Which is politically correct? Black people or African American?

[buck]

you could have just continued to renew your British passport every 10 years at minimal expense. That way you would not have had to stand with the Canadians and Americans at the UK border control.

Considering the very few times I have had to visit, it would hardly be worth while. In any case I would have missed the opportunity to vote for Provincial Premier, Prime Minister, MPs and Senators, Congressmen, President, Vice President, Sherriff and Dog Catcher.

 

---------- Post added 31-01-2014 at 14:50 ----------

 

Hispanic means anyone who comes from, or whose ancestors hail from a spanish speaking country. People from Spain, Mexico or Puerto Rico would all be described as Hispanic.

and even Cubans

 

---------- Post added 31-01-2014 at 15:01 ----------

 

You dont know much it seems. When I became a naturalized US citizen it was explained that despite this I may still be obligated to serve in the military of my country of origin in my case the UK should I be called and in that case there wasnt anything the US consulate could do if I had been "rounded up" while over there

If you were born in the United Kingdom with both parents being UK citizens it seems you do not lose your UK citizenship.

 

Fortunately for me I had already done my srevice in the British Army before I left and they would have to be absolutely desperate to call up an old fart like me these days

 

---------- Post added 29-01-2014 at 23:05 ----------

 

 

Here's whats really funny Sierra. My son took Spanish as one of his subjects in College and became quite fluent. When he and my daughter-in-law went to Cancun on their honeymoon it was he who did the translating

She did manage a few words like "Si" "Non" "Por Favor" and "Gracias"

 

---------- Post added 29-01-2014 at 23:09 ----------

 

 

One of my golfng partners, Frank Komoda, grandfather born in Hawaii of Japanese immigrants doesnt know a word of Japanese

A very good friend in Canada, ex RN, and RCMP lived in Paris for a time, while eh was working for the United Nations. His son Gerry was born there. By the time his son was 18, the family had moved to Brussels after De Gaulle threw the UN out of France. Ron , my friend, would never again enter France, knowing his son could be called up for conscription in the French Army.

 

---------- Post added 31-01-2014 at 15:11 ----------

 

OP the term is black. It's how black people generally identify themselves, it's on the census, it's on all official forms.

 

Ignore the mods, they have to fill their days with something.

You're absolutely right. Black people are in general proud of who they are. They have conquered those sports they like to play. Basketball, American Football, and Baseball. They have become governors, senators, congressmen, big city mayors and even President of the United States. They care little about Africa.

[Harleyman]

Considering the very few times I have had to visit, it would hardly be worth while. In any case I would have missed the opportunity to vote for Provincial Premier, Prime Minister, MPs and Senators, Congressmen, President, Vice President, Sherriff and Dog Catcher.

 

---------- Post added 31-01-2014 at 14:50 ----------

 

and even Cubans

 

---------- Post added 31-01-2014 at 15:01 ----------

 

A very good friend in Canada, ex RN, and RCMP lived in Paris for a time, while eh was working for the United Nations. His son Gerry was born there. By the time his son was 18, the family had moved to Brussels after De Gaulle threw the UN out of France. Ron , my friend, would never again enter France, knowing his son could be called up for conscription in the French Army.

 

---------- Post added 31-01-2014 at 15:11 ----------

 

You're absolutely right. Black people are in general proud of who they are. They have conquered those sports they like to play. Basketball, American Football, and Baseball. They have become governors, senators, congressmen, big city mayors and even President of the United States. They care little about Africa.

 

A former neighbour of mine who was born in France had a son who was also born there. The neighbour and his wife emigrated to Canada when the kid was about one year old. Later they moved to California and by that time the kid was around 20. He got a letter from the French Consulate in L.A saying that he was liable for service in the French army. I believe though that he contacted them and whatever happened after that they excused him.

 

America would be a lot poorer without the contributions of black Americans. That also goes for the immigrants from many countries who came here and brought their talents with them, everything from entertainment to the sciences

 

---------- Post added 01-02-2014 at 04:39 ----------

 

I am sorry to read that bad experience that you had.

 

To be honest, the topic of nationality never truly hit me when I was younger. It really is more for other people to define me so that they feel so much more at ease and more comfortable. It is like they need to do something in order to make themselves at ease. I often find that quite strange when I was growing up.

 

I do know one thing though, how I define myself is personal to me. I do not try and "name" others as if they are like my dog or other. There is still a lot of respect and dignity to be had around the topic of one's heritage. It really is pretty private. Regardless of how the immigration department, or whichever department categorise and recategorise one's colour, name, face, whatever. To me, it really is for them to deal with for political sake than it is for me to accept myself. On a personal and a rather spiritual note, in my eyes, everyone should know where they come from, and who their parents are, and what their family history is.

 

Because I come from one of the British Commonwealth country, the topic of dual nationality is often in my mind. You do question yourself where you place your loyalty and where you want your future to be. It really is quite a sensitive subject, as really the law can change at any point in time to be honest, and what will happen then ?

 

My US passport shows my country of birth as Britain. When I land at Heathrow the immigration officer always stamps it "permission to stay for 6 months... no right to seek employment" or words to that effect

 

Not that I care a fig since I'm retired anyway, have only a nephew and two cousins (all that remains of the family there) and my roots in the US were established decades ago and my visits are of short duration.

 

On the other hand if I went completely insane and decided that at my time of life I wanted to relocate there and also achieved the major miracle of convincing my US born wife to do the same (more chance of winning the most gold medals at the Olympics) I would show my UK birth certificate to the officer at Heathrow and say "I'm back to stay and what are you gonna do about it"?

Well he or she couldnt do anything except to say "well okay Mr Harley but you wont get Social Security until you've been back here a year" (just to show her bureaucratic spite probably)

 

But then I'd say "Wrong ! I'm already getting it sent to my local bank each month in Califunia as credit for the years I did actually work in the UK" so na ne na ne na na !

[blake]

Black people are in general proud of who they are. They have conquered those sports they like to play. Basketball, American Football, and Baseball. They have become governors, senators, congressmen, big city mayors and even President of the United States. They care little about Africa.

 

they can, but they usually have a romanticised, sentimental, unrealistic attitude about it.

 

like that black guy from Florida I mentioned in the previous reply. He only did a relatively humble job but saved up enough for a three week vacation in South Africa (not normally a destination that attracts many Americans at all) because he thought it was going to be like the post Civil Rights thing in the US. Free at Last, Free at Last, Great Gogamonga we are Free at Last and all that kind of stuff. However it didn't take him long to realise that South Africa, was nothing like that, at all and he didn't have anything much, even as a southern black, in common with the Africans there. Especially as his ancestors were from a totally different part of Africa, thousands of miles away. Not the first or the last western black person to make that discovery in Africa.

 

blacks are interested in Africa. It is after all, vast though it is and with an incredible amount of diversity, the land of their forefathers. I was shipping handcrafts and artefacts back from there to sell in the UK at festivals around that time and blacks were really the best customers. Most normal white British didn't care about the stuff at all and in fact a lot actually disliked it. But blacks, together with dope smoking hippies, airheads and arty types, and a few people who had been to Africa themselves before and had got aquainted with the art, were interested. When I used to spin them all the yarns about what the artefacts meant, they listened. I tried to activlely market to them, like calling up Afro-Caribbean restaurants and takeaways to see if they were interested in the stuff for decoration.

[buck]

they can, but they usually have a romanticised, sentimental, unrealistic attitude about it.

 

like that black guy from Florida I mentioned in the previous reply. He only did a relatively humble job but saved up enough for a three week vacation in South Africa (not normally a destination that attracts many Americans at all) because he thought it was going to be like the post Civil Rights thing in the US. Free at Last, Free at Last, Great Gogamonga we are Free at Last and all that kind of stuff. However it didn't take him long to realise that South Africa, was nothing like that, at all and he didn't have anything much, even as a southern black, in common with the Africans there. Especially as his ancestors were from a totally different part of Africa, thousands of miles away. Not the first or the last western black person to make that discovery in Africa.

 

blacks are interested in Africa. It is after all, vast though it is and with an incredible amount of diversity, the land of their forefathers. I was shipping handcrafts and artefacts back from there to sell in the UK at festivals around that time and blacks were really the best customers. Most normal white British didn't care about the stuff at all and in fact a lot actually disliked it. But blacks, together with dope smoking hippies, airheads and arty types, and a few people who had been to Africa themselves before and had got aquainted with the art, were interested. When I used to spin them all the yarns about what the artefacts meant, they listened. I tried to activlely market to them, like calling up Afro-Caribbean restaurants and takeaways to see if they were interested in the stuff for decoration.

