When White people say Black
March 31, 2006
I like to think of myself as pretty affable but one thing that burns me is when I hear White people use the term, Black to refer to African Americans. For me, I think the use of that term by Whites should be as nearly prohibited as using the term nigga. Now I personally define myself as Black and use this term to talk about members of the Diaspora. However, when White people use this term, the hair on the back of my neck rises. And for as misleading that I think the term African-American is, I feel relieved when White people use it.
What do you think?
Stay up fam,
Brandon
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23 Responses to “When White people say Black”
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Let me agree with you on one point…I do refer to myself and other Black people as Black, and not African-American. Mainly because I’m not from Africa, I’m from America. Not that I don’t identify with my African roots, but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m physically from Africa and neither are my parents. What’s more, I’ve never even been there! White people don’t refer to themselves as European American, so why should I be forced to identify myself with a continent I’ve never even been to? African American would mean that I was a citizen of Africa, and at some point I made the decision to live in America and change my citizenship…so I’M Black.
As for white people calling me Black, I really don’t have a problem with that. It’s HOW they say Black that gets me, though. I wish I had a sound byte of a white person saying “Black”! You can always tell they’re either not comfortable saying it, or they’re too comfortable saying it and are 1 step away from saying nigga, but were just being nice for the moment.
In the end, I guess it’s just a case of personal preference, though. As long as they don’t call me a nigga, I’m cool.
I used to hear some older Black people refer to themselves as “colored” and never understood why. I do now.
I know in theory, and in rhetoric why we call ourselves “African-American”, but to be honest, I hate that term. I don’t hate the premise: that we should formally acknowledge ourselves as a people in transition with socio-cultural roots in the motherland that transcended slavery.
But I hate, hate (did I say hate?) the way the words sound, the way it looks, even the way they feel going down the ear. And I REALLY hate the way white people sound when they say “African-American”. It is painful. It almost sounds like a surgical procedure. I hate the way white people say hold it uncomfortably in their mouths like they are chewing glass.
I hate it because instead of being a term of self love and definition, for most of us it is a qualifier– a way to show white America who we really are. It doesn’t help. If they don’t get who we are from our lives what we call ourselves won’t make them get it.
I prefer Black. I never call my 98 year old cousin “African-American”. I never sit around with my friends and marinate on the philosophy of “being African-American.” I never look at myself in the mirror and think about how “African American” my nose or my lips or my hips look. And I never talk about the plight of “African-American” people. The only time I use the word African-American is to speak to an audience: namely while folks, and for me, because it feels inauthentic when I use it feels worse when they do.
Despite the obvious contradictions, I almost think that the closest organic term that I’ve heard use was when Sister Souljah refers to herself unabashedly as “African” in her memoir “No Disrespect”. At least it is said with love.
The only thing I hate more is the when people of all races, particularly non-blacks use the word “nigga” like it is a trend. I don’t care how much hip-hop you listen to, I don’t care if you grew up in the deepest, dirtiest, most gully part of the south, or in Bronx, or in deep West Oakland. I don’t care if your mama smoked weed with Bobby Seale, or if your daddy played with Miles Davis, or of your sister slept with Tupac. I don’t care if you eat collard greens and grits, and put syrup on your hotsauce, and can drop it like it is hot, I don’t care if you grew up so poor that you ate cheese and span sandwiches, or if you grew up in black suburbia. I don’t care if you married a black girl and have five black kids named Tariq and Shaton, or if you put Luster curl in your hair, or if your great grandmother was a slave or an indentured servant, crossed the ocean on an ocean liner or on an inner tube, it is never, ever, ever, cool for anybody to call me that, period.
It bothers me when Whites say Black and have no knowledge of the Diaspora. African-American does not bother me because I know I have roots from Africa(If ya’ll don’t know your herstory you should invest in some family research) I mainly identify with my African history yet, I was born in America. Since I don’t feel properly incorporated (not assimilated) into American society then I honestly feel less American. I like Black because I feel it is empowering but I don’t think (I could be wrong) many Whites are aware of this so sometimes if bothers me. I feel like it is used just to separate you from me.
RAAHHAAAA!!! ms. mimi you are on another level!
It’s funny because like you guys said, I most definitely think of myself as black - not African American. “Black” is a unifier. I share a common experience with Africans who were born in Europe, the carribean, South American or Austrailia. We are all “black” we are descendents of the Motherland, not residents.
I never really thought about how it sounds for white people to call us black until you mentioned it. It does usually come off weird unless they’re “down.” And by that I mean, unless they have the same understanding of the unifying experience I just mentioned, they usually either feel uncomfortable saying it or as anon pointed out, are just using it as a sub for nigger [because they know its use is politically incorrect]. “African-American” is cumbersome for white folks ’cause they don’t think we’re African any more than we do ourselves.
