Pin It
Smart TalkSmart TalkSMART TALK
by Dr. Viva Palaver

AFRICAN-AMERICANS:  Last week, I touched upon the use of minorities as a euphemism that masks white people's racial prejudice in the name of political correctness.

At the Institute for the Linguistically Impaired, I often hear white patients, especially, refer to people of color by continent.  African-American, for instance.  As staff psychologist, I'm fascinated by the self-righteous and evasive replies I get when I ask why not use a less-clumsy term, such as black.  After all, that's what they mean.

Naming groups by continent, if done consistently, soon gets vague and downright useless.  A white American born in Africa becomes an African-American, for instance.  Born in Siberia? Asian-American.  Israel?  Iraq?  Asian-American again.  And from Brazil?  South American-American? 

Whatever happened to American?  More to the point, what did these people think American meant?

My patients soon realize that the labels, even when by country, usually betray a preoccupation with exclusivity.  Then they can begin thinking, and avoiding using what really are racial labels and embarrassing themselves. 

They also soon notice that they may have an appalling lack of geographical knowledge and may not know even what continent most countries are on.  So instead of parading their ignorance, they use fewer labels.

And that's a good thing.

----
v4i15

Pin It