Caucasian is a Dirty Word.
October 15, 2007
I read it on forms. I hear it conversation. And most annoying of all, people refer to me as such. I’m talking about the word Caucasian.
Sure we’re all trying to be PC when we invoke the formal racial title for a group of people we absolutely must designate. African American for blacks, Asian American for Asians, etc. But a history of struggle and racism called for such designators and more importantly, such designators as chosen by the people in question. It only follows that when making racial proclamations where you wish to include white folks, your brain will pause a moment to search for the nice formal self-designated word for whitey. Unfortunately, the word that comes up is Caucasian.
But where did that word come from and how did it rise to the lofty position of designated the white race as a whole? Some might be surprised to know, that like most racial designators, the history of the word Caucasian is racist, inaccurate and flawed. I’m writing this in order to bring light to this dirty word and hopefully work to remove it from our politically correct vocabulary.
Where is Caucasia?
I asked that same question when I was a wee lad first trying to divide my world into discrete boxes. Turns out, there really is a Caucasia. According to the mighty wikipedia this region is interesting for the following reasons:
- It’s considered the “border” between Europe and Asia
- Not surprisingly, the peoples and languages are extremely diverse
- Noah’s Arc mythically landed in the Caucasus Mountains
- Some human skulls were found there.
It’s that last point where we start. Popularized by a Joseph Friedrich Blumenbach, these Caucasian skulls were considered so modern (in the anthropological sense) and so well-formed that they must be the ancestors of the white race. Blumenbach goes on to compare them to the skulls of the pure and beautiful German race and even gives us an insight to his Georgian fetish:
[These skulls] produces the most beautiful race of men, I mean the Georgian; and because all physiological reasons converge to this, that in that region, if anywhere, it seems we ought with the greatest probability to place the autochthones (birth place) of mankind.
By “mankind” Blumenbach of course meant white people who were tainted along the way to produce the other, inferior races. Please see the summary on wikipedia for Caucasian race for more hilarity.
White Chicks are Hot
There are several things working together to contribute to the racial designator Caucasian. First you obviously have the erroneous and egocentric claim that not only is the white race superior in beauty, intelligence and culture, but also that it’s the oldest. News flash: it’s not and I’ve seen plenty of ugly “pure” white people.
Second, since the cranial features defined as Caucasian happen to also be found in many dark-skinned and decidedly non-European peoples (North Africans, West Asians and Indians), the science of morphology had to be tempered with some good ol’ racist explanations of impurity and the added “fact” that Caucasians’ natural skin color is white. A fact that cannot possibly be construed from a naked skull, but who’s really paying attention, right?
Third, as it may already be clear, the racial designator of Caucasian has less to do with science as it does with European requirements to justify imperialism through racial superiority and stewardship. Recognizing this, the use of Caucasian to mean white people in Europe is no longer preferred. It does, however, live on in the United States through legal precedent.
The Story of Bhagat Singh Thind
Bhagat Singh Thind was a Punjabi immigrant working his way through school in an Oregon lumber yard in the early 20th century. He fought in WWI and after his discharge, Thind applied for U.S. citizenship in 1920. Turned out several Indians had been granted citizenship before, but in Thind’s case a disgruntled naturalization examiner appealed the decision.
After a long legal battle, it was decided that Indians are not considered white persons using the famous “they just look different” argument.
This decision was important in cementing the American notion that white and Caucasian are one and the same. Justice Sutherland rejected the historical and anthropological reasoning (as flawed as they be) that included South Asians into the Caucasian fold and Thind was not white because he didn’t look white. Ipso facto, Caucasian began to mean exclusively white in further legal and demographic instances.
Caucasian is a Dirty Word
No matter how you slice it, the word Caucasian to denote white people is racist and inaccurate. From a physical anthropology perspective, Caucasians are currently defined by a diverse range of people, most of whom are not European; and before that it was used to denote a perfect race of white people. From a sociological standpoint, Americans are really the only people who use the word to denote whites due to a particularly faulty legal precedent. Perhaps most important is that we do not need a formal word to denote white people.
African American, Asian American, Latino American and everything in between, came out of ethnic movements and struggle. The people in question — long given names by the controlling white population —decided it was time to give themselves a name. That history of struggle is not apparent with whites and in fact a history of assimilation and quite literally “white washing” makes up the culture of white America. Whether we can make claims to European ancestry is often rendered moot when considering the race politics of this country. Each European ethnic group had its period of struggle in America, this is true, but the ultimate goal was to be considered white. The Irish, Italians and Jews have all gained access by assimilation.
