Are you a ''PC'' hyphenated American?

Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

People are way too interested in what separates them from others. Race/Religion/Hobbies/etc... With all of the immigration, inter-marriage, brands of flashlights, etc., "accepted" classifications are no longer applicable (not that they should have been acceptable in the first place). Here is an article that seems to take PC to its illogical conclusion:

"Distinguished African American Student Award" "...always has been given to black students."

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A small group of Westside High School students plastered the school Monday with posters advocating that a white student from South Africa receive the "Distinguished African American Student Award" next year.

[SNIP]

Karen Richards said her son, Trevor, who was pictured on the posters, was suspended for two days for hanging the posters. Two of his friends also were disciplined for hanging the posters. A fourth student, she said, was punished for circulating a petition Tuesday morning in support of the boys. The petition criticized the practice of recognizing only black student achievement with the award.

[SNIP]

Richards said her family moved to Omaha from Johannesburg six years ago.

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This is an important subject for my two (mixed) daughters--I want to ensure that are considered citizens of their country--not somebody's hyphenated pressure group to be divided and shared amoung various public and private classifications.

Or to quote Dr. King, "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Cheers!
-Bill

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

whaaat on Earth!?
that's so ridiculous..

i heard some friends criticizing an American Troop who was recognized as a "white African-American" from Kenya..

it's pathetic.

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

I'm a proud Pictish-American. I used to call myself a Celtic-American, but after doing some more in depth family historic / geneological research, I have discovered that I'm actually descended from the Picts.

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

that's just riduculous.

i've got nothing agains blacks or jews or germans or greeks or chinese or californians or (list goes on and on and on and on), but why do we have to differentiate in things like that?

i mean, as descriptions it's fine to say "the person who robbed me was a 6foot white man" or "the person who robbed me was a 6foot black man"

but when we have special television channels called "black entertainment television", you really need to wonder what would people would think if we had a "white entertainment television"
or special awards for "african americans". which i hate the term anyway.
are they africans or are they americans?
if the term is used to describe a black person, why not just call them black? i don't mind when somone calls me white... (i really am white too...i look a skinny pillsburry doughboy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif )

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

im a raggie

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

[ QUOTE ]
Rothrandir said:

but when we have special television channels called "black entertainment television", you really need to wonder what would people would think if we had a "white entertainment television"

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EXACTLY what I've been wondering. If some guy started the WET channel it would simply be branded racist and connected with the KKK etc. It's ridiculous. Do I have Proud White American Heritage Groups? Do I have straight pride parades? Hah NO, because I'd practically be crucified and entirely disparaged by the NAACP and the ACLU if I did. Why should you be proud to be black or from any other minority? Somehow that's accepted and yet there's no pride associated with being white. I personally don't care. I'm not going to be proud to be white, that's retarded. My point is race wouldn't be as much of an issue if they didn't MAKE IT an issue and if there weren't a double standard. Racism goes both ways, it includes both disparaging AND giving special attention to a race. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

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LukeK said:


Do I have Proud White American Heritage Groups? Do I have straight pride parades? Hah NO, because I'd practically be crucified and entirely disparaged by the NAACP and the ACLU if I did.

[/ QUOTE ]

I read an article in a boston paper(forgot witch one) about a girl that moved to a new area and didn't have many school mates of her own decendency. She looked into forming a discusion group at school for students of her 'race'. She was suspended, and labeled a racest.
She was white, and tried to start a cacuastion discusion group.

Whenever I here of discrimination, I try to think of it with the 'colors' reversed, or just person A and berson B. Sometimes it then look silly, and other times it is just as serious.

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

If you consider the definition of the hyphen, "it is to divide". So what are all of these people saying about themselves? Are they divded americans? I thought we used to be the "UNITED States of America". "ONE nation". and if your divided in your heritage, where will your loyalties lie in times of trouble?

We should not be divided. We should be Americans, or Canadians, or Europeans, or Africans, or what ever else country you live in. But didvided? No

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

Let's see.....one branch of my family arrived in Philadelphia) in 1732 from Germany via Holland........now what does that make me?

Oh yeah!....that would make me an AMERICAN! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

[ QUOTE ]
CNC Dan said:
Do I have Proud White American Heritage Groups? Do I have straight pride parades? Hah NO, because I'd practically be crucified and entirely disparaged by the NAACP and the ACLU if I did.

I read an article in a Boston paper(forgot witch one) about a girl that moved to a new area and didn't have many school mates of her own decendency. She looked into forming a discusion group at school for students of her 'race'. She was suspended, and labeled a racest.
She was white, and tried to start a cacuastion discusion group.

[/ QUOTE ]

Her name is Lisa McClelland in Oakley California at the, somewhat strangely named, "Freedom High School" (scroll down to read her current status. She eventually had to transfer to another high school (were she says she is now much happier and does not plan to start a club there). Funny thing, she is a mixed race person (including American Indian--as I remember).

I ran across an article from the Irvine Progressive which tries to say why "Granting a Caucasian club to high school student Lisa McClelland may be fair, but is it really logical?".

