Being black is still one of the rare ethnic classes where only the black ancestors are more emphasized to bring about a racial classification. The whole "one-drop" black rule imposed by the majority is the major root why idealized integration is set back even to this day. Halle Berry, Derrick Jeter, Tiger Woods...all considered black despite not having two African American parents.
Calling someone black or white is just a way to describe the person. What bothers me is that people actually take offense to this. If we call some guy black then people will think we are racist, so what do we do? We try to be politically correct, and call them african americans. But the problem with this is that people still see it as having a negative connotation, and that we are just trying not to say black. And no it is not separate but equal. Blacks, Whites, Asians etc all have the same opportunities if they choose to pursue them.
You'll notice that every generation of "the individuals in question" bristles at the nomenclature given to their parents generation. This is for a good reason. Starting from the N-word, you get the less offensive colored, as in National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Generally a more neutral word, but bubba starts using it as a slur. The next generation then sees this "neutral" word as a bad thing and comes up with something else. I won't list the list, especially since some of them are pretty offensive by todays standards. It is, IMHO, a fairly good measure of the racial climate of the US to track how often the accepted terminology shifts. Like the hippies used to say "Let your freak flag fly", the "I'm black and I'm proud" idea, whereby one embraces one's nature as something to cherish not view as a slur would seem to ultimately be the desired endpoint. When I can use a term like "black man" and have it come across as a descriptive term like "brown haired man" instead as a potential invictive all will be well with the world.
I definitely think it's important to embrace your heritage and to be proud of it, and it doesn't bother me that not everyone in the world wants to be like Americans, or that not everyone in America wants to be like suburban America. (which I think is the image we have when we think of the "majority") Personally, I don't think I've ever referred to a group of people by their ethnicity. But I don't think it's a big deal when you refer to a specific person by their ethnicity if it helps describe them. For instance: What I consider bad: "I hate the way Mexicans drive" "Blacks in our country need to get out and vote" Statements like these just reek of over-generalization and bigotry. But I have no problem with: "They just showed this big black dude playing an accordian on Fox" or: "Check out that fat guy over there with 6 Big Macs" I had an ex-girlfriend that moved to southern Texas in high school. She was one of 2 white girls in the entire school. So naturally, they referred to her as "the new white girl". (the other girl had been there longer) I don't think it's a racist thing from either perspective, it's just practical. Unless you start generalizing about a person based on their skin color or heritage. Then you're crossing a line.
