RSS Feed (xml)
At the risk of offending people and coming across as sounding like a complete and total eejit I am going to ask this question:
Do you say African American or black? Or do you have another term entirely?
In Canada we hear African American from the American news (of which we are inundated with, even before the advent of cable TV) and, in our very indecisive Canadian way, a variety of different terms from the Canadian media- black, Caribbean, Jamaican, (insert any country with a majority black population). I do not think I have ever heard "African Canadian" and occasionally have heard African American.
I was reading an article in the the paper the other day about a school that has opened in the city for high achieving black students and I wondered if black was a term that would offend Americans?
And then today, I was reading my novel, Motherland, which takes place in England. The main character is accused of being a racist partially for referring to someone as "black" rather than "Afro Caribbean".
Is she? I don't think so. But do you? Inquiring minds want to know. Well, I do anyway.
*Edited to add... I guess I should have said what I say, which is black. However, in my very politically correct way, I am always worried that I am offending someone. Like Ms. Porter I don't use African American because a) being in Canada it highly unlikely that they are American and b)there's a pretty good chance they aren't African either. I believe the majority of black people in Canada are actually of some Caribbean descent (I've mentioned in the this blog before that Toronto has the largest Jamaican population in the world outside of Jamaica itself...even Edmonton with its rather small black population (3.1%) has an annual Cariwest festival) but I haven't heard Afro-Caribbean used here.
It's the same with what do you call someone who is native? I grew up with Indian, which is apparently quite taboo these days. We don't say Native American in Canada and First Nations sounds odd to me to use as a descriptive term. So I say native, but again I always wonder if I am wrong.
William thinks I am too politically correct, that I need to stop worrying that I am offending someone, that I shouldn't correct my 22 month old when she says "PAKI-stan" instead of a more smooth, less enunciated "pak-is-tan."
Why does Sophie even need to know how to say Pakistan (or Afghanistan, or Australia, or even Canada) at this age? I don't know.
** Edit...I wonder if the anonymous who uses that word is also the same anonymous who figured I had a thing for my son. Small minds and all that. My firt instinct was to delete that comment. But maybe it's good to know there are still complete morons in this world?
22 June, 2008
Politically Incorrect? *EDITED* *AND AGAIN!*
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
27 comments:
Over here in the UK we tend to say "black".
I think whatever you say, you're in danger of offending someone. There's no easy way around it.
It's a shame that people of other races are still a minority in many major cities and countries, leading to exactly this sort of confusion.
here on the East Coast of America, Our soccer coach is black, and he refers to other blacks as "black", so I think he feels comfortable with that word. I think, bottom line, any word you use will mean -different than white- and therefore someone will take offense. So, probably unavoidable. If a white boy is playing with an all black soccer team and someone wants to refer to him regarding whatever, they'll have to say "the white kid". I wouldn't take offense to that. - Karen
Personally, I say "dark-skinned". Hopefully I'm not offending anyone...
I am white, so I really can't say what would offend a "person of color". I tend to say black myself, as african american specifies that the person is in fact from africa, and they very well may not be!
That's a question I have often pondered myself. I'm not sure of the right answer. I grew up saying 'black' - then the USA media made me feel like I should be saying African American. Like Katrynka said the person of color may not be from Africa so I don't feel like AA is the right answer either.
I'm going with black.
Great topic. I say 'black' but I have no idea what is correct. I don't say 'african american' if I am referring to anyone in Canada...I think that would even offend me (being Canadian)!!!!!
In response to my blog... No, my mother is too old (although not really, but you'd think it - she can't babysit my kids for more than 2 hours, doesn't stay up past 9:00 pm, ...). So too old for child rearing.
But now that she's read my blog she is so upset with me that she cannot speak to me because I didn't say my sister. And it's not cuz of my sister, but her husband... Stupid, stupid me for publishing that post!!!! AGH!!!
In response to my blog... No, my mother is too old (although not really, but you'd think it - she can't babysit my kids for more than 2 hours, doesn't stay up past 9:00 pm, ...). So too old for child rearing.
But now that she's read my blog she is so upset with me that she cannot speak to me because I didn't say my sister. And it's not cuz of my sister, but her husband... Stupid, stupid me for publishing that post!!!! AGH!!!
I personally say nigger.
Gee, I wonder why you said that anonymously? Are you wearing your white hood while you type?
I tend to say African American.
its all about african american here in the OHIO. its frowned upon to say "black" or "dark skinned".
and look...a comment, from ME!
Wow, "anonymous" sounds more than a little ignorant.
I tend to say "black" because it's an easy way to describe someone but I would also say "white" and not caucasian when referring to someone in a crowd of black people. I have quite a few black friends and they have never mentioned it being offensive. Just my two cents! :-)
I prefer black. However, I think they prefer african ameican. I think its kinda the same.