Besides, is a South African Boer who gets American citizenship now African-American? Um, yeah. So why don’t we just use black to describe our people so we know who we’re talking about? I saw a dude get an African-American scholarship that way and it made me kind of mad.
i have a question why is it ok for black people to call white people white trash honky cracker and what ever racial names for white people but if a white person says the n word or any racial word refering to a minority it turns into ww3 im white and im not raciest the least bit and i would never use racial word to hurt somebody andi dont think its ok for anybody to use racial words towards anyone else
I have to admit, I’m white and just randomly stumbled across this site. This conversation is slightly confusing - some of you guys say whites using the term ‘African-American’ is offensive, others that saying ‘black’ is offensive. Others say whites seem overly self-conscious, no matter what term they use. Is it any wonder they feel slightly self-conscious, if they’re going to offend people no matter how they express themselves?
By the way, by your logic, isn’t it also offensive for black people to call white people ‘white’? Shouldn’t you use the term European-American or Caucasian?
Apart from being white, I’m also from the UK - we don’t have the same hangups you guys have in the States. You Yanks are all the same (whatever race) - you turn tiny things into a huge deal. You need to chill out. Who cares what someone calls you? If someones racist, it’s obvious and they deserve to get a smack. If someones not racist, and you get offended because they call you black, you need to get a life.
I came across this trying to find out why people are so focused race. What is so offensive about trying categorize the way people look. It is a fact that we all look different, so fucking what! there are good people and bad people; people pale as snow and dark as night; people with intellect of a button mushroom and others who are as smart as Stephen Hawking! We categorize everything from music to the colors of the rainbow. We do need a way to describe how people look for many reasons and it happens everyday for everybody, so deal with it and get over it! There are much more important things to worry about in the world. We are all here together, and we all share one Mother. EARTH!
Just to throw another wrench in here, I was taken aback while I was in Denver at the DNC08 last week when my cab driver repeatedly referred to Barack Obama a “mulatto”.
This is a matter of how identity is defined, perceived, and referred to. The first step to getting beyond the hang-ups that I and others have over Black vs. African-American, etc. is to first assert ownership of my own identity. All people and groups have the right to do this, and they should not be hindered from doing so by having [false] definitions placed onto them by others (people who don’t know or understand them, people who marginalize them, the media, etc.).
Once a definition is established, once can begin to change perceptions, which will lead to a change in how indentiy is referred to and talked about. It’s not a short or simple process, but it’s one worth trudging through.
One Love. One II.
Mimi, you had me crackin up!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
I think it’s dumb when black people say its ok for them to call themselves niggers/niggas but if a white person says it (not necessarily in a derogatory way) it is completely unacceptable. What makes you so special that you’re “allowed” to use that word? I use the word nigga for everyone. I’m white, and I have mostly white friends and I call them niggas all the time. I use it just as I would use the word dude or man. You hear it so much now in rap and tv, that It doesn’t really mean the same thing it used to. I just think this whole thing is dumb. Like the dude said, Yall get offended when we use black, but what about when u use white? How is that not any different? Sometimes I think black people like to complain bout shit cause they are a different color…. who cares, get over it.
i CANNOT STAND THE WORD AFRICAN-AMERICAN YOUR AMERICAN OR NOT NO-MATTER THE COLOR.
That’s what you are. Why be mad?
Why is it politically correct to call “white” people “white” but politically incorrect to call and African American person black? Does that not sound like a double standard?
I’m tellin you, black people just like to complain about shit that they don’t like about white people. Slavery was over a hundred years ago, get over it. It’s not like you or I had anything to do with slavery, so drop that. I think black people are paranoid that white people are hatin on em.
I like to think of myself as pretty affable but one thing that burns me is when I hear Black people use the term, White to refer to Anglo-Americans. For me, I think the use of that term by Blacks should be as nearly prohibited as using the term cracka. Now I personally define myself as White and use this term to talk about other Whites. However, when Black people use this term, the hair on the back of my neck rises. And for as misleading that I think the term Anglo-American is, I feel relieved when Black people use it.
What do you think?
Take Care,
Brendon
Honestly, quit whining….Look how stupid the above posts sounds. That’s what you sound like.
its easy for you to say get over it but your family wasnt in slavey and a new study show that 40% are white people dont like us black people and we did nothing to yall not to like us
Taylor…..First off, I didnt put your family into slavery and neither did anyone living today. But if I went by your logic, I could say that I’m going to hold a grudge against all black people just because a black guy killed my great aunt. That would be riduculous. I know that you were not the reason for that and even if your grandfather was the one who did it, I would still not expect anything from you.
