Racism in America: The Hyphenated American
There are African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Asian-Americans, Arab-Americans, Native-Americans, etc.
And then there are just – Americans.
Some of you pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.
You call me ‘White boy’, ‘Cracker’, ‘Honky’, ‘Whitey’, ‘Gringo’ or ‘Caveman’, and as far as you are concerned, that’s OK, but if I say so much as one word that you consider to be out of line, I am branded as a vile racist.
You say that whites commit acts of violence against you … so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro College Fund, Hispanic History Month, Martin Luther King Day, Asian History Month, Black Entertainment Television, Black History Month, Cesar Chavez Day, Kwanzaa and the NAACP.
If we had WET (White Entertainment Television), we’d be called racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.
If we had a White History Month, we’d be called racist for that.
If we had any organization for Whites Only to ‘advance’ OUR lives, we’d certainly be branded as racists.
There’s a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a Black Chamber of Commerce.
Then we have the Chamber of Commerce, not a White Chamber of Commerce, just The Chamber of Commerce.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships, you know we’d be called evil racists.
There are openly-proclaimed Black-Only Colleges in the US, yet if there were ‘White-Only Colleges’, why THAT would be a racist college.
In the Million-Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights.
If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us bog dwelling, redneck racists.
You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and red, and you’re not afraid to announce it.
But when we announce our White Pride, yeah, you got it, we get called racists, NAZIs and a lot worse.
You can rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us, and we’re supposed to sit back and take it?
So why is it that when a white police officer shoots a black gang member, or beats up a black drug-dealer that’s running from the LAW, and posing a threat to ALL of society, why do you call that police officer a racist for simply doing his job?
I am White and I am proud, but, you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?
If this post angers you, take a good long look in the mirror and ask yourself, WHY does it make me angry?
There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. When I refer to hyphenated Americans, I do not refer to naturalized Americans. Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. ~Theodore Roosevelt~
Anger us?? This post is the God’s Honest Gospel Truth. If somebody thinks otherwise, please point it out where and be specific with some facts.
That’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth, you bog dwelling tractor driving redneck hick…LMAO
The race baiters will be climbing the walls in order to dispute this, but the facts are facts and if you bring up facts you are a racist..
It’s ok Fred, Obama will bring unity to the races..Well Him, Farakhaan, Jackson, Sharpton and Wright will. (/Sarcasm)
WOW, how times have changed.
I grew up with a Black Nanny, Willy. She was with our family before I was born and I was a pallbearer at her funeral in 2002. She made the rules when it came to us kids and she would whack us with a wooden spoon when ever we got out of line, she knew how to keep us on track. She was as much as part of our family as I was. I loved her as family and I miss her to this day.
We also had Mexicans who cared for and trained the horses. They cared for the property and worked the gardens. They were great people and we always left the kitchen door open for them to come and go as they pleased. They washed the cars, made sure the ranch equipment always stayed in good condition. They lived with us and stayed in the bunk house which my father made sure was like staying at a Ritz-Carlton.
I never thought of them as blacks or Mexicans, they were my family. My dad had only one rule for us kids, never give the Mexicans alcohol.
It’s hard for me to feel ill of everyday people; it’s their so called leaders that create the problems with see today. If these so called leaders would just go away and take a few Democrats and Republicans with them, I’m sure we would all get along just fine.
Times have changed and it’s too bad.
Farrakhan, Jackson, and Sharpton make themselves a lot of money promoting that anger. and extorting businesses. and they have to keep it rolling along or they are out of a job. what do you want them to do Fred? get a REAL job? and quit making their millions by riding the backs of the poor Black community? If everyone got along what would Jessie do for a living Fred? cook frenchfries and Mickey D’s?
You mean ‘ol redneck, you…..
Yeah, silly me, what was I thinking?? How dare I think that we should all be equal??
I never considered it would put folks like Jack$on, $harpton and the like out of a job…
Not only am I totally inconsiderate, I must be a racist too… 😕
But it doesn’t just stop at white; on my department, there are GRADIENTS of white. Whites facile in English and born here are the lowest on the pole; whites from Russia, Chechens, Slavs, are all “better” than other Caucasoids and find themselves “protected” into some very nice slots. Imagine that.
BZ
Your points do make sense to a certain degree. However, there is a difference. “Hyphenated Americans,” unlike “just-‘Americans'” are playing catch-up. Unfortunately, we are not at the same level as Caucasians in many aspects of our lives, and we have been greatly disadvantaged because of our race and ethnicities. We have been marginalized and until we all realize that race is not an important factor to a person’s being- it’s a person’s courage, ethics, spirit and demeanor that truly defines a person- we will continue to disagree on issues of race in the U.S. And it’s understandable for you not to fully grasp this fact. It is something you must open your mind to and try to experience.
I’ll admit that I do make snap judgments based on stereotypes when it comes to Caucasians. However, I do make an effort to understand my illogical reasoning and try to refrain from my biased opinions.
