specific place in Africa. I just assume that is where some of my ancestors originated from. That is just my personal theory.
Were is he from?
both cause not all african americans are black and not all black people are african american
African American
@Hippielalah - ok, cool that makes sense. so you say that because youhappen to know that about him. makes total sense to me.
Just African.
He’s African. He was born in Benin, in West Africa, and lived there til thirteen… Although he is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, I would classify him as African…
Black, you can be white and be from Africia.
African American is, in my opinion, a racist term in itself. Do you call white people who are from Africa that move to America “African Americans”? Do you call Egyptians who move to America African Americans? Last time I checked Egypt was in Africa. And why do we have to point out their heritage and not ours. The majority of black people in America today were born in America, as were their parents. So they’re not any more African American than I am German American. And if we are going to make a standard for one thing, we should make it a standard for everyone.
Hold a piece of white paper next to my skin and tell me it’s the same color… it’s not. Neither are black people literally black, it is just a common term to note the differences between races. It’s not being racist to note differences in skin color, because the skin colors are not the same, and there’s not a problem with that. I don’t see why people have such a problem with this.
how about american?
I tend to use both.
When I was growing up, the polite term was “negro”, which is just “black” in latin and spanish.
Today I will say “black”. I absolutely refuse to use any hyphenated-American terms.
Comments (165)
Black.
Isn’t that the crazy merc from Deep Rising?
It depends on who I was talking to.
I would refer to him by name.
i’ve used both. i’ve heard african americans say both, as well.
Black. African American can be inaccurate.
black. my bff (whos black) doesnt like the term african american, cause her heritage is more from haiti, DR, jamaica, etc…
Is he even an American? How can you tell?
Black – what if he’s Jamaican? Or Dominican? Or any number of ethnicities?
The former.Lol @ the responses. I guess people don’t know who he is.
black.
black. what if he’s not african OR american?
that’s why people call me white.. they don’t know my ethnicity!
blackblackblackyblackblack
Black. I have white friends who were born in Africa – African American. Plus, he might not be American.
I’d use black. I don’t know whether he’s from America or not so calling him African-American would be wrong. Well, unless he’s a citizen I suppose… but still, I’d call him black.
im not sure why but, with my friends *whispers the term black*
with teachers around, *whispers afraican american
Charlize Theron is an African American. This guy is black.
African.
Having been to Africa, many of those people get offended when someone black calls themselves ‘African American’ because they feel like if you aren’t originally from Africa you can’t claim that.
Black, ’cause what if he’s African-BRITISH?
Besides, there’s never a dilemma about calling other people “white” versus “Caucasian” is there? We’re just white people. Ergo, black people are just that.
IDK, I’d prolly find out his name first and just use that. But meh, that’s just me.
I say both. But I realize African American, like Asian, in description of race is nonsensical, since more than one race lives on both continents.
*shrugs* black if he isn’t african american..use it only if it is appropriate..but how if you don’t know? hummm,
I just call him Black.
Why wasn’t nigger or negro a option, Dan?
(Not that I would call anyone that.)
@ccarothers - Totally never thought of that. It makes absolutely no sense to call someone African-American if they were born here.
Gonna keep that in mind!
he’s from like a county in west africa so tech. he’s african, but not american. I guess since he married an america he is african american…
Skin color descriptions are such a pain in the ass. I mean, really. I started quite a debate in one of my classes about this very question. The consensus (of a room full of white people) was: either is acceptable.
I used to lean toward “African American” because it felt slightly more PC than “black.” But now I’m leaning toward “black” because black is black and it isn’t African, American, Jamaican, Haitian, etc. It’s just the color of the skin and doesn’t tie a person down to a place he or she may not have ties to.
So if “white” is acceptable and “black” is acceptable, are “red” and “yellow” acceptable or are they derogatory?
Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight…
whichever he prefers.
