Talk:Negro/Archive 2

Google blurb
Sources 8 and 9 are also dead. 98.234.94.99 (talk) 04:32, 8 April 2012 (UTC)

What comes up for this page when Googling "negro" is the following, which does seem to be in the article:

Negro - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Negro is a term referring to people of nigga ancestry. Prior to the shift in the lexicon of American and worldwide classification of race and ethnicity in ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negro - 50k - Cached - Similar pages -

I do not know how to address this. ^^^^

It must have been vandalism which was only recently reverted. It takes a while for edits to show up on google results. By the way, you don't sign post with four ^s, its tildes ( ~ ). Spongefrog,  (talk to me, or else)  10:04, 3 July 2009 (UTC)

Use in the The Boondocks (TV series)
I'm surprised that a term described as an educated black man. If it is referenced so often in a pop culture TV show is it truly archaic? How to quantify this? Alatari (talk) 15:41, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

Clean up
I undid a very contentious unsited revision that looked a lot like vandalism. Also removed the word "even" from the sentence in question as it's used as a weasel word.DrDoogle (talk) 11:00, 19 September 2008 (UTC)

The word negro
It is important that people know the history of this word. To me it is unfortunate that the word is changing its meaning. It used to be used as a term of respect. The word was used by famous people such as Jesse Owens and Martin Luther King. It was also used by "non negros" as a term of deep respect. Obviously, a few may have used the term insultingly, but these types will always plague us, and they are a minority. It is a pity a nice term has fallen into disuse or had its meaning changed. Wallie (talk) 09:15, 20 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Words and their common use reflect attitudes, which are either deeply ingrained or change with the wind. It's revealing that the negros now get upset at a word they used to use as sign of respect. Maybe they don't like themselves. Think about it: even racial slurs fail to upset most Caucasoids. Do Germans mind being called Huns? Do Englishmen have a tantrum when they're called Limeys? Do New Zealanders pout when they're called Kiwis? Do Chinamen roil when called Orientals? Nah, of course not - just words, and they're all smart enough to ignore them. So I, for one, will always use the word 'negro' and I won't care who gets upset --- in 50 years they'll love the word again.--137.186.192.51 (talk) 21:13, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

I am English ( and therefore British ) of Germanic antecedents. And also Caucasian. I consider none of these terms offensive, nor do I consider the term Negro offensive. It is simply a classification of physical characteristics. African American, by contrast is a contradiction of terms. Either one is African, or one is American ( unless, of course, one has a parent from each continent. ) 82.13.143.58 (talk) 01:21, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Commons:Category:Negro
Would someone please weigh in at Commons:Categories for discussion/Current requests/2008/07/Category:Negro? There are really only two of us contributing to the conversation, we disagree with each other, and it would be useful to have someone else involved to move the discussion forward. - Jmabel | Talk 23:58, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Clarification of Intro
I'm having some trouble parsing this: "...the appellation was accepted as a normal neutral formal term both by those of Black African descent as well as non-African blacks."

Does "non-African blacks" refer to black people who aren't from Africa [i.e. (non-African) blacks] or to all people other than African blacks [i.e. non-(African blacks)]? This could use some clarification from someone familiar with the subject. 76.111.69.136 (talk) 00:13, 31 December 2008 (UTC)

It means blacks who are not from africa .Beccause if your born in amercia your not an african american your a black american .An amfrican america is someone who regardless of race transfers citizenship from africa to the usa. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.118.200.168 (talk) 17:42, 22 January 2009 (UTC)


 * That's not the commonly understood meaning of "African American". Non-African blacks would, to the best of my understanding, essentially mean Australoid Aboriginal peoples.--Ramdrake (talk) 19:21, 22 January 2009 (UTC)


 * User:208.118.200.168 please take care with your writing so that everyone can understand what you mean. You twice three times typed "your" where you surely should have typed "you're" (or "you are"). You can easily check the spellings of the words Because and America too. (corrected)Cuddlyable3 (talk) 20:11, 7 March 2009 (UTC)

"Neger" used in Dutch
Having Dutch as my mother tongue, I would like to comment.

The Dutch "neger" is generally (but not universally) considered as neutral. Negro *used to be* neutral but the meaning has shifted to mildly offensive and somehow neo-colonialist. It's used in informal speech but people are aware of it not being "politically correct". (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate-coated_marshmallow_treats#Negerzoenen )

Or at least less negative than "zwarte" (black one): this stating is completely wrong. "Zwarte" is used in the same way "a black person" is in English and it's the most polite contemporary word for a person of African descend. Note: "bruine" (brown one) IS offensive as is "bruin mannen" (brown persons). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.66.104.148 (talk) 17:16, 17 March 2009 (UTC)

Misspelled word
Since this page is locked I cannot edit it. Someone who has the authority to edit this page, please make the following correction.

Near the end of this article it says:

In Finnish it is unclear wether the word...

Please correct the spelling to "whether"

71.244.245.163 (talk) 00:56, 21 May 2009 (UTC)


 * Done. Cuddlyable3 (talk) 13:24, 21 May 2009 (UTC)

Malcolm X connection?
The article currently reads, "Because the term was objected to by the African American leader Malcolm X, by the late 1960s, it came to be considered as being an ethnic slur." There are two footnotes that purport to support this, but neither mentions Malcolm X nor any other specific African American leader. Merriam-Webster Online (which, by the way, is not written by "Modern Language Association") merely states that the word negro is "sometimes offensive". Naples News comes a bit closer, suggesting that "the more offensive slur" (presumably nigger) was banned from US place names in 1963. It does not mention Malcolm X, either.

If no reference can be found to support this assertion, it must be removed or modified to accurately reflect the sources. Cnilep (talk) 15:44, 27 June 2009 (UTC)
 * Smith (1992) cites Stokely Carmichel as an early-adopter of Black as an ethnic label in rejection of Negro, and associates the shift away from the latter term with the Civil Rights and Black Power movements. He does not, however, mention Malcolm X. Henderson (2003) and Baugh (1999) cite surveys showing that younger people (i.e. those who were more effected by the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s) regard Negro as an ethnic slur. I will replace the current problematic news sources with these academic ones. Cnilep (talk) 15:55, 28 June 2009 (UTC)

British English
There should be some mention that in British English there is no negative/racist implications to using the word Negro. It is rather old fashioned (though probably not yet archaic) and anybody using it would probably be considered an old fashioned liberal from 50/60/70 when using the term Black would be considered somewhat pejorative. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.100.237.141 (talk) 15:20, 18 July 2009 (UTC)

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/pdf/2010_Questionnaire_Info_Copy.pdf —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.106.90.22 (talk) 22:29, 1 July 2009 (UTC)

Negro (surname)
Someone with editing rights needs to create a Negro (surname) page, like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_(surname)and linking to this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Negro —Preceding unsigned comment added by Steven noble (talk • contribs) 06:43, 27 August 2009 (UTC)

entities which still use the word
The article mentions the UNCF as an organization which still uses the word in their name. A while back I added the Journal of Negro Education in the short list, but it was removed. Should we list entities which still use the word in their name?--76.116.105.50 (talk) 01:40, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

'Negro' vs 'Preto' in Portugal
"Interestingly, while in Brazil negro is the most respectful way to address the African ethnicity, with preto being considered a racial slur, the reverse is true in Portugal."

I'm Portuguese and I disagree with this claim. The situation is far more complex.

Like in Brazil, in Portugal, specially among white people, "preto" is usually considered somewhat or potentially offensive, as opposed to "negro"; this is true at least in recent years (decades), maybe by Brazilian influence (tv and immigrants) tempered with a hint of post-colonial regrets (avoiding to refer to black people the way we commonly did back when he had colonies in Africa).

(On the other hand, it is true that more recently a minority of black people feel offended by the use of "negro" instead of "preto". This is probably due to reverse psychology: they acknowledge the word "preto" as being more common than "negro" and consider the use of "negro" in racial contexts to be unnatural (self-censorship) and condescending...) Gazilion (talk) 17:20, 19 February 2009 (UTC)

I completely agree with Gazilion. I think the article should be edited to remove the statement that "preto" is the racial slur. Many Portuguese of African ascent prefer to call themselves as "preto", while others don't. But it is by no means a racial slur. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.78.219.216 (talk) 21:36, 9 April 2010 (UTC)

U.S. Census adds Negro in 2010
I just read about this on UPI and knew it was worthy of an inclusion. I've made the updates with citations and a link to the Census Bureau's website, where they have an online interactive form with the "negro" option included. According to them, many older blacks wrote in negro or still self-identify as such; lots of people are clearly upset by the inclusion, however. I'm not claiming to know, you'd have to ask a demographer, but as it's newsworthy, I've added it to the article. And don't email me with complaints, I'm not taking a stand on this, I'm just adding something to the article that is relevant. It's just information people, do with it what you will. Morgaledh (talk) 18:21, 7 January 2010 (UTC)

The Census did not "add" Negro to the 2010 census; it's been on the census form for many decades. --71.104.18.240 (talk) 05:23, 12 January 2010 (UTC)


 * It must have been missing from at least the 2000 edition of the census, since it was reported that many people had written in "Negro", which would not have been necessary had that option been available. (Perhaps "U.S. Census adds back Negro in 2010" would be a slightly more precise description of what occurred.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.128.188.152 (talk) 06:16, 2 August 2010 (UTC)

Article is a dicdef
The article covers the usage of the term, whereas the idea behind it is at Black people. Encyclopedia articles only have one article per concept; and not per word or term. It's really a dictionary entry in the wrong place. :( - Wolfkeeper  17:39, 9 March 2010 (UTC)

The policy is at Wikipedia is not a dictionary.- Wolfkeeper  17:39, 9 March 2010 (UTC)

It might be a case for WP:IAR if people want to do that.- Wolfkeeper  17:39, 9 March 2010 (UTC)


 * This article covers far more than a dictionary definition, and Wiktionary already has a detailed entry on this word. Please stop adding the transwiki template, as it's not needed. Hers fold  (t/a/c) 03:03, 16 March 2010 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia is not a dictionary, but that there are words that have complex enough histories to merit encyclopedia articles. - Jmabel | Talk 03:50, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

I think the article "black people" should be renamed "Negro" and this article should be removed. I was searching for info on the Negro race, but instead got a dictionary definition. "black people" is not a scientific racial classification, but "Negro" or "Negroid" is. P.S. on an unrelated note, where is the article for the "Irish Iberian" race? I can't find it on Wikipedia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.47.18.52 (talk) 20:41, 20 January 2011 (UTC)

Add to bibliography/footnote 1.
What's in a Name? Preference for "Black" versus "African-American" among Americans of African Descent Lee Sigelman, Steven A. Tuch and Jack K. Martin The Public Opinion Quarterly Vol. 69, No. 3 (Autumn, 2005), pp. 429-438 —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.248.93.157 (talk) 18:53, 17 May 2011 (UTC)

Dead Links
http://www.spartandaily.com/2.14829/origins-of-black-history-month-discussed-1.1945687.shtml

is a dead link. Agent Cooper (talk) 00:14, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

When did "Negress" fall out of use?
I note that the "In English" section has the word "Negro" falling out of polite use in the 1960s, but the timeframe for "Negress" falling out of use is not documented. Are there any references that can show if this happened during the same time period? A close relative who lived in the USA during only the mid 1950s surprised me by recently using "Negress" in what she believed was polite usage - so it may seem probable that the usage decline was in the same period, but I would like to see some high quality sources so that a time reference can be added to the article.Savlonn (talk) 16:05, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

