What is the politically correct term?

[KeyMaster45]

by some unfortunate chance you were born and raised in China?

Something subtle that I noticed

In context that comes off as, well messed up, but its in reference to that there is very few, if no black people that live in China, Japan, etc.. Really it was just kind of what came to mind, an old joke with friends blah blah blah. Was an inside joke that I didn't give much thought to the fact that no one would get it here. Sorry bout that.

 

[Lukirre]

I use the term Black even though I'm living in the Americas.

Though every once in a while I like to mix things up and demand people call me "British-Canadian" instead of "White", because really, there's no difference in asking to be called that and asking to be called "African-Canadian", but people seem to think that it's so weird.

 

[SilentHunter7]

While I could list you a good number of things not to call black people, there is no one word that is safe to call them. I generally use "Black". Some times "Afro-American" or "African American". Every now and then, however, someone takes offense to one or the other.

I dont see how it's possible to be offended when someone refers to them as African American. It's like me getting offended when I get referred to as a German/Polish-American.

Though then again, maybe I just grew thick skin. Noone I hang out with is shy about ethnic jokes; I've heard pretty much every Nazi and dumb-Pole joke out there.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

There was a friend of my Mom's in collage who constantly referred to himself as African even though he was white because he lived in South Africa for 300 years.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Fun story:

Whilst John Kerry was running for office, his bandwagon stopped by the highschool that I was a senior at, and I went. There I saw a bunch of people holding up a sign that said "African-Americans for unity!" Which made me wonder... why are they STILL called African-Americans? And why are they specifically dividing themselves racially while demanding racial unity? Wouldn't "Americans for unity" be less contradictory?

Anyway, as I see it, the only true African-Americans, or Chinese-Americans, or Japanese-Americans are those who still have strong ties to their foreign lands. For example: if you have Chinese heritage, but have never been to China, nor follow strong Chinese tradition... are you still Chinese-American? I'd think that you are a full blooded American who has Chinese heritage.

As for me, I'm as muttish as you can get, but born and bred 120% American and proud of it.

 

[squall_leonhart9999]

Being politically correct is for twats. Along with patriotism, but thats another subject entirely.

 

[Actual]

There was a friend of my Mom's in collage who constantly referred to himself as African even though he was white because he lived in South Africa for 300 years.

300? ...Really?

To the OP: Edited out as Giovanto puts it far better than I.

 

[Giovanto]

I'd like to respond directly to the whole "African American" thing...


Its bullshit.

Why you ask? Its politically incorrect. Thats right assholes, its NOT politically correct. Its actually a bit racist. Your assuming that the person is A. American and B. African. But what if they are not an American citizen? Or what if they are not from Africa? Not all people from Africa are black and black people come from Australia, Brazil, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica as well as other countries.

So really, African American is how guilty white people feel good. Its a bullshit term and theres nothing politically correct about it.

I should also point out a double standard: its okay to call white people white but not okay to call black people black. Where's the logic there?


EDIT: I should also point out that I am half-Arab and we get more oppression now then the blacks do. So is everyone going to start calling me Arab-American? I would lamp them one if they did. PC is BS made by the stupid/guilty. Stop enforcing it with the term "African American".

 

[Johnnyallstar]

I agree whole heartedly Giovanto, except with one tiny tweak. I think that political correctness isn't just made by the stupid/guilty, I believe it is partly enforcing control over conversation to discredit opposing arguments not by the merit of their argument, but on the basis of how it was presented.

 

[thefrizzlefry]

Off topic, but, have you noticed that PC is no longer a PC term? People who are anally PC are actually just "tolerant", according to them.

 

[Giovanto]

Off topic, but, have you noticed that PC is no longer a PC term? People who are anally PC are actually just "tolerant", according to them.

Once again, PC and everything associated with it is stupid bullshit. The double standard I think is the result of prejudice and slavery and has lasted this long because of the whole Rodney King thing. Hopefully it will eventually simply GO THE FUCK AWAY...but till then we live with it...

 

[KeyMaster45]

I sense some anger there Giovanto, a sense of anger/confusion that I feel when my mind dwells on the topic. I don't try to be politically correct, nor do I pretend that I am. I've never been called out because I used an un-PC term, and indeed you are right when you say that calling the black community African American is probably just as racist as other less pretty names they've been called in the past.

