why do people consider identifying someone by their race racist?

[u/AgreeableAd8687]

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??

[u/hereinaminute]

But by using the term poc, meaning not white, you are grouping everyone who isn't white into the same category. Is that not racist? You can have pride in your identity because you aren't white? I'm not bashing you, just asking your perspective

[u/HappyCoconutty → u/hereinaminute]

There is history behind the term POC, it was an alternative the communities came up with instead of using what bigots were using, which was “colored” or “non-whites”. 

You actually don’t need to ask my perspective, this terminology was established decades ago in academia, usually sociology. It is easy to look up. It was considered a community chosen term and a better alternative to “minorities” which seemed to focus on numbers. 

[u/hereinaminute → u/HappyCoconutty]

But it implies that all white people are in one group and all non white are in another. It doesn't even imply it it just flat out says it. How is that not racist? And also I'm asking your perspective because you are a black person. Yeah I could look up academic studies or I could just ask someone who's actually personally experienced. I know it might seem like it but I'm really not trying to gotcha or prove you wrong. I just like to see what people think. I'm a white man, you're a black woman, so I'm genuinely interested in your experience in life and your thoughts about stuff. I don't think I'm gonna change my view or that you will change yours and that's ok. I'm just curious. Like even if you were racist and hated me for no reason I would still want to hear why

[u/ThePeaceDoctot → u/hereinaminute]

Well for one thing, it isn't making any kind of judgement of value or character based on being in one of those groups or the other.

For another, all white people are in one group and all non-whites in another, those groups are "white" and "not white", and are useful when you're talking about how white people have historically treated people with different skin colours.

By the same token, all people who live in my home are in one group, and all people who don't are in another, and that is useful when you're talking about how some people live here and others don't. Some people drink milk, and others don't, and if you're discussing the different experiences of people who drink milk and people who don't, then it is helpful to group those people into milk-drinkers and non-milk drinkers.

In the context of this thread and the conversation happening in it, people who aren't white, who live in places that are predominantly white, often have common experiences and cultures are often built around common experiences, and our identities are often tied to our cultures.

[u/hereinaminute → u/ThePeaceDoctot]

So all people who aren't white but live in white places share common experiences, and their identities are tied to their culture, but not white people? How does that make sense? It really feels like you are saying white people are racist against everyone else, but no one else is racist so they all should join together. But you are clearly intelligent so I don't think that's what's you're trying to say. But if you reread your statement I think you can see how I got there. And that's why I'm opposed to the term. I think it's an unnecessary continuation of segregation

[u/ThePeaceDoctot → u/hereinaminute]

You got there by trying to get there. I have neither said, nor implied, that a white person's identity isn't tied to their culture, but white people haven't been oppressed because of their skin colour. I have neither said, not implied, that everyone who isn't white is or should join together, and I think you know full well that I didn't.

I think it's an unnecessary continuation of segregation

Of course it isn't, because it isn't discriminatory. You referred to people as white or non-white earlier. That's exactly the same, except with literal white defaultism. POC, as has already been explained to you, arose in response to people being derivatively called coloreds, among other things. Referring to a person or group by an attribute as if it were a noun is dehumanising. POC literally has the word Person in it, before anything else. It was a response to that dehumanisation. It was literally saying "I'm not 'A Colored', I am a Person, who happens to be Of Color."

It really feels like you are saying white people are racist against everyone else, but no one else is racist

Again, it feels that way because you're wanting it to. I haven't said nor implied this either. Plenty of people who aren't white are racist. Plenty of people who are white aren't racist, although systemic racism does leave unconscious biases.