Vizzle

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How many generations am I allowed to go back to come up with some exotic ancestry that doesn't play a role in my daily life and that I only mention when it is in my own advantage?



If blacks can be "African-American", why can't I be "Irish-American"? It's just about having pride in where your family came from and the traditions passed down from each generation.



Few general things here:

The term "African-American" is a stupid invention, in my opinion. It doesn't add any extra information to the description of a person, as it's only used to indicate the colour of skin, not some 'cultural heritage'. Half of the US population can't even point out their own country on a worldmap, let alone say something that makes sense about Africa and its inhabitants.

Secondly, why the need to keep pointing to your family's past and/or the country they came from generations ago? It's not as if the average US citizen or the US as a whole hasn't achieved anything.

Next, the referral to traditions is mostly used to emphasize one's own 'good' sides and, vice versa, to stereotype other groups' behaviour as inferior/less desirable. Traditions are a milder form of religion.

Viz, you state your ethnicity as 'Irish, Scottish, German', and continue to descibe yourself as 'Irish-American'. Why not Irish-Scottish-German-American? Or Scottish-American? Or German-American? I think there's more tradition and historical heritage to be found in Germany than in Ireland.

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The only thing you got that I want, is your suffering.