Races

[Bakiryu]

Have you ever noticed that when talking about a black person you must always say "He/she is African-American"? Is the polite thing to do. Yet when talking about a white person it's just "he/she's white."

Seriously, what's up with that? What about people who aren't even American? Are we suppose to say "he/she's African-Mexican"?

Why don't we call whites then European Americans?

I posted something like this in my blog and I'm sorry if I offend anyone but then, do you believe it's time to get over races and definitions?

Should we speak of terms "African-American", white, Latina/o, Asian?

What about just saying people?

Or should we just make up new terms.

I'm sorry if this is a bit of a rant, but I'd welcome your opinion.

(Since this thread is probably going to get canceled in a blink)

[manolia]

Definately we are all people and races shouldn't put a barrier but there is nothing wrong with calling one "Asian" or "African" etc..it only shows one's origin. What's wrong with that? People are supposed to be proud of their origin (i am :D as i believe most of the people around here are);) Now if certain people put an insult using those words (which indicate origin) it really is their problem, you know ;) .

[Bakiryu]

Yeah, I know about being proud of one's heritage, but it just sounds so crass when people start mentioning races. For example "You know that girl, she's "African-American?"" and that stuff.

Mostly what I meant was if this term didn't sound a bit racist.

[manolia]

I think it depends on who's saying it ;) There's nothing wrong with the term. Those terms indicate something very important to me: That we are all different (i mean different people from different countries with different history and culture) and that's the beauty of it ;) . I am very much afraid of globalisation :cold: (so much that i am not sure how to spell it :lol: ).
I know what you mean though ;) That for some reasons which can't be analysed here ;) certain words have an insulting meaning when used by some people. I agree with you, that's discusting ;) The same goes with words that indicate religion and a series of other things.

[SleepyWitch]

Mostly what I meant was if this term didn't sound a bit racist.
yep, I guess they're kinda racist in that there is a special term for African-Americans, Asian-Americans etc, whereas there isn't any word for white Americans. it does kinda sound as if whites were the 'norm' and other 'races' kinda deviated from that.
but what would you do about 'minorities' who have adopted these labels for themselves? I mean, there used to be this slogan "black is beautiful" etc where African-Americans called themselves 'black'.. or nowadays gangsta rappers call each other the n-word as a term of endearment.. should they be stopped from doing that?
or what if Jewish people in Israel and elsewhere see themselves as a 'race' rather than a religious group? in my country it's a very bad idea to speak about Jews as a 'race' because that's what the Nazis did and we abhor this kind of thinking today. but apparently Israeli law says Jews are a race and anyone whose mother is Jewish is a Jew, whether he believes in the religion or not. So while Jews are a minority in the U.S. and Germany and we don't want to discriminate against them here, should we forbid them to 'discriminate against themselves'?

[livelaughlove]

I don't run into this often, but I say "black" instead of "African American". But I don't use it in a derogatory way, it's just a way of describing someone. I think the use of it is what really is important. If you use it in a condascending way, that's when you should worry about what term you use.

[Bakiryu]

I mean, there used to be this slogan "black is beautiful" etc where African-Americans called themselves 'black'.. or nowadays gangsta rappers call each other the n-word as a term of endearment.. should they be stopped from doing that?

Exactly! There's nothing wrong with the word black. Just black. But african-american just sounds so phony and wrong.



or what if Jewish people in Israel and elsewhere see themselves as a 'race' rather than a religious group? in my country it's a very bad idea to speak about Jews as a 'race' because that's what the Nazis did and we abhor this kind of thinking today. but apparently Israeli law says Jews are a race and anyone whose mother is Jewish is a Jew, whether he believes in the religion or not. So while Jews are a minority in the U.S. and Germany and we don't want to discriminate against them here, should we forbid them to 'discriminate against themselves'?

It's practically the same back home, usually you're supposed to follow your parents religion. I still remember being dragged off to church when I was little :sick:

Some laws must be changed. Israeli law is particularly wrong.

Then again Jews can call themselves jews if they want. It doesn't sound strange.

If people want to label themselves according to religion let them.

However, most people don't really use insulting terms about themselves.

And what about mestisoz and mulattoes, neither one thing not the other?

[Dori]

The term "black" is used without hesitation where I live. No one takes the time to say "African-American" because no one is offended by the term "black". Of course, all that means is that there are two black (or African-American) people that aren't offended by this term.

One thing I must mention is when taking some surveys, they ask me what race I am. They list a bunch of choices. White (or caucasian) was not even a choice! Being part of a majority, I felt awkward filling in the "Other" choice.

[SleepyWitch]

One thing I must mention is when taking some surveys, they ask me what race I am. They list a bunch of choices. White (or caucasian) was not even a choice! Being part of a majority, I felt awkward filling in the "Other" choice.
hahah :) I know what you mean. I studied in England for a year and the univ asked us to fill in those surveys. In one of them, there was British, Irish, Irish traveller (= what used to be called 'gypsy'), African (from Africa), Afro-Caribbean, Asian (which means Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi in England, not Chinese, Japanese, Thai..),Other (mixed race etc)
so my housemates and me didn't know what to do because we were French, Spanish, Italian and German, which is obviously neither "British" nor "Other"
this was also the first time I heard of splitting Europe up into different races. e.g. we don't have the term Hispanics here, because we don't have any Mexican immigrants. we've got Spanish people, but that's not a 'race'. no-one talks about a French, Italian, German or Polish race.
at my univ in England, 25% of students were international students, so you'd think their survey would have a category for Europeans who are not British.
:confused:

[thelastmelon]

As long as there is no racism I don't think it's wrong to say he's African, Asian or whatever the person is. We should be proud of where we come from, since that has a big part of who we are. Plus, people like to sort other people.. just the way we sort different files. They want to know where the other people are, and that is one reason to why we put names on everything. It's needed for the human function.

