POLLS REVEAL BLACK AMERICANS CONTRADICTORY FEELINGS ON THE WORD "NEGRO" (947 hits)
According to NewsOne/Blackplanet polls, most Black people say the word “Negro” itself doesn’t offend them — that is, unless it’s being uttered by a white person.
In recent weeks, “Negro” has unexpectedly been granted a second life. Once the widely-accepted term to describe Black Americans, its usage fell out of vogue some 40 years ago and has since been viewed at the very least as ignorant and archaic, if not insulting to Black people.
But when the forms for the 2010 Census were released at the beginning of this year, many were surprised to see that one of the choices provided for a person’s race is “Black, African Am., or Negro.” As if that wasn’t perplexing enough, last week it was revealed that during the 2008 presidential campaign, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Barack Obama was electable in part due to the fact that he is “light-skinned” and speaks “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”
So how do Black people feel about the word? In one poll, NewsOne/Blackplanet asked members, “Does the word ‘Negro’ offend you?” 70 percent said no, the word does not offend them, while only 30 percent said yes.
However, in a follow-up poll, we asked, “If a white person called you a negro, would it offend you?” and the responses almost completely switched. 67% said they would be offended, while only 33 percent said they would not.
Do these results reveal a racial double-standard, or do they reflect a natural tendency to be more sensitive to language depending on the speaker and their intent?
It's all like I've said before Whites control all the important parts of government and I'm willing to bet the persons in charge of the Census Department or whatever it's called are Whites.
Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 3:04PM
John Washington
Brother Robert called me a negro over the weekend on somebodies' blog--- I laughed out loud because I thought it hilariously funny; I am a negro and proud of it although I prefer the term African American or Black American. Just my two cents worth. Thanks Sister Siebra for the blog post.
Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 3:15PM
Jen Fad
Let me ask again, why does the government even request this information? I find it offensive to be asked my race whatever words they use.
Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 6:57PM
Steve Williams
There is only one race of people, the Human race!
Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 7:00PM
Millard Bell
Words like negro and colored are lables given to us by someone else. We must identify ourselves clearly to the world.
Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 7:04PM
Millard Bell
I think America is one of the few countries that classify people by ethnicity. Personally I think it's used to profile people and deny jobs. Just my two cents worth>>>
Tuesday, January 12th 2010 at 10:23PM
Jen Fad
Americans have a National Holiday on January 18, 2010---- The Only Negro honored by the Majority of Americans, Dr. Martin Luther King!
Everytown and city in America will be having events where the great Dr. will be mentioning in All his speeches that he, a negro preacher will have a dream to have led His negro followers to The Promised Land.
Am I the only American on BIA, who has marched, listened to and comprehended Dr.MLK words?
jenFad This is a nonIssue for Americans and it confuses many communities in America.....I thought 'black'-'lightskin' is profiling?
negro is ok with me, I even have called siebra, irma, richard, solomon, harry, and Steve; negros--- jenFad can even call me a "babbling old NEGRO"--- if jenFad does not delete it...........
I wonder what would happen if ALL of us opted to not answer the census in protest of this 'negro' thing.
I fail to understand why black ppl fail to understand the power of their voice and the power to not support certain things. We are the only people who can be violated and we sit back and do nothing but complain and whin.
When Star and Buck wild said that mess about asians, they PROTESTED now no more Star and Buckwild. The maker of Timberland boots said he doesn't want black folk buying and wearing his stuff, same with tommy hill and now Diddy with is color struck self but we as a ppl still keep buying and support these people with one of our greatest resources...........OUR MONEY!!!!!!!
Money talks in this country and you can make it say whatever you'd like. The civil rights movement was all about protesting and look at what became of that. But we as a ppl have lost our voice. Seems like we had more of a voice when it was illegal for us to speak and now we have the power in our voices and we choose to undo years of hard work the civil rights movement laid out.
Negro is who we are, if ur going by color cuz it means black. being called a black american is the same as being called negro cuz negro is black, so what is the difference? See how much time we waste debating over things that do not matter.
Right on Cassandra. I wonder if the census workers will fill in the answer for us, even if we refuse to answer, based on their observation of us? Would that be legal?
Wednesday, January 13th 2010 at 2:46PM
Steve Williams
All of you commenting on this post made some excellent points. Personally, I prefer the term "AfroAmerican" and "Black" in opposition to using the word "Negro."
As far as I'm concerned, Negro is a RACE and if you don't meet certain standards and qualifications concerning your physical features (such as getting high, robbing, stealing and killing and the like) YOU AREN'T NEGRO. You may have some Negro in you....just like I have some White in me...but you still ain't Negro.
AfroAmerican/Black on the other hand is an ETHNIC group...like Hispanic and AsianAmerican. AfroAmericans/Blacks regardless of how we look or what color we are are bound together by a culture, language, certain music, certain foods that separate us from other Americans and even other Black people around the world.