I would call him Djimon Honsou. Or Mr. Honsou.
he’s African…
Black. No way to know he’s American. Or African.
He’s black…and I’m brown and you’re white and we’re all precious in His sight…
I’d call him black… and rather handsome, if not for the lack of eyebrows.
You don’t hear Asian people being called “yellow” that often, eh?
Black. A lot of black people are not from Africa, so African American can be inaccurate.
No one calls me European American or Irish-Scottish-English-French-German-Polish-Danish-Finnish American
I’m white.
Black!
Because there are African-Americans that aren’t black. I personally know one Algerian who’s paler than pale and he’s “African-American.” And many South Americans are white/caucasian.
I’d call him on a telephone. 21st century technology is amazing.
I’m with an editor from fox News right this minute. Lucky Me.
Umm, Why can’t we just call him a man?
I neither know, nor care.
Black… I only say African American if I know for sure they are from America.
African American is not a race; it’s an ethnicity.
Black.
He’s just a man.
@ihsankhairir - Haha true, I knew this kid who immigrated here from South Africa who was of white as snow Boer/Scottish ancestry. He always proudly checked the “African-American” box on college scholarship applications and other questionnaires which asked of race or ethnicity.
Negro. ha
I swear to you, I heard a talk show host on the (black) power xm radio station say that these guys who have just come over from Africa this generation have no idea what it is to be African American. I say aren’t they the only ones who should be able to use the moniker?
I’d call him black
black
black. I’m so sick of people trying to be politically correct. What if the person is carribbean? It’s like calling white people white. Don’t call us caucasian, we’re not all from the caucus mountains. grrrr!
Black.
He may not even be American. People describe me as white, why can’t I call black people black? Or brown?
@MomGoneMadd - hahaha, speaking of brown…there are three guys at school that are getting the bear nicknames from scrubs. This black guy is chocolate bear, this mexican dude is caramel bear, and his name is raoul, so it’s even better…and of course the white guy is vanilla bear. it’s awesome.
Considering he’s from Benin, I’d say African American. If he ever gained citizenship that is..otherwise he’s just african/beninese
That other high melanin population within the states? Black. Calling people African American still is silly.
He’s dark chocolate. I like to keep things creative.
I would only refer to his race if it were relevant to the issue at hand.
The AP has for the last several years been advising reporters to use “black,” so in most print publications that is what you will see. And probably hear, on broadcast news. And yeah, it’s the term I use, only when necessary to differentiate or describe.
The interesting thing is, the acceptable terms evolve. I’m reading a book from the late ’60s about statistical analysis/reporting as it pertains to the health industry, and it has occasion to refer to black people. Back then, the acceptable term was “Negro,” proper noun, capitalized.
Weird, huh? That fell out of style when it became bastardized to the more offensive “abbreviation.” Not sure why or how African-American fell out of favor.
Black. I’ve called people “African American” before and they got offended. They said they’re just black.
@Vivacieux - Hahaha, I like that.
Black it is far shorter. And the fact that “African” says were you are from. It has little to do with your race
I personally thing African American is stupid. That man is not from the US, so he’s not American. Well, if someone isn’t born here but they are now a legal US citizen, do they consider themselves American? I don’t know. I think black is an acceptable term to use.
that depends on whether he is american, of course.
wow. Djimon Gaston Hounsou is African.
Literally as he was born in West Africa.
Though he is now a us citizen I would consider him African because of his place of origin.
Black.
like..i’m black and nobody ever calls me British-African- lol
you can’t always assume
Bottom of the barrel man. Fucking shame
@ccarothers - Thank you for speaking the truth. I’ve had black Americans get “offended” when someone doesn’t call them African American, although they weren’t born in Africa. No one calls me Scottish-American just because I’m white, but you don’t see me getting my panties in a wad about it. Why can’t we all just be Americans?
Nigerian. Lol! Sorry, I don’t have a clue who he is.
I’d say he’s black. To heck with PC!
