A question for 'Black', 'Negro', or 'persons-of-color' ONLY PLEASE.

While engaging in different threads in the Forum that involve race identification, there is an evident difference of opinion about what 'Black'/'Negro'/'Persons-of-color' prefer to be called.

So, I'm asking for your vote if you fall into that racial category (others, PLEASE DO NOT VOTE!). I'm asking so that, at least as far as participation in this Forum goes, what do you WANT to be called?

You may vote only once, and you may not change your vote. Results may be viewed without voting, because only Blacks, Negroes, or Persons-of-Color should be voting -- but the rest of us should wish to know their preferences, going forward.

 

American

 

You'll get nothing. All the black posters here are Democrats, so they're in the bind provided by their white Overlords.

 

When I was 6 or 7...my sister and two black girlfriends had this same question. We were debating whether it would be colored, or black....not sure if african-American was a word used then in the late 60s.

So we all went to the black girls house and asked her father, who got the most quizzical look on his face and stated "black". So that's what I use.

 

Thank you! I should have listed "African-American" as a poll choice, too. Dammit... now I can't go back and insert it in the list, but, at least the category of "Other" is there.

As a Caucasian, "white" person, I can't vote in my own poll -- and that is exactly as I intended it. But, my opinion is that if I were a "Black, Negro, African-American, "Person-of-Color", I would definitely prefer to be referred to as "Negro"!

"Negro" is a Spanish derivation from the ancient Latin word, "Niger". The word "Negro" has had international and academic standing for centuries and it was used routinely by the greatest African-American philosopher since Frederick Douglass -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!

By contrast, reference to "the Blacks" has always seemed to be a pejorative and rather ugly way to refer to a race -- as though reference were being made to a bunch of wild animals or something.... I can clearly remember that when some people started referring to Negro persons as "the Blacks" in this country, it was met with a great deal of animosity!

Anyway, I'm hoping that we can find out what "Black, Negro" persons here in the Forum think, in an effort to help improve overall race relations among all of us.

Afterthought: as a Caucasian, "white" person, I don't care at all how persons like myself are identified... one way or the other. As Shakespeare famously said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet"....

 

I must say, the response is disappointing, and discouraging.

"Black" Americans seem to be so very sensitive about how others refer to them, and yet when I ask what they would PREFER to be called, the answer, so far, is no response at all.

 

I've heard Democrats refer to persons of color as anyone not white, which would be a heap of folks.

 

You know, that brings up an interesting observation as several of the MSNBC and CNN folk have referred to the criminals shot during the Kenosha riots as victims of racism even though they were all demonstrably pretty white. Casper the ghost white in some cases....

 

I think there is at least one exception, however just like in voting, Black=Democrat is usually the norm.

 

I'd be tempted to turn the question around; If anyone is talking about a such a wide group of people (positively or negatively) that they can't work out a clear and definitive identifying term to cover them all, maybe they should reconsider why they're simply lumping them all together in the first place? Maybe the conclusion is that there isn't any singular group of people to be labelled here in the first place?

 

Absolutely there all shades of people from this stunning lass

Through to



Where do Asians, Middle Easterners, Indian, Amerindian, Pacific Islanders and even Australian Indigenous people belong?

 

There's not that many black people here in this forum. Out of the 400 active members on this forum, there's only 2 or 3.

 

As I said in my Post #6 above, "Black" Americans seem to be so very sensitive about how others refer to them, and yet when I ask what they would PREFER to be called, the answer, so far, is no response at all."

Here's the essence of my inquiry -- we who are not Black/Negro/African-American/'Persons-of-Color' need to know how those that are of that race want (WANT) to be referred to... at least, here in this Forum. It is is not so simple as it seems!

Many people refer to them as "the Blacks", and I've always thought that description was highly insulting, and many Negroes in this country thought it was repulsive also, not so very long ago. Now, the current trend is to think that the word, "Negro" is insulting, and as we saw very recently, President Biden was harshly criticized for using the word recently, although it was also routinely used by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. all during his notable career as the foremost philosopher for American Negroes!

Look, whether it conforms to some 'woke' fad or not, SCIENCE has determined for over a hundred years that there are three main divisions of the human race -- Causcasian ("White"), East-Asian ("Oriental"), and Negro ("Black"), although evidence has appeared more recently to support the theory that there are at least two more genetically-distinct races -- Amerindian (American Indian), and Australoid (Australian Aborigine).

All I'm trying to find out is, what do most Black/Negro/African-American/'Persons-of-Color' WANT to be referred to -- especially here in this Forum -- so that offense is given to as few of them as possible! Fair enough?

 

And maybe that inadvertently hints at the answer; Don't refer to them all as a single grouping at all? After all, why would you ever actually need to?

Note that this applies equally to people labelling groups they consider themselves part of as to those labelling groups of "others".

All of which goes to suggest that there isn't a single answer for all of the different people you're apparently seeking to lump together (or indeed are seeking to lump themselves in to).