Now it doesn't matter how much Black ancestry you have or how light or white you are, as long as you have ANY Black ancestry and are born in America then you are an AfroAmerican/Black. Period.
I will be the first to say lets Stop The national holiday for that old Negro Preacher Dr. Martin Luther King--- He heard Stokley say Black, and James shout Black and Ali exclaim, 'aint no vietnamese ever called me *****" Yet he kept negro, cause science and anthropology says we are of the Negroid Race, different than the europeanChristian Adam...........
It comfuses americans too much, LETS JUST SAY WE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS.
Are u serious???!!! You wanna stop a holiday that honors one of the greatest civil rights leaders in US history because of the word Negro. What about all this man accomplished and how he bought about justice in a country where there was no justice for a black man. We all know what he stood and so does the rest of the world and you're comment totally disrespects his memory. How do you know why King preferred being called Negro. You never walked his walk, you probably were never denied service you were willing to pay for, you didn't have bombing threats threaten you and you family or had your home bomb, so to say that is totally off. I'm sorry but you cannot reduce all that man of God did for the nation, for the world just because of one word, a word you will never get the full manifestation of because THAT negro got beat, hosed-down and ultimately killed so YOU could have the rights you have to say silly stuff like 'stop his holiday'.
Again blogs on MLK confuse the majority of American citizens,
You agree with .........
When those negroChristians marched and got beat up side the head. We built our schools, educated our selves and our children, made our neighborhoods safer, stayed out of jail, stayed away from the evil practices of paganChristians, and Studied the Monothistic Scholarship of The Creator, built our Places to worship The Creator, and lived the life of the Family of Adaam.---- Nothing in the Old/new testament told me, that I should not be a equal to any Man, nothing in these scripture taught me that the Family of Adaam was white, or black or yellow or blue----nothing told me I needed the evil practicers OK for my life....
ok dude if you wanna believe in a black Jesus, a black Moses, a black God go right ahead but that will not get you into heaven no more than Jesus would make hell is home. Your first mistake is making "Jesus" about race.
If you think Jesus is about race or even cares about race you don't know Him at all. I am so sick and tired of black dudes mostly who haven't a clue as to who they are, always trying to turn God/Jesus into a race issue. If anything is confusing, its that. Guess what, IN HEAVEN WON'T BE NO WHITE, BLACK, LATINO, ETC!!!!!! the things of this world will not matter a hill of beans to God cuz guess what,'the earth IS the LORD's, the FULLNESS thereof, the WORLD and THEY that dwell therein' (I Cor 10:26). ALL belong to him but not all will make it into heaven. That my brother should be your goal. If you don't want to follow a certain religion then don't, if you don't wanna read the Holy Scriptures then don't. Try to find something better but I can tell you...........YOU'LL BE BACK!!!!!!!!.
MLK speeches were his thoughts and what God had given him to speak to a nation that was built upon God by weren't doing His will. God always sends a prophet to speak to a nation for that nation to turn away from evil andf come back to God. So what he used the word Negro??!! Hip Hop has managed to undo what civil rights leaders have tried to do for years and still fighting for in trying to rid the world of the word *****. They changed the spelling FOOLISHLY thinking it changed the meaning of the word but like the 'precious' in the lord of the rings, it was forged in evil, it resides in evil and from the root of evill can it be destroyed. Where is you blog speaking out against n*gga, n*ggah, n*ggaz and the other 50 million ways they spell it now? Where is your blog speaking against Bit&h's and ho's, wearing the pants so the crack of the tail is seen, s*xting among teens, adult songs and stuff being played during the times small kids are listening to the radio, what about these demeaning reality shows thats just as fake as the hair the women on the show wear and since we're on the suject of hair, where is your blog on weave epidemic that is sweepin thru our culture, hmmmmmmmm?????!!!!!
All that's going on and you got the nerve to be beefing about NEGRO, dude that is the very least of our problems!!!!!!!
PREACH HARD, SISTER, PREACH HARD!!!
Thursday, January 14th 2010 at 3:52PM
Siebra Muhammad
cassandra you may be New, but you must understand that to believe that there is a 'black"-(negro in spanish) or a "white"---man or woman is Racialistic, a product of Racialism............
and a big stereotype we have in America is emotional women that raise inferior American children and do not read or have Scholarship.
just because you came late doesnt mean you can interrupt; Catch Up, Reference, be productive and not loud..........
your reference is a reference of the history of 500 years of paganChristian policy for America, get some Scholarship; this is the International Historical Web.
Our Leader President Baraka Hussein Obama is above old negro - master/slave--black/white color division-diversion --- He is the end of old whiteChristianSupremacy!
you still have'nt learned a thing..negro
Friday, January 15th 2010 at 9:47AM
robert powell
I'm not NEW to anything especially IGNORANCE. I see and hear it all the time from people like you of all nationalities.
