Black or African-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.

[BarTopDancer]

Pangea-American

[Jughead P. Jones]

Well, since I am from Canada, I'd probably go with the term Black Canadian, if writing from a research perspective.

(And, EH1812...technically, you're right, as in we're part of NORTH AMERICA, but we're individuals, darn it. We say EH! EH!!!)

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Jughead P. Jones

Well, since I am from Canada, I'd probably go with the term Black Canadian, if writing from a research perspective.

(And, EH1812...technically, you're right, as in we're part of NORTH AMERICA, but we're individuals, darn it. We say EH! EH!!!)

I say eh! I say eh too! Of course, I learned it from listening to you guys. Heh.

[Not Afraid]

I'm Mayflowerian.

Re: African American: The "American" supposedly refers to "The Americas" which is basically the Western Hemisphere. So, Canadian Blacks should be called African American. The term is to distinguish ethnicity, not nationality, so Canadian whatever shouldn't be used IMHO.

[lizziebith]

My StepMom (who is) prefers Black. Adamantly. And yes, I asked.

[Alex]

As used in the United States, "caucasian" simply refers to skin color not region of origin. In Europe "caucasian" refers to people from that region.

How the name for that region came be used as the descriptive term for white people is an interesting bit of racist science history. Without going into details, the term was used because that's where early 19th science though the skull features of northern Europeans would ultimately be traced.

But to a degree it is all moot since race doesn't exist in an objective sense and in general usage people aren't at all rigorous in distinguishing race, ethnicity, and nationality. Or even the order in which they are important (the idea that the third of those should be primary is a relatively recent concept).

[blueerica]

Wow! You must really mean that, Rstar!

On that note, I know a number of Latinos that refer to themselves as "brown" but in Spanish... "Soy moreno!"

Oh, but don't call a Latino "brown"... like, ever. You may as well use any number of less-savory euphemisms.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by blueerica

Wow! You must really mean that, Rstar!

Just to explain, because it's no longer there, but RStar's post came out double.



But, he was the one who pointed out the obvious to blueerica .... a drink recipe that calls for rimming the glass with bacon fat is not a real drink recipe.

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by innerSpaceman

a drink recipe that calls for rimming the glass with bacon fat is not a real drink recipe.

http://www.liquorsnob.com/archives/2..._the_flesh.php

Define real.