I can legitimately say I’m Australian American, because I was born in the land Down Under and hold citizenship there. But just because my background is purely Croatian and Slovak, I still don’t call myself a Slovak-Croatian-Australian American :p
To-may-to to-mah-to.
I have never heard a Caucasian individual refer themselves “European American”.
That man is black. He is not an American (as far as I know from reading above). That does not make his race an African American. His origins are simply from Africa.
I attend a college where the ratio is 5/1 black to white. All of the students that have dark skin have no quams about being called ‘black’. We even make a joke of it. On the first day of a class, the students in the class always make a remark about how I ‘broke out of the mold’ – I stand out in the 99% black class.
I have no idea who this is, so how would I know if he is American…? I think we’re all so hung up on titles… Would you call me a German American? I was born here. My parents were born here. This is ridiculous.
Black.
What the name is for?
I have trouble with the term “African American.” I do not refer to myself as “Irish American.” I refer to myself as “white.” So, I naturally would refer to this gentleman as “black.” I don’t consider it a put-down in any way, it is just a description.
He’s human
Black. Because he or his ancestors are not necessarily from Africa and he’s not necessarily an American.
I would call him black unless I knew he was from Africa or preferred being called African American, but really I don’t have too many situations where I need to identify someone by their race.
I’d call him African lol, isn’t he from Benin Africa?
he is an african, who i think maybe lives in america.
Black.
Is this the guy with the penis in Amistad?
I call em black.
Black… But if given the choice not to even bring it up, I wouldn’t…
Black.
He’s Black.
More to the point he’s an AMERICAN. Just like I’m an AMERICAN.
The sooner we get past the color of skin or country of origin, the sooner this nation will pull together as one and deal with our problems in a unified manner.
I’d say black.
he is black, unless the person was born in African then became American; calling a person an “African American” makes no sense.
I have used both terms, and we have to realize that what is acceptable has changed many times over the years. As mentioned by @SladeTheGreyFox - many people are abandoning these terms, preferring simply to be called Americans. When describing someone in order to be able to locate them, referring to skin color or ethnicity is necessary, as is height, weight, hair color, distinguishing marks, etc. Other than that, race and ethnicity should be merely an interesting part of discussions about heritage.
@joyouswind - “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight”…FTW!!!
have you ever wonder why the only to race that has a debate is “White or Black”. Now all other nation under the sun that’s in the U.S. only has a background other than the U.S. and they allow themselves to say” I’m this American and I’m from here American”
That person you has on this pic is whatever, he wants to be. Some people call themselves only American, some call themselves _________American. It all the same. We are still here and living day by day.
@joyouswind - Now this is some soul searching joyouswind. And be truthful about life, liberty, and the persult of happiness.
Here is some other truth for your information: In Acts 10:34,35 tells us what God feel about Humanity.
@Rob_of_the_Sky - LOLOLOL. Funniest shit this morning.
I’d just call him a man. I recently wrote about people being hung up on skin color and said the only time it should be used is to describe to the police, etc., to narrow down the list of those they need to search for along with other pertinent information such as height, weight, hair color, clothing and a description of the get-away car.
UMM Black – I’m white – not Irish American. I was not born in Ireland, I was born here, in NJ. If you are not born in Africa, you are not African American.
Black.
Not that I have any reason to hold more ground than any of these people because I am black.
Ever notice that anything subtitled as “American” sucks?
It is my personal opinion that God created colors of this world we live in because it is beautiful. Have you ever notice when you see beautiful shade and blands of color of flower and animals we say WOW, what a beautiful sight.
Now when it come to humanity, that where the problems come in: Now because in the literature and poetry of this text in Acts 10:34,35: Then Peter opened his mouth, ans said, “Of a TRUTH I PRECEIVE that God is no RESPECTER OF PERSON: But”……………………………. How this is a person perspective of what our life day by day should be?????? This poetry states that no person is any better than any other person.
