On Sun, 03 Jul 2022 17:57:21 +0000, Stefan Ram wrote:

> Grammar error <editor@washingtonpost.com> writes:
>>Days after a Black man was killed by police officers who reportedly
>>fired
>
> It's sometimes capitalized when describing people and cultures of
> African origin, maybe for similar reasons for which "African" is
> capitalized

It used to be capitalised during the apartheid era in South Africa
because it was an officially designated "population group" enshrined in
legilation. "White" and "Coloured" were capitalised for the same reason.
"Asian" was capitalised because it was a proper noun.

Capitalising them became less obligatory after apartheid, and many people
don't capitalise them on principal, because doing so is a reminder of the
racist past.

--
Steve Hayes http://khanya.wordpress.com

On 7/10/2022 7:51 AM, Steve Hayes wrote:
> Stefan Ram wrote:

>> Grammar error <editor@washingtonpost.com> writes:
>>> Days after a Black man was killed by police officers who
>>> reportedly fired

>> It's sometimes capitalized when describing people and cultures of
>> African origin, maybe for similar reasons for which "African" is
>> capitalized

> It used to be capitalised during the apartheid era in South Africa
> because it was an officially designated "population group" enshrined
> in legilation. "White" and "Coloured" were capitalised for the same
> reason. "Asian" was capitalised because it was a proper noun.

I think they are an officially-designated population group again, this
time with a few benefits.

I capitalise the word when it mean "person of reltively recent African
origin" because it seems parallel to "Italian" or Baptist" or "White": a
designation of group membership. I also do it because Black people are
rerely black, as White people are rarely white.

> Capitalising them became less obligatory after apartheid, and many
> people don't capitalise them on principal, because doing so is a
> reminder of the racist past.

A reasonable point for your local usage.

On Tue, 12 Jul 2022, at 09:05:49, CDB posted:
>On 7/10/2022 7:51 AM, Steve Hayes wrote:
>> Stefan Ram wrote:
>>> Grammar error <editor@washingtonpost.com> writes:

>>>> Days after a Black man was killed by police officers who
>>>> reportedly fired
>
>>> It's sometimes capitalized when describing people and cultures of
>>>African origin, maybe for similar reasons for which "African" is
>>>capitalized
>
>> It used to be capitalised during the apartheid era in South Africa
>>because it was an officially designated "population group" enshrined
>> in legilation. "White" and "Coloured" were capitalised for the same
>> reason. "Asian" was capitalised because it was a proper noun.
>
>I think they are an officially-designated population group again, this
>time with a few benefits.
>
>I capitalise the word when it mean "person of reltively recent African
>origin" because it seems parallel to "Italian" or Baptist" or "White": a
>designation of group membership. I also do it because Black people are
>rerely black, as White people are rarely white.

It was refreshing (I thought) to hear on the tv news the other night one
of the candidates for the Conservative leadership say that her being
brown was not a relevant factor one way or the other. Perhaps an attempt
to scotch any attempt at black/white division by her opponents.

--
Paul

On 2022-07-12, Paul Wolff wrote:

> On Tue, 12 Jul 2022, at 09:05:49, CDB posted:
>>On 7/10/2022 7:51 AM, Steve Hayes wrote:
>>> Stefan Ram wrote:
>>>> Grammar error <editor@washingtonpost.com> writes:
>
>>>>> Days after a Black man was killed by police officers who
>>>>> reportedly fired
>>
>>>> It's sometimes capitalized when describing people and cultures of
>>>>African origin, maybe for similar reasons for which "African" is
>>>>capitalized
>>
>>> It used to be capitalised during the apartheid era in South Africa
>>>because it was an officially designated "population group" enshrined
>>> in legilation. "White" and "Coloured" were capitalised for the same
>>> reason. "Asian" was capitalised because it was a proper noun.
>>
>>I think they are an officially-designated population group again, this
>>time with a few benefits.
>>
>>I capitalise the word when it mean "person of reltively recent African
>>origin" because it seems parallel to "Italian" or Baptist" or "White": a
>>designation of group membership. I also do it because Black people are
>>rerely black, as White people are rarely white.
>
> It was refreshing (I thought) to hear on the tv news the other night one
> of the candidates for the Conservative leadership say that her being
> brown was not a relevant factor one way or the other. Perhaps an attempt
> to scotch any attempt at black/white division by her opponents.

The current & previous Home Secretary have shown us that non-white
Conservative politicians can pander to xenophobia & stoke up hate just
like the white ones.

--
Each class preaches the importance of those virtues it need not
exercise. The rich harp on the value of thrift, the idle grow
eloquent over the dignity of labor. ---Oscar Wilde