"Black" is a proper noun, but "white" isn't

[Stout]

I've always used the lower case for both black and white, as well as a lower case b for brown, and a lower case b for blue if I happen to be discussing Smurfs,

Where it gets interesting is when an author uses a capital B when referring to blacks but only a lower case w when referring to whites. Speaking as a highly experienced social justice warrior I can help but noticing this is racist dogwhistle. See both the CBC and Guardian articles linked in the OP for examples of this.

Then it's simply a matter of figuring out whether I'm reading a virtue signalling self-hating white person of a white hating POC.

I haven't noticed the same trend with Gay, straight...Trans, cis...Female, male.....though but it's probably coming.

So what''s a white presenting person who has absolutely no idea of their ancestry ( adopted, for instance ) yet wants to climb aboard the unique cultural identity train supposed to identify as ? American, Canadian, Australian etc is just so banal when held up to these wonderful hyphenated identities. Can you just pick one ?

 

[TragicMonkey]

I love the way people are saying, "Look at this inconsistent usage of the English language I have discovered".

You must be new to the English language. Please try to get better acquainted.

Me fail English? That's unpossible!

 

[Olmstead]

I've always used the lower case for both black and white, as well as a lower case b for brown, and a lower case b for blue if I happen to be discussing Smurfs,

Where it gets interesting is when an author uses a capital B when referring to blacks but only a lower case w when referring to whites. Speaking as a highly experienced social justice warrior I can help but noticing this is racist dogwhistle. See both the CBC and Guardian articles linked in the OP for examples of this.

Then it's simply a matter of figuring out whether I'm reading a virtue signalling self-hating white person of a white hating POC.

I haven't noticed the same trend with Gay, straight...Trans, cis...Female, male.....though but it's probably coming.

So what''s a white presenting person who has absolutely no idea of their ancestry ( adopted, for instance ) yet wants to climb aboard the unique cultural identity train supposed to identify as ? American, Canadian, Australian etc is just so banal when held up to these wonderful hyphenated identities. Can you just pick one ?

What does White identity refer to though? I can think of one thing, but it ain't pretty.

Black identity actually means something by virtue of their history as a minority.

 

[The Atheist]

I haven't noticed the same trend with Gay, straight...Trans, cis...Female, male.....though but it's probably coming.

Look, they already have half the alphabet in all-caps, so I think we can call enough on that.

LGBTQIA

What does White identity refer to though?

Dunno about white identity, but I've always thought white culture was smegma.

When the kids have "cultural days" at school, we tend to go with an All Blacks outfit, because going as a world-dominating, slave owning, genocidal white soldier probably isn't appropriate these days.

 

[theprestige]

erriam Webster is even funnier, offering both as capitalised in the entry, yet not using it in the description for white

M-W is just saying the same thing you are.

 

[Stout]

What does White identity refer to though? I can think of one thing, but it ain't pretty.

Black identity actually means something by virtue of their history as a minority.

I know eh ? Those goose steppin' nazi bastards have co-opted the whole white identity thing. Black identity is a crapload of different cultures all rolled into one identity.

 

[Stout]

Look, they already have half the alphabet in all-caps, so I think we can call enough on that.

LGBTQIA

Acronyms are usually now if they had LGBTQIAs it would be closer to what I'm taking about.

 

[Checkmite]

Calling someone European American is saying something about their ancestry and current nationality, not necessarily their culture. This is also true of Asian American, etc.

Yes but "Black" says something about both, in the US context. "White" does not.

Bit odd that the census uses it, then.

No, for the same reason it isn't odd that I capitalized the word just now. First letter in a new sentence or on a new line is always capitalized, regardless of other considerations.

 

[d4m10n]

Yes but "Black" says something about both, in the US context. "White" does not.

How does this make color-based terms preferable to designations based on geographical ancestry? Seems to me it creates something of an unfortunate dichromatic binary, leaving out AAPI and First Nations among others.

First letter in a new sentence or on a new line is always capitalized, regardless of other considerations.

