http://tellmenow.com/2014/10/oprah-does-...e-baiters/

She is a receiving a lot of flack for this interview but I found it refreshing. I think we'll all see an increasing trend in the youth of today towards more freely expressed identities in gender, orientation, and cultural identifier. I did find it a bit quirky/nonsensical to go from "label free" to "American" but I'll cut her some slack. Oprah did a poor job here.

Also:

“I never said I wasn’t black… I want to make that very clear. I said, I am not African-American. I never expected my personal beliefs and comments to spark such emotion in people. I think it is only positive when we can openly discuss race and being labeled in America,” she told TheGrio.

The term used before the -America is only relevant within the borders of the US. If one was born here and grew in the US during their childhood, rest assured that you will be viewed as an American by the rest of the world when traveling abroad. Even if you don't say a word, the mannerism and presence that you are socialized with stand out.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/08/opinion/jo...?hpt=hp_t3

Somebody completely missed the point

(10-08-2014 02:55 PM)ODUgradstudent Wrote:  http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/08/opinion/jo...?hpt=hp_t3

Somebody completely missed the point

Can't be allowed to leave the reservation.

I agree with Symone. I'm not fond of (Blank)-American labels either.

My skin color is not blackish. With that said. I have been saying this for years now. Why do some Americans who skin color is darker than mine, get labeled as African-Americans and not just Americans.

Congrats to her for not using "African-American"or "gay-American".

She's just an "American"? How conservative of her.

Cudos to Ms. Symone.

(10-08-2014 03:51 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  My skin color is not blackish. With that said. I have been saying this for years now. Why do some Americans who skin color is darker than mine, get labeled as African-Americans and not just Americans.

Seems to me they are label as "African" Americans only when the media is trying to stir the racial divide.

I.E. They want to be sure and identify the persons skin color so they can use it in the context of bigotry.

You could tell Oprah was very proud of her for being "evolved" enough to not want to be labeled gay, but uncomfortable to the point of counseling her on not wanting to be labeling as black.

And Oprah herself is a gay black woman.

(10-09-2014 06:38 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 03:51 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  My skin color is not blackish. With that said. I have been saying this for years now. Why do some Americans who skin color is darker than mine, get labeled as African-Americans and not just Americans.

Seems to me they are label as "African" Americans only when the media is trying to stir the racial divide.

I.E. They want to be sure and identify the persons skin color so they can use it in the context of bigotry.

You could tell Oprah was very proud of her for being "evolved" enough to not want to be labeled gay, but uncomfortable to the point of counseling her on not wanting to be labeling as black.

And Oprah herself is a gay black woman.

Its a generational thing. Not to marginalize the struggles and slights my parents and those in their age bracket went through in the 50's-70's, but they succeeded in creating a world where their children have no idea of what they endured. Reading about discrimination, watching documentaries that recall the brutalities of Selma, AL and listening to first hand recounts are pale substitutes for the psychological scars that experience yields.

So what exists in America is a generational disconnect; those who lived through the civil rights transformation of America, while they can see the progress, will never fully trust white people. And then have the generation that lives in an America where overt racism has never effected their lives, who can see what challenges still remain, but cannot properly attack them out of fealty to the past.

(10-09-2014 07:36 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  Its a generational thing. Not to marginalize the struggles and slights my parents and those in their age bracket went through in the 50's-70's, but the succeeded in creating a world where their children have no idea of what they endured. Reading about discrimination, watching documentaries that recall the brutalities of Selma, AL and listening to first hand recounts are pale substitutes for the psychological scars that experience yields.

So what exists in America is a generational disconnect; those who lived through the civil rights transformation of America, while they can see the progress, will never fully trust white people. And then have the generation that lives in an America where overt racism has never effected their lives, who can see what challenges still remain, but cannot properly attack them out of fealty to the past.

Excellent post

Can't say I disagree because I've made a similar point in different situations several times before.

Carmel-latte American.

(10-09-2014 08:09 AM)firmbizzle Wrote:  Carmel-latte American.

Around here she would be called..."pecan tan" or "redbone"

(10-09-2014 07:36 AM)vandiver49 Wrote:  

(10-09-2014 06:38 AM)ericsrevenge76 Wrote:  

(10-08-2014 03:51 PM)hawghiggs Wrote:  My skin color is not blackish. With that said. I have been saying this for years now. Why do some Americans who skin color is darker than mine, get labeled as African-Americans and not just Americans.

Seems to me they are label as "African" Americans only when the media is trying to stir the racial divide.

I.E. They want to be sure and identify the persons skin color so they can use it in the context of bigotry.

You could tell Oprah was very proud of her for being "evolved" enough to not want to be labeled gay, but uncomfortable to the point of counseling her on not wanting to be labeling as black.

And Oprah herself is a gay black woman.

Its a generational thing. Not to marginalize the struggles and slights my parents and those in their age bracket went through in the 50's-70's, but the succeeded in creating a world where their children have no idea of what they endured. Reading about discrimination, watching documentaries that recall the brutalities of Selma, AL and listening to first hand recounts are pale substitutes for the psychological scars that experience yields.

So what exists in America is a generational disconnect; those who lived through the civil rights transformation of America, while they can see the progress, will never fully trust white people. And then have the generation that lives in an America where overt racism has never effected their lives, who can see what challenges still remain, but cannot properly attack them out of fealty to the past.

This is important to realize because as far as we've come, there are still people who want to see Jim Crow return or at least more conservative private property rights and there are some who no matter what laws or company policies you put in place, there will still be people who don't like black people for no apparent reason (not just through annoyance).

And now they are really anonymous now days because of the general attitude today and history of race relations in this country. Through Donald Sterling's example, we learned that you can't even say racist comments in the comfort of your own home without risking losing your livelihood, so pretty much all racists are really covert and undercover.

Pretty realistic and refreshing. Why do we need to refer to each other
with labels.

(10-09-2014 09:11 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Pretty realistic and refreshing. Why do we need to refer to each other
with labels.

So some employer can check a box on some govt form. It seems the folks that decry stereotyping the most (govt) are the very ones that actively promote it.

I found myself completely agreeing with Raven Symone. A breath of fresh air in a culture of craziness. I call myself American too, not German-American or something like that. I have German ancestry but I'm just an American. Same thing for black folks. Not all of them are from Africa in the first place. I have many friends who are Haitian... pretty far from Africa... Maybe a long time ago their ancestors came from Africa but I don't say I'm Israeli because my German ancestors were originally from a Semitic tribe...