Food For Thought: Is there REALLY that much different between African Americans & Africans?

[im not you]

Originally Posted by FlyJr22

In the future like a hundred/hundreds of years from now I believe they'll look at the African-American as a whole new race, because its almost as if we are even now. Our facial structure is complete different due to mixing even for people who are darkly complected.

huh?

I know plenty of Africans who look just like African Americans.

Example.

He looks just any other dude I might see walking down my block...

Damn shame we got people trying to create a divide within ourselves...

Like %!!$*% can't STAND being grouped together for some reason. Like it's a poison or something.

 

[ninjallamafromhell]

Originally Posted by CharmCityKid

of ourse there is a MAJOR difference. 400+ years of difference. no disrespect to any africans, but they feel like they are better than us. they do this in a sub-conscious and many times conscious effort to identify themselves with the white man. we have all been taught from the beginning that the white man is superior, but the opposite is actually the truth. global society still tells everyone we are the lowest of the low. again, in the US constitution we are still 3/5 of a man. this has penetrated the minds of all nations on the globe. there are those that know the truth, but it is really shared publicly.

Originally Posted by Pmighty

african americans arent accepted in africa or america


go figure

this is a VERY important point here. the question is WHY is this the case?? anyone care to take a stab at the answer before i answer??

i'll just add, and this is generally speaking of course, one of the reasons white ppl hate blacks is due to their melanin defficiency. their lack of melanin is actually a curse (might sound a little crazy, but it's the truth). like leprocy. ever wonder why white ppl live in tanning salons and are always on the beach trying to tan, or spray painting themselves all in an attempt to get DARKER??? hmmm?

melinin defficiency isn't the main reason they've always hated us tho. but is does tie in nicely. just for the record, this is in no way meant to offend anyone.

Did this dude just say being white is a curse?

 

[slimk4]

Originally Posted by FlyJr22

In the future like a hundred/hundreds of years from now I believe they'll look at the African-American as a whole new race, because its almost as if we are even now. Our facial structure is complete different due to mixing even for people who are darkly complected. We've had to completely create our own culture because our was taken away or forgotten. How many black people do you know that can trace their roots back to africa? Barely any, now you can get a DNA testing to see what region your ancestry is from but that's it.

Oh wow bruh......

That brings me back to what i said earlier....

How is an african supposed to look

Or how is a african american supposed to look....

We ALL look the same....people just fail to realize

 

[hueyp in louiev]

Originally Posted by enlightenedespot

vjetti wrote:

I'm indian, but I definitely have noticed through college and work, there seem to be more hard-working, successful ppl that have an African sounding name and originate from that continent than African Americans. In my years in investment banking, there were probably four times as many Africans than African Americans.

This is due to the castration of the Black American family structure. During slavery it was very common to take men away from their wives and children and move them around a lot. This in turn made some son's grow up thinking they didn't need their father or need to be in the lives of their children. Their daughters would grow up thinking they wouldn't need a man and that they can raise their children on their own. This leads to the destruction of the Black American family.

You cannot compare Black Americans and Africans in this sense. Africans are an established people with strong familial morals like any European or Asian peoples.
Its amazing to see strong Black American families today and throughout history with a patriarch and matriarch intact. Teaching their children the importance of schooling and other things.

Another factor is poverty. Can't worry about school if you can't eat. Africans that come over have to be in a somewhat fortunate situation to make it over.

Of course there are instances. Like an uneducated single mother that understands the importance of education and forces it on her children. But for the most part these are cycles that are almost impossible to break.

---

Damn shame we got people trying to create a divide within ourselves...

Like %!!$*% can't STAND being grouped together for some reason. Like it's a poison or something.

On point.



To my African brothers, how do y'all feel about your obligations to your race and native African states?

 

[keithdajuiceman]

ummmm what the hell is an african american???

 

[superantigen]

Originally Posted by HueyP in LouieV

SuperAntigen .... etesen?

Word...let me find out...

Mi huo yeh. Na wo-dere-aei, wo huo ti seng?

Damn, it's really hard to type these sounds...

...

...

 

[flyjr22]

do I really have to break this down for you guys??? like seriously

have any of you guys even taken anthropolgy?

 

[superantigen]

Originally Posted by FlyJr22

do I really have to break this down for you guys??? like seriously

have any of you guys even taken anthropolgy?

Go Ahead...

...