Second, I think your 40% figure is way off (please point me to this study). Regardless I’d be willing to wager that the number of black people that “do not like” white people is much higher than the number of whites that “don’t like” blacks.
I couldn’t possibly agree with the above post any more. If I hear about how people’s ANCESTORS were slaves and that somehow entitles them to pity, money, respect or anything else I’m going to scream. My ancestors were wronged over in England, and then they had to come here to try to free themselves from the tyranny and they had to fight a bloody war for their freedom. So, I think the Brittish owe me something!!! I don’t care if it was 500 years ago! Sound ridiculous? YES
Slavery was terrible, dispicable, none of us can even think about it without wanting to hurl because it is so disgusting and unthinkable. I cannot believe there is a human being left in this country that would actually defend slavery, and if they do they need to die immediately. But stop acting like it just happened yesterday!
Also, I notice no one addresses the complete dichotomy of black people saying white people can’t call them black, they have to use the term “African American” (because my great great great grandma and grandpa were slaves!) but they can call white people White. I have never laughed so hard as when I heard Brendan retype your post only switching white for black. Just shows the hypocrisy so clearly.
Everyone get a life, and stop hating on America. It can’t be that bad if you still choose to live here.
I gotta say, I posted the above and felt bad after posting it because I think I’m doing exactly what I was upset with the original poster for doing. I found this website because I was googling “Why black people continue to use the N word.” It’s something that I don’t understand because it is so completely polarizing (I don’t think black people would like it if white people had a word they could use to call their friends, and told black people they couldn’t use it). When I read the original post and the majority of the responses, I was very upset because it was so utterly ridiculous. Half were saying white people shouldn’t call them black, the other half were saying white people shouldn’t call them African American, and then making fun of white people for sounding awkward when they say it. I know someone else posted saying “it’s no wonder white people feel awkward or self-conscious considering no matter what they say they’re going to offend someone.” This country is so polarized when it comes to blacks and whites, democrats or republicans, religion, etc. It’s exceedingly tiresome. I don’t think Martin Luther King, Jr. was fighting to polarize the country more - he was fighting to bring people together. Some quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.:
“Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.”
“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. ”
Making fun of white people, being hyper-critical of whatever polically correct term they choose to describe your race, and using words that you assert they themselves cannot use does not seem loving, it seems very much like retaliation.
“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
So many black people seem to openly hate white people, and everyone else is somehow ok with that. Why?
“Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”
This is what I see - hate begot hate. White people used to hate black people, now in response black people have decided they hate white people.
“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”
I think even the black people who do not themselves hate white people do not speak out against those that do. That is the same as passively accepting evil.
I know that we all have the utmost respect for Martin Luther King, Jr., and I can only imagine how much more respect those who enjoy equal rights at the fruit of his labor would feel for him. Why, then, do I see so many black people who openly hate white people? Why perpetuate the polarization by calling white people “whtie” but demanding they call you “African American”? For all you know they could have closer ancestral ties to whatever nation they come from than you do! I do not see that Martin Luther King Jr. envisioning a nation where those that he worked so hard to free turn around and practice hatred toward those whose ancestors once enslaved them. What Martin Luther King, Jr. was striving for was peace and love, and I don’t understand why we all can’t have that same goal?
My apologies if I offended anyone by calling them black, but if you are offended - you may want to ask where your priorities lie, because that is entirely making a mountain out of a mole hill.
you know, its funny to me black people always cry racism but they are the most racist. all these rules that white people cant do cant say, this is america people we can say whatever we want, if u dont like it leave. if your going to be so childish to let a single word piss u off then u dont belong here. we have the freedom of speech, this is america incase u forgot. and white people saying nigga is no different from black people saying cracker. and you all use that word dont deny it. so stop bitching and live with it or move. just stop complaining, your ancestors respected white people way more than you. not once have i met an elderly black person who is rude or racist. so grow up people.
damn
Good morning me,
Tell me how you really feel. I find it really tragic when any group of people in America feel they have the right to tell another group to leave. Last I checked, Africans were sort of forced to come to America and helped to build this country so I am not going anywhere. Two, words matter. I don’t know your background but I am sure there is a word that you prefer people not call you. I am all for free speech and I agree that white people saying nigga should be frowned upon as Black people saying cracker.
Plus, where do you get off saying, “you all?” Have you met every Black person in America in order to put is in a group as such?
Here is what I propose “me,” we should talk on the phone to see if we can find some common ground for positive action. My number is 248-763-3385.
Thanks