What's Wrong With the Term 'Person of Color'

[garbon]

1) US/Western imperialism is so widespread that it even imposes its ways of doing racism on the rest of the world, and on people of color.  For example, my family is upper caste, and that caste position is partly what enabled our immigration to the US.  It also means that we're lighter-skinned South Asians (read: closer to Aryan British colonizers).  Using the term 'POC' as my identifier rather than 'South Asian' or 'Desi' means  I never unpack these non-Western racial systems that are also at play

'Is' so widespread...as in still widespread?  I have certainly heard the, rather controversial, idea the British tightened and formalized the Caste system but I never heard they assigned people their caste based on skin color.  And how would one 'unpack' a non-Western racial system that may or may not be also at play?

I think it might have to do with the division between fairer and darker Indians which gets obscured by the western PC term of Person of Color.

[Admiral Yi]

The passage doesn't make any sense.  Dot head chick is not a clear thinker nor a good writer.

[garbon]

The passage doesn't make any sense.  Dot head chick is not a clear thinker nor a good writer.

True.

[mongers]

Its not wrong wrong is it?
Its just one of those silly things old people say, just wrong, not offensive.

Actually it is the new thing.  A couple years ago we were told that we are no longer supposed to use 'African-American' and now 'people of color' was the new PC term (though 'people of color' seems to cover all non-white people but I am not down on my terminology so I could be wrong).  I think you are thinking of 'colored people' which was in vogue back in the 20th century sometime.

Thanks for getting me up to speed, had yet heard this new piece of terminology.

[garbon]

That said the reason I thought about the bit I posted on fairer vs. darker was that I was recently having a discussion about the use of skin lightening products in Asia with my mother/sister. My sister was of the mind that such products are of questionable morality because they are kind of racist and my question was whether or not that was us projecting our Americal racial beliefs onto such beauty practices.

[mongers]

That said the reason I thought about the bit I posted on fairer vs. darker was that I was recently having a discussion about the use of skin lightening products in Asia with my mother/sister. My sister was of the mind that such products are of questionable morality because they are kind of racist and my question was whether or not that was us projecting our Americal racial beliefs onto such beauty practices.

A better area of enquiry would be in Africa and particularly places like Kenya and South Africa. iirc people who who use those bleaching products are quite explicit as to the main reason why they use them.

[Admiral Yi]

India is the better example because there you have an identification of light skin with superiority that predates colonialism.

[Malthus]

A preference for lighter skin (hence skin-whitening products among those whose skin is subject to tanning) predates modern notions of race everywhere - it was originally, at least in part, a preference for aping the aristocracy. Light skin = not out in the sun = not working for a living.

Obviously doesn't apply to Africans, though.

[DGuller]

It seems like any term has a short lifespan when it is the new politically correct way to refer to people who shouldn't be named, after which is it being regarded as offensive and some new term takes its place.

[fhdz]

That said the reason I thought about the bit I posted on fairer vs. darker was that I was recently having a discussion about the use of skin lightening products in Asia with my mother/sister. My sister was of the mind that such products are of questionable morality because they are kind of racist and my question was whether or not that was us projecting our Americal racial beliefs onto such beauty practices.

Is it considered more or less weird than white people who go tanning?

[Admiral Yi]

It seems like any term has a short lifespan when it is the new politically correct way to refer to people who shouldn't be named, after which is it being regarded as offensive and some new term takes its place.

The way I see it blacks have basically been jerking us around since the Civil Rights era, by coming up with a new term as soon as whites had figured out what the last politically correct term was. 

Dance, white boy, dance!!  HA HA HA

[DGuller]

It seems like any term has a short lifespan when it is the new politically correct way to refer to people who shouldn't be named, after which is it being regarded as offensive and some new term takes its place.

The way I see it blacks have basically been jerking us around since the Civil Rights era, by coming up with a new term as soon as whites had figured out what the last politically correct term was. 

Dance, white boy, dance!!  HA HA HA

I think it's the well-meaning white people that are continuously purging the politically correct terms.

[Brazen]

Out of interest, would Americans call someone of white South African or Zimbabwean descent African American?

[garbon]

A preference for lighter skin (hence skin-whitening products among those whose skin is subject to tanning) predates modern notions of race everywhere - it was originally, at least in part, a preference for aping the aristocracy. Light skin = not out in the sun = not working for a living.

Obviously doesn't apply to Africans, though.

Yeah but is it fair to continue that into today? I don't think there are many white people now who prefer a pale look over a tanned look.

[Admiral Yi]

Out of interest, would Americans call someone of white South African or Zimbabwean descent African American?

Only if they were trying to be a smart ass.