Should the terms Black and White be not be used anymore?

Question

When talking about < Race > the terms Black and White are often used.
I know Black usually means sub saharan African or of that ancestry and i know White usually means European or of that ancestry, but to me this seems not quite right, as many people in India are as dark as sub saharan Africans yet are a totally different race, just as many Koreans are as light as Europeans but are an entirely different race. I know in the US that African American is the new in term,but Black is still used a lot, the question is why should Africans and Europeans still be color coded, no one uses the term yellow brown or red much anymore,so why have black and white stuck? And does anywhere here have any genuine good ideas of good terms for Blacks and Whites internationally that don't make reference to skin color?

Answer 1

I'm sure it just depends on where you live. Yes, there are more factors that can determine what someone's racial origin is, such as facial features, but really the reason why we say black and white is because that's how it has... always been. The color is just how we categorize people because that's what our eyes see: color. In the US, black and white are common because those two races are very common. Even though the US is a melting pot, black and white is still very normal. African American is also harder to say. Many people think it's stupid to say African American because it's as if we're showing how sensitive we are, when we could just say "black." The Hispanic population however, is growing and that's an easy way to categorize them. Some people still say "Mexican," though I pray to God that there aren't that many anymore.



Someone of English decent or "white" could be called Anglo-Saxon, which I guess people could shorten to "Saxon." I don't think it's really that much of a problem, otherwise we would already be saying different names for race. Also, not all black people are of African decent... nor white of European but meh, now I'm just mixing myself up. I think it's easier to say color rather than assuming where someone's heritage lies. Either way, you could be wrong. In this case, it would probably be better to use skin color in every instance instead of "Asian" or "Indian" (especially since Indian is STUPIDLY used to reference two completely different groups of people) Some people also say light skinned and dark skinned, whichever you prefer. I don't think the terms white and black will fade away anytime soon. By the way, with the part where I talked about sensitivity, I said that because people are trying to promote African American but not any kind of alternative to white. To me, that seems rather childish especially since the term "black" shouldn't offend anyone. I'm not offended to be called white, why should I?

Answer 2

I don't use African American. It is stupid. Africa is a big continent with 5 indigenous races including Caucasians. The blacks I knew called themselves black so why should I want to change just because some white guys think is more sensitive to call them something else. Typically I don't call them anything except their name but in the rare instance it comes up, black and white are the terms I use.



Melanin is really dark red but calling them Dark Red seems inappropriate. How about the Melanin Proficient? I am definitely melanin deficient and wish I had a little more protection from that giant ball of nuclear fusion in the sky. I think I will stick with black and white.

Answer 3

I believe it depend on the person you are speaking with, some people (speaking for black African Americans) would like people from other races to refer to them as African Americans while they accept the people of the same race to call them black. While some people feel as though they are not black black cannot actually be the color of someones skin they may say they call them African Americans also. Then there are people like myself that frankly do not care, Unless you are calling me black in a derogatory term I do not mind. I find it more comfortable speaking to people of other races that say black because to me it says they are comfortable around black people (If that makes sense)

As for white people I can only speak for one white person, a middle school teacher once told the class that she is not Caucasian because it would insinuate that she was from the Cancun mountains which she isn't, she is simply white

I believe it comes down to who you are speaking to whether you are in a formal setting or not those types of things

Answer 4

What would be the purpose of dropping such terms? If I am not offended by being labelled white why should anyone else be? The preoccupation with skin colour description only leads to aggravation.

If you were required to describe a white person to the police how would you do it accurately without the word white? I think we have all allowed the race card to be played as and when the opportunity arises.

It's time we told the politically correct people to piss off.

Answer 5

I don't like them and they aren't descriptive. I think these terms depend on where in the world you live and even in what area of a country you live in. It depends on who you are. I can't speak for 'Blacks' or 'Africans Americans' or people of 'African ancestry' or people from Africa anywhere in the world... expect to say that Caribbean Blacks want to be called Black and not African American... in the US. African American should be someone born in Africa who is now an American citizen.



For me this is a hard one. Growing up on Long Island as a person of full Italian ancestry, 'Whites' did not accept me as 'White'. I'm a super pale person of northern Italian ancestry. What some people call, Padanian or Po Valley person. White people were English people and northern Europeans. My neighbor is Egyptian and we joke and call ourselves, Meds or Mediterraneans. I have so many people from Mediterranean countries as friends. People in my family married other Mediterraneans. One uncle had a French wife, another a Greek wife, etc.



If I did not have an Italian last name, most people would think I were German or Russian with my reddish hair. To separate people into black or white is odd to me. When I go to other states, no one would think I was anything other than White. Perhaps it's a New York thing, but it was ingrained in me growing up that I wasn't an Anglo and so I haven't taken to being White so easily. It stuns my husband who is of German Amish ancestry full on. He'd never think I wasn't White and neither would anyone in his huge family or even other areas of America.



I did genetic testing with a few companies and I'm full on European at 99.8%. I came out more related to Austrians than to Italians, yet they knew I was Italian in ancestry. I guess it's where you grew up and I just don't like the terms Black and White. I tend to find other terms to use. I might use them on here, because that is what everyone understands, but in my 'real' life, I stay away from those terms. If I have to describe someone of African ancestry, then I say... oh, the lady over there who looks like she is of African ancestry. Other than that, I stay away from these terms, but for on here. lol.

Answer 6

I don't call someone black i would call them "African American" :)