Miltrivd t1_j0po0a9 wrote on December 18, 2022 at 2:16 PM

Reply to comment by King-Krown in History-making Asian American soccer player describes his journey to self-acceptance | Kellyn Acosta, the first Asian American to appear in the World Cup for the USMNT, described how others have dismissed his Japanese heritage, and the harmful stereotypes around Asians and sports. by AsslessBaboon

> Because "African" is my ethnicity & American is my nationality

This is just an evolution of the deep seated racism within US culture, which recognizes it as bad but hasn't been too long to be able to move from it, so :"ethnicity" has taken somewhat a function to transition.

I'll give an example of something that happened with an US online friend who asked me what was my ethnicity, I told him "I'm Chilean" - "No, but what's your ethnicity?". What he wanted to know is what I look like, which is not a key component of ethnic background as is cultural background. being Chilean is my ethnic background. I also have Italian citizenship due direct descendancy but in my country calling myself "italian or half-italian" would be considered ridiculous because I have never even set foot in there once, it's not where I grew up and don't share any cultural background with Italians.

Your ethnicity can't be "African" because to start with "African" isn't and can't be an ethnicity. Ethnicity is a shared group of characteristics that have to do with cultural heritage and shared worldview, not just what you look like. An entire continent doesn't and can't have common ground to create that connection. I would be a wide and misguided generalization. Just like Latin Americans are also not an ethnic group because it composes millions that have literally no common cultural ground, not even the language as local usage varies wildly between countries.

The misuse of "ethnicity" on the US comes down to keep doing racial profiling and categorization, which is honestly a natural progress on the path of adaptation to move on from backwards customs but that doesn't make it correct or desirable.

> Some of yall are bothered by the simple fact others have any little connection to their homeland

I don't think people are "bothered" rather than confused because you having family that came from Africa and just that is not part of your ethnic background, just like me having Italian grandparents also isn't. This doesn't deny that your family came from Africa or if you feel like you have a connection but you can't really sit with someone from Nigeria and honestly tell you are part of the same general cultural group, which is what ethnicity is.

King-Krown t1_j0q14ap wrote on December 18, 2022 at 3:57 PM

Yea.. No. I'm African-American. I've been fortunate enough to meet people from all over Africa & plenty of them still call me brother & refer to Africa as my home. For almost anyone who wasn't born in their homeland, long as your curios & respect where you came from. MOST people aren't going to tell you not claim it.

That's such a dumb ass stament, even claiming "Black" in America doesn't mean it's a monolithic culture. People in Chicago, The South, DC, New York are all culturally different. Doesn't make anyone any less or more Black. The same goes for vast cultures in Africa or anywhere else. Be it about reconnecting or maintaining a connection, it's about acknowledging & respecting what your practice.

I'm not letting anyone who has nothing to do with Africa is any capacity explained to me why THEY THINK I shouldn't claim it. Again, y'all make your identity issues & confusion others problem. I don't have Black/African people complaining to me. Yet people on the outside constantly think they have a valid voice. You don't.