Debating the term "People of Color"

[Golden Monkey]

point of the matter is xenophobics always find it easier to blame colored people for the faults of our own homegrown corporations who often times could give less a fuck about them.

Not really. There is no such thing as "colored people" or "people of color" obviously so that's not the issue.

These guys, probably drunk as well as bitter about their unemployment blamed "Japanese".

If by "colored" people you mean non White then that also included maybe 30% of their former coworkers who are black. The US auto industry has a high rate of black employees. So they could have blamed the blacks for taking their jobs yet they didn't.

By saying colored people you are trying to create a sense of racial cooperation and unity among people who are in many ways in racial competition. Japanese auto industry success created a large amount of black unemployment and it is an acknowledged fact that Japanese auto makers in the US try to avoid hiring black workers.

[tripostrophe]

Not really. There is no such thing as "colored people" or "people of color" obviously so that's not the issue.

These guys, probably drunk as well as bitter about their unemployment blamed "Japanese".

If by "colored" people you mean non White then that also included maybe 30% of their former coworkers who are black. The US auto industry has a high rate of black employees. So they could have blamed the blacks for taking their jobs yet they didn't.

By saying colored people you are trying to create a sense of racial cooperation and unity among people who are in many ways in racial competition. Japanese auto industry success created a large amount of black unemployment and it is an acknowledged fact that Japanese auto makers in the US try to avoid hiring black workers.

What do you mean there's no such thing? There is! It's just a group that people choose to identify with, like APIA. And that last statement should have news articles or links to somewhere to back it up. And what are you trying to imply when you say they could have blamed blacks but they didn't? That it was just by chance that they chose to blame a "Japanese" person?

And racial competition is NOT going to solve anyone's problems -- only through alliances can anything be solved.

[kimpossible]

Split from Vincent Chin thread to stay more closely on topic.

[AngryABCGirl]

The primary way which I view it is that's a lot more of an empowering word compared to the world "minority" that links back to social movements, struggles, and solidarity in the past and present. The movements of ethnic studies, like Asian American studies, were done with cohension and cooperation between minorities in the 1960s. I've marched side-bye-side with Latinos and Blacks in immigration rallies and have had an a 90-year-old Filipino World War II Veteran tell me to "Remember, we are all Asians." I've been very fortunate to have come in contact with a lot of People of Color and Asian solidarity in my life. But this is also largely because of growing up in Los Angeles and going to college near the Bay Area- it's sad it seems like a lot of Asian Americans aren't aware of the social organization and progress being made and role models they have in their communities.

Also for me personally, I have hardly been a "minority" in the places I've lived. My high school was over 80% or so Asian and 75% of those people were Chinese. Half of my UC campus was Asian, but this is when I started to branch out and make friends of all ethnicities and learn about social movements. Now I'm in Asia where I'm not exactly a local but not exactly an expat. I think the minority experience is kind a misnomer for me, but I was always highly aware of being Asian and the discrimination that exists because of it and of inter-ethnic tensions. I think I saw more conflicts between Latinos v Asians and Asian ethnic group v Asian ethnic group growing up, but in the context of a society where White institutionalized racism is still at the top and the cause of much of these miseries.

For these are the two main reasons why I consider myself and use the term People of Color.

There's plenty of that solidarity out there, I think particularly those involved in community work who are well-educated, but there is a lot of what people term "competition" and volatile hate between POC. If anything though, I see most of that competition as poor people all being screwed and people trying to make the best of a bad situation. Someone once mentioned to me "People of Color have got to stop fighting for scraps amongst each other while the White people still sit at the table."

[deez nuts]

people of color is just another term for black people. case in point: NAACP focuses mostly if not solely on which group of minorities?

i for one don't want to be referred to as a person of color or lumped into the category of a colored people or people of color when the NAACP already pretty much defines what a colored person or a person of color is.

[yoMAMA]

my favorites:

youth of color,

communities of color

students of color

;)

[huangalex]

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People doesn't stand for me. Apparently we asians are either not "colored" or we are not "people."

[epmd]

"people of color" or "person of color" or even "colored" etc are basically dead terms. nobody uses these these terms, it's like the word "negro." it's a term that white people used to use a long time ago when they thought they were the top dogs.

[tripostrophe]

"people of color" or "person of color" or even "colored" etc are basically dead terms. nobody uses these these terms, it's like the word "negro." it's a term that white people used to use a long time ago when they thought they were the top dogs.

Well, I think that we're beginning to reclaim the term in a way that empowers us -- rather than using it to (ultimately) signify our non-whiteness, we use it to let others know that we are willing to build coalitions with them, and work together in fighting for equality and everything.

