Why are 'black' people called black and 'white' people called white?
156666
I think the majority of the people (including African-Americans) use the words "white" and "black" as a simplifier.  It is the same principle that an official in a basketball game uses to describe to the score keeper the player who committed the foul.  He commonly will say, for example, "push on number 11, blue team" when the color of uniform he is alluding to is actually purple or another odd darker color.  The same if the player is wearing grey.  The official will refer to it as white.  It is just easier for clarification.\n\nThere may be some hidden motivation for some people in the past (or possibly the present) concerning good/bad, black/white, but I doubt that most people get that from it.\n\nAs a matter of fact, I would guess that most people would rather have a black car than a white one.  White is plain (and usually less expensive).\n\nPeople will see what they want to see, I guess.
768638
White people say that people will call them racist if they have an organizations and I believe it's the other way around. White people are under the mentality that if they have an organization for themselves that will make them a racist. So they complain and say that they will be called a racist.
1064154
White is hard to define as there are  so many different races that make up "white"  Race it's self is man made idea from the victorian times as they catigorized all the animals and humans into groups.\n\nI also don't agree with being held responsible for the crimes of other 200 years a go either.
1178189
It refers to the caucasus mountains. The correct term for 'caucasian' or 'white' people is 'european'. The reason that europeans are called caucasians is because a scientist (I think 19th century) falsely stated that the people of the caucasus mountains best represent european people. That falsehood still lives on today in the word caucasian.
756861
Ok, I won't call you white. But personally, I don't mind. Call me white, caucasion, European, Italo-German, cracker, whitey, albino. It doesn't matter to me, and people who get all tied up in that (especially people to whom skin color was an advantage in the past) are just silly.
970120
In college, we called our African friends Africans... and they were all black.  Even though lots of Africans are white... so I would just use a generic regional term such as African, Jamaican, Haitian, etc.  And let everyone have to ask if that person is black or white...
593779
Because it is for all the repression that whites put on blacks during slavery times. But its not like that everywhere. Plus hispanics were put through similar treatment from whites. Plus u have to look at the difference in the way people act because not all hipanics act black. even some black people have been "whited out" which means that they don't act "black" and act more on the grounds of a white person. Now a days its not called black. Its called Ghetto which is a better way to say it because u dont have to be black or hispanic to act like that. You can be any race even if it is white, asian, or pacific islander. The one thing people dont like about white people is acting ghetto is that they use the "n" word.
75028
firstly, not all black people alienate those who "act white". There are just some people who believe that there is a certain way to act and when they think that ur not acting like how they think u should act, u will be ridiculed. our society likes to label and categorize people, and we tend to just follow right along, and I think that its time that we develop our own opinions and stop allowing society to tell us how to define others and ourselves.
34447
At one time blacks were considered the opposite of whites, even though they are technically brownish in color.  Because they were considered the opposite, they were considered to be people made by the devil, or having some relationship with evil.  Of course, this is ridiculous thinking.
740259
No, they aren't "just bigots" maybe those people who ask think its a double standard and would like to know why blacks can call each nigga's but a white boy can't. Yet blacks can call white people crackers and thats no big deal.
644755
Ive wondered thatt.  how come if a white person calls a blackman a nigger its racist even though black people call other black people niggers all the time
107205
black buddha is call black because he is. Look at the old pictires of him their are some from india. Also notice his hair.
316248
African-American is a politically correct term for black people, you need to look back at the history on how black people were called before becoming P.C. term.\n\nGeneration ago, black people or black slave are capture in Africa and sold as slaves by the white people, they were called slave, but a degratory remarks or name were used to called these black people, there were called Negro, which is the earliest name used before Nxxxxr were derive from this.\n\nAs America become more civil with human right and equality laws, black protest and civil right movement, the term slowly evolve to African-America to denotes the black people came from African origin but are now American citizen.
631419
I prefer to be called Black. I am not African. I have traces of African in me, but that does not mean that I am of African nationality. People who are from Africa who become American citizens should be called African-American. I don't care to be called a Black-American because (and don't take this the wrong way) I am not exactly WANTED here in America (or anywhere else for that matter). Afro American is dated and Negro is just unnecessary given the Latin meaning of the term. I think the term Black American is a little offensive. Black is the least offensive to me.\n\nAt this point, there is no appropriate way to describe what I am. My great-great-great Grandmother passed for white for many years (she was the descendant of slaves). There are some Mexicans in the blood-line as well. Since the blood-line is no longer purely African, I cannot associate myself with a race of people. I am nothing but a Black person in America.
960687
but blacks don't know where they came from in Africa and have no culture from there or language from there not even a recipe from there so how could they begin to know names that had meaning ?all the blacks here know is what the whites have taught them.that's why you use to hear names like Jefferson and Lincoln and what ever .These newer names that some have adopted are so different ,but you usually can tell if the person wearing the name is black.Although some say these names are a hold back and they may be,I understand the need   the people have to have something their own.That's why Hip-Hop and music is so important to them because they want to feel as if they are a part of some thing their own.I like my name and I can't think of a more Euro name than Regina,but hey my parents were here and all they knew of Africa was not enough to give me any thing else.
1018914
Caucasians in Africa call themselves white or by the  country's name ex: South Afrikaner or Nigerian.  When whites migrate to America they realize it's more advantageous if they call themselves plain old white.  \n\nWon't you do the same thing? Unless you think  blacks have been given too much and need to be be worse off than they are and so you wish to take the tag for yourself just to compete with the - measly - edge you imagine we have. \n\nNo one in their right mind wants to be treated badly and unfairly. I would do the same if I were white too, just so I'll get the automatic privileges whites get.\n\nAfrican American is term reserved for all  blacks - with the option to call foreign blacks by their nationality.\n\nAffirmative Action is less than 40 years, slavery over 400 -you have not yet repaid us in full for those terrible years. Now live with it!!  And I hope when you drop on the floor you never get up!\n\n\nThis is a popular topic in this forum - I'm beginning to realize it's a code to incite.  The people who object to the term African American have no problem calling us the n* word.
692896
the reasoning behind using african american is that people of african descent across the globe are one of the only groups in the world (along with the gypsies) who really cant pinpoint a place where our ancestors derived from (true they came from africa, but africa is a continent, not a country).  so a couple of years ago in the us, in an attempt to say that we have a heritage too, the term african american was coined.  nowadays tho, most african americans call themselves black because not only does it connect us more with other people of african descent across the globe but it also distinguishes us from white africans.  hope this helped.  oh yea, i think you'd technically be african american.  i had a teacher in highschool from south africa and he said that he does have the option of checkin african american down on applications and what not but he usually puts white or other.