person of color poll

[gsh]

While listening to the talking heads last night discuss Sotomayor, one of them referred to her as a "woman of color". This struck me as weird. I'd like to find out of other people think this is weird, or normal.


[Poll #1406585]

Comments

[grail76.livejournal.com]

I think "Person of color" was created to explain that there were more issues related to discrimination than just being of African ancestry, most related to skin tone.

[grum]

I second what the first commented said. The only context I've been familiar with POC as a term is as a bucket term for anybody that's not white.

But then I grew up in a town that was 50% Hispanic, mostly Mexican, then moved to the pacific northwest where the primary minorities are Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American. I've only been somewhere with a black population worthy of note for 3 years. Well it was noteworthy where I grew up, but only because there was exactly one black girl I my high school graduating class.

In 2002 I had to explain to my father that he was Not Welcome to refer to Asian people as oriental while in my earshot, and especially not in public. It was messy.

[gsh]

I'm old enough to remember a bloom county cartoon where the dialog went as:

Mom: That's the most adorable little colored girl playing outside.
Steve: "Colored"? You're saying "colored people" in 1988? You know better, Ma.
Mom: Then why the "National Association for Colored People? I don't think Negroes mind at all.
Steve: Don't say "Negroes," Ma! You can't say "Negroes"!
Mom: Can I say "United Negro College Fund"?
Steve: You are baiting me, Ma!
Dad: That's it. We're leaving.
Mom: Stay put, Reginald. "Mister Socially Sensitive"isn't finished shaming his parents into enlightenment.
Steve: Everybody just calm down. Let's agree to use the the New-Age term "People of Color."
Mom: People of Color.
Steve: People of Color.
Mom: Colored people.
Steve: NO!!
Dad: We're leaving.

[firecracker-fem.livejournal.com]

LOL. She has a point. but damn funny!

[papertigers.livejournal.com]

well, yes and no. not all issues of racial and ethnic discrimination are related to skin tone, because racial and ethnic identity are comprised of more than skin tone. but "people of color" is intended to be inclusive, both as a means of indicating common experiences of racism as well as a way of collectively framing racial/ethnic identities in a positive way. the alternative collective terms, "non-white" and "minority," both imply inferiority.

I left out an important part; for a lot of POC, one of the most significant reasons for using the term is that it's one chosen by them themselves, as opposed to being one applied by their oppressors.

[10acgirl.livejournal.com]

As a "person of color", I honestly prefer black. I can tolerate person of color but I hate african american. I probably wouldn't like Negro too much either.

I appreciate that POC is inclusive and meant to refer to anybody thats non-white.

[papertigers.livejournal.com]

As a "person of color", I honestly prefer black.

they're not mutually exclusive. if I'm speaking of myself as an individual member of a specific ethnic group or of peoples of the African diaspora as a group, I generally say Black as well; saying "people of color" when I meant only Black people would be rather disingenuous. I don't like "Afro/African-American "either, never have. I'm developed an affection for "Negro" in certain contexts, but only when used by Black people (I've been reading a lot of classic Black American literature lately).

In the not-too-distant past

[drwex]

Jews were equivalently "POC" - though the term "dark-skinned" was often used. Many of the Jews of the time were of Eastern European ancestry and really did not have dark skin in the sense that a person of African descent does, but "dark" is/was code for "not-us" in the white/Christian/good-parts-of-Europe sense.

[dckermit.livejournal.com]

I hate the term "person of color." I have a color. Pasty white IS a color! It's even in the Crayola box.

I think the whole ever-changing PC term for some people is absurd. I can't keep up with the PC-term-of-the-week. And seeing dark-skinned Americans wearing "traditional African attire" when their families have been in the US for longer than mine is in the same category as people who insist they're Irish because their great-great-grandfather came over during the potato famine. Irish descent, yes, but American in culture and world-view.

And then there's the international website that offers "African American" as the only choice for those with dark skin. I wonder how a dark-skinned person living in, say, South Africa feels about that choice of terms?

[mtnwlf.livejournal.com]

For what its worth, my parents made a serious effort to teach me to not "see color" and they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. Less than a week ago, I had a conversation with a friend, in which I thought she would like (and admire) another friend of mine, both of them women, both bi. I went on at length on friend A (beautiful, lush, vibrant and breasts like a goddess). Friend B listened to this and eventually wound up with, oh you mean she's white? I thought she was black! It simply never occured to me to use color as an adjective to describe a person. How does it matter what your color is?

America, the melting pot, is better off without descriptors like "black", "African American" or "People of color". When it comes to chosing my friends, I'm more with Cantra yos Phellium "When chosing an ally only two things need be considered: Can he shoot? Will he aim at your enemy?" All else is just just searching for your familial roots and a sense of place in the world.

In the words of the wonderful Charge of the Goddess:

"And you who seek to know Me, know that the seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without."