 

[liljrdn]

I had African friends as well as African American friends and they are quite different. They have been brought up differently because they have a differentmentality, beliefs, costumes, traditions, etc. Although I find it quite interesting, I can understand because Latinos share this particular dilemma. Manypeople assume that all latinos are "Mexican" or are very similar to Mexican folks just based on the fact that we may look a like. The truth is thatevery single latino is different. Mexicans are very different from Argentinians, Salvadorians, Guatemalans, or people from Puerto Rico, Bahammas, Cuba, Brazil,Venezuela, etc...

 

[fromthatown]

Originally Posted by LilJRDN

I had African friends as well as African American friends and they are quite different. They have been brought up differently because they have a different mentality, beliefs, costumes, traditions, etc. Although I find it quite interesting, I can understand because Latinos share this particular dilemma. Many people assume that all latinos are "Mexican" or are very similar to Mexican folks just based on the fact that we may look a like. The truth is that every single latino is different. Mexicans are very different from Argentinians, Salvadorians, Guatemalans, or people from Puerto Rico, Bahammas, Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela, etc...

Yeah I just want to add that I understand what this is about even though I'm not black. Being Vietnamese, I'm in the transitionalgeneration gap (This is a made up term by me) . I was raised by parents that have the full Vietnamese cultures installed in me, yet I fully understand theAmerican culture and upbringing. I'm caught in the middle and can navigate through both. Latino- Americans and Asian- Americans separate themselves fromthe new immigrants coming in all the time. I never liked this myself, when Vietnamese kids of the new generation would put down the FOBs( Fresh Off the Boat orFresh Off the Border.)

There is a cultural difference if the Latino- American or the Asian- American has assimilated too much. From my experience, the American kids look down on the"FOBs" because they think they are better , or they're irritated by the way the "FOBs" interact with each other because they have adifferent culture. Both came from the same tree, but people just want to divide themselves. The "FOBs", in return, look down on the American kidsbecause they think American kids are less street smart, lazy in their work ethic, and can't hustle. I don't see people uniting, but it really irritatesme because I've been back to Vietnam too. Vietnamese in Vietnam don't accept me either lol. They have a term called Viet Kieu which means American orForeigner. I hate the term FOB, it just doesn't make sense to me. My parents and all these new generation kids once had parents that were FOB. Didn'tmean to hijack this thread, but I just want to let the Africans and the African- Americans on this board know, other ethnic groups see what you guys are goingthrough too even though we're not black.

 

[Master Zik]

I'm aware of this divide. It's based off of something planted to make us hate each other and then there's the normal stuff two groups of ppl wouldhave. The biggest thing are the cultural differences. Being black born in America(I don't care for the term African-American) I get along good withAfricans.

I doubt they all will get along. I'm good as long as I can get (()) from all sides. It's not the biggest problem but I can see someone argue wewon't ever be able to effectively fight for justice if we aren't all united and on the same page.

 

[chickencurry4eva]

Just food for thought...

Anyone attend/attended a HBCU?

What's the presence of African students like at these institutions? I'm assuming a lot less than African Americans, but just curious to know

Better yet, would an African student come from Africa to the United States to attend a HBCU?

 

[solein1]

lol from america and from africa.

 

[im not you]

Originally Posted by chickencurry4eva

Just food for thought...

Anyone attend/attended a HBCU?

What's the presence of African students like at these institutions? I'm assuming a lot less than African Americans, but just curious to know

Better yet, would an African student come from Africa to the United States to attend a HBCU?

There are alot at Howard...I doubt you'll find too many at most other HBCU's.

 

[Nouss]

chickencurry4eva wrote:
Better yet, would an African student come from Africa to the United States to attend a HBCU?

Doubt it. Africans aren't here to be Black in America. They are here to get their education, live the American dream and ****.
But if an HBCU gives them a scholarship I doubt they would second guess it though.
My (African) parents weren't too interested in the HBCU thing, they kind of thought of it like why are you trying to separate yourselves.

To my African brothers, how do y'all feel about your obligations to your race and native African states?

I doubt any Africans, at least those who didn't grow up in America, feel any obligations towards Black Americans or any other Blacks in the world.

Lets not even begin on our obligations as Africans to our own African states. That is large problem which is getting to the point where we can only blameourselves for the greediness that is going on. Corruption of all kinds and all for profit.

I am in Africa right now and I was talking to one of my homeboys and he honestly believes that White people are smarter than Black people. Smh.

Educating the masses starts at home fellas. Whether you Black American or African or Afro Latino.

 

[mytsharp]

Originally Posted by OGbobbyjohnson773

Originally Posted by HueyP in LouieV

Now this is a good discussion.

I'm go in when I get back home.

See, the white man dun got you programmed, BRUUTHA. You think this is home?