Why create another name in light of this peculiar history of whites in America ? The reason for this underlying need to be associated with a white race is the larger theme of this blog and it only starts here. But the fact of the matter is Caucasian is an improper and offensive word that shouldn’t be used to denote white people. White people, white folks and whites, are all accepted names for the people I identify with and while I find it charming and polite that some folks use the word Caucasian in formal speech on race topics, the dirtiness of the word irks me each and every time I hear it. Please strike it from your vocabulary.
[...] My first post is about the word “Caucasian” and why it’s a really stupid word to use. Read it now! [...]
*smash* The sound of a bottle smashing against the boat.
Good first post.
ok, we will call you GRINGO, happy?! or GORREY?!
just kidding! interesting info.
ekta
Dear friends, I am so please to stumble on your blog! I am currently taking a graduate Survey of Human Resource Development class at the University of Minnesota and a few weeks back the instructor spent 30 minutes lecturing to the class about how caucasian is “the correct” term to use for people who identify as white. I continue to be upset about this for a variety of reasons – first, this is an assistant professor at a PUBLIC university, and this is just simple wrong. I do not self-identify as caucasian – that is a biological construct – didn’t we stop using that word about the same time mongoloid was no longer used? I think that my whiteness is socially constructed NOT biologically defined, please help me understand why this instructor insisted on using caucasian, why? Is this true?
Hey I went to public schools! We’re not all bad
I think my essay should give you enough ammunition as to why we, especially Americans, continue to use the word.
But as to why your instructor insists on the word I can’t really say. But I will say that a lot of white folks are on the defensive against people of color’s social movements to correct the racist wrongs of the past. These folks are not necessarily racist themselves, but merely do not understand the complexity and difference of being white in America versus being anything else. I know this, because I used to be one of those white folks.
The extreme case are white people who feel the need to fight back against “the minorities” and create PC names for themselves. But the more common association is not to back lash against anyone, but to be put forth the argument of equality. “If they have a special name, I want one too, it’s only fair.” What these folks don’t know is that it isn’t fair. The basic fact of the matter is that the history of whites versus people of color in this country and by extension, the world, is so fundamentally different that the wounded white person often just doesn’t understand. The colorblind myth and the distracting celebration of an essential “multiculturalism” work to obfuscate the very real history and present of racism that works to oppress and manipulate.
As I’ve stated in this essay, there is no reason why Caucasian should be the “official” word for whites, when whites have worked so hard to become “just white.”
For more on whiteness and whiteness studies and how it all became that way, I recommend starting with White Out edited by Ashley W. Doane and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva.
Hope that helps.
I prefer “whitey,” myself. Very interesting reading, Prof. Keyes. Subscribed!
The word “Caucasian” is in fact racist. The politically correct term to use for Americans of European heritage is “European-American.” As a European-American myself, I get offended when people call me “Caucasian.” Is it okay to call African-Americans “Negro” nowadays? No, it is not. So do not call European-Americans “Caucasian.” The terms “Negro” and “Caucasian” are racist terms. They are outdated terms. Be politically correct and not racist. Call us “European-Americans.” We are Americans of European ancestry, just as African-Americans are Americans of African ancestry, and Asian-Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry, etc. Just as African-Americans, Asian-Americans, etc. have a heritage to be proud of, so do us European-Americans. Our ancestors came from Europe. We are European-Americans. Say “no” to the racist term of “Caucasian.” Call us “European-Americans.” Thank you.
Thank you so much for everything everyone here has said. I’ve been appalled at that word Caucasian. I also can not stand the notion of being PC. To me giving anyone a PC name is racism. This divides people and seems to stir the pot even more. When you try to correct what appears not to be PC you bring up an issue that probably was never meant to be racist. What do we do about this. How do our voices get heard. I now check other on forms and comment on the multiple nationalities I am. Each listed. Will there eventually be a check for Mutt. Just kidding. We can still be proud of heritage and instead of individual titles, why can’t we just go back to asking what nationality are you or where did your family originate, and stop being so offended when something isn’t PC. If someone says something that offends us, we just have to think it wasn’t meant that way or the person was just ignorant. In the end aren’t we all Americans. Thanks
Thank you so much for this post! I think the use of the term caucasian takes away from the rich diversity of a person’s ancestry, just like negro takes away from an african-american’s ancestry. People should use the terms european-american, irish, south asian-american… I hate identifying myself as a caucasian instead of recognizing my heritage! We should push to change this.
Interesting post. Calling someone of European descent a European-American is rather silly. As many African-Americans are of European descent as well so is it feasible for an African American to designate him or herself a European American?