I'm as white as they come, drowning in the Irish end of the gene pool as a matter of fact. I was raised not to see color in other people, and I would say that was a success. I don't feel guilty about my relations with other races, just be nice and polite to anyone you meet and they won't care if you call em Puce....though they may look at you funny if you call em that.

 

[Hunde Des Krieg]

In Britain we just call them black people. If we ever need to.

My mother's black, I remember once someone apologised for saying that he wondered which one of my parents was. As if that would insult me

What was just said there. Remember kids, political correctness is a myth!

Thought control....

 

[space_oddity]

Black. I live in America, and I call them black, since they're really just Americans. Not point in driving a wedge between me and them, because I only call myself white or American. My definition of 'American' doesn't need a disclaimer.

Four thumbs up from me.

 

[Giovanto]

While we are on the topic...I don't even know if "American" is the right term for most anyone in the US. Let me remind everyone that most people here descend from the Europeans who came to the Americas and told the real Americans "Get the fuck out, we want to make a colony here."

So really...to be as close to PC as possible (not true PC because you can ever TRULY be PC) you need to call all white people "British" or "German" or "French-Irish" because thats their TRUE heritage. But thats complicated right? So is attempting to be PC...I don't find being called White or Arab offensive. Hell, I don't even mind my friends who call me "Terrorist", because I call my Russian friends "Comrade" and my white friends various names as well as my black friends various things such as "Fried Chicken".

I'd also like to say that theres a difference between racist and politically incorrect. Once I was with my friends and I made a reference to Achmed the Dead Terrorist, and some jackass standing nearby said "I'd be careful, you do look kind of like a sand-******." and after we busted him for it he said "WHAT?! I don't believe in political correctness...I just said you look kinda like a sand-******."

At this point I kicked his ass. No one can deny it was well earned and deserved.

Really...things like "Political Correctness" are the reason racism exists anyway. Want to know how we close the race borders? Drop the act and start laughing at all racist jokes no matter what color you are. Stop using PC terms and stop finding this stupid bullshit offensive. The Rodney King thing is old and the slavery thing is older. Racism is stupid bullshit and focusing on it reinforces its existance.

*steps off the soap box* Okay, who wants to go next?

 

[Scarecrow38]

I just call myself and everyone what they are. I'm black, he's white, she's asian. In many ways, people attempting to tiptoe around such issues using political correctness actually makes more of an issue out of it. The point of political correctness was meant to be to stop people insulting and looking down on people for things like skin colour... not to pretend that everyone is the same colour and that the issue can be talked around.

 

[Giovanto]

Agreed with Scarecrow. He managed to say what I couldn't: by calling someone African American or such your essentially saying "Yeah, so I noticed your BLACK, anyway..."

When you just say black or white it goes by. Less sylables, and overall less noticable.


I'd also like to reference the South Park episode "Cartmans Silly Hate Crime" for a good message on PCness and why its crap.

 

[BonsaiK]

America seems to be obsessed with race for some strange reason that I can't fathom. You really notice it watching their news. Everything is 'black blah blah, white blah blah, hispanic blah blah'. They'll say wacky stuff on the news like "an asian kid killed a bunch of people" where surely the killing the bunch of people is the newsworthy bit and the asian part is not of interest. To get a full picture of what I mean, imagine this: imagine watching the news in a society obsessed with hair colour. "A brunette robbed the service station today and was later apprehended", "brunette rapper Kanye West releases his new album", "redhead Nicole Kidman talks about her latest film, and also discusses how she feels about being a minority", etc... that's about how silly American TV news looks to anyone outside America. Not saying things aren't racist where I live (Australia) but we definitely don't have this intense obsession with it in quite the same way as Americans...

I would just call a black person black. But I rarely would even need to in a conversation anyway, because I just don't really have a lot of race-related discussions with people. Because among myself and the people I know, nobody is boring enough to really give a crap about what colour someone is...

 

[Graustein]

I call them black people. Because they are. If they're not that dark I may just say "dark-skinned" or "aborigine/aboriginal" if they happen to be Aboriginal Australians, but generally, black people are black people.