 

[de phx jose]

Originally Posted by SuperAntigen

Originally Posted by FlyJr22

do I really have to break this down for you guys??? like seriously

have any of you guys even taken anthropolgy?

Go Ahead...

...

yea. let it be broke mother *!%%#%

 

[im not you]

Another's take on the situation

http://www.library.yale.edu/~fboateng/akata.htm

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]TAMPA - When Anthony Eromosele Oigbokie came to America in 1960, he heard racial slurs - not from Klansmen in white sheets - but from dashiki-wearing blacks.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"Just because African-Americans wear kente cloth does not mean they embrace everything that is African," says Oigbokie, a Nigerian business owner in Tampa. "I caught a lot of hell from the frat boys" at Tuskegee University, a historically black college in Alabama.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"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?' "[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]Three decades later, not much has changed. Africans and black Americans often fail to forge relationships in the classroom and the workplace. They blame nationality, ethnicity, culture, economics and education.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"A shared complexion does not equal a shared culture, nor does it automatically lead to friendships," says Kofi Glover, a native of Ghana and a political science professor at the University of South Florida. "Whether we like it or not, Africans and African-Americans have two different and very distinct cultures."[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"That's a fallacy," retorts Omali Ye****ela, president of St. Petersburg's National People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, a black nationalist group whose name means "freedom" in Swahili. Ye****ela is from St. Petersburg and was formerly known as Joe Waller.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica]Whether blacks live on the Ivory Coast or the Atlantic Coast, Ye****ela contends, "we're all the same. There are no cultural differences between Africans and African-Americans."[/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]Na'im Akbar, a psychology professor at Florida State University, sides with Glover. "The only way we'll ever begin to appreciate each other is to recognize and embrace our cultural differences," says Akbar, who was born in America.
Slavery is the tie that binds, but the legacy also keeps the two groups apart.
Some local blacks argue the closest they've ever come to Africa is Busch Gardens. The fact that African leaders profited from selling others is a betrayal many blacks refuse to forgive or forget.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"A lot of us do harbor a lot of hostility toward Africans," says Tampa poet James Tokley. "Many Africans have no idea what our ancestors endured during slavery."
Glover agrees that while some Africans suffered under colonial rule and apartheid, not all can relate to the degradation of slavery.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]In Ghana, he says, "we did not experience white domination like the Africans in Kenya, Zimbabwe or South Africa. We do not understand the whole concept of slavery, or it's effect on the attitude of a lot of African-Americans, mainly because we were not exposed to it. To read about racism and discrimination is one thing, but to experience it is something else."[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]Much bad blood stems from interactions between Africans and whites, Oigbokie says. For example, he ate at some segregated restaurants in the 1960s.
"A lot of African-Americans were upset that white people would serve me but not them," he says. "They felt the system gave us better treatment than it gave them."
Many black Americans are ignorant about Africans, Oigbokie adds. They share comic Eddie Murphy's joke that Africans "ride around butt-naked on a zebra."
"They think we want to kill them so that we can eat them," Oigbokie says, laughing. "I remember a black person once asked me if I knew Tarzan. I told him, "Yes, he is my uncle."[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]Glover, who also teaches African studies at USF, says these perceptions are rooted in "all the negative things we've been taught about each other."
"A lot of African-Americans were taught that Africa was nothing more than just a primitive, backward jungle from whence they came," he says. Meanwhile, Africans have picked up whites' fear of blacks. "Our perception of African-Americans is that they are a race of people who carry guns and are very, very violent."
Africa's tribal wars oftentimes mirror black-on-black violence in America, and some ask how is it possible to form friendships with all this intra-racial friction.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"I have seen us come together in great magnificence," Ye****ela says, citing, as an example, Marcus Garvey, founder of a back-to-Africa movement in the 1920s. "He was very successful in bringing about the unity of African people."
Africans admire the American struggle for civil rights. Yet, when some come to America and discover black is not so beautiful, they insist on maintaining a separate identity.
"When indigenous African people come to the United States, they adopt an attitude of superiority ... about individuals who could very well be of their own blood," Tokley says.
Some African customs,such as female circumcision, shock Americans. Other traditions have been forgotten, or, in the case of Kwanzaa, invented in America.
Africans tend to have a strong patriarchal system, with differences in attitudes about family and work.
"The women's liberation movement has barely caught up to Africa," says Cheikh T. Sylla, a native of Senegal and the president of a Tampa architecture firm.
"That's why I think many unions between African men and African-American women don't tend to last. Most African-American women are like, "I'm not going to put up with the notion that you are the absolute head of the household,' " says Sylla, who does not mind his American wife's feisty ways.
Sylla says he's baffled by blacks' unwillingness to take advantage of America's many opportunities and their willingness to blame most problems on race.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"When most Africans come here, their first priority, by and large, is education," he says. "Right here you have a tool that allows you to open doors within American society.
"There was no king in my family or any other type of royalty in my lineage. I had to work to earn every single penny I own, and it was brutal. The African-American experience is so profound that at times I don't think I can appreciate it. I understand it must be recognized as a matter of history, but it cannot be held as a justification to one's inability to succeed."[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]In 1990, the median household income of an African immigrant was $30,907, according to the Center for Research on Immigration Policy in Washington, D.C. That compares with $19,533 for black Americans. Africans who immigrate to the United States come largely from the educated middle class of their countries. The research center reports 47 percent are college graduates and 22 percent have a professional specialty. Only 14 percent of black Americans graduate from college.
"Most of the friction between African people centers around the class issue," Ye****ela says. He says when blacks and Africans fight over jobs, they are buying into a conspiracy to keep them at odds. "I don't like the artificial separations that won't allow the two of us to get together. It is not in our best interest to always be at each other's throat." Especially since the two groups are in the same boat now, Akbar says.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"If you visit Nigeria or Ghana, the masses of the people are locked in the same circumstances as poor African-Americans," he says. "Both groups seem content to do nothing other than what they are currently doing.
"However, the denial among Africans comes from living in a place where all the bodies that surround them look the same as they do. That makes it easier for them to fail to see that the folks who are controlling the whole economy of Nigeria are the oil barons - and they don't look anything like (black) Africans."
Another point of contention, Akbar says, is that blacks appreciate their heritage more than Africans do. "We have to convince them to preserve the slave dungeons in Ghana or to continue the weaving of the kente cloth." Tours to Africa are booming. Feeling rejected at home, many middle-class blacks turn to Africa, Ye****ela says. "But in the final analysis, culture won't free you. Any ordinary African will tell you a dearth of culture is not the source of our affliction.[/size][/font]