Here is so more poetry of this Book that is just simple beautiful. In Acts 17:24-27 Just this out: The Question is: Why did God put nations on planet earth? And why has god allowed the habitations of nation in this earth?
Now in this literature of hope in 1 Corinthians 15:39 This is only saying that man, beast, fish and Bird, DO NOT have the same flesh.(SKIN)
But notice what it says about the flesh of men. There is only one kind of flesh of men.( This only saids that ask we look at each other we as human are all the same.( only different colors because it is beautiful.)
Black - I can’t tell where in the world he’s from. But he’s a great actor and I really like him.
@polishswede - yeah the whole issue of what to call a person is just for lack of a better word silly… something more to bitch about. I’m a beaner, mexicunt, brown fog, wetback, home deopt working mojada…I dont really care, and neither should anyone else. There are so many worse things in this world to be concerned with…
@ccarothers - That’s my main concern. But how many generations in the U.S. must you wait before removing the person’s country of origin? Hmm…I think it has more to do with the disappearance of culture. Like, a 10th generation U.S. born Chinese person most likely wouldn’t have the same cultural values as a first or second generation U.S. born person would. Then would they be American, and no longer Chinese-American? Would they be an American Chinese, but not Chinese-American?
Haha, I saw a news report once where a woman was reporting from Britain, and there were a bunch of black men boycotting this business, and the reporter, who was British herself, said, “—is being boycotted by African Americans today–”
It was a true facepalm moment.
@MomGoneMadd - exactly. people just need to get their panties out of a wad.
Sexy.
Fuck! Wrong post.
Human.
Black , the same as I would prefer to be called or black american because I have never been to Africa . Don’t really care where my ancestors where snatched from .
I’d call him Djimon Hounsu. (I can’t spell his name, but that’s his name.)
black.
@ShimmerBodyCream - agreed.
Black.
Um, isn’t that like Djimon Honsou (or however you spell that)??? He’s actually from Africa. So he’s not African American, he’s just straight up African. So, Dan, the answer is neither of your options. Sorry.:) @openmindedgirlk - yay! I’m so glad someone else recognized him and said that he’s actually from Africa! I thought I was the only one… and he’s kind of a big deal in the acting world, having been nominated by the Academy, HFPA, etc. a few times.
casually, i would say black to describe his race. if i needed to be more formal or socially acceptable for one reason or another i would say african american, even though i personally don’t think that is necessary.
It depends on with whom I am conversing.
Black because now they are seeing that African American can be inaccurate.
black… however he is a true african so i would probably call him african as well… he is not an american citizen (i dont think) so afican american would not fit
nice blog, thanks for posting
African American
@ihsankhairir - Good point. Charlize Theron is directly from South Africa, after all.
I’d call Djimon (sp?) black. I mean, he is directly from Africa, but like most people here are saying, he may not have American citizenship yet. But hey, why are we making a big deal out of this?
Hot. cuz he’s sexy. ^.^
Coloured.
Both Djimon Honsou and Charlize Theron are Africans from Africa (Benin and South Africa) who have become naturalized American citizens.
If you can use the term African American for both these people without it feeling weird, then maybe yes, African American he is.
Otherwise I say he is black.
I remembering hearing that Black actually refers to those who are the descendants of slaves. So it seems a little derogatory to me, or rather it brings up a lot of bad blood that will never be forgotten.
African-american obviously refers to someone who is has roots in both African and America. If my history memory is correct many Africans were brought over from Africa to the Americas (US, Haiti, Jamaica, etc). So African-American would be the better term as many would trace their roots back to those Africans who were brought over.
I would say African-American based on my historical knowledge.
I say both, but Black mostly.
xo
I would call him a hunk
chuck congo lol ya hes def BLACK lol
black. what if he’s not american?
also why aren’t white people referred to as european american or
something? we’re just white. but black people can’t be just black.
makes no sense yo
Black
just by looking at him, i’d say he’s black. a lot of people throw a bitchfit about being called african american (ie “i’m not african, i’m jamaican!”).
