It's partly because they can go to Africa and be treated as a "normal" human being as many out there aren't aware of our celebrities. And technically we all have roots in Africa >> ^wraith:

A question that always bothered me and that has almost nothing to do with this video: Why do so many African Americans think they have to go to Africa to find their roots? In Europe, in all countries except France, 99% of African people are really first or second generation immigrants from one of the dozens of Nations in Africa.
They have relatives living there.
I understand that.
African Americans have their roots as much in "Africa", as I have my roots in....I don't even know...Germany? France? Russia? Hungary?
I don't even know where my ancestors lived three hundred years ago.
And I don't care.
I don't get it.

>> ^wraith:

A question that always bothered me and that has almost nothing to do with this video: Why do so many African Americans think they have to go to Africa to find their roots? In Europe, in all countries except France, 99% of African people are really first or second generation immigrants from one of the dozens of Nations in Africa.
They have relatives living there.
I understand that.
African Americans have their roots as much in "Africa", as I have my roots in....I don't even know...Germany? France? Russia? Hungary?
I don't even know where my ancestors lived three hundred years ago.
And I don't care.
I don't get it.


Your ancestors (probably) weren't torn away from their homeland unwillingly, and you did not grow up somewhere just a hairsbreadth away from deep, institutional racism. Have you ever spent a lot of time somewhere where you were a minority? It's not always terribly comfortable.

That said, someone already mentioned that Chappelle didn't go there for that reason. I don't know if anyone actually does. Is it a thing? But I can absolutely see why someone growing up in America might feel that they need to try to find some connection to where their ancestors came from.

Just guessing. Mostly from Irish/German stock, here. But many generations removed.

>> ^wraith:

A question that always bothered me and that has almost nothing to do with this video: Why do so many African Americans think they have to go to Africa to find their roots? In Europe, in all countries except France, 99% of African people are really first or second generation immigrants from one of the dozens of Nations in Africa.
They have relatives living there.
I understand that.
African Americans have their roots as much in "Africa", as I have my roots in....I don't even know...Germany? France? Russia? Hungary?
I don't even know where my ancestors lived three hundred years ago.
And I don't care.
I don't get it.


He went to South Africa. IIRC it wasn't anything to do with him being black or having African ancestry. It was just some place where he wasn't famous and could get away from a public that knew him. I figure Europe would have been similar to the US in that regard. Why not go to the east? Maybe not enough English speakers, who knows.

A question that always bothered me and that has almost nothing to do with this video: Why do so many African Americans think they have to go to Africa to find their roots? In Europe, in all countries except France, 99% of African people are really first or second generation immigrants from one of the dozens of Nations in Africa.

They have relatives living there.

I understand that.

African Americans have their roots as much in "Africa", as I have my roots in....I don't even know...Germany? France? Russia? Hungary?

I don't even know where my ancestors lived three hundred years ago.

And I don't care.

I don't get it.

Sorry but there aren't any white people left in Texas not anymore. White is now the minority in Texas yet Hispanics and African Americans still get all the minority benefits here. This is a little off topic but it's also the sad and honest truth. I can't even get food stamps here in Texas because I'm white, it doesn't matter that I was hurt and can't work for the next 6 months, I'm the wrong skin color to receive any help from the Texas government. Yet I know plenty of Hispanic friends of mine that have never been turned down once for help even though they all own homes and drives low riders with gold rims. They still qualify for $1000 a month in food stamps. Even when I brought them proof of my injury and my old tax returns showing I've been working steady till the accident and that I don't have any bank accounts, I don't own a home, or even a car. They only offered to give me $10 a month in food stamps. I was floored I told them they could keep their lousy $10. You can barely buy one meal with that. Fucking ridiculous. Texas couldn't give a flyin fuck about White people. Unless your a rich politician.

>> ^gwiz665:

His name is Perez, and she's an angry childless white woman, who goes to church every day and knows she's going to heaven. Connecting those dots aren't hard.
"Get off my lawn and into my jail!" sigh
Texas, once again the flagbearer for justice and honor for white folks.

Yeah, take that Will Smith and Oprah. God forbid you guys can become superstars and multi-millionaires. You have to "stay genuine", and never change, even if it means staying dirt poor or mediocre. Conforming to some vague notion of "blackness" is more important than personal achievement.

And fuck Obama too, and Ursula Burns, and any other black person with talent, drive and determination, who happens to have charisma and appeals to other races. And god forbid someone undergoes personal transformation and change to succeed, especially in a society where the chips are stacked against them on day 1. No, it's better to know one's place.

Yeah, Barack, Ursula, Will and Oprah, even though you guys are actually transforming what it means to be african american and black by kicking down barriers, so that black kids can feel they can do anything and be anyone, FUCK YOU.

Will, you should still be rapping about Philly with the other ol' skool rappers on tour on the c-circuit. Oprah, you should still be doing "who's the father!!" shows and competing with Jerry Springer and Maury. Ursula, wasn't middle management enough? And Barack my man, you did much more good as a community organizer.

C, your premise and line of thinking is ridiculous. Can you explain to me what role is acceptable for a black man? You castigate Will Smith for being weak then complain about Samuel Jackson and Denzel Washington? These guys aren't flava flav for gods sake.

Please forgive me for not seeing your sarcasm, if that's what this is. >> ^chingalera:

When it comes right down to it, who really gives a fuck why Will Smith back-slapped a reporter, or why the reporter decided to kiss him. All that really matters is that Will Smith, one of the whitest black men in America, will never get any revenue from me, as I plan to download the film from many of my friends around the world who won;t shed a tear when Hollywood dies.
He can join the other list of sell-out negroes in Hollywood who have taken the $Bait$ and become masters of a weak stereotypical representation of the African-American male.
There's the ultimate hero negro: Denzel Washington, Jim Brown, (AKA, The Victim of Society Negro
The Superhero Negro: Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne
The Historical Hero negro Cuba Gooding Jr., Denzel Washington, Will Smith
The Sidekick negro-Sam Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Don Cheadle
Cop/Psychologist/Social Worker Negro-Sydney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg
and then there's the , "Only African-American female to ever win an Academy Award for best actress getting ass-raped negress, Halle Berry
Fuck Will Smith, he's another total sell-out.

