Black or African-American?

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

Originally Posted by blueerica

I am going to go with Black Canadian... I rather like that.

That sounds like something you'd order at Sizzler...or maybe a pizza topping..

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by blueerica

I am going to go with Black Canadian... I rather like that.

I'll have a Black Canadian:

1 oz. Black Label
1 oz. Canadian Club
4 oz. Molson
Rim a glass with bacon fat, then salt.
Mix and pour.

[blueerica]

Is that a real drink?

I may have to forward that to someone if that's true hahaha...


But you know what sounds good... a black russian... or hell, a white russian for that matter. I'll take anything - I'm getting sick of working on coupons and stamp cards that people keep changing their minds over tiny details on.

[€uroMeinke]

I always wonder in these scenarios how, darker skinned folks of Caribean origin are classified, or white South Africans

[blueerica]

I've pondered that as well, though if I understand correctly, many of our dark-skinned Caribbean friends actually arrived there as first-class passengers on the beautiful ship, Slave Trade. So, would they be African-Whatevercountry?

Or what of the very mixed heritage of the Puerto Ricans?

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by blueerica

I've pondered that as well, though if I understand correctly, many of our dark-skinned Caribbean friends actually arrived there as first-class passengers on the beautiful ship, Slave Trade. So, would they be African-Whatevercountry?

Perhaps, but how many generations do you go back? Technically we're all African American - or well, the Americans on this board anyway...

[innerSpaceman]

Except, of course, for you wife.

I think if your ancestors Mayflowered their way here, you officially get to go no further back than that as your heritage declaration point.

[BarTopDancer]

Pangea-American

[Alex]

Considering that on most Caribbean islands the native populations were pretty much completely eradicated and the non-black populations are in the extreme minority, I think in most of them just saying the nationality is more than enough.

Aruban = black. Jamaican = black. Haitian = black. Etc.

I personally don't understand the need to identify yourself by racial or ethnic groupings. In today's paper there was a column about a play in which a black mathematician is told that he is "forgetting his identity." This pass unremarked in the column but it struck me. Since in so many other areas we are told that our identity comes from within.

But then, being (extremely, if there are non-northern European genes in me they are very, very old) white means that I've been the beneficiary of the unlevel playing field and therefore it is easy to ignore it.

As for the original question, I'd say black (I'm not fond of African-XX because African is used to mean black when that isn't necessarily true) or black Canadian but if you're presenting this in some formal capacity then yeah, match whatever is expected within that organization.

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by Disneyphile

I'd just use "Black". I think the world is a little too PC. I don't mind being called "White". It's better than "Caucasian", because I've always wondered where "Caucasia" actually is.

Ask and ye shall receive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasus