Post by eternalsky on Mar 12, 2014 13:47:16 GMT -5
Now if you are a resident of the United States you are probably well aware of the ethnic clashes between blacks and whites and blacks and Latinos, but there is probably one ethnic issue that you were not aware of - Africans and African Americans. Now, although this "conflict" may not bring the violence and the attention that the aforementioned ones do, it is still a very important relationship to examen. Before I go into more detail I should make sure that I specify what I mean when I use the term African and African American. When using the term "African" I am referring to people (and/or first generation descendent's of) who have recently migrated to the US from a West African nation, if I need to specify a specific African region that is not West Africa I'll make sure I'm specific about it. The term "African American" will be used to refer to the descendants of West Africans involved in the slave trade who have deep roots in the United States. Also, a lot of this is based upon my personal observations and as result of such this IS biased. Another thing to note that this does not represent all people of said groups, just a loud minority and the quiet thoughts of many. Now that I have the specifics straight, let's go on with the information.
The relationship between Africans and African Americans is a very complicated relationship that has roots in economic, phenotypical, and cultural differences. Like the relations of any ethnic groups in the United States, this is one of the battle for superiority. Many African people who come to the US (or as a matter of fact ANY Western nation) usually come for education and/or monetary reasons and as a result of this African people tend to be richer than their African American people. Many African children raised in the United States may tend to be raised in an environment where they are surrounded by whites. This leads many African children to gain a very "white" (for lack of a better term) attitude, so when put in a primarily African American environment many of these children will feel out of place. Now a common belief is that due to the color of your skin, texture of your hair, and a multitude of other features that you'll instantly be able to get along with the other people; but as you know this is not the case. As a result of this you may often be called a Uncle Tom, Oreo, or other such things. This leads to a sort of confusion for the African child, although you are more often than not physically blacker than your African American counterparts you are still whiter than them. Although this isn't what I am focused on because this sort of things happens to many non-African black people and may eventually become a non-issue in the future. What I am worried about is how the two cultures react to each other as a whole.
In my experience, many Africans look down upon African Americans and look at them as backwards and inferior. The African man may look down upon his African American counterpart for a multitude of reasons. One reason is because of the media's depiction of African Americans. Many times when watching television or consuming some sort of media, one will begin to view all African Americans as gang members and stupid people. This and the history of slavery may give the African a sense of superiority. "Thank God I am not a gang member like these African Americans. There is a reason why we enslaved these people." Although this may not always be the reason for the tension. In the article African vs. African American, Tracie Reddick reports on the events that happened someone.Now I assume that that the African Americans can help give me some more insight on this relationship, because I am only coming at it from the view that I know best. So a bit of differing perspectives will be nice. So... how would you describe the relationship between Africans and African Americans? The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Sorry for the messy prose, I wasn't very organized with this.
Recommended reading: www.library.yale.edu/~fboateng/akata.htm
The relationship between Africans and African Americans is a very complicated relationship that has roots in economic, phenotypical, and cultural differences. Like the relations of any ethnic groups in the United States, this is one of the battle for superiority. Many African people who come to the US (or as a matter of fact ANY Western nation) usually come for education and/or monetary reasons and as a result of this African people tend to be richer than their African American people. Many African children raised in the United States may tend to be raised in an environment where they are surrounded by whites. This leads many African children to gain a very "white" (for lack of a better term) attitude, so when put in a primarily African American environment many of these children will feel out of place. Now a common belief is that due to the color of your skin, texture of your hair, and a multitude of other features that you'll instantly be able to get along with the other people; but as you know this is not the case. As a result of this you may often be called a Uncle Tom, Oreo, or other such things. This leads to a sort of confusion for the African child, although you are more often than not physically blacker than your African American counterparts you are still whiter than them. Although this isn't what I am focused on because this sort of things happens to many non-African black people and may eventually become a non-issue in the future. What I am worried about is how the two cultures react to each other as a whole.
In my experience, many Africans look down upon African Americans and look at them as backwards and inferior. The African man may look down upon his African American counterpart for a multitude of reasons. One reason is because of the media's depiction of African Americans. Many times when watching television or consuming some sort of media, one will begin to view all African Americans as gang members and stupid people. This and the history of slavery may give the African a sense of superiority. "Thank God I am not a gang member like these African Americans. There is a reason why we enslaved these people." Although this may not always be the reason for the tension. In the article African vs. African American, Tracie Reddick reports on the events that happened someone.
"They were always trying to play with my intelligence. This was a time when folks were shouting, "Say it loud: I'm black and I'm proud.' Yet, when I called someone black, they would say, "Why are you so cruel? Why are you calling us black?' If they saw me with a girl, they would yell to her, "What are you doing with that African?' "
Sorry for the messy prose, I wasn't very organized with this.
Recommended reading: www.library.yale.edu/~fboateng/akata.htm