My ancestors were from Ireland, England, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary.. the earliest that they arrived in the U.S. was 1890, after the Civil War. Meanwhile, black Americans have their culture “othered” when– technically– many Black Americans had ancestors here far longer than European Americans. Isn’t it strange, if you think about it, that black Americans are still treated as a “counterculture” given their role in building American culture in so many ways?
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I mean, sure, some have. But my European ancestors got here before America was independent. And there are first generation black Americans in the US today.
This is less an unpopular opinion and more a random assortment of poorly stated facts.
What does being authentically American mean? America’s a hodgepot of different cultures, races, and values all mixed together.
Personally, the only “authentic” Americans are the natives this country stole land from.
Everything is strange in America.
I partially agree but how do you account for the Spaniards in the 15th Century?
Who cares?
1/10th of Black people in the US are foreign born.
What percentage of white Americans do you think are?
I think the ratio of black Americans to white Americans has more to do with it than time spent in America. Native Americans were here the longest and they don’t dominate American culture because of the numbers.
But as a musician: Black American music is indistinguishable from and foundational to American music, yet it’s treated as a distinct and separate item.
Law Student Here:
I’m not really sure what you’re arguing here, no there were no black “americans” in this country before european settlers. The only people in this country prior were indigenous people. Additionally, yes there were black Americans in this country prior to some european settlers.
I don’t necessarily think black Americans are labeled as a “counterpart” as being “American” as it’s a nationality and essentially means someone who is born in the country no matter what. If this is what you’re arguing then there you go!
Probably not an unpopular opinion.
European Americans, Black Americans, Chinese Americans, Mexican Americans, Native Americans (and every other American)- are all Americans at this point. I had grandparents that emigrated during WW1, and ancestors who were killed by “Indians” while trying to build a farm in what is now western Pennsylvania in the 1600’s. All populations move around over time.
Calm down Tariq Nasheed.
Depends on where you live. Mine came over (mainly from England, Scotland via Northern Ireland, Ireland, and Germany) before the Revolution. The latest of my known ancestors to come over came from Ireland in 1766. This is very, very common in the southern US.
I don’t known if they’ve been “othered” in terms of not being seen as “American.” Just because there has been systemic oppression inflicted upon them, they are seen as a whole, more American than any new immigrants, ie Asian or Latinos, etc.
Black people call themselves “foundational Americans.” And no matter how racist a white person may be, they will probably lean toward telling you the only “true” Americas are white and black people. I don’t think they even think of Native Americans in that way.
There is no authenticity. You bring whatever your culture has to offer and we mix shit together.
why are americans so obsessed with skin colour?
I agree. North America is built on immigrants. Every culture should be treated and thought of equally. They will be one day.
I’ve often thought about this. Most of my ancestors came to America in the 1800s. For context, I’m mostly from English, Irish, and Scottish stock. So many of our African and Latino friends have ancestry on this continent far longer than me. Let’s not ignore the natives who have been here for thousands of years. This isn’t my country. This is all of our country. I don’t want a bland, one note soup. I love the flavors.
Much of African American cultural output has been countercultural by necessity, due to the “othering” they suffered from the outset.
It is almost as if there were pervasive and firmly sistematized discriminatory beliefs and ideas thouroughly devised to help promote narratives that favor certain demographics of people over others…? Nahh that is just silly!!
are natives americans black? hm i didn’t know that.
I get your point, there are certainly strange people out there who would consider me “ethnically American” and my black friend as some sort of perpetual foreigner, even though the earliest African slaves arrived some 250 years before my people did.
What are you even talking about? What are authentic americans? Going from stereotypes americans are always throwing around that they are 0.9% irish, 0.05%german, 0.05% alien and 99% nobody cares in the first place, so how tf are american authentic when all they do is brag about how they are X, Y AND Z? Or is that actually authentical?
Another American obsessed with race
I was just thinking about this. Why is there not like an absolute acknowledgment that black Americans play a HUGE role talkin’ 2/3 of the weight when it comes to establishing and creating American culture. Food, slang, music, dance, sports, style, even hair for some fuckin reason. At this point it isn’t even just America. The entire world is waiting to see what new words and songs we’ll come up with next so they can use for TikTok.
What is black American culture?
Americans have such weird takes on the notion of cultural identity.
The plot of Fargo Season 4.
We wuz first Americans n shiet
Europeans started arriving in North America from 1492 onwards. Black people only started arriving in 1526. So on the face of it, your statement is not an unpopular opinion but an incorrect fact.