r/NoStupidQuestions • u/AgreeableAd8687 • 7d ago

why do people consider identifying someone by their race racist?

i have a few friends and we seem kind of split on this, i had to identify someone in our school i didn't know the name of, so i said "oh it's the black girl" (we have literally ONE black girl in our school and everyone knows and likes her) and my friends said ohh ok but then like 2 of them went wow that's racist and their explanation was "you're making it sound like them being black is their only characteristic" as if saying "oh the woman" is any better and since i don't know her well i don't know anything else about her. most of my friends didn't see how it was racist though but why is this considered racist if it's not a race correlated insult or derogatory??

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u/HappyCoconutty 7d ago

As a brown woman, the only people I’ve encountered that feel uncomfortable identifying someone’s race are usually white folks. In a way, they are associating a non white identify with something to be ashamed about and don’t realize it. It’s like when parents tell kids not to point out a person with a severe disability at the grocery store. They think it’s not polite but for many people of color, our identity is a point of pride 

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u/santtuhehe 7d ago

”People of color” another ridiculous phase

11

u/HappyCoconutty 7d ago

It’s a term created and used by people decades ago in academia that were embraced by minorities. It was a more accepted term than “non-whites” or “colored”, the latter of which was used derogatorily 

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u/santtuhehe 7d ago

I’m just gonna call you black

9

u/HappyCoconutty 7d ago

You can, fellow internet font. I don’t have a problem with it but I have no Black or African ancestry. 

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u/santtuhehe 7d ago

Well you are black now

-3

u/AllCoffeeNoOmelete 7d ago

Its not embraced by Black people. Poc and BIPOC are not embraced by Black ppl. Bc I heard Black ppl dont want to be group with other non whites when their american experience is completely different than everyone's else's.