Of course there are problems with the term (white people aren't white), but as AngryABCgirl pointed out, minority is a rather imperfect term as well.

[tripostrophe]

people of color is just another term for black people. case in point: NAACP focuses mostly if not solely on which group of minorities?

i for one don't want to be referred to as a person of color or lumped into the category of a colored people or people of color when the NAACP already pretty much defines what a colored person or a person of color is.

That's only true if we allow it to be so. By reclaiming the term as applying to us, Latin@s, and Middle-Eastern Americans, we can prevent it from being "monopolized" and maintained as a solely black investment. I do agree that the NAACP could be doing more to help other groups, but then again maybe they do but we never hear about things like that because of selective attention paid in media and by ourselves.

[deez nuts]

That's only true if we allow it to be so. By reclaiming the term as applying to us, Latin@s, and Middle-Eastern Americans, we can prevent it from being "monopolized" and maintained as a solely black investment. I do agree that the NAACP could be doing more to help other groups, but then again maybe they do but we never hear about things like that because of selective attention paid in media and by ourselves.

allow what to be so? the term people of color and color people and reclaiming it? it's moot now anyways since both are antediluvian terms.

[DEEPCRIMSON]

I work as a global contractor and have learned how to cross all barriers. The only color that counts is the color of money.

[tripostrophe]

allow what to be so? the term people of color and color people and reclaiming it? it's moot now anyways since both are antediluvian terms.

dammit couldn't you just have said outdated or archaic? And yes, allowing people of color to be claimed only by the Black community. I think it's possibly coming back into more common usage, maybe not. What word in place of it? I used to use minority much more. But again it's imperfect.

[deez nuts]

dammit couldn't you just have said outdated or archaic?

i hope you're not implying that my vocabulary base is larger than yours and english wasn't my first language? if so, dear god. less rap music; more reading.

[tripostrophe]

i hope you're not implying that my vocabulary base is larger than yours and english wasn't my first language? if so, dear god. less rap music; more reading.

Wait what? Where the heck did you get that? Back on topic!

[huangalex]

To take pride in the term "People of Color" requires that we share it with hispanic people and black people. To share it requires that we find common ground. This is kind of hard considering that legislation that helps asians tends to hurt blacks and vice versa. The only common ground we have right now is that nobody gives any respect.

[tripostrophe]

To take pride in the term "People of Color" requires that we share it with hispanic people and black people. To share it requires that we find common ground.

Good point.

This is kind of hard considering that legislation that helps asians tends to hurt blacks and vice versa. The only common ground we have right now is that nobody gives any respect.

Could you give examples of such legislation? Because I remember reading a while back about how Asian Americans (-PIs) shouldn't support affirmative action because if it weren't used, then Asian Americans would make up a huge portion of the student body at colleges. But I later learned that it wouldn't matter, because all the positions that would "go to Asian Americans" would end up going to whites (as usual). Not sure if that last bit was based off of experience with legacies and all the other aspects of privilege, or some other type of data but it makes sense, yeah?

And we tend to be used as the middleman/henchman when it comes to issues like these, so we should always be carefully analyzing things that we're being told hurts us in order to help other minorities.

[huangalex]

Well for instance everyone is competing for green cards, loans, jobs, education, property, etc. It's not possible to have absolute equity when distributing pieces of the pie, nor is it possible to enlarge the pie by much.

This is where the misappropriation lies: white society has taken a huge chunk of this. We can't really do much about it. The remaining scraps are up for grabs between the "People of Color."

Bank loans apparently favor us over blacks, leading to the small business tensions in DC and LA. Property is getting to be important as cities are getting overcrowded. Chinatown is increasing in value, while the black ghetto is continually decreasing. Immigration has a quota. Whenever there is a policy, one must be favored above the other.

[tripostrophe]

Well for instance everyone is competing for green cards, loans, jobs, education, property, etc. It's not possible to have absolute equity when distributing pieces of the pie, nor is it possible to enlarge the pie by much.

This is where the misappropriation lies: white society has taken a huge chunk of this. We can't really do much about it. The remaining scraps are up for grabs between the "People of Color."

Bank loans apparently favor us over blacks, leading to the small business tensions in DC and LA. Property is getting to be important as cities are getting overcrowded. Chinatown is increasing in value, while the black ghetto is continually decreasing. Immigration has a quota. Whenever there is a policy, one must be favored above the other.

I don't think it's true what you say about us not really being able to do much about it. At the most basic level, we need to get a majority of people on board with the knowledge that this is what's happening in the first place -- get them to start seeing how things work between People of Color and whites.

Don't doubt the accuracy of what you say about bankloans though.

[chuckcZRX]

dammit couldn't you just have said outdated or archaic? ....


That was my first thought. :biggrin: