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I've been debating about how to respond to this thread, because, while I understand the purpose of discussing how people are labeled, it's like discussing whether the packaging on a box of ice cream is nice and ignoring what it tastes like.
Does anyone really believe that if we solve the vexing issue of what to call each other, that somehow the issue of race relations will be solved? We're expending energy on a non-issue while the real issue of race relations gets ignored.
If we truly want to advance our society in its relations between the races, then we have to drop our pretenses and talk about what is really at the root of our problems.
We have an identity crisis in this country. We don't know who the hell we are. We pretend how wonderful it is that the U.S. is this huge melting pot where everyone holds hands and sings "Kumbaya" when in reality we're all eyeing each other with suspicion. Everyone is afraid of losing "their" culture to someone else swimming in the stew. So we build socially constructed walls around ourselves to protect us from "them", and then change the focus of our problem so as not to appear racist. Fuck racism and fuck the appearance of it. Nothing will ever change as long as the depth of our discussions reach only "do you prefer to be called 'black' or 'African-American' "? It's like asking whether someone wants paper or plastic. No substance, only packaging.
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"I can normally tell how intelligent a man is by how stupid he thinks I am" - Cormac McCarthy, All The Pretty Horses
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