white people do not really have a white skin so why are they called white. look at the colour of the snow i?

Question

the snow is white but its not the same colour as the white skin, look at your black shoe it is not the same as the black skin. so why is all these term used, i think it is to make rasicm permanent

Answer 1

What is the big deal? Are you seriously asking this question; or are you trying to creat a racial rift among the people here?

We know that "white" people aren't actually white, just like we know that "black" people aren't really black. They are societal terms.

"White" people come in varying shades of color; a lot has to do with nationality. "Black" people also come in varying shades of brown.

None of us is ignorant enough to think that the terms white & black (people) mean white like snow or black like a shoe. Give me a break.

You say you think it is to make racism permanent. Maybe only to people who harp on the subject. There is the term Caucasian to refer to white people. There is also the term African-American, although not all black people are African-American — some are from the Caribbean. Although, there is debate there, too. Some of my friends from the islands still consider themselves African-American, because they were brought to the islands as slaves, originally. Other friends prefer to be called Caribbean-American.

Each individual thinks of him/herself in their own way; we are all free to do that. The terms "white" and "black" are simply terms used by society, i.e., the news media, as a way to explain which people they are discussing.

Is there a better way? There probably is. But I don't think the general use of the terms, black & white are meant to keep racism permanent. Both groups of people simply use the words for quick & simple description. Last week, I heard a black man talking to a friend, in a store. He happened to mention "a white guy that he had spoken to...." "He wasn't being racist; he was using the word to describe quickly who he was talking to. I have also heard white people talk the same way.

There ARE many racists out there, in all races. However, they tend to use other words than "white" or "black." It is the use of THOSE "words" that will keep racism alive, unfortunately, not the words white & black.

Why dwell on it so much? Just treat all people you meet as individuals & with respect, regardless of the shade of color their skin is. If you can come up with better words/terms for the news, etc. to describe people, good for you. Other than that, don't worry about it so much.

Peace.

Answer 2

If Caucasian and African American were used more often would you believe that was used to perpetuate racism? Sometimes categorizations are just that. There are certain illnesses that are associated with different races and creeds and as such these categorizations will always be necessary. People perpetuate racism, not terms.

Incidentally there are people out there whose skin is truly black or truly white -- true most are not exactly those colors but it's just an easy way of describing a person, no different than mentioning hair color.

Answer 3

What was the point in asking the same question twice???
Do you really think anyone is going to know the answer anyway??

Not only that but what is all that about below that you wrote???
"i think it is to make rasicm permanent"

Seriously are you mentally stable??
This place gets stranger by the min lol.


And use the spell check will you.

Answer 4

It's just a convention. I have pink skin except when I go on holiday - then it goes orange. I know a lot of people with brown skin but I've only once met someone with skin that was actually black. (She was Ethiopian and gorgeous).

I was once at a meeting with someone I knew well who had a West Indian father. Something set him off on a diatribe about how he was discriminated against because he was black. I felt obliged to point out to him that although I respected his origins and his right to call himself black and me white, my skin was actually darker than his. This rather amused an elderly gentleman from Gujarat whose skin had been dark brown when he was a child, but had turned pale grey in his old age.

Answer 5

It's easier to use these terms.

White people are comfortable being called white and black people are comfortable being called black.

Although in PC brigade form across the pond would like us to refer to blacks as 'people of color'. This smacks of apartheid era South Africa where coloureds were non-black, non-white (usually Asian).

Are you implying we should call ourselves off-white, beige, olive, light pink etc. if that's the most appropriate nomenclature?

To use markedly defined terms does imply a definite distinction in race - which the majority of people accept. However a person of mixed race is not usually seen as white so that automatically makes them black.

It would make monitoring of equal opportunities policies much harder!

To me there is no black or white just shades of grey, it's a pity more people don't see it that way - we are all brothers and sisters after all!

Answer 6

You should take a look at my legs before you make that statement.

Seriously, no, we aren't white, but neither are Asians yellow, Indians red, or Blacks...well...black. I don't feel like someone is making a racial slur by calling me white.

Answer 7

A fair point, but when you think about it, so-called "black" people are not really true black, and "yellow" people are not really yellow are they? And "native Americans" (who used to be called "red indians") are not really red.

I agree that continued use of different colours to describe members of the human race tends to fix racial identity as being more important than it should be. As far as I am concerned we are all members of the human race. We bleed when we are cut, we cry when sad, laugh when happy, and have dreams and aspirations. We are all also equally prone to violence!

Answer 8

same thing is true for those society calls "black" as they are not black like our iron frying pan....chinese people are not "yellow"....we shouldn't define people by the color of their skin anyway....there didn't used to be this problem until people who were called "colored" didn't like that term and wanted to be called "black" then didn't like that and wanted to be called "African American" etc.

Answer 9

Alice Walker (writer of the Color Purple) described white people in one of her novels as being Puss coloured.
Being white myself, I would say that it is quite an accurate description!!

Answer 10

It is just used for descriptions, you can call me pink with brown spots if you want but I would prefer you call me Alison.