Am I the only one bothered by the term "people of color"?

[Thundercrack85]

I think monetary reparations will probably never happen. But that people here are suggesting that there shouldn't be any sort of redress is just crazy.

The United States has committed a number of transgressions in the past, many for which it has made amends. Native Americans have been given special legal protections. Japanese Americans who were interned during the Second World War have been given a formal apology, and compensation.

Yet the descendants of slaves don't even get an apology? Even though the state has treated them as subhuman for most of its existence?

 

[Smashlilman]

I think monetary reparations will probably never happen. But that people here are suggesting that there shouldn't be any sort of redress is just crazy.

The United States has committed a number of transgressions in the past, many for which it has made amends. Native Americans have been given special legal protections. Japanese Americans who were interned during the Second World War have been given a formal apology, and compensation.

Yet the descendants of slaves don't even get an apology? Even though the state has treated them as subhuman for most of its existence?

I think Bill Clinton was the first President to give an apology for slavery but it was in Africa too Africa.

 

[PЯOVOSҬ]

Are not all humans possessing skin pigment of some colour or another?

 

[Schlosser85]

Are not all humans possessing skin pigment of some colour or another?

Yea, there are no literally "white" or "black" people, not even albinos are literally pure white, and "people of color" always sounded weird to me.

But that's really getting into splitting hairs.

 

[PЯOVOSҬ]

I suppose that it's more that the word "color" is applied solely to people of a darker skin color aka "black" or "brown" (I do not use these towards anyone myself).

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

It doesn't really bother me. I've come to grips with the fact that people who are white for all intents and purposes are perceived as the default, most common ethnic group of people and I don't mean that in a racist way if that's how it comes off. I'm not white.

Are not all humans possessing skin pigment of some colour or another?

Yes. I learned in 10th grade bio class that all people are some pigment of "brown".

 

[PЯOVOSҬ]

Plus from a genetics POV,we are all of common DNA and the skin "color" is literally only skin deep.

 

[Shikamaru]

This actually reminds me of an old joke.

A black man walks into a bar owned by a racist white owner. The owner says "Sorry, no people of color allowed in here." The black man then says "Buddy, when I was born I was black. When I grew up I was black. When I'm sick I'm black. When I go to the beach I'm black. When I'm cold I'm black. And when I die I'll be black."

"But you", he continued, "When you were born you were pink. When you grew up you were white. When you're sick you're green. When you go to the beach you turn red. When you're cold you turn blue. When you die you'll turn purple. And you have the balls to call me colored?"

Jokes aside, I've always hated the term too. I'm not sure how historically accurate this is but I feel like it was spread by white supremacists that wanted to divide the human species into "whites" and "everyone else". I say this because there's about as much biological difference between a white person and an Asian or Hispanic as there is between an Asian/Hispanic and a black man.

Also, it should be pointed out it's a term that makes no scientific sense. White and black aren't considered colors on the visible spectrum. White reflects light and is the presence of all colors while black absorbs light and is the absence of color. By that logic not only should black people not be called "colored", but being Caucasian is about as colored as you can get.

 

[XtremelyBaneful]

This actually reminds me of an old joke.

A black man walks into a bar owned by a racist white owner. The owner says "Sorry, no people of color allowed in here." The black man then says "Buddy, when I was born I was black. When I grew up I was black. When I'm sick I'm black. When I go to the beach I'm black. When I'm cold I'm black. And when I die I'll be black."

"But you", he continued, "When you were born you were pink. When you grew up you were white. When you're sick you're green. When you go to the beach you turn red. When you're cold you turn blue. When you die you'll turn purple. And you have the balls to call me colored?"

Jokes aside, I've always hated the term too. I'm not sure how historically accurate this is but I feel like it was spread by white supremacists that wanted to divide the human species into "whites" and "everyone else". I say this because there's about as much biological difference between a white person and an Asian or Hispanic as there is between an Asian/Hispanic and a black man.

Also, it should be pointed out it's a term that makes no scientific sense. White and black aren't considered colors on the visible spectrum. White reflects light and is the presence of all colors while black absorbs light and is the absence of color. By that logic not only should black people not be called "colored", but being Caucasian is about as colored as you can get.

I remember that joke, I've seen it twice before on like, I dunno I think myspace?

 

[Taarna]

I see this term pop up more and more and it's always struck me as an odd term. But it seems to have become widely accepted, and the troubling connotations that come with it aren't going away.

I mean, it seems to essentially divide Americans into two factions, white, and non-white. As if white people and non-white people are monolithic identities. In the case of white people, it seems to imply a people devoid of any culture of ethnic identity. We're not even a shade. We're just the norm. Even if it's meant well (I assume it is) it's basically the term colored all over again. And yet I see it liberally used by progressives.

Is anyone else bothered by the term?

I do not like it, nor do I like the term black lives matter as it implies others do not.

Simply call a person by their name.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

nor do I like the term black lives matter as it implies others do not.
.

Oh, don't be daft. 'Black Lives Matter' means 'others do the not' in the same way that 'we need money for cancer research' means 'f*** Aids funding', which is to say not at all. The fact that so many people are willing to stretch the tag beyond its obvious implication says more about them than the tag.

