[Alicia]

This can be traced back to the amount of admixture among blacks during the era of slavery, and the racial politics that ensued. Often blacks were categorized as mulatto, quadroon or octaroon, based on their known ancestry or physical appearance. Many times lighter-skinned blacks were given preferential treatment, resulting in a good deal of resentment and self-hate among the black community. Also, there are many obvious differences in the skin tones and facial features of black Americans, so in a way it's only natural to observe these differences. Much the same way Caucasians have a variety of different eye and hair colors. It's interesting to note, from my observation, that while many non-blacks tend to view blacks as a homogenous group, the various groups of black Africans tend to see themselves as distinct and different from each other. A good example of this is the situation in the Darfur region of Sudan. Many, if not most, Arab Sudanese would easily be considered to be black by American standards, but Arab Sudanese tend to see themselves as very different from black Sudanese, thus resulting in much of the atrocities there.

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Name : Alicia, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 30, City : Raleigh, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : IT Manager, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Alicia]

I don't think the use of hyphens in people describing themselves is causing many of today's issues, rather it is those issues that cause people to use the hyphens. America is a country of immigrants, with the exception of Native Americans (although even they immigrated from Asia and the South Pacific). People have emotional ties to their pre-American heritage that cannot, and should not, in my opinion be denied. America has a diverse, multi-cultural heritage that is unparalleled in the world. This could be our greatest asset, if we choose to make it such. But in order to do that, we have to be willing to accept and respect our differences, as well as appreciate the positive aspects of our many different cultures. In my opinion, much of the racial tension in this country results from attempts throughout American history to exclude differences and the historical lack of respect that is given to other cultures. Basically, only when all Americans truly feel unequivocally American, will the hyphens disappear.

User Detail :  

Name : Alicia, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 30, City : Raleigh, State : NC Country : United States, Occupation : IT Manager, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

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