We are supposed to call them "people of color." Why not "colored people?"

I am often criticized for using the words "Negro" and "Oriental?' When did these become forbidden words? Who decided.? How do they have authority over me?

Martin Luther King, Jr., (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., if you insist, although he practiced plagiarism in his PhD. thesis) used "Negro" fifteen times in his "I have a dream" speech," so why can't I?

I do not use the n word that ends with r, but Negroes use it a lot. Why aren't they criticized for it?

As far as the word "Oriental" is concerned, it used to be acceptable. I use if for Chinese, and nations that learned civilization from China, especially Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. I do not use it in a derogatory sense. Indeed, I generally prefer Orientals to people of my own race, which is white Gentiles of European descent. I prefer Orientals because they tend to be more intelligent, more law abiding, and more monogamous than people of my race.

 

Language is not static, and nomenclature accrues cultural baggage over time.

Respect for others is demonstrated by refraining from labeling people in a manner that has come to be regarded as offensive.

Of course, some apparently feel compelled to be offensive for whatever reasons.

 

And why is it OK to call Jewish people Jews but it's not OK to call Japanese people Japs?

 

Who do those "people of color" sometimes don't even use the term "people of color" when describing themselves.... but they do use the words not allowed by others?

 

Republican tea party people that had tea bag hats called themselves a word.... that republicans then got banned from being said here... sometimes words are ok, then later not...




that said, I 100% agree if a group doesn't want anyone to call them something, they should not call themselves that something

 

OP doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’s familiar with a calendar because it’s not 1900 anymore, terminology has changed.

 

Who changed it?

Changing definitions and adding context to words is often an attack on free speech.

 

Maybe "not OK" but, come on-- you do it anyway, right?

 

That is a heck of a big chip, on your shoulder, pal.

 

Well the first thing to note is that at least some of the people criticising you could well just be idiots or trolls, so don't take this as an unconditional defence of whoever that is. The other key point is that the validity of using a word very much depends on context (both broadly and with the specific conversation) and intent (both actual intent of the speaker and perceived intent of the listener). After all, you're using the words in this thread without any issue. Time is part of that context, which is why speech that may have been considered perfectly reasonable in the past is seen differently today.

The issue with terms like "Negro" and "Oriental" are largely down to their use historically as casual or even formal terms associated with discrimination and dismissal of large groups of people and so they carry some of that underlying vitriol, especially for people of those groups. Another aspect is the difference between identifying people who happen to have a characteristic compared to defining a simplistic grouping. The latter has been used to dehumanise or "other" people and can still carry that intent (consciously or not).

A good way to consider this kind of issue is to try to imagine yourself in the other persons position. This is difficult in this case, precisely because as white people, we've not faced anything like as much historic discrimination. You could consider some of the arguments made about reparations, and how it can be presented not as reparations for the actions of the slavers and the nations which supported them, but reparations from "Whites"! That does often trigger some push back (justified to an extent), and I think where that terminology is used, it strengthens the perception of aggression and blame.

Another interesting point is that "Oriental" isn't anything like as problematic term here in the UK compared to the US. That will be largely because we don't have anything like as much history of immigration from the far-East and so nothing like as much "anti-Oriental" discrimination developed. We have long had similar issues around terms used for people from the Middle-East, where we have had much more historic immigration and associated discrimination.

I'm not at all convinced that is necessarily true. For a start, I expect your perception is largely limited to people of that background (or who you think are of that background) in the US, which is a largely self-selecting group. You're also less likely to encounter stupid, criminal or cheating(?) examples in your day-to-day life than you are those of your own background because you are likely to encounter a larger and more diverse collection of people like yourself socially, professionally and personally.

And that is really a major part of the problem. You have lumped vast numbers of people (literally billions I suspect!) under a single category and assigned specific characteristics to them. They might be largely positive (though, by implication, you're apply the opposite to similar vast groups) but it is still highly flawed.

 

Did you just wake up from a decades long coma? That would be the only acceptable explanation as to how you weren’t aware those words are “forbidden”.
What makes you believe someone has authority over you regarding saying those words? Clearly, based on your post above, you still use those terms. So clearly no one does have authority over you regarding those words.
I would urge you to use the word “negro” as much as possible. In fact, next time you see a group of black men, please call them “negro”. I heard they like that term.

 

To be identical you would call them Japans. Japs was a term originated during WWII as a derogatory term, leave it dead.

 

Says who, you?

 

I don't see what's wrong with Oriental, it separates the Pacific Rimmers from Russians, Indians and Iraqis. There's nothing wrong with Japs either, it's the same as calling Brits Brits and Aussies Aussies.

 

Only white people have ever told me to call black people 'people of color'. Same with 'latinx'. I figure its just more 'white knight'ing that nobody asked for.

 

Govt doesn’t punish anyone for using terms like “negro” or “oriental” therefore there is no attack on free speech regarding those words. I encourage you to use those words as much as possible, especially around black and Asian people.

 

Sure thing Vato.

 

Oh gee I can't think of anyone MelshieMaze.

ECA can.

Can you?

 

Are you implying they might get violent?

 

I totally understand and support getting rid of "colored people". It inherently defines people by skin colour and groups everyone not white as abnormal and different from white people in some fundamental way, yet somehow that other races that aren't white are the same. It is divisive and prone to being used for bigotry, as it historically was.

Thing is, "people of color" has all of those problems minus the historical usage, which it is now in danger of developing.

I am not a "Person of Colour". I am a person who happens to be mixed asian in genetics. That doesn't mean I have more in common with a random black person than a random white person, even though my skin tone is much darker than many black people's. Nor does it make me fundamentally more similar to anyone with Latino or American Fist Nations genes than to a random white guy.

 

I just use "black/blacks" TBH. I tried to tilt to African-Americans but then was told by a black person they didn't want to be referred to that way as there is nothing African about her--she was just American and black.

I just generally try not to be a dick. Others seem to pride themselves on finding new ways to be one.

 

Pretty sure ECA was being sarcastic with that second bit.

 

Oriental is outdated though, like I said it’s not 1900 anymore. It’s 2023.

 

Why not let people call themselves whatever they want and let others also call them whatever they want. You can call me red neck, reb, whitey, honky, bubba, or white trash. I don't care.

 

I’m making a note of this for future reference.