Comments on: Is Barack Obama A Black?

By: PomPom

PomPom — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:49:50 +0000

Describing someone as “a black” sounds disprespectful to me. Describing someone as “a black man” sounds better. Unless it’s about a woman, of course.

By: robram

robram — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:38:10 +0000

At least there’s no ‘is he black or is he mixed race’ thing going on?

Bonnie Greer was up in arms in The Guardian last week after having been asked that very question by Sarah Montague when she appeared on Radio 4.

They know that Obama is black

By: Kim

Kim — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:54:43 +0000

Looking at it again, I see the point being made was just that…he is the first black to be elected president, because we all know he is a man already, as evidenced by the picture below it.

It is curious how speech patterns and word choice can be different, as you point out in how Asians and Chinese would be referred to in Britain in the same context.

Did the wording sound disrespectful to you?

By: Sam

Sam — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:50:51 +0000

I remember my first Chinese – sweet and sour.

By: Cliff

Cliff — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:50:41 +0000

Then I stand corrected. It just seemed odd to me. In the UK, we wouldn’t leave out a noun and call someone “the first Chinese”. But it’s wierd because it wouldn’t be jarring to hear “the first Asian” (which here means Indian, Sri Lankan or Pakistani, unlike in he US where it means Vietnamese, Korean or Chinese), but you’d never “the first black”.

By: Kim

Kim — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:12:00 +0000

That is the accepted, common word usage here, Cliff.

By: Jonners

Jonners — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:59:45 +0000

There might well be too many instances of the word “probably” in there… almost certainly, actually.

By: Jonners

Jonners — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:58:29 +0000

::: sharp intake of breath :::

It certainly looks, sounds and feels wrong to me. But then probably according to the “Republican American” I’m probably a Wishy-Washy Lily-Livered Socialistic Eurostate-Living Liberal err… White.