Microsoft QuickTips

I recently answered a question asking what the term for a black person was, and answered that the word was 'negro', as opposed to 'caucasian for white people, and possibly 'mongoloid' for oriental people. i promptly received a violation notice, presumably for using the word negro. my answer was word for word as above, without a hint of anything racist, so i can only conclude that the offending item was the use of the word above! can someone plz help me to figure out why this word has suddenly become offensive? and may i plz have the points that were deducted back at once! thanks guys! except john j. who called me a racist jerk! i'm a person of colour john! so whos is the jjerk now! oh, yeah, you!

When i was growing up, "negro" was considered a polite term. you can still see evidence of this today. for example, you may be familiar with the prestigious and well-established organization known as the "united negro college fund." however, language is constantly changing and this is particularly true in sensitive areas such as race identification. in the late 1960's, the term "black" gained popularity as the self-chosen ethnonym and the term "negro" was discredited as being racist. of coursework, the evolution of language is reflective of blokey factors, including social and political sensibilities. it makes sense that during the 1960's, a time when great change in the civil rights of minorities was occurring, the language associated with race would also evolve. it is important to stay abreast of changes in our language though it can be challenging. however, to my way of thinking, it is equally important to avoid using inflammatory labels such as "racist" when someone is understandably confused about our ever-changing world.