Please see https://2020census.gov/en/about-questions/2020-census-questions-race.html

Based on research and positive feedback from communities over the past 10 years, people who identify as White or Black now have space to enter their detailed identities, such as the examples listed on the questionnaire.

 

[The Atheist]

M-W is just saying the same thing you are.

That was the point - to show that it's in the dictionary, not just me seeing examples that may not be representative.

That's how evidence works - thank me anytime.

 

[cullennz]

Acronyms are usually now if they had LGBTQIAs it would be closer to what I'm taking about.

I'm still trying to get my head around why lesbians have to be in there when they are gay.

 

[The Atheist]

I'm still trying to get my head around why lesbians have to be in there when they are gay.

We're going for the whole alphabet and llama-******* isn't a thing yet.

 

[cullennz]

The Pan-sexuals and "questionings must be crying into their Weetbix

 

[Skeptic Ginger]

Well, someone hasn't read the style guides.

Actually, I don't know what style guides say. Let's check some:

Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-b
https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-observer-style-guide-w

So, black or Black but only white.

Chicago Manual of Style:

(Well, that was helpful. Thanks Chicago.)

Actually, I doubt the census people have a style guide.

Yes, this. ^

It's about grammar not politics.

a king
the King

a black person
the person who considers themselves Black as in belonging to an ethnic group.

 

[cullennz]

Yes, this. ^

It's about grammar not politics.

a king
the King

a black person
the person who considers themselves Black as in belonging to an ethnic group.

..

 

[SusanB-M1]

This would appear to be the topic of the month or something - it is a current topic on Ship of Foollllllls too.

 

[TragicMonkey]

White people can't have it both ways: they can't simultaneously be the "default" mode for humanity and thus instill everything with systemic racism because everybody who isn't white is "the other"...and at the same time claim to be a distinct ethnicity in themselves. It's one or the other, can't be both. If they want to be White then they have to put themselves on equal footing with every other color. If they want to keep their perception as being the baseline of humanity then they don't get the capitalization.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

Actually, I doubt the census people have a style guide.

It's a federal agency. Of course it they have a style guide. You can view it here: https://www2.census.gov/about/policies/cb-style-guide.pdf

They use The Gregg Reference Manual, except for materials produced for the media which follow the Associated Press Style Guide.

 

[Checkmite]

How does this make color-based terms preferable to designations based on geographical ancestry?

I have already explained that for freed black slaves, meaningful details about their geographical ancestry were and still remain unavailable because that information had largely been systemically lost, suppressed, and/or deliberately destroyed by their former owners. That left their status as "former black slaves", and the ad-hoc shared culture that they had evolved together under generations of slavery, as the only available nexus from which to derive a community identity. This was, and is, "preferable" for Blacks as opposed to Americans with other "colors" of skin because of this historical circumstance that is unique to them in particular.

Please see https://2020census.gov/en/about-questions/2020-census-questions-race.html

Please see https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2019/income-poverty.html where the same agency capitalized neither one:

The 2018 real median income of Asian households increased 4.6% from 2017 to $87,194, while the real median incomes of non-Hispanic white ($70,642), black ($41,361) and Hispanic ($51,450) households were not statistically different from their 2017 medians. The only significant difference between the 2017-2018 percent changes in median income for each race group was Asian (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.1%).

Remind me why what this agency chooses to do or not do should mean anything to our discussion? Do you work for this agency? I sure don't.

 

[cullennz]

White people can't have it both ways: they can't simultaneously be the "default" mode for humanity and thus instill everything with systemic racism because everybody who isn't white is "the other"...and at the same time claim to be a distinct ethnicity in themselves. It's one or the other, can't be both. If they want to be White then they have to put themselves on equal footing with every other color. If they want to keep their perception as being the baseline of humanity then they don't get the capitalization.

If you are going to divide a group of people into some special Black group then by logic you have to do it with the rest.

Asain, Indian, Aborigini, Maori, Pacific Islanders, European (insert country), slightly brownish others.............