I'm aware, by the way, that I may well be 'wrong' in my choice of words. I don't mean to be offensive, but I have no idea what words are generally considered acceptable.
It does amuse the heck out of me that while the general current phrase for the earlier inhabitants of North America is Native Americans, they themselves tend to prefer 'Indian'.
...See, I can't answer any of those questions definitively without knowing under which circumstances things are done. There's a difference, for example, between dressing up a white person as a black person for comedic purposes in front of an all-white audience and doing so in front of a non-white audience. The intent matters a lot more than the act.
I'm under the impression that "coloured people" is a term which is not liked by black people. Also, I will quite happily describe someone as black, but I don't like "blacks" as a group term.
I'm being nit picky, I'd probably say black people - picked up from a black university flatmate. I figured if Sophie was happy with that designation, it worked.
My experience has been that black people in various different socio-economic groups, different cultural settings, and different age groupings have different preferences for how to refer to themselves. Also, they often have different preferences for how to refer to someone of their own race and how people of other races should refer to them. So the whole issue is a lot more complicated than such simple questions can really explore.
Many of the more intellectual black circles in our neck of the woods prefer "African-American," especially from people of other races. Though "black" is used quite universally, as well, a small minority seem to find this offensive.
It's a bit like trying to dance with someone who doesn't want to lead.
The first two would depend on what's going on. If it's a comedy, and blacks are precluded from appearing in film... Well, it'd be borderline. And it seems like the recent use of making men up like women is to make fun of transvestites and MtFs.
Ethnic people sound like what KKK members might call the Irish. Negro is just an archaic term, and has been coloured (err) with bad connotations in some people's view. I'm surprised that the variant word wasn't listed - some people like to use it as a pet word for their peers, but won't allow others to use that word. Self-denigration coupled with racism, in my opinion.
And yeah, I, too, have noticed that Amerinds/Native Americans prefer to use the word Indian instead. So do Indians. Which makes it confusing. And you can't use West Indian, you'd be talking about Jamaicans and Haitians.
"black people" seems to be the standard path of least offense in London. However, it's not a phrase I tend to use, either professionally (where it's too inclusive for some of the concepts we need to talk about, and nothing like inclusive enough for others) or personally (where I rarely find occasion to refer to people in clumps).
Er, didn't answer the one about drag and blackface because it's all a bit complicated. Yes, the Black and White Minstrel Show is offensive. No, Widow Twanky isn't, and neither are the female characters in the League of Gentlemen. Oh, I mean, they are offensive, but not in that way. It sort of depends on the context.
I liked the b3ta (or maybe somethingawful) where they made up titles for films based purely on the poster. The one for -that- film was "Holy buggery! What's with their faces?" or something similar...
If one sets out to offend then I think you'd be pretty successful whichever term is used. On the other hand, hugely perjorative terms -- in just about any other context -- can be used between close friends with impunity. The same goes for the dressing-up. Intent is hugely important.
Being offensive through ignorance, though, is almost as bad as deliberately setting out to offend.
I can't believe how difficult it was for me to put in a simple reply here. :) I am young American woman, of Irish, Native American, and African descent with what I describe as a cinnamon touched cocoa complection, and crazy, curly, kinky hair. I choose to define myself racially by the term Black for my own reasons.
Here's a quote from a favorite song about the subject:
Before I am black, before I am woman, before I am short, before I am young, before I am African, I am human. Because I am black, because I am woman, because I am short, because I am young, because I am African, I am human.
By Dionne Farris from her song "Human"
Several of the terms that I saw listed in your poll I would freely use to describe myself, some of my friends, or my family, but I would feel very uncomfortable having to hear come out of the mouth of someone who I don't consider to be black. That's the truth of it plain and simple. I don't think that it is necessarily right or wrong, it's just the way I feel about the subject.
Leave it to Andrew of all my LJ buddies, to bring up a topic that is just sooo uncomfortable to talk about. With most of my friends, and it pains me to admit this, I would prefer not to talk about race and all of its possible attendant modifiers (i.e. prejudice, designation, discrimination, reparations) in mixed company, because it's not something our society teaches us to be casual about. One has to walk such a fine line so as not to end up being hurt or hurtful.
Cheers to greater communicaton, and stepping out of your comfort zones.
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It does amuse the heck out of me that while the general current phrase for the earlier inhabitants of North America is Native Americans, they themselves tend to prefer 'Indian'.
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Many of the more intellectual black circles in our neck of the woods prefer "African-American," especially from people of other races. Though "black" is used quite universally, as well, a small minority seem to find this offensive.
It's a bit like trying to dance with someone who doesn't want to lead.
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I kind of think "non-whites" is almost as offensive as "nigger".
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Ethnic people sound like what KKK members might call the Irish. Negro is just an archaic term, and has been coloured (err) with bad connotations in some people's view. I'm surprised that the variant word wasn't listed - some people like to use it as a pet word for their peers, but won't allow others to use that word. Self-denigration coupled with racism, in my opinion.
And yeah, I, too, have noticed that Amerinds/Native Americans prefer to use the word Indian instead. So do Indians. Which makes it confusing. And you can't use West Indian, you'd be talking about Jamaicans and Haitians.
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Er, didn't answer the one about drag and blackface because it's all a bit complicated. Yes, the Black and White Minstrel Show is offensive. No, Widow Twanky isn't, and neither are the female characters in the League of Gentlemen. Oh, I mean, they are offensive, but not in that way. It sort of depends on the context.
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I liked the b3ta (or maybe somethingawful) where they made up titles for films based purely on the poster. The one for -that- film was "Holy buggery! What's with their faces?" or something similar...
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Ultimately, I like calling them Perry, Dwight, Desiree, Grace, Jason, David, Chris, Al, James, etc. Personal names are so much nicer.
Sticks and Stones
If one sets out to offend then I think you'd be pretty successful whichever term is used. On the other hand, hugely perjorative terms -- in just about any other context -- can be used between close friends with impunity. The same goes for the dressing-up. Intent is hugely important.
Being offensive through ignorance, though, is almost as bad as deliberately setting out to offend.
Considering how funny I think this poll is,
Here's a quote from a favorite song about the subject:
I am human.
Several of the terms that I saw listed in your poll I would freely use to describe myself, some of my friends, or my family, but I would feel very uncomfortable having to hear come out of the mouth of someone who I don't consider to be black. That's the truth of it plain and simple. I don't think that it is necessarily right or wrong, it's just the way I feel about the subject.
Leave it to Andrew of all my LJ buddies, to bring up a topic that is just sooo uncomfortable to talk about. With most of my friends, and it pains me to admit this, I would prefer not to talk about race and all of its possible attendant modifiers (i.e. prejudice, designation, discrimination, reparations) in mixed company, because it's not something our society teaches us to be casual about. One has to walk such a fine line so as not to end up being hurt or hurtful.
Cheers to greater communicaton, and stepping out of your comfort zones.