Ya know, that bald guy with the goatee beard thingymabob? who wore that grey pin suit, with a white shirt, with the baby blue tie? yea him.
Black.
Thank you for posting this. Just yesterday, we were discussing at University the words “race” and “ethnic origin.” People use them interchangeably, but apparently that is wrong. To me they have always been the same, but on thinking about them, I realise they are not.
I would say my race is Other Asian (not Indian/Pakistani or Chinese/Japanese etc), and my ethnic origin is Iraq.
But some people in my study group said they’d call their race White British, for example, and their ethnicity Christian. To me, religion is a whole different thing, because you can change that any day.
It got even weirder because like we have an Iranian in our group who was born in Iran, so the rest of my group said they could understand his calling himself Iranian in terms of ethnicity. But when I said I am Iraqi, they found it odd because I was born and raised here in England. I just said I don’t feel British. I guess it is all to do with how you perceive yourself, ethnicity, unlike race, which is probably clear. Either way, I believe it’s to do with how you were brought up; I was brought up speaking Iraqi Arabic, eating Iraqi foods, having Iraqi family friends… so even though I grew up in Britain, my life was very “Iraqi.”
It’s interesting with race, because you can get like White British and Black British. I read on a site that an example of race would be white, defined by pale skin, light eye colour, certain characteristics. Then the ethnicity would be further divided, like British, American, German… and so on.
Our group leader told us a funny story about a colleague he had back at college. Apparently, his skin colour was really black, and the guy himself described it as “fresh, shiny black.” But his accent was a sophisticated English. He would always find it fun to confuse people, like for job interviews, he’d talk to them on the phone and they would instantly assume he was white, born and bred. And then they would meet him and sometimes couldn’t hide their utter surprise, haha.
We even spoke about the BNP (British National Party – I dunno how big the States are on our news) leader, Nick Griffin. He claims Britain should only be for British people, and everyone else should be deported. When asked what “British” meant, seeing as there was a time where Britain didn’t exist, so we are all immigrants in that sense, he defined it as having your family line on this land for 60 years or over. That makes you British. So if you’ve been here 58 years, you should be deported.
So it was interesting, and I went home and researched it and I still haven’t found something that clearly draws a line between the two, for me.
All in all, thanks for this entry, at this time, haha. It was interesting to read the comments. I will be sure to go back to my group and share some of these thoughts I’ve read.
Black. I know a lot of black people who hate it when people assume that they are African-American
Neither. He is African. I don’t use “black” for anything other than to describe Americans.
Black.
He’s not actually African is he?
I had a friend in highschool who was African-American. He got numerous scholorships, and had a free ride. Of course, they were taken away when they found out he was white, even though we was technically African-American. -.-
This is stupid. (not you, Dan, I mean the categorization of people by ethnicity). Call him whatever you want, but you can call me Riis. I mean, the only time you’d refer to me as black (which is more a false assumption when describing complexion than anything else), would be if you were talking about me to someone else. Does anyone ever go up to random people and say, “Hello white person.” or “What’s up, Mexican?”. My nationality is American. My ancestry is predominantly Native American and Irish. But based on my complexion, I’m black.
Like I said…
STUPID.
he’s black.. damn, some ppl need to learn some shit
I agree with people above. I’d call him black. I have a friend who is black. She is barely African American. She’s mostly from the Caribbean or India region.
He is an African-American. I am Black.
@joyouswind - you left out brown people!
i would call him black.
black
If it’s fine to call caucasians white, it’s fine to call african-americans black I suppose. Unless of course you factor in minority suppression and past ills. Of course, I have yet to come across an african-american who was bothered by using the word black.
black…i hate the term african american.
I’d call him bro.
