Is it racist to use the term "black" instead of "African-American"?

[EPW]

At the supermarket early today I threatened with physical violence by a young lady who overheard me describing a shoplifter as a "black guy wearing glasses."

[Berzerker]

was she black too?

I grew up in San Francisco during the black power movement, not the African American power movement or whatever term presently sits atop the wokeness totem pole

Indian v Native American v Indigenous Peoples. Russell Means prefers Indian, Americans genocided Indians. The last is just too long, Indian sounds like Indigenous.

[BeBMan]

At the supermarket early today I threatened with physical violence by a young lady who overheard me describing a shoplifter as a "black guy wearing glasses."

Not if you ask me, but what do I know

[N35t0r]

I guess it depends on the context?

I don't think your case was racist, unless you said "black guy wearing glasses"

Also, you a word there and it's not clear whether you threatened the lady, or she threatened you with violence.

[Thoth]

"Coloured people" is racist.

"People of colour" is politically correct.

[Proteus_MST]

Well, it obviously is racist and sexist, as you refer to both, his race and his gender
(both without having asked him beforehand, as which race and gender he self-identifies, which is very rude)

[EPW]

was she black too?

She was African-American, yes.

I guess it depends on the context?

I don't think your case was racist, unless you said "black guy wearing glasses"

Also, you a word there and it's not clear whether you threatened the lady, or she threatened you with violence.​

She first told me that I should use the term "African-American" instead of "black". I mumbled a lame apology and said I would, and proceeded with the checkout. After pondering it for a minute she decided she needed to threaten me: she said I needed to be "careful" and she could call her "baby daddy" to beat me up, or something to that effect. I told her she should do that, which was perhaps not the most constructive thing I could have said, and left.

Is it possible I had an intonation in my voice when I said the word black? I don't think so. Maybe I said the whole statement to the store employee with a slight smirk or sarcastic tone, but this was because the store usually has a security guard at the exit and two employees at the self-checkout and I was somehow the only person to see the theft happen.

I'll add she was very soft-spoken through this whole exchange and not trying to make a scene. She was just telling me the facts.

[-Jrabbit]

I don't think any random person in a retail store has the right to tell you what term to use when describing a shoplifter.

I also think being "soft-spoken through this whole exchange" is a pretty weird takeaway from a person threatening to have you beaten up.

[EPW]

She was very quiet or maybe nervous, like this was the first time she ever confronted someone like this before.

[-Jrabbit]

According to black friends and business associates in my area (Chicago metro), the correct term is "Black" currently.
African-American is considered a policitically incorrect term.

[Jon Miller]

was she black too?

I grew up in San Francisco during the black power movement, not the African American power movement or whatever term presently sits atop the wokeness totem pole

Indian v Native American v Indigenous Peoples. Russell Means prefers Indian, Americans genocided Indians. The last is just too long, Indian sounds like Indigenous.

But the Indians which are now, I believe, the richest ethnic group (average household income of over 120k USD) in the US complicates things. There are also almost 5m Indians in the US.

There are also approximately 5m people who are listed on census as being Native American (or Native Alaskan). The median household income is 43k USD.

Obviously the issues, interests and experiences of Indians and Native Americans in the US are very different, despite the reality of similar populations.

JM

[PLATO]

So...African Americans named a movement "Black Lives Matter" because...they were being racist against themselves?

So...I live in the South in a predominantly "Black" city and I can tell you for a fact that "Black" is not a racist term unless specifically used as one (by tone of voice or insinuating that it is a determining factor in a derogatory assumption). Most Black people I know are proud to identify as either black or African American. The individual you encountered has probably been subjected to enough racism that they see a lot of comments by non-black people as being racist in concept. If that is the case, then it shows us all how deep the pain of racism goes in our society.

[Dauphin]

What is the correct term if you of that ethnicity, but not from America. Say you are European?

[Jon Miller]

Nigerians have very different lived experiences (one of the richest and best educated groups) from most African. Americans. I would assume the same is true of British Nigerians?

JM

[Berzerker]

should have called the cops on her for threatening violence

[Uncle Sparky]

A black woman I used to work with (originally from Nigeria) was very anti-black, with a particular disdain for Jamaicans.

[Berzerker]

a female Clayton Bigsby... but I assume her objections were cultural