Why do black people freak out when the phrase "You people" is used in a sentence?

Answer 1

they think its a racist term b/c they themselves are racists

Answer 2

I certainly understand your question and yes I have had incidents of oops-ness with a prominent American over the term "you people"

Speaking to someone who is still hurting over their ancestry of slavery is something that requires delicateness and political suave. Saying things like "you people" is basically saying that "those people" are different from "other people" and perhaps "your people".

It is not all black community members that freak out as you say it, but I have witnessed it myself and from my experiences those that freak out over words like that are also those that are politically involved in an overly proud racial biasness themselves.

Have you ever sat back and thought objectively about the topic? Imagine if you were from a diverse classification of simular peoples that were systematically weighed down. No matter how much you attempted to succeed, the fact that you had freckles....or....stood with a genetic hunchback...or even the eagle nose of your family. Those freckles kept you from owning land, kept you from voting to better your own families and those damned freckles marked you as one of the lesser peoples in a community that valued the freckle-less.

Now, 50 years later, through the trials and tribulations survival and sacrifice of your freckled community, the freckle-less world around you finally opened the door and said come on in. There would be freckled peoples all over the nation that would be skeptical in the face of what's next. Maybe even to try and warrant some sort of appology, the freckle-less world finally gave in and passed laws to protect the freckle community. The freckle community might come to ease a little, but there will always be those freckle faced persons of political sway that will always ask for more. And asking for more is never a bad thing.....up and to a point. When one begins to ask for more somethings that surpass anything the dominant community has there will always be some sort of scuttle. And this is what you are dealing with.

You have someone asking for more and you are not willing to give that one ounce more, for whatever reasons.

The point of the story is that there is no difference between the freckle faced community and the freckle-less community...the only difference is the freckles. And when words are used they have an equal opportunity to be understood for the meaning they are intended AND misunderstood and miscontrued. If you feel you are dealing with someone that will misconstrue your words, do your best to not use those words and speak only in legalese to protect your own assets.

Answer 3

I think that would depend on how the phrase is used in the sentence...If you said it to only a group of or an individual of the African American descent, then your being a racist and they would have a good reason to be upset...If you said it in a group of ethnically diverse people, example a group of ethnically diverse players in a sport or a group, "come on you people let's get moving!" Then they are being the ones that are racist, or should I say looking to start a racial fight.

In common usage, if you say it you are being a racist and saying that you are better than them.

Answer 4

Everyone is offended when someone lumps them into some category with other people with whom they have little or nothing in common. It is inherently offensive and you should cease and desist.

There is a long repulsive history of that phrase using to denigrate Blacks.

Answer 5

Any group of people would get offended.

I've heard someone use that phrase and meant "you people" as employees of a grocery store. That person was a customer.

Answer 6

I don't know any black person who freaks out over the phrase.

Answer 7

Because they do not have the intelligence to realize that "you people" is a phrase someone uses when addressing a group of people at one time.

Answer 8

i've seen the phrase plenty of times and i'm not freaked out, it may bother some but obviously not all

Answer 9

BY using it...you are claiming and considering yourself as someone different than them...which isn't true

we are all the same...there's no need for "you people" the chinese....or "you people" the mexican.....we are all the same people

with two eyes, two legs, one brain big enough to think intelligently not to denigrate anyone else

Peace

Answer 10

Because its condescending when referring to an ethnic group -it implies you are not worthy of me identifying you. Its like looking down your nose at an ethnic group. It almost says: I dont want to speak about who you are so "you People" is the path of least resistance (lest I offend My superior sensibilities.) Capish?

Answer 11

Yet again... another ignorant question. When people use that term "you people"... there is usually some kind of prejudicial statement that follows. And, I'm pretty sure its not just black people who are offended by that. Its EVERYONE.