Please dont get angry.

[Brain Matter?]

I don’t know if this is really racist or not but I just want to know. (I hope I don’t get banned for this question because I’m not trying to be nasty, Its just something I have thought about)

Its ok to say that white guy (the skin colure is pink not white)
Its ok to say that black guy (the skin colure is brown not black)
But its not ok to say that yellow guy.

Why is this?

I know Asians don’t have yellow skin but white people don’t have white skin, black people don’t have black skin.

I may well be being very thick (its not uncommon for me) but I cant see a difference.

 

[CapnG]

Because the criteria for racism are determined by the group being referred to, not by the individual making the reference.

 

[Schuyler]

It's just one of those false labels people put on each other. Blacks are usually OK with being called 'Black.' Caucasians are usually OK with being called 'White." "Yellow" would probably be deemed wrong because it has been used in a negative sense, e.g.: The "Yellow Peril."

Around here we would say "Asian," of which there is a significant population. In fact, in some areas of the US West Coast intermarriage between Asian and White is so pervasive and socially acceptable that you can't hardly tell the difference because there are so many "Eurasians." Those two 'races' get along so well with each other that there is very little tension between them.

When my son was two he and his Mom went into a grocery store here, where the population is 95% white, saw a Black man and said, "That man is dirty!" in a very loud voice. Fortunately the guy was cool and let my son feel his skin as Mom explained life in this 'teachable moment.' She said, "We're white; this man is Black." and my son said, "No, we're not; we're pink!" just as you reported.

The funny thing is, when you compare my wife with me, especially in summer, I am so much darker than her that you would think us two different races. In fact, there is more genetic variation within the caucasian 'race' than there is between whites and blacks. That's an anthropological fact. 'Race' is a sociological term only.

I just say go with the flow and call people what they want to be called. Try to bring up your kids so they don't judge on superficialities and hope for the best. That's about all you can do. Yours is a fair question. No one should jump you for it.

 

[ondafritz]

I don’t know if this is really racist or not but I just want to know. (I hope I don’t get banned for this question because I’m not trying to be nasty, Its just something I have thought about)

Its ok to say that white guy (the skin colure is pink not white)
Its ok to say that black guy (the skin colure is brown not black)
But its not ok to say that yellow guy.

Why is this?

I know Asians don’t have yellow skin but white people don’t have white skin, black people don’t have black skin.

I may well be being very thick (its not uncommon for me) but I cant see a difference.

Only because it is the way it rolls off the tongue! LOL
Black guy... white guy.... seems to flow in the sentence. But yellow guy?
He might take that to mean a coward and that might get you in a fight.
Look... you have nothing to feel bad about unless you have the sudden urge to light a cross in someones front yard. I think most people would have a problem with that now.

Also... racism has been built into a nice little cottage industry in my opinion. Just ask Al Sharpton and Jesse. They have made quite a bundle attempting to keep corporate America (what's left of it) and you perpetually enslaved in guilt.

 

[Double Nought Spy]

The English language is notorious for terms and phrases that don't make literal sense, though it's not the only language that can be said of. The other side of that coin is the richness that such a cosmopolitan language provides us. As Schuyler pointed out, your dilemma is entirely a semantic one, the kind of thing we just have to get used to. The key is to be aware of what's acceptable and what is not, to the best of your ability, and to treat everyone with respect no matter what that might entail. I really admire the black man in Schuyler's story for taking an awkward situation and turning it into something positive. Another person in that situation might have felt abused, but he instead chose to reach out. Literally.

 

[Experiencer7]

The Simpsons are asian?

 

[ondafritz]

The Simpsons are asian?

Hummmm... never thought of that one!

 

[skunkape]

You forgot to mention the Red Man...and the Blue Man.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sa2OpNTX9Ck&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sa2OpNTX9Ck&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

[Schuyler]

I prefer these blue men myself:

 

[skunkape]

If a red man and a yellow man drank a bunch of colloidal silver I wonder if we'd get purple man and a little green man.
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

 

[CapnG]

If a red man and a yellow man drank a bunch of colloidal silver I wonder if we'd get purple man and a little green man.
<input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

What's that line from Mitch Hedberg?

"People say "Hey man, I'm not racist, I don't care if you're black, white, purple or green!" What?! Well I say FUCK purple people! You gotta draw the line somewhere. Unless he's purple because he's choking... in that case HELP HIM!"

 

[jpw.in.wi]

... there is more genetic variation within the caucasian 'race' than there is between whites and blacks. That's an anthropological fact. 'Race' is a sociological term only.

Someone should explain this to the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, the Native American Congressional Caucus, the Congressional Caucus of White Men (... hmmm ... can't find one of those on Google...) the Congressional Women's Caucus (because there must be more genetic variation within the population of males than there is between males and females), Prof. Henry Gates, Jesse Jackson, and all the other propagators of racial/identity politics.

I can't stand people who are still living in the 60's, and who do all they can to drag the rest of us there and chain us there with them! Whether race is real or just a social construct, obsession with race is certainly still a problem in America, and that obsession sure does creepy things to people ...