Naming In African American Culture Essay

412 Words2 Pages
Hannah Pedigo Claiborne Interaction Self/Society September 22, 2012 Paper 2 What naming in our culture do you particularly dislike? So many things have changed in the course of my short life within our culture. I have a problem with many things, but the main naming in our culture that I dislike would be calling African Americans “black.” In my opinion, calling someone “black” is degrading. Black is a color. Half the time, these “black” people aren’t even black. If we were discussing their color, many “black” people are technically different shades of brown. I have many African American friends, and they have all told me how offensive it is to be known as someone’s “black” friend. There has always been a debate over terms to refer to African Americans. Growing up, I was taught to call African American’s “negro” or “colored.” I’m from a small southern town, with the population of African American’s is a big zero. I have racist friends, neighbors, and even family members. However, I was also raised in church, and I know what is right from what is wrong. I would never call someone a term where they could ever get offended. Calling someone “black” would bother me if I were of African ancestry, so why would I call someone else that? This…show more content…
The appropriate thing to say would always be “African American.” If someone wants to be called black, they would make it clear. I am always a firm believer in thinking before I speak, and always being two steps ahead in a conversation. I will always try to use the appropriate terms if they come up in conversation. Appropriate to me would be outlawing the term “black” since it has called so many problems in the years past and present. It has always been a naming in culture I couldn’t stand, and I hope it slowly fades within the next few
Open Document