quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

<fast reply>

Earlier in the thread, the question arose as to whether race was "biological." My impression from my eclectic reading is that scientists tend to regard race as an unscientific social construct, but I confess I don't have a source handy.

The following links may be useful to folks interested in the topic.

Social Science Research Council: Is Race "Real"?

PBS: Race--The Power of an Illusion

quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

<fast reply>

Earlier in the thread, the question arose as to whether race was "biological." My impression from my eclectic reading is that scientists tend to regard race as an unscientific social construct, but I confess I don't have a source handy.

The following links may be useful to folks interested in the topic.

Social Science Research Council: Is Race "Real"?

PBS: Race--The Power of an Illusion

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado
I wouldn't recommend going down the road of telling minorities they can't be offended by that just because some minorities  aren't... sounds almost...patronizing.

quote:

There have been a few epic threads on the subject, novice.

quote:

ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub

quote:

ORIGINAL: LotusSong

Maybe we can finally get rid of the hyphenated American practice now? And all just be American? 

One way to show respect for a P/person is to address T/them in the manner in which T/they prefer; like it or not, the term "Black" has fallen out of favor.
 
It won't kill you to type a few extra letters out of respect for S/someone.
 
Kinda like the change from "Indian" to "Native American".
 
Get it now?
 
pinksugarsub

quote:

ORIGINAL: LotusSong

quote:

ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub

One way to show respect for a P/person is to address T/them in the manner in which T/they prefer; like it or not, the term "Black" has fallen out of favor.
 
It won't kill you to type a few extra letters out of respect for S/someone.
 
Kinda like the change from "Indian" to "Native American".
 
Get it now?
 
pinksugarsub

I've been through it all.  First there was Nego..then colored, then black then African- American.. I think there were a few more sprinkled in there until one came up they kept.  Does a white of South African decent call himself African-American also or is it all dependent upon skin tone?  How many would think Caucasian-American might be just a little too aggrandizing?  My god, if we were to announce our race and expect others to acknowledge it with every address..we'd be run out of the PC town on a rail.  My ancestors came to America and settled in and became Americans- period.

quote:

ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub

One way to show respect for a P/person is to address T/them in the manner in which T/they prefer; like it or not, the term "Black" has fallen out of favor.
 
It won't kill you to type a few extra letters out of respect for S/someone.
 
Kinda like the change from "Indian" to "Native American".
 
Get it now?
 
pinksugarsub

quote:

ORIGINAL: LotusSong

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado
I wouldn't recommend going down the road of telling minorities they can't be offended by that just because some minorities  aren't... sounds almost...patronizing.

So conversely.. the majority are fair game or do they deserve the same respect?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Roselaure

"Oh the Protestants hate the Catholics and the Catholics hate the Protestants, and the Hindus hate the Muslims and everybody hates the Jews!"
-Tom Lehrer "National Brotherhood Week"

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

'Redskin' may have once been used as a descriptive term regarding the pigmentation of those unfamiliar to European explorers, but it has added too many connotations as a totally perjorative epithet from the 'Only good Indian...' era....
No better than 'darkie' or 'gook' today...
http://www.aistm.org/cadmv-correa.3.htm

And there was no Seminole tribe but rather Appalachees and Micosukees who periodically got together at a vacated gathering spot later known as Tallahassee... European traders coined the patois term for outcast/runaway, which was later romanticized into the 'Seminole' legend for the lucrative tourist trade and even more profitable NCAA approval.
http://www.keyshistory.org/seminolespage1.html


I wouldn't recommend going down the road of telling minorities they can't be offended by that just because some minorities  aren't... sounds almost...patronizing.

quote:

  I will have to disagree with you on the Seminoles since the present day seminole tribe says there was such a tribe. 

quote:


Introduction
The unique confluence of culture and circumstance which would become today's Seminole Tribe of Florida can be traced back at least 12,000 years, say researchers.