Nice blog by the way!
xoxo
I just say 'black'.
Using terms like 'African American' annoys me because really - we shouldn't be focusing on colour. So to my mind, ANYone who is American is just that - American. I'm white, of German, French and Scotish heritage, and I don't walk around saying I'm Germano-Franco-Scots American.
That would just be stupid, imo.
I'm one of those asshats who refuses to fill in 'ethnicity' on forms. I HATE that.
If I am trying to describe someone to someone else, I use whatever descriptive adjective seems most obvious and is easily identifiable. If someone is black, then I say black. If someone has freakishly long, straight hair, then I'd say that chick with freakishly long, straight hair.
I wouldn't worry about this Emma. People know when they're being slagged off. And I highly doubt you'd go around doing that to be hurtful.
If someone is 'sensitive' about how they are referred too, because they've been conditioned to be offended when the politically 'incorrect' term has been used? Well, that's their problem......especially if they can't process the way in which another human being addresses them.
p.s. I said we shouldn't be focusing on colour, just after I said I use the term 'black'. And i just want to clarify that I mean when referring to someone's nationality, I would not use someone's race as an identifier! Okie dokie;).
For me, it depends.
When I lived in NC I said African American, because the African American folks preferred that.
Since I've been in TN, I say black, because when I said "African American"? The African Americans laughed at me and said, "We don't call you Caucasian American whitey!"
So it depends.
-black
-native or aboriginal (but that's a VERY touchy subject in my field of work so we are sensitised to it)
-I have two friends that refer to themselves, so I refer to them, as "brown". One is from India and the other is of Pakistani/African origin
I say "black", but I do feel weird about it.
But I hate the saying african-american. I don't like any hyphenated american. it's just weird.
black.
Don't worry about it. I've found I can say pretty much anything as long as my intentions are sincere and respectful.
Your anonymous is hateful.
Gosh its so hard to know, since acceptable terms change. I live in Alaska and here people refer to themselves as Eskimo. I know when I was growing up in Canada if you called someone an Eskimo you'd be shot!
I say black. That's what my friends who are black say.
Anonymous is a coward. I think you should delete that comment - only because it might come up on Google searches and then you get a whole ration of twits like anonymous turning up with their hateful petty spite just because you want to have a thoughtful respectful conversation. Great post.
UMMM...always a tough one, I guess I say black.
I say black. My stepmom was black and so were her children. I also have a half brother that is mixed. They all call themselves black.
Who am I to "correct" them and tell them they are now to refer to themselves as African American. haha
I'm too lazy to read all of your other comments, so hopefully I'm not repeating anyone.
I took a very interesting Cultural Anthropology class in college, and in that class race was discussed by very textbook terms, which I found highly interesting considering it's usually spoken about in more of an emotional/personal context. Anyway, it was in that class that I first learned that there are actually only three real "races" in this world: Caucasian, Black/African, and Asian. Of course, within those races there are many different shades of skin, different cultures, creeds, etc.
Black/African is just a group of people of African descent. If you go back far enough, even those hailing from Jamaica or some other Caribbean islands are still of African descent. Black Europeans are of African descent if you go back far enough. So, any black person you see is "African", so you shouldn't feel uncomfortable using that term to describe them. Of course, there are lots of Caucasian people from Africa too, like the actress Charlize Theron, and we surely wouldn't refer to her as "African American"...she's obviously not of African descent if you were to trace her family history back far enough...she's a white girl.
Being a person that lives in "The South" of the U.S., which is a part of the country that has a larger "African American" population than the rest of the U.S. combined, so you could say that the majority of "African Americans" live in my part of the country....and I've taught LOTS of African American kids...I've never heard anyone get offended by either the term "African American" or "Black". My black coworkers and students always referred to themselves as black, and that's how I referred to them most of the time.
So basically, they refer to us as white...we refer to them as black....it's fine...nothing wrong with it either way in my opinion.
Okay, I see the date so I am not even sure that you will see this, but for what it is worth, thanks for caring and for asking! Yes, the answer will be different depending on who you ask but here is my answer. and Why.
1. My husband is black.
2. I am white.
So what do I call my husband? What does he call himself?
Answer: A person!:D
Seriously, if you have any group of people together who are all the same color then you choose a different characteristic by which to identify the person you are talking about.
We do not usually call ourselves short, tall, blond, blue eyes, these are all characteristics that we may have, and while we do use them from time to time they are not the standard. Many people no matter their color like to be called by their color. But WHY? Is it not because they identify themselves AS THEIR COLOR!? I personally do not think that people, any person should ever identify themselves by something over which they have no control. In this case their color. But rather by things they can control and have chosen to be or not be? Why do we not identify ourselves as the loving parent, the sleepy parent, etc.
Just food for thought. :D
We are thankful we are the colors we are, but we celebrate the people we are CHOOSING to be.
Post a Comment