Hyphens make you a semi-American

Are you a hypenated-American?

I remember talking to my friend and her son a few years ago, and someone described a person as being “black”. Her son, who was about 11 years old snapped that the term “African-American” should be used. I disagreed then, and I disagree even more strongly now.

As a caucasian white guy, I’m not offended by being referred to as “white”. What really bugs me is when people hyphenate themselves. My great-grandparents came to the United States from Italy in the early 1900′s. I don’t refer to myself as Italian-American, and I wouldn’t want anyone else to place this label on me. I’m tired of hearing about how people are Italian-American, African-American, Mexican-American, Chinese-American, or Irish-American. The common thread in all these atrocious labels is “American”. Unfortunately, many of us seem intent on watering down our American identity by holding onto something from our past that will never compare. » read more