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This is mostly for non-US board members.
In the US, it has been common for a while to hyphenate one's identity when one opts to do so or when circumstances demand it. Italian-American, Jewish-American, and so on have been perfectly acceptable terms for decades.
Does this happen elsewhere? Does anyone call themselves a Paki-Irish? A Jewish-Spaniard? A French-German?
In the US, the term African-American is preferred by, mostly, well-intentioned but hopelessly naive whites. Again, does this translate? Is there such a thing as an African-Brit?
Editorial:
What a stupid term, by the way, "African-American." There are white Africans, right? I wonder how it works in Africa. Is a white person an African and a black an African-African?
It seems that since "white" and "black" are both neutral, both on even ground, this is a perfectly acceptable way to go about things. The black people I know agree. "Just don't call me nigger and we'll get along fine," is what I hear most often when I bring this up. Overeducated/underexperienced honky lefties refuse to believe me when I tell them this, but one bright day, they might actually engage in conversation with a black person and all that time spend with academic theory will get flushed down the drain.
And let us all agree that "person of color" is a racist term, in that it assumes that "white" is normal and anything else is not. Maybe we were all meant to be black, and white is the abnormality. Ever think of that, Mr. Politically Correct? Do you think the majority in a country with an overwhelming amount of non-whites call themselves "people of color?" I doubt it.
There is no normal.
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