RE: (erielack) What shoulda been

["Paul Brezicki" <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net>]

Schuyler, OTOH, I wouldn't call myself particularly PC, but in this case 
IMO, "Native American" is the preferred term because it is accurate, not 
because "Indian" is necessarily offensive. The latter name originated with 
Columbus who thought he had dissembarked in the East Indies, and although 
we're dealing with 500 years of tradition, it's never too late to correct an 
error. Today the term still causes confusion, because to most of the world, 
an Indian is a native of India.

Paul B

From: "Schuyler Larrabee" <schuyler.larrabee_@_verizon.net>
Subject: RE: (erielack) What shoulda been

Paul, after working on a project that involved the North American Indian 
Council of Boston, and
having them constantly refer to themselves as "Indians," I have no 
compunction about using the term
"Indian."  Furthermore, after asking them about the occasional dust-up about 
the Cleveland Indians,
and the Washington Redskins, I have no trouble with those either.  I'm about 
as left-ish as anybody
you're going to find (Massachusetts is nearly liberal enough for me), and I 
am very careful about
"women" vs "girls," and so on, but when REAL American Indians don't take 
offense, I don't see why I
should either.


 


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