Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz. referred to Black people as "colored people" Thursday in floor debate over his proposed amendment to an annual defense policy bill, prompting a stern rebuke from the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Lawmakers were debating a series of GOP-backed amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, which the House aims to pass by the end of the week.
Yes, I agree it’s a loaded term. Perhaps my disconnect is more how: (a) the loaded term and the acceptable term (in 2023, at least) are functionally identical, with only marginal grammatical separation; and (b) there is such a wide tabboo gap between those margins.
Grammar is not relevant. Racists used the term ‘colored people’ during segregation, and they still use it in place of even worse slurs like the N word, which is why it has a negative connotation that is not shared by people of color.
As an example of how racism is still an ongoing issue, a legislator using the term while opposing diversity measures prompted this whole thread.
I would argue that grammar is the most relevant bit; it’s the only thing separating the acceptable phrase from the unacceptable phrase, which are otherwise identical.
Maybe since the topic is specifically race relations and racial sensitivity in the context of the USA, this isn’t an argument for a “non-American” to make?