Robert, with all due respect, ur so smart in ideology that ur stupid in reality. My point is this with all ur fire n brimstone about new/old negro and all that jazz u talk and some I do not even believe you know what ur taking about, what are you doing to make things better for US? All I see is you beefing and moaning about problems but not one solution do i see coming from you, thats because YOU and people like you are the problem. You say to me learn something, well I say to you shut up and DO something. We gotr enuff people saying stuff and doing much of nothing. Tnis thing goes beyond blogging. I'm not knocking it cuz I do as well but it goes beyond that.
And as far as me not being able to spell. I abbreviate cuz i have so much to say and i get tired of typing but brother I am more than capable of articulating myself. I have 2 degrees in IT (information technology) and I work for the government as a computer forensic examiner so just cuz I don't talk ur mumbo jumbo does not mean that i'm unlearned. With all ur vocabulary ur ideologies are still off. Withall those words you type, u still do not make sense.
As far as Obama, the jury is still out on him as far as I'm concerned. Contrary to what most people have done, I did not vote for him cuz he's black, i voted for him cuz he was the better choice of the choices i was given. So far he has not proved to be a man of his word but again its only been a yr and I'm giving him time to make good on his promises. Altho I stand behind my vote for him, he is not doing a good job in my eyes. The fat cats on wall st are obese now cuz he bailed them out and paid billions to the ppl who helped to get us to get in this trouble, now he wants the money back, yeah lots of luck getting that loot back. He still refuses to address the race issue altho so many racial remarks have been make toward him alone not to mention about balck people. he has lost that fire, that zeal that got him elected in the first place and he needs that back cuz that is what the country (those that are behind him anyway) are waiting to see.
So brother robert, get ur head out the books and live, cuz thats reality.
PS I never posted to ur historical website but i posted to blackwomensconnect.com, so if you don't like what I'm saying stop hacking blogs responses, get ur own.
Friday, January 15th 2010 at 10:47AM
Cassandra Carter
Down Goes Frazier!!!
Friday, January 15th 2010 at 11:58AM
Siebra Muhammad
cassandraSiebra,
siebra can give you a history of my Living--
But as I said, just because you Late; doesnt mean you can interrupt.
negros always think that if they finished highschool they did something and they need to tell somebody? If thats you, OK...........
My businesses for nearly 40years have helped rebuild and renew decayed negro ghettos and the negros that are in them..... My businesses have initiated technology transfer projects in 8 african and middle eastern nations, with the building of roads, bridges, government buildings, hospitals 1 Medical Training Center and an agricultural experiment in the desert.......
My businesses have helped elect, mayors, congressmen, city councilmen/women.
I have helped build 9 Structures of Monotheistic worship in 3 states for 100,000s of American and Visiting Worshipers.
I have helped build 5 k-8 schools in 3 states and educated 1000s of American and Foreign youngMinds.
I will complete in 2011 - 1 - k-12 school, if The Creator wills.
I have helped to incarcerate 1000s of gang thugs, rapists, molesters, murders, thieves and unlawful bankers.
One wife has been PhD of Artificial Intelligence since late 60s---and has taught IT for 25 years....One daughter has her own IT Firm......One daughter is one of the TOP young businesswomen of LosAngeles.....A son is finishing up his last year of Medical School...3 other children are in University......and I got 3 younger ones and one on the way, due 9/1/2010+-.
My Living the last 2 years has concentrated on Our Leader President Baraka Hussein Obama, the Greatest American President of all Time....
you say; " the jury is still out on him"
That statement explains to me vividly, why you interrupt, why you are loud.
If you do not realize that President Baraka Hussein Obama is the best President Ever -- For You, Me and all Americans.
then you join the wrights, jacksons, clintons, limbaughs, cheneys as Foolish Americans.....that will not change their old ignorant ways, In MyOpinion......
No, Siebra, I went to mecca with ali........no down here........
I think its great that you and your family are so well educated and into business the way you are, thats awesome. I also think that you facts are a bit distorted. You have no STATS or FACTS to proof Obama is the best prez ever cuz he hasn't been in office long, he hasn't kept to any of his promises regardless of what other prez have or have not, one ought to be a person of their word and if not youare a liar, pure and simple. I agree, it is still to soon to tell about Obama and that is why I said FOR ME, the jury is still out and I satnd behind what I said 110% regardless of your rude and unfounded remark about me being loud. I am very LOUD against black people like you that feel ALL black people have to agree with you to be 'black' and if not then they are anti-black. For a man of your stature that list all those accomplishments above you have exposed yourself to be just as ignant or ignorant but ignant is Rush, Beck and all them. To be ignant is much worse then ignorant and that has nothing to do with you education and everything to do with your character and personality. Your ignance makes i t hard to see all the good achievements you made and I pray hard for you that you that everything you do and say may not always be about color cuz that would make you no better than all the other racist people out there against black people, the only difference is your black.