Everyone in the world is of mixed race, and if you go back far enough, you will find ancestors of differing ethnicity to you.
However, unless your parents are of different races you will probably have a dominant physical features of a particular race, and you can call yourself of African, Asian, Native American, European origin, or whatever you are ethnically. If you are mixed race, you can call yourself mixed race and elaborate if you wish.
Maylin, it’s not ridiculous for white Americans to call themselves European Americans, because if someone is white then the only place on earth where white people are indiginous (ie come from) is Europe. In the same way, that the only place on earth black people are indiginous is Africa.
I am ethnically European. Whenever I have to fill in a form that includes my ethnicity I am very annoyed. I either have to tick a box called “Caucasian” which I think is a ludicrous and meaningless term. Or I have to tick the box “white”, which is inaccurate as no one, apart from European corpses, has white skin.
It makes much more sense to ignore all the negative connotations that words which refer to skin colour have, and simply refer to people’s ethnicity by the native continent of their ancestors.
If we’re doing this already for one race, why not do it for all? By continuing to refer to ethnic Europeans as “Caucasian” you make a mockery of all the progress we’ve made with racial terms.
Caucasian is a racist term. Ban it.
I’m of German extraction and I prefer the term “Kraut Baby Killer”.
Seriously, when I have to check a box and my choices are “Caucasian” or “other”; call me other. Caucasian is a scientific term that went out with the words Negroid and Mongloid. Chuck it.
My heritage does not include the Caucasus Mountains.
I liked “Euro-American” for a bit but damn it, do we all have to have a hyphen? Can’t we just be Americans? Why does it matter?
Although it is not polite to assert certain language to individuals based upon their unchosen color and equally to white people it seems to always elude white country bumkins that 99% of all serial killers are of white origin, 2/3Rd’s of the earths mass has been unfairly conquered by white folks usually though sadistic actions, notably the United States, Canada, and parts of Mexico, including and not limited to the entire continent of Australia, parts of south Africa, New Zealand, and at a period of time in history most of the country of India, and many more countries, and including some Islands like Hawaii. I currently reside in Native housing in the State of Oklahoma and it also seems to elude white folks that although Oklahoma as a state was the last home for Native Americans most of the Indian tribes ranging within 50 to 100 Indian Tribes in Oklahoma alone are mostly whites, showing once again history repeats itself. Much amusingly like the country and western song says “A country boy can do anything, so a country boy will survive” An intentionally racially directed song. Let’s not forget the European influence upon the Jewish population, the white influence upon the Slavic people’s when the Vikings slowly invaded and conquered the entire continent of Russia giving way to the death of millions of peoples through sadistic actions, and not to forget 300 years of slavery laws in the United States where African blacks were subject to be sold to the highest European bidder in public forums. And so, What are whites asking for?
I cannot believe people are so obsessed about words. Word meanings evolve; just because a word ONCE had so-called racist connotations doesn’t mean it does now. The F word was once perfectly acceptable when talking about animal reproduction; When I was a teenager, NO ONE said the F word; it crept into our vocabulary and now, appears to be just fine. F you. The word shit was once perfectly acceptable when describing the physical function. I was taught to NEVER use ugly words like the N word (like we don’t all know what we’re saying), or call Jews or Catholics or anyone by a derogatory term. No one was upset by the word Negro. But it turned bad; we went to People of Color (but God forbid you said Colored People); that got phased out and we had Afro-American; now it’s African American, like Obama, only his mother was white. Hmmm. I guess she doesn’t count. Why don’t we all just get a little deeper than words…. why don’t we just be people; if you’re all so in love with your “heritage” why not buy a ticket and go live wherever that is. I’ve never heard of an American Black who decided to go live in a tribe in Africa. White people are not white; blacks are not black. Get a color wheel.
Contexts change and words change. With blacks and the use of the various forms of the “N” word, wasn’t so much the word itself, but rather who was doing the name: whites. “African American” was a word chosen by the people in question as I wrote in this essay above.
While I applaud your optimism, it’s just not yet a reality.
And actually Liberia was founded by former American black slaves.
Seriously?….it did not need to go there. This essay is simply about the dated use of the word “caucasian”. It was not about what whites want or what whites are asking for. Ridiculous.
A dear friend of mine (who is of hispanic descent) was telling me that she sometimes feels weird calling people “white” or “black”. She said she would call a white person “caucasian” because she thinks it’s more PC. I told her the origin of that word and she was extrememly suprised to hear it. I told her that calling us white-folk “white” is just fine.
Great essay by the way! Very informative and well written!
Thanks! Glad someone read it all the way through.