 

[chaseter]

A person only caring about their own struggle shows how selfish society is. If a person has cancer and only cares about cancer and tells the AIDS victim to **** off and quit taking the spotlight off of cancer shows that selfish, personal crusade. That fragments society and strengthens racism. It's putting yourself and others like you above everyone else as if you are the only one with issues.

My life matters, our lives matter, or all lives matter would have been a better, unifying message. It disables the racists.

 

[SV Fan]

Yea, there are no literally "white" or "black" people, not even albinos are literally pure white, and "people of color" always sounded weird to me.

But that's really getting into splitting hairs.

Have you ever seen Edgar Winter? He is pure white

[YT]P8f-Qb-bwlU[/YT]

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

A person only caring about their own struggle shows how selfish society is. If a person has cancer and only cares about cancer and tells the AIDS victim to **** off and quit taking the spotlight off of cancer shows that selfish, personal crusade. That fragments society and strengthens racism. It's putting yourself and others like you above everyone else as if you are the only one with issues.

My life matters, our lives matter, or all lives matter would have been a better, unifying message. It disables the racists.

A person focusing on their struggled actually, get this, gets the problem addressed. People like you, the ones that say 'but what about the x?' every time an issue is called attention to, are the ones who are distracting from the real issues and then sitting back like the armchair activists you are and proclaiming yourselves 'egalitarian', as if that means anything without action.

Black Lives Matter doesn't mean Only Black Lives Matter. It is clearly, clearly an attempt to address the systematic undervaluing and persecution of black lives in America. Only an incredibly obtuse reading that wanted to construe it as racist would do so.

And no, All Lives Matter would not be a better message. That would mean the actual issue - the way the police and other enforcement agencies treat black lives - would be obsfucated just to please a bunch of middle class white teenage guys who think that every issue has to include them.

 

[chaseter]

My point made. The racists come out when it's a race vs race issue and you are out and proud. Instead of unifying, the racists divide.

 

[theotherme]

never mind.

 

[Two-Face=Badass]

My point made. The racists come out when it's a race vs race issue and you are out and proud. Instead of unifying, the racists divide.

What in your view would be unifying? Declaring "All Lives Matter?" What would that accomplish? Do you think MLK was dividing when he called attention to race issues?

In fact, how is drawing attention to race issues dividing, if there is already a divide?

You seem to think drawing attention to inequality is somehow racist, as if pointing out the existence of racism is anathema to society. When gay rights was being debated people said much the same - that they were the real bigots because they were dividing society and not saying 'gay and straights deserve rights'. The fact that you didn't counter a single point of mine suggests you have no real understanding of the issue, nor of what racism actually means and how it affects the lives of a great many under what is very apparently a bigoted system of law enforcement. Is drawing attention to this divisive? Of course it is, but that is a good thing, because it means that people will see that divide, and take notice of the very real difference in which people are treated.

If you had your way, none of this would ever be addressed.

 

[Thundercrack85]

The new racism is saying there is no racism. I forget who said that but I thought it was an accurate summation. Bill Maher I'm guessing.

 

[SV Fan]

My point made. The racists come out when it's a race vs race issue and you are out and proud. Instead of unifying, the racists divide.

How is a black person saying that they get worse treated by the cops and that's an issue that needs to be looked into a "race" vs "race" issue? As a white person I don't take any issue with the statement since it's factually correct.

The thing I don't get is why are people who claim to hate today's political correctness getting so offended by the name Blacklivesmatter, thinking that's somehow a swipe against everybody else who isn't back, wouldn't that be the definition of being way to politically correct? The way I look personally at the term Blacklivesmatter is it would be like I started a group breastcancermatters, i wouldn't think that's a swipe against every other form of cancer I am just trying to draw attention to one particular form of cancer

 

[NotFadeAway]

The behavior of "Black Lives Matter" has brought deservedly harsh treatment upon themselves.

Also, is it just me or have racial issues actually gotten worse in the last 4-8 years?

 

[SV Fan]

Also, is it just me or have racial issues actually gotten worse in the last 4-8 years?

I don't think they got worse, they just got more focus. It should be pointed out that both cops killing people and people killing cops has actually gotten better in the past 10 years(hell past 40 years as well), but we just see it reported more now.

 

[PЯOVOSҬ]

"Maybe" one day humankind will realise how much we are all the same and not be so superficial as to make all these distinctions of difference.

 

[DeadPresident]

Racial issues flare up more during times of economic hardship, the topic has been researched ad nauseum in social psychology.

 

[NotFadeAway]

I don't think they got worse, they just got more focus. It should be pointed out that both cops killing people and people killing cops has actually gotten better in the past 10 years(hell past 40 years as well), but we just see it reported more now.

This I agree with and it goes with my line of thinking that the media itself creates more racial incidents and tension.

Also, it is worth noting that I've read several articles stating that cops actually kill and arrest more whites than blacks, but whites do represent a bigger part of the population and more outrage occurs when is committed against Black Americans.

 

[Victarion]

The behavior of "Black Lives Matter" has brought deservedly harsh treatment upon themselves.

Also, is it just me or have racial issues actually gotten worse in the last 4-8 years?

I think its more figures like the guy saying it was open season on whites and crackers that bring down the harsh treatment. There's perfectly reasonable people in the movement.