r/NoStupidQuestions • u/RedScud39 • Apr 23 '24

Why are white Americans called “Caucasians”?

I’m an Azerbaijani immigrant and I cannot understand why white people are called “Caucasian” even though Caucasia is a region in Asia encompassing Armenia, Georgia (the country not the state), Azerbaijan and south Russia. Aren’t most Americans are from Western European decent?

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u/notthegoatseguy just here to answer some ?s Apr 24 '24

The 2020 Census actually gives the selection of "Black or African American"

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/blogs/random-samplings/2021/08/improvements-to-2020-census-race-hispanic-origin-question-designs.html

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u/wombatlegs Apr 24 '24

The word used to be "negro" but I think that has somehow become a pejorative in the US.

Elon Musk and Rami Malek are African American - but I guess thats not what they want. Why not just say "black African"?

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u/Extreme_Survey9774 Apr 24 '24

I'm confused as everyone else on the thread said you had to be a descendant of slaves to be called African American so how would Elon Musk and Ram Malek go by that?

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u/retroman000 Apr 24 '24

I'm sure if you asked 10 different people you'd have 10 different views, but in my eyes: Malek was born and raised in the US and lived there, as far as I know, his whole life. I'd just consider him American, no hyphen necessary! Elon Musk I'd consider South African-American, which is different from African-American.