Should the word 'black' as a skin colour be considered racist?

Question

I know everyone has got into the habit of using the word black when referring to someone, but I personally find it a bit offensive, and I'm not even 'black'.

People have so many different coloured skintones, some African women have more milkier complexions, others darker. No one who is the actual colour 'black' exists, so why now, in the year 2007 do we use it to describe a person who's skin tone could range from light to dark? Chinese people are often referred to as yellow in a derogatory way, but when describing a Chinese person, we don't say 'that yellow guy'.

How do 'black' people feel about this word? Perhaps if people weren't such xenophobes and read up on other cultures, we could maybe learn to identify physical traits with their respective cultures i.e. being able to see the different between a dark-skinned somalian woman and a jamaican woman, as opposed to seeing them both as just 'black.

Answer 1

The terms White and Black have always seemed idiotic to me. Its as if someone went into a friggin crayola box and said okay we are going to use colors to put people into categories. None of us are White or Black so I dont consider it racist per se, its just a stupid term in my opinion, to describe anyone.

I appreciate your take on this and being concerned enough to say hey, lets respect each other's cultures more.

Answer 2

No, I do not. But here in Wyoming, many people as young as 40 or 50 do. It drives me crazy! We have a very small African-American population here and there still seems to be a separation between white and black people. It's like they don't mingle together. That side's yours and this side's mine. Wyoming hasn't caught up with the rest of the world yet, I guess. I'm originally from Omaha and we quit using that word when I was a kid. If someone uses the word "colored" I always ask if the person they are referring to is purple or green or something. And if someone says something racist, I will inform them that what they said was racist. I actually learned that last thing from my own kids. Thank God this generation is getting it. Who cares what "color" someone is? I care that we are caring toward one another.

Answer 3

And white people are not white they are more pink then anything. Personally, I prefer black to African American because I am not from Africa and have never been there a day in my life or to the other more derrogatory term that some people like to use. Also, about your refrence to Asain people. Most people refer to all Asians as Chinese, when they are not all from China. And that makes some of them especially those from Korea or Japan very angry. Maybe we should consider calling them the yellow people. JK. Anyway my point is its impossble to know what ethinicity a person is when you look at them and I actually think calling people black is a lot less offensive then calling them African, when they are Jamaican. Of course a better solution would be to not consider race at all but we cant seem to stop doing that.

Answer 4

Even though i am "white" i was in job corps for a # of months and after a while you stop seeing color at least i know i did. but when you ask a black person have you seen X and there are two and ones black and the other is white they ask "you mean white X or black X" and you respond black X they are not offended so you shouldn't be either but if you introduce smomeone as this is my black freind X they are offended because just bein there friend sould be enough but you brought there race into it so in a desciptive it's o.k. to call someone black but not in a racial way hope that helps.

Answer 5

The word 'black' must have come from the whites to distinguish their identity, Rather than be call n...gg the black has accepted the word and is much pleasant to address.
It must have been due to the long fight for an identity that the black stand above the rest from the other coloured race. I am proud that am brown. All tan. I dont need to find an identity.

Answer 6

I don't think using the word "black" should be considered racist, since is not an offensive word is just a color/a neutral adjective you are using to describe somebody, where i come from blacks dont get offended if somebody refers to them as black. I don't see whats the big deal here at US w/ that word.

Answer 7

Well, I don't think so, as long as you don't mean it in a derogatory way. It's short and to the point, and though (like most words) it has it's limitations and shortcomings, most people agree on what it means and understand it. But if a specific person said "I prefer not to be identified as black" then they'd be within their rights to choose another designation.

Answer 8

I'm an african American young girl and "black" is a term that I've heard all my life...I'm of a darker complexioned of brown...I find it very offensive if someone says "hey black girl"....I feel sorry for the Jamacian and Somalian women because they are not African American and people just assume that they are...

Answer 9

Should the word 'white' as a skin color be considered racist?
It's just a way of identifying people. If you witnessed a crime, you'd have to be able to describe the person easily. Saying something like, "well, he was a pinkish mocha shade' isn't going to be very helpful to the police.

Answer 10

I think that you need to get over yourself. You are trying to imply racism where none exists. Prior to African Americans being referred to as Blacks they were referred to as Colored People as in the NAACP and before that as ******. African Americans are the ones that decided that they wanted to be called Blacks in the 70's, just as they have now decided to be called African Americans. The technical term for their race is ******* just as the technical term for
white is Caucasian. There are different skin tones for every race. Whites are not even white. There are different nationalities and cultures for every race and I think most people are smart enough to realize that.