[font=arial, helvetica][size=-1]"We're faced with a situation where 3 to 10 percent of the total trade in Africa happens in Africa. The rest is exported from Africa. The future of all black-skinned people centers in Africa. That is our birthright and someone else has it. The struggle we have to make lies in reclaiming what is rightfully ours."[/size][/font]

 

[mrmoneyindabank]

Originally Posted by StreetSmarts

i wish i was white then i would have all the oppurtunities my people fight for to waste...

You buggin. Every morning, I wake up and thing the most high that I'm a Black man. I'll deal with the struggle.

 

[slimk4]

Originally Posted by Im Not You

Originally Posted by chickencurry4eva

Just food for thought...

Anyone attend/attended a HBCU?

What's the presence of African students like at these institutions? I'm assuming a lot less than African Americans, but just curious to know

Better yet, would an African student come from Africa to the United States to attend a HBCU?

There are alot at Howard...I doubt you'll find too many at most other HBCU's.

There are quite a few in most HBCU's of course they are not the majority but it seems to be a trend that once u go into post grad programs yousee more Africans than Blacks

 

[dendanskesimon]

Originally Posted by ninjallamafromhell

Originally Posted by CharmCityKid

i'll just add, and this is generally speaking of course, one of the reasons white ppl hate blacks is due to their melanin defficiency. their lack of melanin is actually a curse (might sound a little crazy, but it's the truth). like leprocy. ever wonder why white ppl live in tanning salons and are always on the beach trying to tan, or spray painting themselves all in an attempt to get DARKER??? hmmm?
melinin defficiency isn't the main reason they've always hated us tho. but is does tie in nicely. just for the record, this is in no way meant to offend anyone.

Did this dude just say being white is a curse?

HAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, WHAT AN IDIOT, LET ME TELL YOU WHY WHITE PEOPLE TAN:
in the 70s, a female fashion designer that everyone was following (I believe its Versace) went to Mallorca on vacation and when she came back (she had forgotsunscreen) she was sunburned and brown, as a result everyone picked up on the trend, and since then its just been a part of the everyday for a lot of people.oh and let me tell you there are plenty of white people who dont tan, I for one, Will NEVER tan.

Originally Posted by Im Not You

I know plenty of Africans who look just like African Americans.

Example.

He looks just any other dude I might see walking down my block...

