<p>This topic has been discussed before, but what I'm curious about is as to whether adcoms are able discern between the African Americans they are targetting and Arabs. I mean, there are many African Americans with Arabic names--would they really know who's who?</p>
<p>I am Arab and in my applications, I always check "other" and signify my exact race. Now are my Arab American peers who check off African American getting a leg up? If so, would they be considered deceptive or dishonest by doing so?</p>
<p>I don't really know. It's all general really, and silly too. I guess it could be considered deceptive, but race is neither black nor white. It’s all gray. </p>
<p>I'm half "white", half American Indian... but I look like the first and I have a French surname. So what am I suppose to check?</p>
<p>If you want to be honest, mark down other. Technically, I believe you should be marking down Asian, but that would also be a misclassification. What specific country are you from? </p>
<p>You're stuck between gaining a huge, albeit dishonest advantage, or incurring the Azn penalty unless you mark other.</p>
<p>Oh Egypt. Well then you'd technically be in the right. I have about 4 Egyptians in my school, and they are all putting down African American. They're all really dark though.</p>
<p>Isn't Egypt know for is variety of cultural mixes? It's changed from Caucasianish to Africianish to Arabish, right? Actually, now that you mention it, I think that if you put African American it wouldn't be dishonest. Egypt is in Africa. What do you have to be a Nigerian American in order considered an African American? If you're Ethopian you're considered African, but there's a lot of Arabic influence within the culture...</p>
<p>I'll have to think about what I'm going to write. Probably "other". <em>le sigh</em> I hate the word other.</p>
<p>According to Wikipedia:
"An African American (also Afro-American, Black American) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States (but also more broadly, all of North & South America) whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. Many African Americans possess European, Native American and, to a lesser degree, Asian ancestry as well. The term refers specifically to black African ancestry, not, for example, to European colonial or Arab African ancestry, such as Arab Moroccan or white South African-European ancestry. African American means an American of African descent."</p>
<p>we have a genius here...citing a source which I can easily change the text of in about 5 seconds</p>
<p>an african american is basically an American of African descent, just in the US we are so used to discrimmination and stereotypes that we ignore the fact that various other cultural groups live on the same continent</p>
<p>e.e Look don't be a trou du cul about it. I am quite aware that it can be changed. It is just one definition of what an African American is... But if you had read my previous posts you would have realized that I think race cannot be defined and that it shouldn't even exist as a term.</p>
<p>Not sure why people are bringing religion or color into this...if your ancestors are from Africa, and you live in America, you're an African American. Its as simple as that. No one ever said African Americans have to be "black". Saying you're African American is not dishonest, and it definitley can't hurt you. I wouldn't even be debating it right now if I were you...</p>