Black People : What is "American"?

[I-khan]

I have much to say,my brain and spirit is evolving, or .

The world today is a product of globalization and domination on the behave
of greedy and evil individuals.America is the richest byproduct of such a complex.However,America is not necessarily the "land of all that is good" as it is portrayed, despite the fact that the capitalist system provides a certain ladder of oppurtunity for some in a economic sense, and a trap of problems for others in the same sense. America is also a country with no nativity to the land it is based upon,the land that belonged to the Native Americans,African Explorers,and Norweigans that settled here was stolen.In turn, anything that comes out of the stolen product is not genuine,only fabricated to fit a certain agenda or mold of what the unnatural being is.It shows since there is no such language called "American."

Considering all of the above statements,who is an "American"? You cannot say that an "American" is someone who speaks English because English comes from ENGLAND(along with any other language).Some may say:"Immigrants come here in hopes to be AMERICANS."
And I say:"Those immigrants come here for the oppurtunity that capitalism provides to those who try to work within it while others suffer from it.They are presented that being an American means having oppurtunities but do not realize that if any other country on Earth presented the same images and ideas that America does they would be flocking there also!!!"

]Malcolm X: " Being born in America does not make you an American. Living in America does not make you an American."

Considering what Malcolm said above,than what does make you an American?
In my opinion,being an American is a state of mind,not a reality.If it was a reality than you would not have a number called "Social Security" tied to you *** so the government can find you no matter were you go.Being an American to me means being in the "I gotta get mine before they get theirs" mindset, it means that you may not have an open view of politics since they government offers you 2 main perspectives (democrat and republican).Being an American means that you must adhere to the label and forget about self definition at all times or be criticized and deported.Being an American is more of being a fictional character than a real one, furthermore,I cannot consider myself such a thing.

What is "American " to you?

 

[I-khan]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm,still no response.

 

[MississippiRed]

I consider myself American because I was born here ...To me America means getting out and handling your business, no excuses no time for tears, America means that no matter how low you are or what your circumstances you still got no reason to cry and you can work at it and make something of yourself. America to me is folk who came to Mississippi as slaves and put in work and didn't give no excuses and got to where some at one point or another wound up owning the land they or their folks before them were enslaved on, America to me is Buckwild get out there and get after it America is where I'm from generally and contained in America is the Republic of Mississippi where I'm from specifically......America is Country Blues,Bop,Richard Wright,Cornell West, Street Racing,Sporting Dogs,GameCocks,The Greatest Boxers to ever walk the Earth,America is slapboxing on the corner in front of the lil gals, America is me being able to work and make a decent living and have thangs not because of my level of education but because of my level of Hustle(not hustle in young cats terms but Hustle as defined by my Daddy's generation) and knowing how to play white folk game better than they do, Hell I guess since I'm Mississippi I must also be American......but you do know there's a white america and a Black America...


Red

 

[I-khan]

I posted this after hearing some people (mostly people from overseas) try to explain to some of the self proclaimed Americans that it was not there behavior that made them "American" (ie play fighting,working hard,living right,etc.)since such behaviors were actually universal to all people in the face of prosperity.Sometimes I wonder if capitalism has actually hindered the rest of the worlds possible advancement towards economic prosperity considering how the USA has attacked(covertly or not) any other country that could take it off the top of the $$$$ list.There seems to be a battle b/n what IS American vs what would be a TRAIT of Americans,or those who call themselves such.

 

[MississippiRed]

I think that's the same universally though.....what makes one African or Japanese or maybe I'm hunting on the wrong trail...


Red