Why can't we call people negroes?

[Clavin12]

Negro is the spanish word for black. White people are called white, so why can't we call black people black in spanish? They wouldn't get frowned upon for calling us blancoes.

[Iron Maiden]

Here we go......

Basically, the NAACP.

In more detail, because blacks consider it a word in relation to their past in this country, so they hate be called that, though only by white people. But its okay for them to call themselves that, because it is preserving a vibrant culuture ignored by Euro-centric society. By white people using that, they obviously are racists who support Sahrah Palin and secretly kill puppies with flamethrowers at rallies while chanting Zehile! to posters of George W. Bush, who obviosly invadaded Iraq for its oil and hates all muslims. We should all get along, even with people who want to kill us. This is like the term negro, they don't like us, but we should get aong with them or else they will amke us feel guilty.

Or something like that....

[Red Devil]

you can call people anything you want.

[Baconboy]

^This.

[Psychedelic Rhino]

I prefer to be referred to as Procyon lotor-American if you please.

Referring to me as 'coon' I take as racist.

[Col Klink]

Negro is the spanish word for black. White people are called white, so why can't we call black people black in spanish? They wouldn't get frowned upon for calling us blancoes.

It's just demeaning quite simply. I'm surprized you even ask.

[Ded10c]

Negro is the spanish word for black. White people are called white, so why can't we call black people black in spanish? They wouldn't get frowned upon for calling us blancoes.

It's just demeaning quite simply. I'm surprized you even ask.

What are you on about? It's not demeaning in the slightest. Black and white are used, what difference does it make whose language it is in?


The reason you don't use it is because generally it is taken as offensive. That's a good enough reason, surely? Technically, it is perfectly correct to call somebody from pakistan a "paki", as pakistan literally means "land of the pakis" just as afghanistan means "land of the afghans" and kurdistan means "land of the kurds", but you should never do so because a pakistani, seeing/hearing that, will likely take offence.

Short version; if somebody is likely to take offence, don't do it.

[Eddy]

So referring to someone by their nationality is likely to offend them or is that only people from Pakistan? Americans, French, Canadian, Brits, Aussies, and the list goes on, would not take offense by referring to their nationality.

Color is usually a derogatory reference to ethnicity, with the one exception of white (I prefer white over Caucasian). Negro is an outdated ethnic description that may offend. Of course, it's hard not to offend when discussing emotional topics like ethnicity.

Eddy

[Clavin12]

Negro is not outdated. I'm sure Hispanics use it all the time.

[General BlackDragon]

^

[MrTwosheds]

In every language and culture names can adopt meanings, frequently these meanings are a form of abuse, In the culture of the person posing this question, Negro has been widely used as such and the people so described were enslaved and abused for some considerable time. Thus that culture now expects its non use as a cultural form of reparation for its past crimes. It's use within that culture is now mainly a "codeword" used by people to identify people of a similar mindset to themselves. So you are free to use the word, but be aware that many will assume that you are a racist, fascist, or just very ignorant and will then treat you in a different manner than they otherwise might have.

[Clavin12]

Pity. In my opinion America will be truly equal when one can call a black person a Negro and nobody will notice or care.

[Warfreak]

Burn connotations with fire. (Its the only way)

[AcneVulgaris]

Pity. In my opinion America will be truly equal when one can call a black person a Negro and nobody will notice or care.

That won't happen until everybody is racially mixed enough that we're all a uniform shade of tan.

[MrTwosheds]

I would recommend the term "Black". its the English term meaning the same thing, if you are not Spanish and have no reason to use a Spanish term in your English speech, unless you wish to infer a slightly different meaning, which is the way it has always been used in English.
This issue is not unique to this particular name, it is very common for an insulting term to be used between people to highlight a similarity, but they need to be very good friends before one can be used to highlight a difference.