Being PC: Black vs. African

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I'm wondering what's considered the less offensive way to refer to relatively dark-skinned individuals of African descent. "Black" seems to have developed a bad reputation these days, but "African" could describe ancestry without denoting nationality. Should I use a completely different term since someone could mistake an Indigenous Australian for being "black"?

We live in the days of political correctness. I think it depends on which country you live in. Here in the UK people of African decent are called black and that is their choice. It used to be quiote acceptable to call them coloured, but now it is qpparently not. Indian people are brown and Chinese yellow, but we don't usually use those terms for them.

I am in the U.S so my experience may not be relevent to all regions but I've heard a lot of black people don't like the term African American because, they didn't move here from Africa...I mean I don't call myself a Belgian-american because before I was born my family migrated here from there, so I can imagine it would be strange to be considered 'african american' if you've never been to Africa. I did meet one person who actually used the term 'african american' to describe herself and she was a white girl from South Africa and was born there.

As for Australia I do not know how the indigenous people feel of the term black or if it would really even be relevant to them at all....pretty sure 'african american' certainly would not apply to them in any way, 'african austrailian' could be offensive I imagine if they are the 'indigenous' people of Australia.

Whether you're of African descent or not is a matter of how far back in time you arbitrarily put the origin of your descent.

IDK because I have gotten in-trouble for calling people black, AND I've gotten in-trouble for calling people African American. I think people calling themselves ______-American is so stupid----IMO, it INVITES separatism, which, supposedly, they're NOT wanting!

One time, some woman told me she was "going back to Africa", and I said: "Oh, I didn't know you had been, before", and she just looked at me, like: "Really----how stupid are you?" (meaning, "you KNOW black people come from Africa"). I thought that was just BEYOND stupid, of HER! I'm of Irish descent, but I don't call myself Irish American, cuz *I* didn't come from there. I'm also of Native American descent, but I don't call myself that either unless someone asks, specifically, my ethnicity.

Ultimately, the Genus Homo seems to have emerged in Africa--so we are all, in essence, African.

I don't really see what's wrong with the term "black". Here, it's a nonspecific term with no inherent negative connotations. In fact, around here, almost no one says "African American" when referring to one of their friends or relatives, because in a Canadian context, that would just sound strange. As well, most of the black people I've known have roots going back to Latin America. "African American" may technically work in that context, but usually it implies black people who live in or are from the United States.

I am from America and I don't know how things work in other countries because I have not lived out of the country since I was five, but my father was in the military so I grew up with lots of different kinds of people.

My best friend calls herself a Black-African-American-woman-of-color. I guess she got tired of keeping up with what she is called.

I have been in trouble for saying someone is black, also with person of color, and with African American. I notice lots of people who are not black or white calling themselves people of color. I can't help it but every time someone says they are a person of color I think to myself, well isn't white a color too? Now it just seems best if I refrain from calling anyone anything but their given name.

And then there are black puerto ricans, who are every bit as african, but . . . .

You can also be white African.

In America if you immigrate from Northern Africa you are white -- even if your skin is not.

Here is a white African person ...



http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/07/egy ... -as-black/

Most my peers growing up were black, they didn't call me European American or even Caucasian and I didn't call them African American. They're were black, I was white, there wasn't anything offensive about it and I probably would of been made fun of if I said African American. I don't hear too many people identify as African American or use that unless they're trying to be overly formal and PC, I am not allowed to say what they really called each other growing up. I think you gotta know your audience, I'm not in the 'hood anymore and I'm in college so its a entirely environment where I also need to choose my words carefully so maybe I should change to the more PC 'African American'.

I don't understand how somebody can think it is offensive unless the context was offensive then its not the word but the racist belief. You can totally be racist and be PC, most are these days. I don't think even negro or colored is offensive to be honest, antiquated maybe but what matters is the context. You can say African American in an offensive way too, you could use any identifying word. Blacks really aren't as sensitive as white liberals are, they're normal rational just like us and I don't lose my s**t because someone says something I don't agree with and maybe even find offensive. I think most would rather us police the actual police instead policing speech.