[Pensive]

Have you ever noticed that when talking about a black person you must always say "He/she is African-American"? Is the polite thing to do. Yet when talking about a white person it's just "he/she's white."

Actually it depends on why you are using these terms, is it to recognise or set apart these people as those you mean to talk about or you are doing it with scorn. For example I have this teacher who calls the British people and all Europeans 'white people' collectively. It doesn't look too bad from his mouth than another teacher who uses the word 'Europeans' but the sarcasm and to-some-extent hatred in her words make it sound all too bad. I think it just depends on what your intention is when you use these terms.

Personally, I try not to use 'negroes', 'black' or even 'whites' because I believe they seem offensive to other people who are not able to get my real intentions...but still I believe one shouldn't start thinking when a person calls another 'white' or 'black' that he/she is a racist. It shouldn't be something to really fuss about. Heard that 'Black Beauty' was banned in Africa because of the word 'black' in it, doesn't sound too good to me...

[Granny5]

Exactly! There's nothing wrong with the word black. Just black. But african-american just sounds so phony and wrong.



It's practically the same back home, usually you're supposed to follow your parents religion. I still remember being dragged off to church when I was little :sick:

Some laws must be changed. Israeli law is particularly wrong.

Then again Jews can call themselves jews if they want. It doesn't sound strange.

If people want to label themselves according to religion let them.

However, most people don't really use insulting terms about themselves.

And what about mestisoz and mulattoes, neither one thing not the other?

Only the Israeli people should be concerned with their laws concerning what they are called. If they want to be called the Jewish Race, what business is it of mine? I don't live there. People should be able to call themselves whatever they want to call themselves. I don't want anyone telling me I can't call myself Irish-American or Irish-Scottish-German-American. Actually, I was born in the U.S. and my ancestors for at least 9 generations back were born in the U.S. but we are still of Irish decent so we consider ourselves in some cases Irish-Americans. Who has the right to change the way we see ourself? When outsiders think that there should be laws dictating what we are or what we call ourself, then I think the world is in bigger trouble than it is right now. If I really didn't like the laws of a country, I'd just live somewhere else.

[Niamh]

I find that really bizzarre Sleepy! They didnt even give you the option? And also.... The actually had Irish Traveller as a option!!???!!! :eek:

[SleepyWitch]

I find that really bizzarre Sleepy! They didnt even give you the option? And also.... The actually had Irish Traveller as a option!!???!!! :eek:
yep. there were several surveys at Warwick. most of them had the usual "Caucasian" but this one only had "British" (this was the first time I saw "British" used to talk about 'race'. maybe some people who consider themselves "Gaelic" would not be happy to be lumped together with English people as a 'race'?)
yep, there were different types of Traveller.. Irish Traveller or just plain Traveller.

[Niamh]

Well i know the Irish do like to consider ourselves as the celtic race. As for the british they do single themselves out. Its more of a pride thing than a race thing i think.

[Chava]

Hmm Identity... I once had a conversation with someone i met in France, I asked him where he was form and he got kind of offended... He was american. And so i said I was danish. He explained that he was sick of people in America asking him where he was "really" from, since he ethnically originates from china.
I found it strange, having grown up in international schools, the first question after "name?" was always where are you from, and in the end, people gave up explaining their complicated ethnic backgrounds, and just settled with "passport?" Myself, I'm half Danish, half Norwegian, born in Holland, have an irish name... I have no sense of nationalism whatsoever, and generally consider myself a world citizen.

Ironically, going out with a friend, she was not allowed into a club, cause she looked foreign, i'm everybit as foreign as her, in fact she has lived in Denmark much much longer than myself, but they would have let me in... Just an amusing and very sad comment on DK at the moment.

[Poppy]

I am a proud Hillbilly American!

Poppy!

[Taliesin]

Some concepts somehow are such strange things that when you start using a neutral term for it, in some time the word has become derogatory. So inventing new and more and more complicated and politically correct words is no use, in twenty years they are probably derogatory and a new term has to be invented.
Well, it is of use because for a while it provides a neutral term for a while but all of this political correctness seems so superficial when we have to start using new and new words. It isn't about the words. It's about attitude.

[AuntShecky]

this is going to sound all hearts and flowery bleeding heart, but I do truly hope that someday we will only think of one race the Human Race.

I refuse to use the term, the r-word in that sense. The only reference I'll ever make to a "race
is if I'm talking about 3 year old fillies going 6 furlongs @ Aqueduct, for instance.

[SleepyWitch]

this is going to sound all hearts and flowery bleeding heart, but I do truly hope that someday we will only think of one race the Human Race.

I refuse to use the term, the r-word in that sense. The only reference I'll ever make to a "race
is if I'm talking about 3 year old fillies going 6 furlongs @ Aqueduct, for instance.
:thumbs_up count me in

[Oniw17]

We should refer to races as caucasoid, mongoloid, and negroid, due to different skull types and other morphological differences. Anything else falls under the category of ethnicity. If the world were perfect that is.