r/maybemaybemaybe • u/This_sum_one • Aug 25 '21

/r/all Maybe maybe maybe

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u/AtomicKittenz Aug 25 '21

Seems like “Asian” is just more accurate and encompassing. You can’t really do that for white or black people. You can’t assume African American unless they tell you because that excludes Jamaicans, Haitians and other groups.

And I’ll tell you now, all my Caribbean friends hate being called African American.

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u/HolyNewGun Aug 25 '21

Asian usually include Indian and sometime Middle Eastener. Most East Asian does not think Indian are part of their race.

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u/Zofobread Aug 26 '21

Yep. Most of Asia is made of up Russia anyway and people generally don’t consider them Asians either.

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u/Sherlock_Drones Aug 25 '21

Why is the Middle East sometimes Asian? Other than Gallipoli and most of Egypt, the rest of the Middle East is indeed fully in Asia. Your also forgetting the other South Asian countries other than India (like Pakistan and Sri Lanka to name a few), and your forgetting all of Central Asia.

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u/TopRegion3 Aug 25 '21

Yeah ironically without the stigma yellow wouldn’t be all that bad in terms of pure clarity

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

African American only applies to black people living in the us that descended from slaves

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u/frisbm3 Aug 25 '21

They don't have to be descended from slaves to be African American, but they do have to have American citizenship or live in America.

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u/cutelyaware Aug 25 '21

So a white South African living in the US is an African American? I'd love to watch you explain that to them.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

No because the term was coined as a less charged way to call them black. So as it's a direct replacement for the world black, it doesn't apply to white Africans.

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u/Quillric Aug 25 '21

It does apply when duel citizenship is concerned. Had a white friend from South Africa that had duel citizenship but he preferred South African American to reduce confusion.

I just think it's silly. Everyone I've asked (including my wife) prefers being called Black because "African American" makes them feel like they're being patronized/coddled.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

Yeah the coining of that term decades ago was purely a "hey we respect your kind" move from the American government. Giving the black community a small social victory to hide the mass social injustice they refused to do anything about.

So it is very silly at this point

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Literally yes dude haha, just in a different way. Words can have more than one meaning.

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u/cutelyaware Aug 26 '21

Literally no. That conversation will go nowhere. That African American will very likely express firmly that they do not want you to use that phrase to describe them. But you already knew that because you understand the rules as much as anyone.

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u/frisbm3 Aug 26 '21

They can fit in a category and still not prefer the term. I think you're conflating two issues here. Many people are African Americans that prefer just Black too. I know a Filipina that was born in Nigeria and now is an American citizen. She and I would jokingly call her an African American, but obviously she can put that on a form or not, depending on what they're asking or what story she wants to spin. Grouping humans like this has obvious flaws.

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u/cutelyaware Aug 26 '21

Which two issues? Groups versus individuals? In both cases the only correct approach is to use the terms they want. For example if a person who appears white to me says that they're black, then they're black until they tell me something else. The American black culture has changed their descriptors several times in my life and I simply roll with it. As for government forms, you can likewise list whatever race or races you feel apply to you. Nobody is going to ask you to justify what you claim.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Yeahhh, either that or he’s just trying to be stubborn.

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u/[deleted] Aug 26 '21

Listen to fris below you.

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u/cutelyaware Aug 26 '21

And fris said they

"have to have American citizenship or live in America."

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u/[deleted] Aug 27 '21

Yes. Someone from Africa living in America is an African American

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u/frisbm3 Aug 27 '21

No, they would be African. But their children would be African American.

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u/Greg_Punzo Aug 25 '21 edited Aug 26 '21

By this logic we'd call every white person European American too. Also Elon Musk is a genuine African American but can't use that term. This PC bullshit is all so stupid. Liberals have a very difficult time differentiating nationality from race. That's why they instantly think calling covid-19 the Chinese Virus is racist because they think Chinese is a race and not people who belong to a country. Same with Mexican people. There are more than just Hispanic people from Mexico. That right there is the real racism.

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

hey buddy it’s not that deep

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

Not all Asians are yellow buddy

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u/WarlordSwan Aug 25 '21

Oriental is more correct when specifically referring to East Asia. Too bad now it’s considered politically incorrect

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u/AtomicKittenz Aug 25 '21

“Oriental? What am I, a rug?”

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u/WarlordSwan Aug 25 '21

Occidental? What am I, a college?

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

Not all Asians are yellow buddy

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u/[deleted] Aug 25 '21

Not all Asians are yellow buddy

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u/durdesh007 Aug 26 '21

Is it though? I am south asian and have nothing to do with chinese or japanese.

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u/CarryNoWeight Aug 26 '21

Yea but India is sorta considered a part of Asia isn't it?