Black
Black. Unless he specifically asks me to call him African American. But I don’t ask people to call me European American, that would be dumb, especially since neither me, nor my parents, nor my parents’ parents have ever lived in Europe. I would assume that most “African Americans” who live in America could say the same about Africa.
How about simply really attractive?
“Human” works well, too.
I use black. No one I know has been offended when I say they are black when they identify themselves as black.
I used to use African American because I thought it sounded less derogatory, until an old schoolmate was heard saying “African American” by a teacher. The teacher went straight into the student’s face and said, “Black. Black and proud. Don’t you forget that.“
@joyouswind - I thought… (or heard for that matter)
Yellow was asian
Red was Native American
Black etc
White etc.
Actually you know what. I really don’t give a damn. I know people by name!
black
hunk and a half in my book
black. he could be something else, like NOT african american.
Hm, i tend to lean toward what most of a race use to describe themselves and others.. ie African Americans (most that i know) use the term light skin, dark skin or what have you. But white and black are a little drastic considering no one is totally black, and only albinos are totally white… So light and dark are good descriptions, but aren’t there better properties to use when describing another human being?
Well, I don’t know or know of this man, so I guess it would depend on whether he is a US citizen or not. :p
If he is, then I’d call him African-American. If he isn’t…well, it would depend on where he’s from. African-European, maybe, if he’s from Europe. :p
But, I don’t see a problem with using the word “black” either…since I personally haven’t met any African-Americans who dislike being called black. But, that doesn’t mean there are none. But, I don’t like to offend people unnecessarily. Its kind of childish, in my opinion, to do something like that. :/ Its mostly about politeness. If I had a preference on what to be called, myself, then I would hope that the majority of people would be polite enough to respect those wishes when there is no reason for them not to.
Black. He could be french for all I know.
@makethemakersmile - Yeah, def, my brothers are Haitian, and calling them African American is stunningly inaccurate. It doesn’t keep people from calling them that though.
Ry’leh Cuthulu ftagn
@Hippielalah - just out of pure curiosity, how do you personally differentiate?
Black, he is not African American unless he has moved to America from Africa, and that is NOT a race! Not all African people are black…..why this is such a misused term is beyond me, but then again, that is how languages evolve
Black. in this case, “Black Man” He would have to be the one to describe himself as “African American” before I did.
i would say neither… and i don’t want to say something racial and sound ignorant, and then feel like i’m politically incorrect at the same time.
@makethemakersmile - He is from Cotonou, Benin. He was born there and moved to American and became an American citizen. He can trace his roots to a specific place in Africa. I say I’m black because I can’t trace my roots to a specific place in Africa. I just assume that is where some of my ancestors originated from. That is just my personal theory.
Were is he from?
both cause not all african americans are black and not all black people are african american
African American
@Hippielalah - ok, cool that makes sense. so you say that because youhappen to know that about him. makes total sense to me.
Just African.
He’s African. He was born in Benin, in West Africa, and lived there til thirteen… Although he is now a naturalized U.S. citizen, I would classify him as African…
Black, you can be white and be from Africia.
African American is, in my opinion, a racist term in itself. Do you call white people who are from Africa that move to America “African Americans”? Do you call Egyptians who move to America African Americans? Last time I checked Egypt was in Africa. And why do we have to point out their heritage and not ours. The majority of black people in America today were born in America, as were their parents. So they’re not any more African American than I am German American. And if we are going to make a standard for one thing, we should make it a standard for everyone.
Hold a piece of white paper next to my skin and tell me it’s the same color… it’s not. Neither are black people literally black, it is just a common term to note the differences between races. It’s not being racist to note differences in skin color, because the skin colors are not the same, and there’s not a problem with that. I don’t see why people have such a problem with this.
how about american?
I tend to use both.
When I was growing up, the polite term was “negro”, which is just “black” in latin and spanish.
Today I will say “black”. I absolutely refuse to use any hyphenated-American terms.
Neither – I’d just call him a man.
Yes.