Swedish pastry
The part "negerboll" shuold be changed into "negerboll (or negerbulle in southern part of the country)". The translation of "negerbulle" is "negro bun" or "negro bisquit". The word has never been used as an offence toward black people, and since it's a "put-together word" or "composite word" the "neger-" part becomes far less unsuitable then the translation may suggest. Both words are still in use, thow "south version" might be more common to use in the south then the "northern version" in mid and north of the country 83.249.39.249 (talk) 16:42, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Other languages
Just to add one - in Estonian word "neeger" has also been considered neutral and is in common usage. Alternate word "must" (lit. "black", in some context "dirty") is sensed more offencive. Although neutral in Estonian, many people often traveling abroad are using other words, including "must", in conversation, as "neeger" sounds similar to offencive "negro" and might rise unwanted attention from bystanders. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.159.213.182 (talk) 07:53, 1 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Most words in themselves are not offensive. It is clear to the listener whether the word is offensive or not, based on who says it and in what way. Wallie (talk) 09:19, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Just to comment about the Idea that in Irish "Blue man" (in Irish Gaelic) is used instead of Black man as its a traditional description of the devil. In the "Intoxication of the Uliad" an ancient Irish Folk Tale, there is King Concober's Fool, who is described as having an iron collar round his neck and in command of a group of Irish troops, and as being a "Blue Skinned Ethiopian". Presumably this is of an imported and possibly freed ex-slave, (possibly all the way back to the Romans with mutual slave raids and selling abroad from the British Isles such as happened to St Patrick). However the use of "Blue" as describing a Blue Black African with a very dark skin from Sub Saharan Africa (traditionally known as Aethiopia) can be traced back at least as far as the first recorded example of this folk tale (12th Century, off the top of my head.): http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Intoxication_of_the_Ulstermen

"Here before them, to the east, outside," said Crom Deroil, "I saw a band of their rabble. One man in their midst, with a black, pointed thick head of hair, having large, subtle, all-white eyes in his head, and a smooth-blue Ethiopian countenance; a ribbed garment in folds about him; a brazen clasp in his garment, over his breast; a large bronze wand in his hand, and a melodious little bell beside him, which he touches with his wand before the host, so that it gives pleasure and delight to the High-King and to the whole host."

"Laughable and amusing is the description," said Medb.

"Laughable is the person whose description it is," said Cu Roi.

"Who is he?" said Ailill.

"Not hard to tell," said Cu Roi. "That is the royal fool Roimid, Conchobar's fool. There never was fatigue or sorrow on any man of the Ulstermen that he would heed, if only he saw the royal fool, Roimid.

So Blue Ethiopian for a Black African may be a traditional description in itself and have nothing to do with Black Man for the Devil, especially since the folk tale may predate the christian era. (If not first recorded afterwards.) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.178.224.104 (talk) 23:22, 4 May 2012 (UTC)

Edit request on 21 May 2012
The first sentence of the article says that Negro may be used to refer to people who are black but are not of African ancestry, but you give absolutley no examples of that in the entire article. Black Brazilians, Jamaicans, Puerto Ricans, Haitians, Cubans, etc. have sub-Saharan African ancestry. Only in error have I seen the word Negro used to refer to someone who is solely of dark skin but is not of sub-Saharan African descent. The word specifically refers to people who are obviously of sub-Saharan African ancestry regardless of from where they or their immediate ancestors hailed. If the ancestry ultimately traces back to sub-Saharan Africa, then Negro is used. If the ancestry ultimately traces back to northern Africa, India, Polynesia, Australia, the Middle East, etc., then Negro is not used.

108.53.8.239 (talk) 23:20, 21 May 2012 (UTC) - Critique not requesting a specified edit. Egg  Centri  c  16:24, 30 May 2012 (UTC)

Turkish words for black people
In Turkish, the word siyahi is generally used as a neutral term to address a person of dark-skinned or blackish apperance. Siyahi, literally means black-colored, is gradually replaced by a more official word Afrika kökenli (of African origin). Zenci is quite a popular colloquial term to refer to a person of African origin and it is commonly used without any negative connotation. Sometimes çikolata renkli (Chocolate colored) can be heard as a sympathetic definition for a black sport player or a celebrity. A rare and old-fashioned word Marsık literally denotes to charcoal can offensively be used to define a skinny and heavily tanned person, not necessarily a person of African descent. Kookyboi (talk) 20:56, 13 August 2012 (UTC) ​