He does look african american, but Im gonna go out on a limb and assume hes from western or central africa, obv some of them look like an americanbecause this is where the slaves are taken from, but head east and they look nothing like african-americans

Originally Posted by enlightenedespot

I am in Africa right now and I was talking to one of my homeboys and he honestly believes that White people are smarter than Black people. Smh.

whos to say they are not? (im not saying they are) but really, what makes you think all races are created equal? Is that really the most logicalthing? I mean look at asians, theyre shorter. look at blacks, theyre darker. look at whites from scandinavia, theyre taller than other whites. Why would we assume everyone is created equal when we can so clearly see that they are not?

 

[jumpshot]

Originally Posted by dendanskesimon

Originally Posted by enlightenedespot

I am in Africa right now and I was talking to one of my homeboys and he honestly believes that White people are smarter than Black people. Smh.

whos to say they are not? (im not saying they are) but really, what makes you think all races are created equal? Is that really the most logical thing? I mean look at asians, theyre shorter. look at blacks, theyre darker. look at whites from scandinavia, theyre taller than other whites. Why would we assume everyone is created equal when we can so clearly see that they are not?

I wouldn't go so far as to say that a certain race is "smarter" than another race, because intelligence is difficult to measure, butI do agree with you on the physical aspects you described. Yes, it's clear that there are differentiating characteristics between certain groups of people.However, that doesn't mean they are unequal. What it means is that, over time, these certain people have developed certain specific characteristics thatmake them unique and allow them to succeed in their particular environments. It's not even a question about equality because we have all evolved thesecharacteristics for different purposes in MUCH different environments. It's really not fair to compare these characteristics on a basis of equality becausethey're not meant for that purpose.

 

[dendanskesimon]

Originally Posted by Jumpshot

Originally Posted by dendanskesimon

Originally Posted by enlightenedespot

I am in Africa right now and I was talking to one of my homeboys and he honestly believes that White people are smarter than Black people. Smh.

whos to say they are not? (im not saying they are) but really, what makes you think all races are created equal? Is that really the most logical thing? I mean look at asians, theyre shorter. look at blacks, theyre darker. look at whites from scandinavia, theyre taller than other whites. Why would we assume everyone is created equal when we can so clearly see that they are not?

I wouldn't go so far as to say that a certain race is "smarter" than another race, because intelligence is difficult to measure, but I do agree with you on the physical aspects you described. Yes, it's clear that there are differentiating characteristics between certain groups of people. However, that doesn't mean they are unequal. What it means is that, over time, these certain people have developed certain specific characteristics that make them unique and allow them to succeed in their particular environments. It's not even a question about equality because we have all evolved these characteristics for different purposes in MUCH different environments. It's really not fair to compare these characteristics on a basis of equality because they're not meant for that purpose.

exactly. clearly you understand people have evolved for their bodies to suit their needs. whether they be faster, taller, shorter, etc. But I dontthink you can draw the line at just the physical, if these aspects can be so affected, then the mental aspects surely can too. I would obviously not be able totell you whos smarter because nothing has been explored in depth like this, but Im sure some races are quicker to pick up and learn things than others are.

 

[juve9ile18]

I blame the schools and the history books on how they portray Africans and African-Americans.

 

[superantigen]

Originally Posted by dendanskesimon

Originally Posted by Jumpshot

Originally Posted by dendanskesimon

Originally Posted by enlightenedespot

I am in Africa right now and I was talking to one of my homeboys and he honestly believes that White people are smarter than Black people. Smh.

whos to say they are not? (im not saying they are) but really, what makes you think all races are created equal? Is that really the most logical thing? I mean look at asians, theyre shorter. look at blacks, theyre darker. look at whites from scandinavia, theyre taller than other whites. Why would we assume everyone is created equal when we can so clearly see that they are not?

I wouldn't go so far as to say that a certain race is "smarter" than another race, because intelligence is difficult to measure, but I do agree with you on the physical aspects you described. Yes, it's clear that there are differentiating characteristics between certain groups of people. However, that doesn't mean they are unequal. What it means is that, over time, these certain people have developed certain specific characteristics that make them unique and allow them to succeed in their particular environments. It's not even a question about equality because we have all evolved these characteristics for different purposes in MUCH different environments. It's really not fair to compare these characteristics on a basis of equality because they're not meant for that purpose.

exactly. clearly you understand people have evolved for their bodies to suit their needs. whether they be faster, taller, shorter, etc. But I dont think you can draw the line at just the physical, if these aspects can be so affected, then the mental aspects surely can too. I would obviously not be able to tell you whos smarter because nothing has been explored in depth like this, [color= rgb(255, 0, 0)]but Im sure some races are quicker to pick up and learn things than others are.[/color]

I'm pretty sure that has more to do with culture, than biology...

...