We live in different spheres and are uninterested to delve into each others worlds because we are afraid of change. We are all comfortable with the status quo. What would be the harm in realizing that at our most fundamental core, we are all the same?
Kristen, until we ALL become just Americans, and lose the hyphenated ANYTHING, there will never be an end to racial prejudice…
And I don’t play the *White Guilt* or reparations bullshit either, I never owned a slave, I never abused another human being, none of my family did as far as I know, and here’s a fact, my family immigrated to the USA too…
And I am not a hyphenated anything, I am an American 1st, a Texan 2nd and have no use for ANYONE that puts a hyphen before AMERICAN…
My mother was an immigrant, but I am not a hyphenated American - I’m an American.
In 4-H, we are required to put our race on the sign in sheet for our meetings (both children and adults) - there are spots for Hispanic, African American, Asian, etc. I love the looks on the leaders’ faces when I ask for a box for “American” or “European-American” 🙂
Well as far as I know I only owned 7 slaves, I only whipped 4 of them and I think I got a couple of them pregnant… or so I’ve been told by the race baitin community, it’s all MY fault because I’m a white, Christian, HETEROSEXUAL Male.
Ok enough of the sarcasm.
Kristen made a very good point but if it so that we do not want change, how is Obama is doing so well?
Fred, you left out knuckle dragging ape …
It is called the double standard Fred.
For the record:
I am an American of Eastern European decent.
My family never owned slaves, mistreated anyone else, respected others and the law, paid their taxes (and still do damn IRS), voted, served on juries, and proudly served in the US Armed Forces from the Spanish-American War (Grandpa) to now (a cousin in Iraq). Oh and Kristan. My father’s parents came from Russia. They came here for a new and better life, didn’t ask for special privileges or get them. Their son, my father served in WW 2, and came home to start a family and business. Like many from the old country American streets were really paved with gold. It just took hard work and determination to find that gold.
Kristen’s inability to come to the present and the all-mighty hyphen are the major reasons people like Kristen still have problems today.
When you put people in a group, you make them different. When people are PROUD of being in that group, they begin to think they are different. When people are different, they become victims; when they become victims, they will be ‘marginalized’ by the non-group members.
Get out of the fucking group and join the US.
Lord Nazh: You are the one who has the burden of coming to the present. Being marginalized and being placed in a group is not something I made up. It is reality. Being proud to be of a certain nationality, ethnicity or heritage is not something that should be inhibited. I believe the “all-mighty hyphen” is unnecessary. I can be a proud citizen of America and a productive member of society, while being a proud Latin woman. I do not have to identify myself as a hyphenated anything.
Have you taken a critical look at all of our social concepts? Look at the media, schools, national demographics… Minorities are marginalized. That is a fact, and it is not by their own fault. If you don’t want to see it and blame those who are stereotyped against and have twice as much work to do to be near a level playing field, then that’s your own ignorance.
And I get it- Ignorance is bliss.
Kristen, “I can be a proud citizen of America and a productive member of society, while being a proud Latin woman.”
And when you become a proud AMERICAN, and lose the LATIN, you will be a welcome member of this blog, until such time, tote your LATIN ass back to where ever the hell it is LATIN people go…
Plain and simple, if you’re not an American 1st and that’s ALL you are, you are not welcome here, now run off to your pretty little blog and tell everyone that TexasFred is a racist asshole…
Kristen the Latin Queen of obvious CUBAN decent won’t be with us any longer, the IP tells me so…
When someone like that tries to tell me that I am wrong in my belief that we should ALL be Americans 1st, she, and anyone like her can kiss my American ass and go straight to hell…
If you want to be a Latin-American, tote your ass to a LATIN nation, if you want to be a Cuban-American, tote your ass to Cuba and hang out with your Uncle Fidel…
Kristen: you’re words prove you WANT to be in a group. Join the big group and have fun with the rest of us.
You want to be marginalized? Continue living in your hyphenated world.
I agree that hyphenated Americanism is bad for the country. I wrote an op-ed last Jan 2008 that was published across the country in major newspapers (“don’t dash the dream; be an American in full” AJC 1/29/2008).
Since then, I setup a website dropthedash.com that is promoting one America…with no need for any dashes.
Over 21000 visitors later, we have the early stages of a social movement afoot. People across the country have posted comments, bought tees and stuff, and are dropping the qualifier to their nationality. We are Americans. We were born here … not Africa, not Mexico, not Ireland, etc.
I am an American. Not an African-American.
My ancestors - both European and African - fought, marched and died for me to call myself what we always have been…American.
This is the 21st century. Isn’t it time for the wounds and battles from the centuries before to just go away?
The only way to fix the legacy of slavery is to succeed in this country on our own merit.
We have an online forum at Amazon.com’s non-fiction forum “Should all Americans drop the dash and promote being American” that you all should join.