Comment on "Sad thing to be, nonsensical thing to want to be" đđ„đđ„
ViperActual@sh.itjust.works âš1â© âšdayâ© agoI think the reason itâs so prevalent here in the US is because the vast majority of the population ended up here at least in part due to immigration. So identifying as ethnically originating from elsewhere is a part of that self identity.
The disparity however, is knowing that while traveling through Europe, this style of self identification falls flat because simply being ethnically from a place doesnât mean you can claim to be born and raised from there. And that meaning is whatâs different between the US and Europe.
LilB0kChoy@midwest.social âš1â© âšdayâ© ago
I wonder if some of it doesnât come from the people who came to America through forced immigration (I.e. the slave trade).
I think it makes sense for people brought unwillingly to America to hold on to that ethnic heritage and culture pork hard to instill it in their children, even if they were born in America.
zaphod@sopuli.xyz âš1â© âšdayâ© ago
Very unlikely, the people who claim to have some european origin are generally not the descendants of slaves. Descendants of slaves generally have very little knowledge about the origin of their ancestors. Slaves in America came mostly from Africa, most likely even displaced within Africa. Very little records were kept of individual slaves origins, because why would anyone do that, theyâre slaves. These people identify as âjustâ African Americans.
LilB0kChoy@midwest.social âš1â© âšdayâ© ago
I think you misunderstood. I wasnât talking about the people who claim to have some European origin but the practice in general in the US of acknowledging ancestral ethnic heritage as part of where youâre from.
This might be true now, but 200 years ago people were brought here from other countries unwillingly and had children here. If weâre were forcefully taken to another country and then had children at some point I would talk to them about the people left behind and where I came from.
Soup@lemmy.world âš19â© âšhoursâ© ago
Thatâs not how that works, especially when their cultures were specifically purged by the slavers. Your comment reads like the equivalent of saying âI would have just roundhouse kicked the gun away and saved the dayâ as if itâs the slavesâ fault for not giving their kids rich lessons on their history. Itâs amazing that even some of it survived at all.