Honest thoughts from a person of colour

Not that I know of @anon78876561.

Are Asians persons of color? I thought is strictly referred to African Americans.

Actually, I learned in school the Asians were also caucasian. Not people of color

That’s weird. I’ve never learned to call myself Caucasian.

It turns out that it’s a huge debate. For years Asians were considered white, the yellow bs was just insults from old white men. But officially they were white.

But due to discrimination Asians face in multiple countries, some people believe they should be able to claim PoC status. It’s really up to the person speaking at the time and how they identify.

@anon78876561 there is a similar debate about Arabs, too. Because in the same family you can have people as light as me, or as dark as my brother and cousins. And we have the same genetics. I think if a group faces racism based on being part of that group, they should be allowed to claim the title no matter what the DNA history is.

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I remember it was roughly 2007 when “middle eastern” stopped being an option on demographic forms. Prior to that, I always knew what box to check. Now, I mostly leave it blank because I don’t know what to say.

Basically these days, if you look white you enjoy privilege that’s just not available to PoC that are obviously darker.

For example, I’m Lumbee Indian and European. Lumbee is a real mixed up race of Native Americans. Some of us look white, some Native, and some black. This is due to how the tribe helped runaway slaves and accepted them into the tribe to help the slaves escape. The white part comes from helping colonists survive.

I look white so I can’t really ever say I’m PoC even with blood. I don’t face anything like the darker members of the tribe do.

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Unfortunately we live in a racist society.
It’s not just a problem facing us here in the United States, it’s a global problem.
It’s going to be difficult to eradicate.

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Excellent point @anon4362788.

Person of colour is a very American saying. People don’t use that in England much. I think to some degree it robs the person of their own identity and makes “non whites” a class of their own, which to me is not a great idea. People would refer to themselves as “a racial minority” though.

Im not 100% sure, but Im pretty confident in Africa coloured is used to mean a mixture of two different races. So a black person wouldn’t be considered coloured, but a person with one white and one black parent would be.

I guess I never considered Asians people of color. I have no problem with them claiming that status though, if they’re talking about white privelege.

You know I didn’t even know there was an Asian Pacific Islanders’ month until I moved to California and saw the commercials for it. Never heard of it in Virginia. I guess it’s in May.

Treebeard! I don’t where you live but here in the U.S. the term “colored” is insulting and almost never used anymore except maybe by 70 year old racists. It’s just not accepted anymore.

Yes, it was pointed out to me. Thank you!

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If it were me and I didn’t feel prepared, then I just wouldn’t do it. Because I’m not ready for it yet. Because it’s unfamiliar territory and it’s impossible to anticipate what would happen. At the very least, I need to contact a Canadian that lives where I plan to visit so I can ask them questions about living there.

I’m white and I honestly feel ashamed how my ancestors were so racist. I’m South African and apartheid was a big problem here before 1994. The racism continues unfortunately. I’m so happy my late uncle was an anti apartheid activist!

I don’t see why one race would be better than others. Asians are beautiful, Africans are beautiful, Native Americans are beautiful, Europeans are beautiful. Everyone has the same colour blood. We were created different to celebrate life. :blush:

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I try not to let white guilt make me feel like crap. I’m not responsible for the actions of my ancestors.

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You aren’t responsible, but it’s good to be aware- but you are not your ancestors. You are a completely different person.

My nation wasn’t colonized by white people. It was colonized by Japanese people who were also Asian. But do I think the Japanese people are responsible for the crimes they committed? Absolutely not. But do I hold the government responsible for not apologizing? Absolutely.

I know that you respect all races and that is enough. :heart:

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Happy cake day!

I agree. I have a lot of friends in Canada, so I may as well ask my friends who are also POC.

I’m thinking of living in Vancouver which is super diverse. The reason why I’m moving is because I need to get school done because the Korean education system won’t allow foreign schooling graduates to transfer to their schools (they made it so much harder for me to transfer).

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I always get confused on which type of Asian I should check on demographic forms in Canada. I wonder, am I southeast Asian or east Asian? It confuses me.