Using the term white or black makes you racist right?

[NothingIsImpossible]

I was thinking about this for awhile now. Often people will fight each other and blacks will call whites white and whites will call blacks black all while saying they are not racist. But isn't the term black or white racist itself? For example you never see anyone call someone "yellow". Why? Because everyone knows its a racist term. And yet black and white still exist and somehow are not considered racist.

A good example is I am not white. I am italian (and other mixed stuff)-american. My father is italian american. My mother is french american. My wife is filipino (shes an immigrant and not a citizen yet). My friend is jamaican-american.

To me these are the terms we should use. Black and white just sound racist to me. Even the term "African american" is racist to some degree because it assumes if your skin is "black", you must be from africa.

Does maybe the words black or white simply exist as not racist because this is america? I mean in any other country you usually call someone by their ethnicity. "So and so is a brit" or "I love <name>, shes a gemran!" But in america we have such a massive blend of people from around the planet that we simply seem to narrow it down to two "colors". Again, despite the fact there is a third color we used to say.

One thing that adds a wrench in all this is if someone robbed someone and you seen it, when the cops asks for a description you obviously won't know what the person is so you probably will say something like "He looked like a older skinny white man with thick glasses and <insert clothing info>.". I just never like the words black or white. Especially since it is dangerous since if a group of "white men" beat up a "black man", all "white men" get called various offensive words. Maybe it was a group of "french-american" men! In the past certain people were known to be more hateful of others. Such as obviously I know italians hated "blacks". Alot of my uncles did until times changed then they changed their view.

So what do you think? Agree with some of what I said? Disagree?

 

[Fireinfolding]

I must have grown up in a different era because I don't understand all of this color focus and these sorts of dilemmas associated with it. Just call people by their name not their skin color unless you were ever robbed and the police needed a description of the suspect when a color might be necessary (for physical identification purposes only).

 

[football5680]

And whites will call whites, "White," And blacks will call blacks "Black," so what's the issue? There is nothing racist about it unless you want to force it in there but at that point, you can make anything racist and find tons of people willing to be outraged at literally anything if it lets them feel morally superior.

 

[Hank77]

I don't know of any white person or black person who gets upset by being described as white or black. Whites come from many different ethnic backgrounds as do blacks. Asian is a word that at least relates to one part of the world so it's easy to use for a general description. My daughter-in-law is Chinese, her skin does not look yellow. Indian in this day and age can be confusing so Native American is the most descriptive for them. Hispanic covers all the people of Spanish ethic background, even though it can be more specific, Latino, etc. as all the rest can.
Some people get way too uptight and go overboard and some just want to have something to be offended about.
What would you call me, how would you know even though I can tell you I'm Irish, English, and French and my maternal side of the family came to America from England in 1662. You can't call me a Brit, I don't live in Britain, if you said English that would only be partially correct, mostly Irish.
You see how silly it can get. I fit with a group that is largely called white everything else is just details.

 

[quatona]

I was thinking about this for awhile now. Often people will fight each other and blacks will call whites white and whites will call blacks black all while saying they are not racist. But isn't the term black or white racist itself? For example you never see anyone call someone "yellow". Why? Because everyone knows its a racist term. And yet black and white still exist and somehow are not considered racist.

A good example is I am not white. I am italian (and other mixed stuff)-american. My father is italian american. My mother is french american. My wife is filipino (shes an immigrant and not a citizen yet). My friend is jamaican-american.

To me these are the terms we should use. Black and white just sound racist to me. Even the term "African american" is racist to some degree because it assumes if your skin is "black", you must be from africa.

Does maybe the words black or white simply exist as not racist because this is america? I mean in any other country you usually call someone by their ethnicity. "So and so is a brit" or "I love <name>, shes a gemran!" But in america we have such a massive blend of people from around the planet that we simply seem to narrow it down to two "colors". Again, despite the fact there is a third color we used to say.

One thing that adds a wrench in all this is if someone robbed someone and you seen it, when the cops asks for a description you obviously won't know what the person is so you probably will say something like "He looked like a older skinny white man with thick glasses and <insert clothing info>.". I just never like the words black or white. Especially since it is dangerous since if a group of "white men" beat up a "black man", all "white men" get called various offensive words. Maybe it was a group of "french-american" men! In the past certain people were known to be more hateful of others. Such as obviously I know italians hated "blacks". Alot of my uncles did until times changed then they changed their view.

So what do you think? Agree with some of what I said? Disagree?

Depends on how we use the term "racist".
As far as "thinking in terms of race, giving it significance" goes, I would agree (just like mentioning "male" would be sexist, by that definition. Or mentioning the nationality would be nationalist.).
If, however, we use it more narrowly (like in "explicitly or implicitly making a value judgement of some sort"), I don´t agree.

 

[Strathos]

50 years ago the word "black" was considered offensive and "negro" was the acceptable term. Now it's reversed. Language and culture are fickle.

 

[381465]

Too many people are looking for any excuse to be offended.

 

[tdidymas]

I was thinking about this for awhile now. Often people will fight each other and blacks will call whites white and whites will call blacks black all while saying they are not racist. But isn't the term black or white racist itself? For example you never see anyone call someone "yellow". Why? Because everyone knows its a racist term. And yet black and white still exist and somehow are not considered racist.

A good example is I am not white. I am italian (and other mixed stuff)-american. My father is italian american. My mother is french american. My wife is filipino (shes an immigrant and not a citizen yet). My friend is jamaican-american.

To me these are the terms we should use. Black and white just sound racist to me. Even the term "African american" is racist to some degree because it assumes if your skin is "black", you must be from africa.

