# Why are non-Caucasians called "people of color"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 25, 2007, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255 "2007-06-25T00:22:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/61 "2007-06-25T05:59:36Z")
**Guy** , once again, for your own sake, please seek help. You are not well. You are living in your own private world which, I’m sorry, is completely disassociated from reality. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/62 "2007-06-25T07:25:39Z")
Hilarious! This meltdown gets a 9 out of 10 from me. The return of Ted Koppel - classic move. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/63 "2007-06-25T08:38:26Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] WHY DID’NT TED KOPPEL TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT?!! [/QUOTE] Yes, **Hippy**. This is going to be classic Straight Dope. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/64 "2007-06-25T08:50:01Z")
[QUOTE=Kozmik] Yes, **Hippy**. This is going to be classic Straight Dope. :D[/QUOT You can make jokes because it wasn’t your kid, or you. … ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/65 "2007-06-25T09:12:24Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] You can make jokes because it wasn’t your kid, or you. … [/QUOTE] … can kid because it wasn’t my joke: [QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] WHY DID’NT TED KOPPEL TELL THE WORLD ABOUT IT?!!) [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![MerryMagdalen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@MerryMagdalen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MerryMagdalen)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/66 "2007-06-25T09:28:02Z")
At the risk of fanning the flames… **Guy** I do remember the death of Kime because I was in Seattle at the time and he was a FOAF to one of my coworkers. He was in the party-stupid-central area of Seattle on a night when many stupid partiers were out. Which in no way excuses what happened to him but there were lots of people there. If things had gone differently, he could have been beaten to death by white partiers from the suburbs. I don’t think there was ever the racial component to his death that you are trying to attach to it. Mobs are dumb, in general - the color of the mob makes no difference. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/67 "2007-06-25T09:43:20Z")
What I can’t figure out is why **GuyNBlueJeans** would be worrying about falling from a position of “power and prestige.” I use the expression _people of color_ because of a cosmetics counter at a department store. The products were for “women of color.” That’s what the sign said and that’s the term the sales woman used. She was lovely and elegant and I bought three or four lipsticks from her that probably weren’t right for my skin color because of the way they looked on _her_. I’ve always associated the expression with her and I think of beautiful people when I use it. At one time I thought that it offended a friend here and quit using it. I had misunderstood her though. I don’t use it out of racism, but I realize that perhaps where you live, other people may use it that way. If Oprah uses it, it can’t be too anti-Black. **GuyNBlueJeans** , complaining about the “lies” that are perpetuated in the newspapers isn’t going to do much good as long as you continue to fabricate nonsense yourself. (Kimberly Leach was not killed with a baseball bat.) ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 9:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/68 "2007-06-25T09:46:00Z")
What a fun thread… I hear “People of Color” occasionally and, of course, it refers to people who aren’t white. I don’t see a problem with it. As for **GuyNblueJeans** , he can call me a liberal all he wants, all I’d like is to be anything he _isn’t_. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/69 "2007-06-25T10:30:42Z")
**GuyNBlueJeans** , have you ever read about the study on the guestlist of _Nightline_? Two men spent ten years studying just about every possible aspect of the _Nightline_ guestlist and the transcripts of 865 programs that covered a 40 month period from 1965 to 1988. [From an article about the study](http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2872): > [@](#): > > The vast majority of guests—80 percent—represented powerful institutions such as government or major media, while representatives of community or civic organizations, minority communities and social movements, at 6 percent, were almost invisible. Eighty-nine percent of the American guests were male and 92 percent were white. I was surprised to see who his four most frequent guests were. You may be too. Are you _sure_ you don’t like Koppel? ---
**Author:** ![Revenant\_Threshold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@Revenant\_Threshold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revenant_Threshold)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/70 "2007-06-25T10:31:45Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] Oh please, Liberals, come in and tell me what a “racist” and “mental case” I am for posting the truth about what’s going on in this country – because I’M ONE DUDE THAT’S IMMUNE TO YOUR RACIST, EMPTY TACTICS!! I’LL NEVER SUBMIT MYSELF TO YOUR LIBERAL, FUCKING LIES!!! [/QUOTE] \*Submit \* yourself? I think we’ve found the root problem, here. Can we find a nice dom for **GuyNblueJeans** , please? Were I mean person I might point out that by melting down in this way - twice now - Guy has lost all his dignity. Which, of course, makes him inhuman. But hey, don’t worry! If you’re not human, that means you have nothing to lose by masturbating up a storm! Go, crazy racist lying guy, go! ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/71 "2007-06-25T10:49:46Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] Sir; why do you suppose it is that the so-called “nation’s newspaper” permits angry, racist blacks to spout off about Caucasians in the Friday edition without allowing fair rebuttal? [/QUOTE] And who talks like this? ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/72 "2007-06-25T10:53:50Z")
I hope you people get the world you want to live in … and I get mine. Nothing more to say. Have a nice enternity. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/73 "2007-06-25T10:55:18Z")
Ah, clearly Guy is angling for his own recurring column, _Ask the BEAUTIFUL CAUCASION!!!_ > [@GuyNblueJeans](#): > > Nothing more to say. If only. Because dude, seriously… you’re just boring me now. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/74 "2007-06-25T11:00:49Z")
Look! a black man behind you! BOO!! ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/75 "2007-06-25T11:01:06Z")
[QUOTE=Zoe] Are you _sure_ you don’t like Koppel? [/QUOTE] Yeah, and he confusing me. I thought Ted Koppel was **GuyNblueJeans** ’ hero. I mean, isn’t Koppel suppose to break the evening news about the Caucasian conspiracy? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/76 "2007-06-25T11:15:31Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] How 'bout we use your mother instead? [/QUOTE] This is cutest part of his posts. He seems to want to insult people really badly. He seems to want to make them feel bad, but he just doesn’t have the knack. It is like when a five year old gets really angry, but doesn’t yet know words bad enough to express how he feels and just calls people “poopy pants” in the most earnest hate-filled voice he can muster. This guy is like a white supremacist Care Bear, with about the intellectual depth. ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/77 "2007-06-25T11:40:33Z")
[QUOTE=DianaG] Ah, clearly Guy is angling for his own recurring column, _Ask the BEAUTIFUL CAUCASION!!!_ [/QUOTE] I wish!! How about just a thread in MPSIMS? I can’t wait. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/78 "2007-06-25T11:50:33Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] I hope you people get the world you want to live in … and I get mine. Nothing more to say. Have a nice enternity. [/QUOTE] At least my world won’t consist of padded walls. ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/79 "2007-06-25T12:18:51Z")
And hearing… > [@](#): > > music pounding as his Nightline show came on [QUOTE=silenus] I’m gonna bookmark this thread so I can show it to my students as an example of the damage drugs can do. [/QUOTE] Yep. Others have already come to this conclusion: **GuyNblueJeans** is on drugs ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255/80 "2007-06-25T12:23:29Z")
[QUOTE=GuyNblueJeans] [QUOTE=Chimera] Classic Liberal thinking. _belch_ [/QUOTE] Don’t you mean [“Bletch”?](http://www.catb.org/~esr/jargon/html/B/bletch.html) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-non-caucasians-called-people-of-color/409255.md?page=5)