I’ve always hated the term African-American, because I found it downright patronizing and vituperatively ‘Politically Correct.’ I am old enough to remember when that whole PC thing happened: during the odious Reagan era of the early 1980s.

The ‘Reagan Revolution’ was a complete fraud; a Ponzi scheme of monumental proportions foisted upon an ignorant, gullible  nation.

Instead of promoting civil rights or Affirmative Action they set up the framework to begin stripping citizens of these protections. Then they simply re-labeled everyone so as not to offend the sensibilities of the ruling white elite as they quietly dismantled the economy.

Instead of “Spics” or “Beaners” they were Latino or Hispanic.

Instead of “Gooks” or “Japs” they were Asians.

“Kikes” and “Heebs” were to be known as people of Jewish decent.

Instead of maids and butlers, rich folks had domestic help.

“Indians” versus ‘Native Americans.’ Hold up. This is an exception, IMHO. I actually prefer Native American to “Indian” because “Indian” is simply incorrect, not necessarily politically incorrect.

‘African-American’ as opposed to Black: The color black has always had a dark, foreboding, threatening connotation to white folks – so it had to change in the mainstream media. The new world order demanded that everything be re-branded to obfuscate reality and make stuff more “people-friendly.”

America is a profoundly racist country. Racism is firmly entrenched in all strata of society. Giving lip service to a system of institutionalized racism by simply changing the vernacular is not going to solve the problem. The way I see it, the term ‘African-American’ was invented by guilt-ridden elitists in the early 80s to make them feel better about themselves and their inherent racism – not out of concern for black people’s feelings.

In my experience, the only time black folks refer to themselves as African-American is in the presence of white people…

By calling blacks African-American, whites are subconsciously saying that black people shouldn’t get too comfortable here because really, they are only ‘half American.’ Like, maybe they could go back, right?

Hyphenated designations are okay when applied to people who strongly identify with another culture, but they are offensive and insulting when applied to people who actually have a greater claim to being fully “American” than most White Americans do.

I was surprised to find out that I am not alone in this opinion. I pulled up an article by M.G. Piety, a professor at Drexel University: Why “African-American” is a Patronizing, Even Racist Term.

She writes:

“By using the term ‘African-American’ to refer to black people,” Mosley writes, “columnists, readers, TV hosts and commentators perpetuate and embrace Jim Crow racial stereotypes, segregation and historical distortions…Africa is not a racial or ethnic identity. Africa is a geographical identity.”

Link:

http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/05/20/why-african-american-is-a-patronizing-even-racist-term/