Originally Posted by analog

To preface: I don't agree with using any particular label or blanket description for anyone or any behavior, no matter how strong the stereotype seems to be.

Here's the beef, and I'm staying as broad and generic as humanly possible, specifically because it's not about which race it is, or even the term being used- which itself is not racist, but seems vaguely so, based on usage.

Say there is one particular race of people- be it white, black, asian, hispanic, indian, native american, eskimo, whatever... and that one particular race of people is notorious for one specific medical presentation. Now, I'm not talking about a disease that preys on certain ethnicities, like sickle cell or something. I'm talking about a behavioral pattern... a very specific behavior/medical issue (which is not a true condition, problem, disease, or other ailment, but purely in their mind) that ONLY one particular race exhibits. Literally only one. Ever. And it's very, very common in that one race.

If there was a sort of colloquial term coined to describe this one behavior by this one specific group of people, the term itself being a play on words of the race... would that be racist? Or would it simply be an observation of reality?

I wrestle with this a little because there's a very common term used to describe one particular type of behavior by one specific group of people- even more pointedly, of one gender. And these people are the ONLY people who exhibit this behavior, period.

And I wonder if it's a little racist to have adopted a term which so clearly labels them based on their ethnicity and their habitual issue, or if it's simply a matter of being realistic. I mean... they ARE the only ones who do it.

I'm sorry I won't be less vague, but I have no desire to spread this term... and this question is more of a broad question anyway. If it's actually, really true... not stereotype or hyperbole, but actually TRUE... is it racist, or just reality?