Does maybe the words black or white simply exist as not racist because this is america? I mean in any other country you usually call someone by their ethnicity. "So and so is a brit" or "I love <name>, shes a gemran!" But in america we have such a massive blend of people from around the planet that we simply seem to narrow it down to two "colors". Again, despite the fact there is a third color we used to say.

One thing that adds a wrench in all this is if someone robbed someone and you seen it, when the cops asks for a description you obviously won't know what the person is so you probably will say something like "He looked like a older skinny white man with thick glasses and <insert clothing info>.". I just never like the words black or white. Especially since it is dangerous since if a group of "white men" beat up a "black man", all "white men" get called various offensive words. Maybe it was a group of "french-american" men! In the past certain people were known to be more hateful of others. Such as obviously I know italians hated "blacks". Alot of my uncles did until times changed then they changed their view.

So what do you think? Agree with some of what I said? Disagree?

Everyone has an opinion, and even individual opinions change often. This is a time when people pull the race card to obtain some advantage, and the news media jumps on it like a cat on a rat, because it sells. Many people are easily offended, and usually are the ones who inflame the public with such nonsense.

The terms "White" and "Black" are no more racist than "Green" or "Blue". If one really wants to get racist, they could use the terms "honkey" or "ni**er" or "spic" or "wop" or "gook" or something else that is commonly considered derogatory. However, tone of voice or context could possibly make white or black derogatory, depending on what is said or how it is said. It is the usage that makes the difference.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people who are so bitter that they are looking for an opportunity to be offended, and race terminology is usually what is used for that. It isn't the terminology that distinguishes the fact of race variance that is the problem. People can be just as offended at nationality terms as race terms. Again, usage and context as well as expectation and connotation makes the difference.

I can understand if people are hesitant to use race terms like white and black. The American media often uses those terms to stir offenses, and not simply as race terms, because they have an underlying agenda. In addition, many people are so bigoted in their thinking that the simple the fact of racial differences offends them, or stirs inordinate fears.

It is a common mistake to misunderstand. There are times when a term is used, that another person thinks it is being used as a derogatory term, when it is not at all being used that way. But most people are too proud to ask themselves the question "could I be wrong in my assumption?"
TD

 

[OldWiseGuy]

" .......my maternal side of the family came to America from England in 1662."

Interesting. My paternal side also came from England in the 1660's. Maternal side came from Norway around 1850. They missed the civil war, but several of my paternal antecedents fought in it.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Good point. The news does a good job at using words like white or black in order to stir the pot and make things boil over. When I was younger I never heard "A white cop shot and killed a black man today at (street name in city).". Instead back then it would say "A man was killed today during a incident involving police responding to a call.".

 

[Hank77]

Good point. The news does a good job at using words like white or black in order to stir the pot and make things boil over. When I was younger I never heard "A white cop shot and killed a black man today at (street name in city).". Instead back then it would say "A man was killed today during a incident involving police responding to a call.".

Using words like....
Yes, the media does identify people as white or black a lot of the time. I wish they wouldn't do that.
But that does not make identifying people as white, black, Asian, etc. intrinsically racist.

 

[GeorgiaGuyinAtlanta]

A bit triggered? Anyone who would be offended with calling Africans black and Europeans white, and who thinks it's racist, seems like a bit of a snowflake.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Triggered? Thats a word millennials use.

I just hate the term black or white because as I said in a response earlier, its now used with negative thoughts. Such as the rally yesterday, now people are saying "Aww, white people are feeling scared!" or "White people are so racist, especially white christians!". I just hate how white seems to group anyone with white skin together as if we are all the same when it comes to views.

They should say "Aww, the racist KKK people are feeling scared!" or "That group of people are so racist, even more sad they call themselves Christians!". I mean even christians get bunched together in things.

Hmm, maybe its not an issue of a racist term as much as it is its a term that just isn't correct in how its used. Since labeling whole groups is a bad idea.

 

[tdidymas]

Hmm, maybe its not an issue of a racist term as much as it is its a term that just isn't correct in how its used. Since labeling whole groups is a bad idea.

This is exactly the point, misuse. It's called stereotyping, which is a bigoted usage of the term.
TD

 

[Dave-W]

Does maybe the words black or white simply exist as not racist because this is america? I mean in any other country you usually call someone by their ethnicity. "So and so is a brit" or "I love <name>, shes a german!"

So if I was to see you across the way, how would I know what ethnicity you are? What distinguishes you as Italian?

 

[381465]

So if I was to see you across the way, how would I know what ethnicity you are? What distinguishes you as Italian?

So tempted to reply with a joke that would undoubtedly offend...must control impulse...

 

[Dave-W]

Black, white, American Native, Asian, all are just descriptors; not unlike short, tall, slim, fat, muscular, round face, narrow face, red hair, black hair, bald, etc. Those are not racist terms. They just describe what someone looks like.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

So if I was to see you across the way, how would I know what ethnicity you are? What distinguishes you as Italian?

Because I talk like I'm from New York, have a baseball bat and use words like "Capisce". lol Ironically I do own a baseball bat and use italian slang sometimes. Not from NY though. And yes, I sadly do have/had uncles from the mafia. One was a Capo and the other just a regular solider. The Capo supposedly met Capone once, briefly. Sorry getting off track now. lol

But yes theres no real way to know someones ethnicity by seeing them. Though depending on their voice, accent or language you can tell. Well with certain people.

 

[Rubiks]

No word is or isn't inherently offensive. It's all about how society collectively decides which words are or aren't offensive. I personally prefer the terms "black" and "white." I just think saying "Caucasian" and "African American" are too verbose.

 

[Dave-W]

One was a Capo

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Dunlop Trigger Classical Guitar Capo