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splorff -> RE: Racist Jokes ? (6/26/2010 2:47:46 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: RCdc
I don't have to read it again, and even if I did I'd still find it offensive depending on the context.
Ah...did anyone warn you that I'm a wordwhore? [:D]...the pedant that I am.... I am from the UK - I have NEVER heard the word cauco used in the UK - people would just look at you and think your were mad if you did - caucoloid isn't a word and is not even in the dictionary!
Unless you meant to use the word Caucasoid? Which isn't restricted to europeans anyhoo but also used for african and asian decent... It's one of those bizarre myths that it's restricted to persons of white skin.
In anthropology, the term Negroid is for precise identification - like of bone structure and physical form. The word Negro however is from the spanish and means 'black' it was used purely to identify skin colour. It cannot, therefore be compared to the words Caucasoid and Negroid.
the.dark.
Well I don’t find the joke offensive or derogatory, although someone claims that they did. She then went on to say that she was offended on two counts, firstly, she claimed that the joke implied that only blacks wore baggy pants. The joke did not imply that. Secondly she says she felt offended by my use of the word Negro.
Now the word means black in Spanish as you say. It has of course other qualities. It is short for Negroid. Negroid, Caucasoid and Mongoloid are terms used to distinguish the races in biology. There are those who believe that another two races exist. They believe that the African Bushmen are another, as are the indigenous Australians. But let’s just stick with the first three.
I do not accept that any of these terms are racist or offensive. And I believe that you are wrong in your statement that the word Caucasoid applies equally to Africans and Asians. White Africans, and black Africans are Caucasoid and Negroid respectively.
Now, some Asians are caucasoids, namely those of the Indian subcontinent. There may be others. Other Asians are not Caucasoid, for example those of the Far East, are Mongoloids {orientals}.
I must agree with you I have never heard the word cauco used. I was trying to get her to see that cauco is similar to negro. Perhaps I should have written Cauca, but as you see, it does not sit easily beside negro. I was simply trying to assure her that the word Negro is not offensive, and neither would Cauco, had it in fact existed.
These terms are perhaps a little jaded now. In time others will replace them, and they in turn will offend those who as of yet, are unborn. How silly it all seems to me, that innocent words and terms are held to be offensive, or used to try to obtain some purchase in debate.
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I do apologise about my spelling mistake, and thank you earnestly for pointing it out to me. Perhaps a word whore such as yourself might like some constructive criticism also.
Wordwhore should have been written word whore. Anyhoo is not a word. The word Europeans should be capitalised, as should African , Spanish and Asian, or at least my word checker thinks so. There are other issues with your missive also, but I can’t be bothered to plough through it all.
So tell me more about your opinion of the context of my use of the word. I sought to show that some racist jokes are in fact, not at all racist. The one I gave was nothing more than a pun, or at least, that is my belief. Perhaps you believe otherwise
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