This Is A Very Senitive Question...I Dont Want To Give The Wrong Empression And Im Worried?

Question

How do you call well different skin toned people without hurting there feelings. For instant black, coloured. I hate calling people these words and im worried im saying the wrong thing. Please can different backgrounds answer because i dont no what to say anymore.

Answer 1

I think that you should address them in them as African American. What do you think? I am sure they don't mind being called black anymore than you mind being called white either. I don't see why they would anyhow.

Answer 2

I just talked to my friend who is from Jamaica. She is Black and not African-American. In fact she finds the phrase African-American strange. When she talks about another dark-skinned person she says that "there was a Black lady" It's funny how times have changed, up until the 60's the word Negro was perfect ably acceptable.
Do what my 5 year nephew does. He calls blacks "really tanned" I love that. He was saying "This really tanned little boy is now my friend."

Answer 3

All of the black people I know are fine with being called black, as long as it is used in a respectful context. My fiance is black, as well as my best friend.

'African American' is supposed to be the politically correct term of the moment, but it really sounds so formal and almost communicates discomfort (7 syllables?). I've asked my fiance about his preference, and that's his take. Either is fine, but black is his preference. I have a couple of friends from the Caribbean who do not want to be called African American (they aren't American!)

'Black' really doesn't have negative connotations, and pairs nicely with 'white' as an equal way to communicate race when there is a reason to do so.

Avoid older terms (like 'colored') because they have a lot of historical context that affects what the word communicates.. Way to big a discussion for this forum. .

Answer 4

I'm just wondering why there are so many answers assuming that the person who asked this question is American, or asking in reference to American people in particular. Guess what America? Yours isn't the only country (although some of you seem to think it is) in the world. Nor is it the only country that has a black/mixed race/Asian/Hispanic.....etc population. We DON'T CARE how you choose to refer to 'people of colour' (as a person of colour-ed friend of mine likes to be addressed). Really, get over yourselves, and your desparate world-domineering attitude. Stay at home, leave the rest of us in peace - and then maybe we'd actually have some in the world.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

I beg to differ with some answers. The word "******" is actually an American slang word for the Spanish word "Negro" who means Black. So how can this be offencive ? Blacks have taken from Latino Americans some "lovely" words to call their White girlfriends. The like of : Ho...(whore) and B...h. (female dog)
Why care how you call anyone. At the end, everybody insults everybody in one way or another.

Answer 7

So called white people are coloured and Black people are black

Answer 8

Oh jeeze. Caucasions are now reffered to as "white" on everything. Sooooo....african americans should be black...people from mexico are mexican, japanese people are japs, chinese people are chinks....

WHy does it matter what we call other races? Caucations get called crackers by the blacks and its not problem. Or we get called white...and thats not racism.
But good grief, if we call them by their color or other common term we are breaking some secret unwritten rule. Apparently racism is a one way street. We can't have the White Entertainment Channel, or the White college fund, so I say, you call people of other origins whatever you would like...because they aren't jumping on yahoo answers trying to find out what to call us whites.

Answer 9

I don't know. When i was young coloured was polite, and black seemed to be offensive. Now apparently it's the other way around.

Answer 10

i think black/brown is acceptable,after all caucasian people are referred to as white.
when i was little i used to ask my mum why i couldn't have 'lovely brown skin like Tibby' (our indian neighbour)
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