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Black people is a racialized classification of people, usually a political and skin color-based category for specific populations with a mid to dark brown complexion. Not all people considered "black" have dark skin; in certain countries, often in socially based systems of racial classification in the Western world, the term "black" is used to describe persons who are perceived as dark-skinned compared to other populations. It is most commonly used for people of sub-Saharan African descent and the indigenous peoples of Oceania, though it has been applied in many contexts to other groups, and is no indicator of any close ancestoral relationship whatsoever. Indigenous African societies do not use the term black as a racial identity outside of influences brought by Western cultures. The term "black" may or may not be capitalized. The AP Stylebook changed its guide to capitalize the "b" in black in 2020. The ASA Style Guide says that the "b" should not be capitalized.
In the English language, the word nigger is an ethnic slur used against black people, especially African Americans. Because it is considered extremely offensive, even if only mentioned and not used as a slur, it is often referred to by the euphemism "the N-word". It is also in use with a more neutral meaning among African Americans, primarily as nigga.
Wigger, or wigga, is a term for a white person of European ethnic origin, who emulates the perceived mannerisms, language, and fashions associated with African-American culture, particularly hip hop. The term is a portmanteau of white and nigger.
In United States history, the term scalawag referred to white Southerners who supported Reconstruction policies and efforts after the conclusion of the American Civil War.
In South Africa, the terms township and location usually refer to the often underdeveloped racially segregated urban areas that, from the late 19th century until the end of apartheid, were reserved for non-whites, namely Indians, Africans and Coloureds. Townships were usually built on the periphery of towns and cities. The term township also has a distinct legal meaning in South Africa's system of land title, which carries no racial connotations.
In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the local populace for their own financial, political, and/or social gain. The term broadly included both individuals who sought to promote Republican politics and individuals who saw business and political opportunities because of the chaotic state of the local economies following the war. In practice, the term carpetbagger was often applied to any Northerners who were present in the South during the Reconstruction Era (1865–1877). The term is closely associated with "scalawag", a similarly pejorative word used to describe native white Southerners who supported the Republican Party-led Reconstruction.
The term "person of color" is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the United States; however, since the 2010s, it has been adopted elsewhere in the Anglosphere, including some usage in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Ireland, South Africa, and Singapore.
Gweilo or gwailou is a common Cantonese slang term for Westerners. In the absence of modifiers, it refers to white people and has a history of racially deprecatory and pejorative use. Cantonese speakers frequently use gwailou to refer to Westerners in general use, in a non-derogatory context, although whether this type of usage is offensive is disputed by both Cantonese and Westerners.
Honky is a pejorative term used to refer to white people, predominantly heard in the United States.
Kaffir is an ethnic slur which is used in reference to black Africans in South Africa. In the form of cafri, it evolved from its religious origins during the pre-colonial period in Eastern and Southern Africa, where the term was adopted by colonists in reference to the pagan Bantu peoples, and it was eventually used in reference to any black person during the Apartheid era. This designation came to be considered a pejorative by the mid-20th century, and today, it is considered extremely offensive.
In linguistics, reappropriation, reclamation, or resignification is the cultural process by which a group reclaims words or artifacts that were previously used in a way disparaging of that group. It is a specific form of a semantic change. Linguistic reclamation can have wider implications in the fields of discourse and has been described in terms of personal or sociopolitical empowerment.
Brown or brown people is a racial and ethnic term. Like black people and white people, it is a term for race based on human skin color.
Black American princess (BAP) is a (sometimes) pejorative term for African-American women of upper- and upper-middle-class background, who possess a spoiled or materialistic demeanor. While carrying "valley girls" overtones of the overly materialistic and style-conscious egotist, the term has also been reclaimed as a matter of racial pride to cover an indulged, but not necessarily spoiled or shallow, daughter of the emerging buppies or black urban middle class. At best, such figures carry with them through life a sense of civic pride, and of responsibility for giving back to their community.
Cracker, sometimes white cracker or cracka, is a racial epithet directed towards white people, used especially with regard to poor rural whites in the Southern United States. Although commonly a pejorative, it is also used in a neutral context, particularly in reference to a native of Florida or Georgia.
Wog is a racial slur in Australian English and British English applied to people from the Mediterranean region and the Middle East, such as Southern Europeans and North Africans. In British English, it more typically refers to people from the Indian subcontinent and certain other parts of Asia, such as the East Indies. Whilst it is extremely derogatory in British English, in Australian English, it may be considered non-offensive depending on how the word is used, due to reclamation and changing connotations.
Wabenzi is an Anglicization of the pejorative Bantu colloquialism WaBenzi, originally used in Kenya to refer to members of the new ruling class that superseded the colonial regime, that has come to refer to the new ruling class in any post-colonial African country. The term usually refers to a corrupt government official, or family member of one, and derives from their being seen as driving an imported car. "Wa" is a prefix that refers to people in some Bantu languages; "benzi" comes from Mercedes-Benz, a car perceived as prestigious. The Anglicized spelling form is more common than the original Bantu WaBenzi.
Anti-Somali sentiment or Somalophobia refers to the existence of fear and hostility against Somalis, or their culture.
Zimbabwean English is a regional variety of English found in Zimbabwe. While the majority of Zimbabweans speak Shona (75%) and Ndebele (18%) as a first language, standard English is the primary language used in education, government, commerce and media in Zimbabwe, giving it an important role in society. Just under 5 percent of Zimbabweans are native English speakers and 89 percent of the population can speak English fluently or at a high level, second only to the Seychelles amongst African nations.
References
- ↑ Black Diamond Archived June 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine , tnsresearchsurveys. Retrieved June 2011
- ↑ Black Diamonds, forbes.com. Retrieved June 2011
- ↑ Kitis, E. Dimitris; Milani, Tommaso M.; Levon, Erez (2018). "'Black diamonds', 'clever blacks' and other metaphors: Constructing the black middle class in contemporary South African print media". Discourse & Communication. 12 (2): 149–170. doi:10.1177/1750481317745750.
- ↑ Eliseev, Alex, Its a Wabenzi Frenzi June 2009, IOL News. Retrieved June 2011