The West Indian immigrants to America seem like a breed apart. While they are just as much descendents of African slaves, they do not have the chip on the shoulder as much as some other blacks. They are fun loving hard working people with a laugh at everything. A lot of women are nurses or Nursing Home helpers who are much liked by the retirees. They are more concerned with their home islands than Africa.

[Tipex]

I would say either. I don't see what the point is?

[blake]

They are more concerned with their home islands than Africa.

 

of course they are, but believe me, when they walk past an African themed stall, with African artifacts on it like carved wooden elephants and rhinos and giraffes on it, vibrant colours, a picture of Nelson Mandela, crocodile skins, and African music coming over on the tape, they are much more likely to stop, take a look, and maybe buy something than white guy Joe Public will. I was in that business for five years. In the UK at least, blacks (mostly West Indians but some from African backgrounds) were nearly fifty percent of the customers.

[Epic Fail]

I'm West Indian and I can ssafely say I have no interest in Africa whatsoever. I may be descended from there, but so was everyone.

[salsafan]

A former neighbour of mine who was born in France had a son who was also born there. The neighbour and his wife emigrated to Canada when the kid was about one year old. Later they moved to California and by that time the kid was around 20. He got a letter from the French Consulate in L.A saying that he was liable for service in the French army. I believe though that he contacted them and whatever happened after that they excused him.

 

America would be a lot poorer without the contributions of black Americans. That also goes for the immigrants from many countries who came here and brought their talents with them, everything from entertainment to the sciences

 

---------- Post added 01-02-2014 at 04:39 ----------

My US passport shows my country of birth as Britain. When I land at Heathrow the immigration officer always stamps it "permission to stay for 6 months... no right to seek employment" or words to that effect

 

Not that I care a fig since I'm retired anyway, have only a nephew and two cousins (all that remains of the family there) and my roots in the US were established decades ago and my visits are of short duration.

 

On the other hand if I went completely insane and decided that at my time of life I wanted to relocate there and also achieved the major miracle of convincing my US born wife to do the same (more chance of winning the most gold medals at the Olympics) I would show my UK birth certificate to the officer at Heathrow and say "I'm back to stay and what are you gonna do about it"?

Well he or she couldnt do anything except to say "well okay Mr Harley but you wont get Social Security until you've been back here a year" (just to show her bureaucratic spite probably)

 

But then I'd say "Wrong ! I'm already getting it sent to my local bank each month in Califunia as credit for the years I did actually work in the UK" so na ne na ne na na !

That really tickled me.

 

Between Government Versus Wife. Wife wins ! As how things should be.

Well, the world of the British Empire is so much more less complicated than it used to be. As you used to have British National Overseas status, or a British Overseas Territory , or a British Citizen status.

[buck]

A former neighbour of mine who was born in France had a son who was also born there. The neighbour and his wife emigrated to Canada when the kid was about one year old. Later they moved to California and by that time the kid was around 20. He got a letter from the French Consulate in L.A saying that he was liable for service in the French army. I believe though that he contacted them and whatever happened after that they excused him.

 

America would be a lot poorer without the contributions of black Americans. That also goes for the immigrants from many countries who came here and brought their talents with them, everything from entertainment to the sciences

 

---------- Post added 01-02-2014 at 04:39 ----------

 

 

My US passport shows my country of birth as Britain. When I land at Heathrow the immigration officer always stamps it "permission to stay for 6 months... no right to seek employment" or words to that effect

 

Not that I care a fig since I'm retired anyway, have only a nephew and two cousins (all that remains of the family there) and my roots in the US were established decades ago and my visits are of short duration.

 

On the other hand if I went completely insane and decided that at my time of life I wanted to relocate there and also achieved the major miracle of convincing my US born wife to do the same (more chance of winning the most gold medals at the Olympics) I would show my UK birth certificate to the officer at Heathrow and say "I'm back to stay and what are you gonna do about it"?

Well he or she couldnt do anything except to say "well okay Mr Harley but you wont get Social Security until you've been back here a year" (just to show her bureaucratic spite probably)

 

But then I'd say "Wrong ! I'm already getting it sent to my local bank each month in Califunia as credit for the years I did actually work in the UK" so na ne na ne na na !

I get mine sent to my bank too>nobody ever checks whether I'm alive or not. I get one from Quebec too, very close in value to the British one, but they send me a letter every couple of years that I have to get signed by a Notary Public, Police Sergeant or MD just to prove I'm alive. A Notary Publiuc costs me a whole dollar.