There  is ample evidence that the Seminole people of today are cultural descendants of Native Americans who were living in the southeastern United States at least that long ago. By the time the Spaniards "discovered" Florida (1513), this large territory held, perhaps, 200,000 Seminole ancestors in hundreds of tribes, all members of the Maskókî linguistic family.
The first Europeans brought with them new diseases (measles, smallpox, the common cold) that killed thousands of these indigenous people. Competition for land and resources by the warring Spanish, English, and French brought further death and displacement to the natives of the region.
The Spaniards called some of these indigenous Florida people cimarrones, or free people, because they would not allow themselves to be dominated by the Europeans. The word was taken into the Maskókî language and, by the mid 1800s, U.S. citizens referred to all Florida people as "Seminoles."

quote:

ORIGINAL: Alumbrado

quote:

  I will have to disagree with you on the Seminoles since the present day seminole tribe says there was such a tribe. 

No they don't... why would you make that up?  

They take the history and names of the tribes that did exist and cut and paste 'what would  become the modern day Seminole tribe' onto that. They offer a different explanation of the European derivation of the words 'cimmarone/semineaux' and 'outcast/freed', but they never claim there was an original tribe called Seminoles.  

From the tribal web site....

quote:


Introduction
The unique confluence of culture and circumstance which would become today's Seminole Tribe of Florida can be traced back at least 12,000 years, say researchers.

There  is ample evidence that the Seminole people of today are cultural descendants of Native Americans who were living in the southeastern United States at least that long ago. By the time the Spaniards "discovered" Florida (1513), this large territory held, perhaps, 200,000 Seminole ancestors in hundreds of tribes, all members of the Maskókî linguistic family.
The first Europeans brought with them new diseases (measles, smallpox, the common cold) that killed thousands of these indigenous people. Competition for land and resources by the warring Spanish, English, and French brought further death and displacement to the natives of the region.
The Spaniards called some of these indigenous Florida people cimarrones, or free people, because they would not allow themselves to be dominated by the Europeans. The word was taken into the Maskókî language and, by the mid 1800s, U.S. citizens referred to all Florida people as "Seminoles."

http://www.seminoletribe.com/history/introduction.shtml

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

quote:

ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub

One way to show respect for a P/person is to address T/them in the manner in which T/they prefer; like it or not, the term "Black" has fallen out of favor.
 
It won't kill you to type a few extra letters out of respect for S/someone.
 
Kinda like the change from "Indian" to "Native American".
 
Get it now?
 
pinksugarsub

        Nonsense.  Isn't a social requirement to treat or speak of people differently, based on their skin color rascism? 

     Get over yourself. 

quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

quote:

There have been a few epic threads on the subject, novice.

And I missed them. Guess my guardian angel's been on the job, after all.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Hippiekinkster

quote:

ORIGINAL: dcnovice

quote:

There have been a few epic threads on the subject, novice.

And I missed them. Guess my guardian angel's been on the job, after all.

Could be. Kitten and I got into it with a couple of the forums' soi-disant intellektuls regarding the genetic non-existence of race a couple months back. DomKen was fighting the forces of stupidity and ignorance as well, IIRC.

quote:

ORIGINAL: philosophy

quote:

ORIGINAL: TheHeretic

quote:

ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub

One way to show respect for a P/person is to address T/them in the manner in which T/they prefer; like it or not, the term "Black" has fallen out of favor.
 
It won't kill you to type a few extra letters out of respect for S/someone.
 
Kinda like the change from "Indian" to "Native American".
 
Get it now?
 
pinksugarsub

       Nonsense.  Isn't a social requirement to treat or speak of people differently, based on their skin color rascism? 

    Get over yourself. 

...but thats not what Pink is suggesting, she's saying refer to people in the manner that they self identify as. Skin colour is not the issue.

quote:

ORIGINAL: pinksugarsub

For me the only saving grace of this election cycle is that voters will be limited to (atm) choosing amoung a white woman, an old white man -- and i do mean old -- and an African-American man in his middle age. 

And yes, despite all its many faults, this is still a great country; i'm somewhat patriotic.  Doesn't blind me to our faults or to the misbehavior of our government, but yes, i love my country.

pinksugarsub