 

Well, HonestJoe, "Black" Americans, especially, are most emphatic about their identity/identities, and very proud of their identity/identities, too. That's a very good thing, and I certainly support them in whatever choice they may prefer -- particularly here in this Forum. By contrast, we who are "White" Americans rarely make some kind of trenchant, piercing issue out of our 'whiteness'... at least I have not perceived that in us.

Here in the Forum, several of us have been harshly criticized for using the word, "Negro" to describe "Black" Americans. I've already mentioned the 'wherefores-and-the-whys' for this, in addition to explaining that I've always thought that using a description like "the Blacks" is surely highly insulting to "Black" Americans.

It's not that I'm chewing at the straps to find a way to 'label' people, Joe, but in the English language at least, in order even to carry on an intelligible conversation involving many issues, we must be able to describe who-is-who so that we can at least know who or what we're talking about, and what the issues are. Fair enough? Whatever "Black" Americans here WANT to be referred to here in this Forum is just FINE with me... but, I'm not a mind reader.

 

Some are, some aren't. You just won't notice the latter. Also, while some will be emphatic about their racial identity, that doesn't mean they're all being emphatic about the same identity. Two people with the same skin tone can see themselves (and each other) entirely differently.

Which all brings me back to the question that underlies the entire issue - why are Americans (of any race) so obsessed with lumping people in to large generic racial groupings? Address the answers behind that question and your specific one would become irrelevant.

Some certainly do, though not necessarily as openly. Again, this is all an aspect of the underlying issues though.

In principle sure. The question remains unanswered though; Why would you ever need to generically refer to all "back Americans"? Why is that category ever relevant? How can it have any reliable meaning if you can't even work out a consistent name for it?

 

There are no races. They are almost totally modern constructs brought about by racial slavery. The reason we don't hear of them in the Ancient world was that people thought them of so little importance they were not even noted in most cases. Skin color was like eye/hair color in Antiquity

 

Well, Joe, if there's a thread here in the Forum about events that center on some issue involving race -- as MANY threads do -- then how can we have a discussion about it in the English language without identifying what we're even talking about...? Again (and again), all I'm trying to find out is WHAT THEY PREFER TO BE REFERRED TO AS. Once I hear that from even a few of them, I'll be happy to comply!

Or, I could simply do like many others and just refer to them as "the Blacks", but I still think that's demeaning as hell... making it sound like you're talking about a bunch of wild animals or something.

Fortunately, Aleks, our collective, evolving body of knowledge is not limited to what you believe was thought so little of in the "Ancient world". But it's true that many people thought "so little" of others that they simply conquered them and enslaved them... this was quite common throughout the "Ancient world". That notwithstanding, if you are going to make statements like "There are no races" then I suggest you read some articles on the subject, especially those focusing on human physiology and genetics....

 

Maybe they shouldn't, certainly not in a generic fashion, that's my point. Maybe it would better if, rather than just leaping in with the established stereotypical groupings and labels, people stopped and thought about what was actually being discussed and applied their comments to the specific individuals involved.

You've still not established any situation where you would legitimately need to refer to all "Black Americans", especially one where an acceptable label won't have already been used in whatever the context is.

That still wouldn't help you though. Any individual can only answer for themselves, so you can't presume a label one person says they're happy with will be OK with anyone else. It's almost as if black people aren't one amorphous lump to all be addressed in the same way.

 

I can't believe it's so hard to get this simple point across, Joe.

Let's say that we're discussing whether or not law enforcement authorities in large American metropolises are unfairly targeting "_______________"... then, how are we supposed to fill-in-the-blank if we don't put SOMETHING in there...? In this example, who am I talking about? Nobody can say for sure if we don't describe who/what we're talking about. I might be talking about "Black" Americans; I might be talking about Asian-Americans; I might be talking about "White" Americans... who knows?

If we limit a descriptor to an individual person only, then who should that sold individual be? One guy? Two guys? A woman? Two women? A man and a woman? A man and two women? And only one guy in New York City? Or one guy in Chicago? You see what I mean? The possibilities are endless, unless we use language to define our terms.

 

That would be the most logical conclusion, but then we wouldn't be able to measure how diverse a company or organization is... either skin color doesnt matter or it does. Trying to have it both ways is confusing because its crazy.

 

Usually, I call people by their name, sir or ma'am. But if you like calling people by their skin color . . .

 

What percentage of forum members do you believe are black? Blacks only make up 14% of the American population and I am not sure that percentage is mirrored on this forum. If you seriously want to know the answer to this question, why not ask your friends, neighbors or co-workers instead. That way you can have a complete discussion instead of a 1 in 4 choice answer.

 

So when discussing, for example, the perceived systemic racism in college admissions, do you say they discriminate against Sirs or Madams?

I don't care much for 'labels', as when they are being used as a paintbrush, but when referencing a group of giraffes standing across the street, what do you call them?

 

I see that some are saying we should stop viewing individuals as groups based on skin color, and I 100 percent agree with that. However, when politicians, the mainstream media, and various special interest groups are throwing racial group identity and division in our faces every single day, it only furthers the notion that racial identities are apparently extremely important. If left leaning members of PF want to argue that racial identity is unimportant, then start by telling that to leftist politicians, the mainstream media, and the various special interest groups.