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The difference between a Caucasian club and the African Student Union, Muslim Student Union, PALS, or MeCha seems to lie in the important distinction between race and ethnicity. While the latter seem to be tied to common cultural beliefs, histories, customs, and distinctive identities, the former simply refers to a group that is merely connected through race. There are of course, certain groups that are regarded as both sharing a common race as well as ethnicity due to circumstance of history. Examples include African Americans, a group whose race is undeniably tied to a history of slavery and oppression, and Jewish Americans, who base their race on a shared culture and religion. European Americans, however, are clearly excluded from this distinction, seeing as they are not bonded by any common cultural ties, but rather only by geographic proximity. It should also be noted that there are more differences between individual cultures within a race than there can be accounted for through the differences between entire races. European nations, thus, each have customs and traditions that are quite unique to their individual countries, and are largely varied in cultural terms, yet all share the same socially constructed characteristic of race. It should also be noted that there would be a substantial difference if the club were to be founded upon a nationality, which would connote a distinct cultural identity- an Irish club, an Italian club, a Russian club, and so on, but an ethnic European club might simply be too ambiguous to develop or maintain any shared sense of cultural heritage.

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This article was just full of ridiculous splitting of hairs. I really like how this article tries to state, apparently, that a "European club" might just be too broad (and inclusive?) of a group and that Miss McClelland needs to break it down into smaller "distinct cultural identit[ies]" for her to form "logically" divided clubs.

I am very proud of David's CPF members' responses and "the content of their character."

Sincerely,
-Bill

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

[ QUOTE ]
Rothrandir said:
but when we have special television channels called "black entertainment television", you really need to wonder what would people would think if we had a "white entertainment television"

[/ QUOTE ]
interestingly enough, BET is owned by white ppl. *lol*

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

[ QUOTE ]
Roy said:
Let's see.....one branch of my family arrived in Philadelphia) in 1732 from Germany via Holland........now what does that make me?

Oh yeah!....that would make me an AMERICAN! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

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By my wife's family's standards, a recent immigrant /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

And she holds no bragging rights, the 'native Americans" do (face it, they were on the beach waiting Mary's ancestors at Plymouth) - of couse, the immigrated from Asia WAY back - and it looks like in multiple waves - I wonder which tribe came first

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

Hopefully, sometime before our children's children have children, we'll all just consider ourselves as humans or Earthlings - something homogenous.

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

Ever hear John Wayne's piece on "The Hyphen"? Do a search on the web and snag it (.mp3 file)! It's good!

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

hey! i just noticed that there's a "" in the title, and it's not cutting the subject line off!

did sasha fix it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

The whole _____-American concept is just the invention of fools. If any US citizen travels travels outside North America, that person is called an American by everybody else and they really don't care how many generations ago that person's family relocated to America. When black organizations insist on reserving the term "African-American" for themselves they are guilty of racism against Arabic-Afican-Americans and White-African-Americans. Since I was born in America, I personally feel that the use of the term "Native-American" by indigenous tribal organizations to be a racist slight against me. I'm no less native than any other American. It's all just a bunch of silliness.

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

Have you all heard the latest about how the Spanish speaking folks are arguing over whether they want to be referred to as "Latinos" or "Hispanics"? I don't make this stuff up folks... I couldn't if I tried... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

ha

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

The Hyphen by John Wayne


The Hyphen, Webster's Dictionary defines,
Is a symbol used to divide a
compound word or a single word.
So it seems to me that when a man calls himself
An "Afro-American," a "Mexican-American,"
"Italian-American," An "Irish-American," "Jewish-American,"
What he's sayin' is, "I'm a divided American."

Well, we all came from other places,
Different creeds and different races,
To form a nation...to become as one,
Yet look at the harm a line has done -
A simple little line, and yet
As divisive as a line can get.
A crooked cross the Nazis flew,
And the Russian hammer and sickle too-
Time bombs in the lives of Man;
But none of these could ever fan
The fames of hatred faster than
The Hyphen.

The Russian hammer built a wall
That locks men's hearts from freedom's call.
A crooked cross flew overhead
Above twenty million tragic dead-
Among them men from this great nation,
Who died for freedom's preservation.
A hyphen is a line that's small;
It can be a bridge or be a wall.
A bridge can save you lots of time;
A wall you always have to climb.
The road to liberty lies true.
The Hyphen's use is up to you.

Used as a bridge, it can span
All the differences of Man.
Being free in mind and soul
Should be our most important goal.
If you use The Hyphen as a wall,
You'll make your life mean...and small.
An American is a special breed,
Whose people came to her in need.
They came to her that they might find
A world where they'd have peace of mind.
Where men are equal...and something more-
Stand taller than they stood before.

So you be wise in your decision,
And that little line won't cause division.
Let's join hands with one another...
For in this land, each man's your brother.
United we stand...divided we fall.
WE'RE AMERICANS...and that says it all.

Re: Are you a \'\'PC\'\' hyphenated American?

[ QUOTE ]
Rothrandir said:
hey! i just noticed that there's a "" in the title, and it's not cutting the subject line off!

did sasha fix it? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

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Been here long enough to remember that Subject lines need two single quotes ' ' side by side to work correctly.

Although, I am sure that Sasha could have fixed the bug--if she wanted too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/poke2.gif

-Bill