When it comes right down to it, who really gives a fuck why Will Smith back-slapped a reporter, or why the reporter decided to kiss him. All that really matters is that Will Smith, one of the whitest black men in America, will never get any revenue from me, as I plan to download the film from many of my friends around the world who won;t shed a tear when Hollywood dies.

He can join the other list of sell-out negroes in Hollywood who have taken the $Bait$ and become masters of a weak stereotypical representation of the African-American male.

There's the ultimate hero negro: Denzel Washington, Jim Brown, (AKA, The Victim of Society Negro
The Superhero Negro: Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne
The Historical Hero negro Cuba Gooding Jr., Denzel Washington, Will Smith
The Sidekick negro-Sam Jackson, Morgan Freeman, Don Cheadle
Cop/Psychologist/Social Worker Negro-Sydney Poitier, Whoopi Goldberg

and then there's the , "Only African-American female to ever win an Academy Award for best actress getting ass-raped negress, Halle Berry

Fuck Will Smith, he's another total sell-out.

There's a growing minority in Japan worshiping every aspects of African-American culture, especially in the music scene like hip-hop or jazz. The funny thing is that even though they're doing it out of love, their method of respect for African-American culture come off as incredibly racist and demonstrate a very shallow understanding of its people.

The Japanese have their own theory of what 'being black' is and it is purely based on western media. They keep the same stereotype that exists throughout North America that all blacks are athletic, good at music, dance, and not very interested in academia. But because being black makes everything about you cool, all the stereotypes and racist biases become cool as well. So not doing your homework or putting on a black-face make up is okay now, because Africans don't do homework and their skin is black. The youth of Japan especially identify with these traits (even though they're all savagely politically incorrect from a western point of view) because they identify with dancing and not doing homework more than they do with strict Japanese social etiquette, so they celebrate all the biased and want to imitate them, without understanding how these racist ideas about blacks really came about.

It's weird and ironic and hilarious and wrong in this twisted, fastidious way in all aspects. It's fucking amazing.

Ai, ai, ai! So many!>> ^jonny:

You forgot French, Iroquois, Mexican, Cuban, Malay, Korean, Panamanian, Venezuelan, Columbian, African but oddly not Afrikaner, ... and don't forget Poland! oh... actually, I guess we never really hated them. But really, no one can forget how we hated Ourselves.
>> ^Fusionaut:
First, Americans were afraid of the British, then the Natives, then the British again, then other Americans, after that the Africans, then the Spanish, then the African-Americans, then the Germans, then the African-Americans, then the Germans and the Japanese, then the Russians, then other Americans (Commies/Atheists), then the Vietcong, then the Russians again, then the Iraqis, then the Iranians, then the Al Qaeda, then the Iraqis again, then other Americans again (TSA), and NOW they're afraid of losing electricity. (I may be missing some groups and this list may be out of sequence)
P.S. oh yeah, don't forget Muslims!

You forgot French, Iroquois, Mexican, Cuban, Malay, Korean, Panamanian, Venezuelan, Columbian, African but oddly not Afrikaner, ... and don't forget Poland! oh... actually, I guess we never really hated them. But really, no one can forget how we hated Ourselves.

>> ^Fusionaut:

First, Americans were afraid of the British, then the Natives, then the British again, then other Americans, after that the Africans, then the Spanish, then the African-Americans, then the Germans, then the African-Americans, then the Germans and the Japanese, then the Russians, then other Americans (Commies/Atheists), then the Vietcong, then the Russians again, then the Iraqis, then the Iranians, then the Al Qaeda, then the Iraqis again, then other Americans again (TSA), and NOW they're afraid of losing electricity. (I may be missing some groups and this list may be out of sequence)
P.S. oh yeah, don't forget Muslims!

First, Americans were afraid of the British, then the Natives, then the British again, then other Americans, after that the Africans, then the Spanish, then the African-Americans, then the Germans, then the African-Americans, then the Germans and the Japanese, then the Russians, then other Americans (Commies/Atheists), then the Vietcong, then the Russians again, then the Iraqis, then the Iranians, then the Al Qaeda, then the Iraqis again, then other Americans again (TSA), and NOW they're afraid of losing electricity. (I may be missing some groups and this list may be out of sequence)

P.S. oh yeah, don't forget Muslims!

It's a bold move that may well cost him votes. On this score, Obama has more to fear from 'centrist' white independent voters than African Americans or Latino voters.

Ultimately though, this issue will not drive his election or Romney's. The economy and some foreign issues are too important.

>> ^GenjiKilpatrick:

Sudden 180° turn on a highly contentious issue..?
Say anything. Do anything. To get elected.

It's the American way!


Actually, Obama was pro-same-sex-equality before his presidency.

Biden's unplanned statement on Meet the Press, plus the NC amendment pushed him to make this (also unplanned) statement that the White House said was haphazardly put together, and may actually endanger his standing with some African American and Latino constituents.

Even if your premise is true, how does that make african americans different from white americans? As I recall, AAs aren't going around sponsoring laws and bank rolling initiatives banning marriage in every state they can.>> ^Jinx:

Amen to that.
but srsly, what a perfect speech. Fair to say there is a lot of homophobia in the black and gospel communities, which is a shame given their history of fighting for civil rights. Few more preachermen like this guy and that might change. Good sift.