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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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 Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 5:50 pm Post subject: African-Canadian? |
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I was reading an article on CNNSI.com which was about a Canadian family that takes in foster kids (the parents have a son who was in the National Hockey League NHL)
Anyway, the child was referred to as an "African-American". I just looked on Wikipedia, and looks like CNNSI made a mistake in using that term:
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Terminology
One of the ongoing controversies in the black Canadian community revolves around appropriate terminologies. Some may refer to black Canadians as Afro-Canadian or African Canadian. African-American is also used on occasion, but is generally considered incorrect. Caribbean Canadian is often used to refer to black Canadians of Caribbean heritage, although this usage can also be controversial because the Caribbean is not populated only by people of African origin. The Caribbean includes large groups of Indo-Caribbeans, Chinese Caribbeans, European Caribbeans, Syrian or Lebanese Caribbeans, and Amerindians. The same racial diversity is also true of Africa, although this is far less frequently cited as an argument against the use of African Canadian. The term Afro-Caribbean-Canadian is occasionally used in response to this controversy, although as of 2006 this term is still fairly rare.
Blacks of Caribbean origin form a much larger proportion of the black community in Canada than in the United States and the United Kingdom � in fact, almost 40 per cent of Canada's black population is of Jamaican origin. Many Canadians of Afro-Caribbean origin strongly object to the term African Canadian as obscuring their own culture and history, which partially accounts for the term's less prevalent use in Canada, compared to the consensus African American south of the border.
More specific national terms such as Jamaican Canadian, Haitian Canadian or Nigerian Canadian are also used. As of 2006, there was no widely-used alternative to black Canadian that was accepted by both the African Canadian and Afro-Caribbean-Canadian communities as an umbrella term for the whole group. |
Personally, I think the movement to change to the term "African-American" was well intentioned, but in reality, it is awkward and often times incorrect. Seems kind of ridiculous to me, and more than a little PC (may have been the first full-on example of PC-ness). |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 6:43 pm Post subject: |
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I call them black, problem solved.
There's an anecdote from several years ago when Donovan Bailey was the fastest man in the world. One announcer said "There' goes Donovan Bailey, one fast African-American."
The other guy said "Actually, he's Caribbean-Canadian." |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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| In Canada you generally keep the nation/culture of your heritage without appending "Canadian". We get it. One is Italian, not Italian Canadian, even if you're 4th generation. One is Chinese or Korean or Irish or English. |
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hellofaniceguy
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Location: On your computer screen!
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| Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 10:41 pm Post subject: |
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Whatever happen to just being human?!? What's up really with being Asian, Black, White, German, Japanese, etc...
We all bleed red! Ain't no nationality living any longer than, any healthier, any smarter than another or getting better benefits just because they are.....
now...I do suppose I would be offended if someone called me korean! |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:21 am Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Whatever happen to just being human?!? What's up really with being Asian, Black, White, German, Japanese, etc...
We all bleed red! Ain't no nationality living any longer than, any healthier, any smarter than another or getting better benefits just because they are.....
now...I do suppose I would be offended if someone called me korean! |
That's not what your avatar says. |
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Newbie
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:19 am Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
| Ain't no nationality living any longer than, any healthier, any smarter than another or getting better benefits just because they are..... |
DUDE! There may be Koreans reading this!!! You can't go shattering their beliefs and dreams like that. Come on man, a little caution please. |
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mindmetoo
Joined: 02 Feb 2004
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:01 am Post subject: |
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| hellofaniceguy wrote: |
Whatever happen to just being human?!? What's up really with being Asian, Black, White, German, Japanese, etc...
We all bleed red! Ain't no nationality living any longer than, any healthier, any smarter than another or getting better benefits just because they are.....
now...I do suppose I would be offended if someone called me korean! |
Because people enjoy celebrating where they came from and the good qualities of that culture. The Canadian view is people should maintain the best of their motherlands and weave it into the fabric of my nation. |
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Hollywoodaction
Joined: 02 Jul 2004
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 5:34 am Post subject: |
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| Funny, but I never thought of my two university roommates are black, Caribbean-Canadian or Haitian-Canadian. They were just Terry and Neil to me. |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:15 am Post subject: |
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An old buddy who was "First Nations" preferred to identify himself as FBI
"Full Blooded Indian"
Also, I've noticed a preponderance of Cleveland Indians and Washington Redskins apparel being worn by "Indians/First Nations" in Canada. Apparently some find it offensive, but apparently a lot don't, either. |
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Smurfette
Joined: 21 Jun 2006
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:29 am Post subject: |
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So does that make me European-Canadian? And when my partner and I have a child will they be Caribbean-European-Canadian? 
Honestly, it feels weird to identify someone who has lived their whole life in North America as anything other than Canadian/American. |
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Pak Yu Man
Joined: 02 Jun 2005
Location: The Ida galaxy
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 10:21 am Post subject: |
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Met this girl when she got a job with the uni. Fist time out I asked her if she was American. She replied "I'm African-American thank you very much".
So I said "no shiat? I couldn't tell you were black".
Why do Americans do that? Are they not bright enough to figure out a blak woman in the US is an African American?
That chick lasted 6 months. It was all about the evil world preying upon her race. |
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Pligganease
Joined: 14 Sep 2004
Location: The deep south...
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Pak Yu Man wrote: |
Why do Americans do that? Are they not bright enough to figure out a blak woman in the US is an African American?
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Why do idiots do that? Are you not bright enough to realize that a white person can be African-American as well?
Maybe she thought you were racist and you were asking here because you sounded like a bigot.
Who knows, but I bet the fault was yours. |
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ilovebdt
Joined: 03 Jun 2005
Location: Nr Seoul
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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Does that make me Polish -English? Oooo.
ilovebdt |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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I found that people who identified themselves as "#####-Canadian", tended to keep within their groups in socializing, marrying, etc. Greeks are known for being very insular, in particular, and of course Koreans in North America. Seems limiting to me, kind of like the guy I talked to a couple of Christmas's ago who had never been out of Canada, not even to the States. He was 51.
Incidentally, think it may have been Jesse Jackson who brought the term "African-American" into somewhat common use. Now I think it may be used about 40% of the time, Black used about 40% of the time, and N@@@a used 20% of the time by blacks/A-As/Ngs in the U.S. (my numbers)  |
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dulouz
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Location: Uranus
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| Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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| I have a problem with "Afro-Caribean". AmerIndians are from the Caribean, and amongst those the Arawak was the most prevelant. The Awaraks are all gone due to diseases. Is this how we eliminate them from history? |
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