# Why capitalize "Black"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 1, 2023, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455 "2023-01-01T09:50:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2023, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/221 "2023-01-02T22:52:07Z")
It doesn’t. The Post is full of it. White immigrants to the US do not suffer the discrimination encountered by non-whites, even generations after the non-white’s ancestors immigrated to the United States. And then there’sthe continuing legacy of slavery and Jim Crow against Blacks. Again, the Post is full of it. IMHO, that blurb from the Post was written solely to keep the white supremacists unruffled. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2023, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/222 "2023-01-02T23:43:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > White immigrants to the US do not suffer the discrimination encountered by non-whites Sometimes that discrimination is quite overt: ['Shithole Countries' is Shorthand for a Racist Hierarchy - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/01/shithole-countries/580054/) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/223 "2023-01-03T00:15:28Z")
Speaking of overt racism, way back in April of 2007, I posted this thread: [How many generations does it take before one’s considered American?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-does-it-take-before-ones-considered-american/400585) There are some rather interesting responses. What amazed me then, and still now, is that although some whites are prone to telling Blacks to “go back to Africa”, those whites still do not consider the Blacks to be foreign as they consider the other non-whites (Japanese, Korean, Thai, India, etc.). Another interesting point is something I learned when I took a class at university: _The Legal History of the Asian-American_. The professor advanced the idea, and he proved it rather well, that how well Asian-Americans were treated in American history depended basically on how Black or white the dominant group, whites, considered the Asian-Americans. So, yeah, I get that the OP and at least one other poster in this thread are not Americans, nor even in America, but this board is based in America and, AFAICT, the majority of the posters in this thread are Americans and that informs their posts. Racial discrimination in America is quite different than it has been and is elsewhere. Of course it’s not pretty anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/224 "2023-01-03T00:31:49Z")
Where exactly does the Post say that European immigrants ever suffered the same amount of discrimination faced by Blacks? Because I don’t see it anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/225 "2023-01-03T00:38:37Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > at this point I can’t really say my ethnicity is Scottish or even Scotch-Irish, and some other places don’t even recognize the Scotch-Irish as a distinct group. What’s a fella to do? - Drink? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/226 "2023-01-03T01:01:34Z")
Never said they did. What they pulled was a weaseling stunt trying to make the discrimination encountered by both groups equivalent. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/227 "2023-01-03T01:49:56Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > No. I am aware that it was used rarely prior to the murder of George Floyd which is why I said the major media and news adopted it at that point. And that is when AP, NYT, et al in fact did make the change. I’m not convinced the murder of George Floyd was an inflection point here. This started before Floyd’s murder, and some major media outlets didn’t change until quite some time after, and some haven’t changed yet. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/228 "2023-01-03T06:11:08Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Good, since it was never a sincere effort anyway. Just another episode of the “Bobble argues with Dibble because Bobble’s a contrarian asshole to Dibble, specifically, for … reasons” show It appears to be you that is desperate to continue whatever imagined historical dispute you have in your head. If you have already decided my intent, deemed it incincere and chosen not to engage in a good faith way yourself then I’d much prefer you didn’t respond at all. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/229 "2023-01-03T07:13:42Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > how well Asian-Americans were treated in American history depended basically on how Black or white the dominant group, whites, considered the Asian-Americans. You think that’s unique to America? Under Apartheid, Japanese were always classed as honorary Whites, while Chinese were grouped with Coloureds. Except when they needed to suck up to Taiwan and granted its citizens honorary Whiteness. Meanwhile, South Asians were grouped in their own “Asian” group. > [@Monty](#): > > Racial discrimination in America is quite different than it has been and is elsewhere. That’s just American exceptionalism bullshit. It has its own nuances, but it’s not _that_ different. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/230 "2023-01-03T07:18:15Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > It appears to be you that is desperate to continue whatever imagined historical dispute you have in your head. Sure, that’s why you’re “dropping this now” 🙄 > [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > If you have already decided my intent, deemed it incincere and chosen not to engage in a good faith way yourself then I’d much prefer you didn’t respond at all. I _could_ let your not-so-subtle leading-question strawmanning insincerity pass unremarked and unopposed, that’s true. How about a hearty “Fuck you”, instead? Good faith from me requires good faith from you first. The first thread around race issues where I see you shut up and listen to PoC, is the first thread where I’ll give a shit what you have to say. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/231 "2023-01-03T08:04:46Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > That’s just American exceptionalism bullshit. It has its own nuances, but it’s not _that_ different. I’m really not into American exceptionalism. But this bit about how Blacks have been treated in the US historically (slavery then Jim Crow) and now (basically new Jim Crow or at least legacy of Jim Crow) is a bit different. I’m aware of Apartheid and recognize not only how asinine it was, but also how evil it was and the damage done to society by it. I’m also aware of the damage slavery in the US has done and the echoes it still sounds. Maybe I shouldn’t have said quite, but in my mind, the issue of slavery, especially how long it lasted in the US after the other slave-holding nations banned it, strikes me as more than just a nuance. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/232 "2023-01-03T08:09:43Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Maybe I shouldn’t have said quite, but in my mind, the issue of slavery, especially how long it lasted in the US after the other slave-holding nations banned it, strikes me as more than just a nuance. It lasted longer in the US, but only by one generation or so. It is a difference, but not enough of one to mark America as particularly different on a global scale. Most of the difference, IMO, comes with how things proceeded _after_ that. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/233 "2023-01-03T08:10:35Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Most of the difference, IMO, comes with how things proceeded _after_ that. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/234 "2023-01-03T08:26:14Z")
I did leave out the bit of America having that big ass war between the slaveholder and nonslaveholder states, though. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/235 "2023-01-03T12:35:19Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > And you know what else? It isn’t anything like as important as how people are treated. True. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/236 "2023-01-03T18:52:53Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > The first thread around race issues where I see you shut up and listen to PoC, is the first thread where I’ll give a shit what you have to say. No, I think I’ll just reject your suggestion out of hand like the terrible idea it is. _Dialogue_ and understanding is what moves the world on. Two sides, _both_ talking, _both_ listening. I’ll continue to do people of all ethnicities the courtesy talking _with_ them and judging their thoughts, experiences and ideas on their own merits. You know, almost like they were actual human beings with the ability to express themselves, support their points and handle any challenges or questions that come their way. To do otherwise is patronising. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/237 "2023-01-03T19:00:31Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > No, I think I’ll just reject your suggestion out of hand > … > _Dialogue_ and understanding is what moves the world on. Two sides, _both_ talking, _both_ listening. The hypocrisy is hilarious, and your complete lack of awareness of the hypocrisy is just chef’s kiss. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/238 "2023-01-03T19:47:57Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The hypocrisy is hilarious, and your complete lack of awareness of the hypocrisy is just chef’s kiss. There is no hypocrisy on my part. What am I criticising that I myself am guilty of? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/239 "2023-01-03T19:49:07Z")
You cannot be this stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2023, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455/240 "2023-01-03T19:58:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > There is no hypocrisy on my part. As I called it: > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > your complete lack of awareness of the hypocrisy is just chef’s kiss. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-capitalize-black/977455.md?page=13)