# Is the term "Indian" offensive?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-indian-offensive/532565>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 15, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-indian-offensive/532565 "2010-03-15T18:27:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 6

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**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-indian-offensive/532565/101 "2010-03-19T14:54:03Z")

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> [@BigT](#):
>
> If I hear that a woman is fragile, I think she has osteoporosis or something. And they don’t really define it otherwise, since they **skirt** around describing the offensive definition.

Sexist!

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**Author:** ![Bloody\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bloody\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bloody_L)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-indian-offensive/532565/102 "2010-03-19T15:46:12Z")

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> [@Push\_You\_Down](#):
>
> Every Indian I have ever known, including family members and friends uses “Indian.” “Native American” is for official documents and correspondance or fro “polite” society.  
> Just like saying “black” instead of “African American” or “white” for “Caucasian.”

I agree with the above poster. My friend is half of something I can’t remember (it’s spelled strange) and takes his heritage seriously but calls himself Indian. He would only get into specifics or use of Native American on official dox.

Maybe it’s a southern thing, but I don’t really see people caring a lot about these kinds of titles anyway. Very few people care about being politically correct down here, even our politicians are guilty of the carefree cultural apathy.

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**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-indian-offensive/532565/103 "2010-03-19T18:50:40Z")

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> [@hogarth](#):
>
> Does anyone know if members of First Nations/Native Canadians/Canadian Indians in Quebec are offended by the term _sauvages_?

I would think so, it’s definitely not an acceptable term today, and hasn’t been for decades.

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**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-term-indian-offensive/532565/104 "2010-03-20T03:13:10Z")

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No offense, but I was so offended by that list of offensive words that I decided to play offense and start a thread about it.

> **[25 Pages of Offensive Words](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=556509)**
>
> List of Offensive Words That Should be Avoided (PDF) Thank you, elmwood, for providing a link to this gem in the “Is the term ‘Indian’ offensive” thread. As long as I have your attention, let me tell you a little bit about myself. (If you’re...

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