We have heard so much about “African-Americans” lately. I think the media took Obama’s ethnicity as a free license to fill every bit of gossip, spin and news with this term. Personally, I would prefer it if we could all just be “Americans” and be done with it. I have a warped thought process I guess because I wonder if white Americans with African descent call themselves African-Americans? There are quite a lot of white people living in Africa. And I imagine quite a number of them have immigrated to America over the years. So I wonder ... would they gladly take on the mantle of African-American or would they be offended? Or just indifferent?
Latin Americans? They don’t even speak Latin. Why don’t the Italians, Spanish, etc. get called Latin Americans? I think we ought to simply go for one language, one name, one America. Let those who prize their ethnicity above their citizenship go back to their country of origin. Somehow I don’t think there will be a rush for that to happen. The simple fact is the vast majority of those who call themselves “Something-American” have never been anywhere but America. People are odd creatures aren’t we?
2007
