Dear Mario, I think I was quite clear and specific in my post when I said, "blacks" is an acceptable term in America. The term is not offensive to them, it is offensive to me as a human being to have to refer to another human being using their skin colour as an indication of category.
In Goa, it is also perfectly acceptable in many quarters to refer to people by their caste, "bamonbab" or "shudrako kazar zalan". It is unacceptable to me, to use caste as a indication of category of human beings. I use caste only when I want to parody something. I refrain from calling people anything other than the names on their birth certificates. If and when I have to show some sort of classification, I like to use the ones I learnt in my geography class, i.e Caucasian, negroid, etc. To me, this links them to their race, nothing more and nothing less. Some of these terms themselves have become politically incorrect, I understand, and I willing to mull over new terms as long as they don't offend my own sensibilities. Selma ---------------------------------------------------- --- Mario Goveia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Mario asks: > > > Selma, > You don't know any American blacks well enough to > discuss their race with them, do you? > > > Isn't it a tad patronizing to decide that a name > that > is not only acceptable to a community but chosen by > them and used within the community by everyone from > their top politicians in Congress [The Congressional > Black Caucus} on down, is unacceptable - just to > you? > > > In my opinion, the trick is to be sensitive and > respectful, which enables one to get away with an > unintended faux pas, and to not get hung up on the > minutiae of race. If in doubt, ask questions. It > beats making assumptions. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Cheap talk? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low PC-to-Phone call rates. http://voice.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
