What is Black American Culture? (inspired by The Salon)

[intruder]

An interesting question. Although we can't put our finger on it we see it all over the world. The dress, the slang, the attitude. It's obvious when someone is "acting black".

There are remnants of ancient things but by and large it seems to be "hood" living. Which existed before the word "hood" was pop.

All American music is infused with black music. By extension most pop music worldwide.

To keep it simple: Hip Hop

True but i personally take offense to the whole "act black" thing when people say it. Because you know "acting black" is almost never a good thing.

 

[How Sway?]

An interesting question. Although we can't put our finger on it we see it all over the world. The dress, the slang, the attitude. It's obvious when someone is "acting black".

There are remnants of ancient things but by and large it seems to be "hood" living. Which existed before the word "hood" was pop.

All American music is infused with black music. By extension most pop music worldwide.

To keep it simple: Hip Hop

 

[IllmaticDelta]

1) there needs to be a different name for the AA ethnic group
2) AA is really a panethnic group as people from the Gulf Coast are different than those from the North and those in the Southeast, Florida etc.

The group is called AfroAmerican...every afro-descended American depending on region had it's distinctive flavor. It's the reason Blues from Mississippi/Texas sounds dark like this




and Blues from Virginia/Carolinas sounds happy like this




Diversity

 

[K.O.N.Y]

Would you call basketball "white culture"?

No

 

[MeachTheMonster]

No

Why not? White people made it.

 

[K.O.N.Y]

Would you call basketball "white culture"?

And basketball isn't white culture either. We're not talking about black culture we're talking about a specific ethnic culture-afram culture

 

[MeachTheMonster]

And basketball isn't white culture either. We're not talking about black culture we're talking about a specific ethnic culture-afram culture

So you're saying there's a difference between "black" and " African American" culture?

 

[IllmaticDelta]

So can anyone give an example of an aspect of "black culture" that was created, maintained, and engaged by black Americans, devoid of influence/participation of whites or other Americans?

What they hell does this have to do with anything? You can't stop someone from participating in something they take interest in.

 

[smokeurobinson]

In this country african American history consisted of slavery and post slavery. Comin out of the civil rights era we are just now starting to develop culture. Ancient Egypt took hundered of years to develop culture. African Americans are in the middle of creating our culture which will not be properly defined until hundreds of year from now looking back.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

So you're saying there's a difference between "black" and " African American" culture?

yes..."black" culture could be any afro descended culture whereas "AfroAmerican" culture comes from..

Origins of African-American Ethnicity or African-American Ethnic Traits


The newly formed Black Yankee ethnicity of the early 1800s differed from today’s African-American ethnicity. Modern African-American ethnic traits come from a post-bellum blending of three cultural streams: the Black Yankee ethnicity of 1830, the slave traditions of the antebellum South, and the free Creole or Mulatto elite traditions of the lower South. Each of the three sources provided elements of the religious, linguistic, and folkloric traditions found in today’s African-American ethnicity.30


http://essays.backintyme.biz/item/19

 

[MeachTheMonster]

What they hell does this have to do with anything? You can't stop someone from participating in something they take interest in.

Black history=American History

Therefore

Black culture = American culture

 

[IllmaticDelta]

In this country african American history consisted of slavery and post slavery. Comin out of the civil rights era we are just now starting to develop culture. Ancient Egypt took hundered of years to develop culture. African Americans are in the middle of creating our culture which will not be properly defined until hundreds of year from now looking back.

wtf


Tell that to the slaves who created negro spirituals

 

[MeachTheMonster]

yes..."black" culture could be any afro descenfed culture whereas "AfroAmerican" culture comes from..

Origins of African-American Ethnicity or African-American Ethnic Traits


The newly formed Black Yankee ethnicity of the early 1800s differed from today’s African-American ethnicity. Modern African-American ethnic traits come from a post-bellum blending of three cultural streams: the Black Yankee ethnicity of 1830, the slave traditions of the antebellum South, and the free Creole or Mulatto elite traditions of the lower South. Each of the three sources provided elements of the religious, linguistic, and folkloric traditions found in today’s African-American ethnicity.30


http://essays.backintyme.biz/item/19

Africans aren't "black" breh.

That's a social distinction created in America for Americans with dark skin and African heritage.


Black=African American

 

[BigMan]

Nope. I too use to believe AA not a good term, but as @Supper said theres no need for it to change.

And I disagree with AA's being a pan-ethnic group. Almost all AA's whether west coast, south, midwest or northeast all share a common ancestral root in the south pre-jim crow. It can be recent or very old depending on how recent they migrated out of the south. Though most non-southern AA's southern roots was during the great migration. This excludes blacks in the USA whose ancestors came to the USA post-Jim Crow i.e blacks from the Caribbean or Africa. Though who have assimilated by now. But those two black populations are very small in the USA, especially compared to the larger AA population.

So I personally disagree with AAs being a panethnic group. Almost all AA's have a common origin in the south.

Would you include creoles into the AA ethnicity? What about descendants of free blacks or descendants of black immigrants that have been here for generations?

 

[IllmaticDelta]

Black history=Amrican History

Therefore

Black culture = American culture

AfroAmerican culture for sure is part of the fabric that made American culture so it's both, a key root to American culture but it's also a subset of American culture the same way Appalachian culture is both a part and a subset of American.