Maybe it is time for an update?

[Brian37]

It is important to keep in mind that languages have tides; and the meaning of words change arbitrarily from time to time. Perhaps it is outdated to say Indian, but there will certainly come a day when saying Native American will sound just as backwards. My guess is that this will happen either because the phrase overgeneralizes a diversity of people that spanned two continents, or because the term American is an anachronistic label given by Europeans to a land which was not formerly known as America.

My point is this, although I do think its important to keep up with trends and politically correct terms, I don't think those that are stuck with the outdated phrases should be looked down upon. Words naturally undergo pejoration, and it is often the newer generations that change the rules while the older generation goes on using what they thought was inoffensive growing up--like Native American today.

This is not lost on me, but if times change, and they do, updating matters.

How many people today go up to a random black person and call them "Negro"  much less the more offensive "N"word.

My friend gets that the word "Indian" for its time was not always meant as a racial slur. But just like it is unfortunately still true today, even in Australia you have people thinking Aboriginals are "lazy". 

It is also true that "gay" started out as a word meaning "happy" only. But it got turned into a homophobic slur, while todays gays use it as a term for acceptance and inclusion. But nobody would accept that same word being used today to mean homophobia. "F*ggot" in England meant a smoke. Nobody sane today uses that word in America to describe gays.



I don't see the term "Indian" or even "Redskin" having any saving grace.

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By all means, do so. I thought we were discussing terms for indigenous people. Didn’t realize I was going to be treated to one of your Australia anecdotes.

Boru

If one is going to claim they care, it makes  no logical sense to make a statement to imply that you do not care.

Please tell me what the lady Aboriginal artist did to deserve a bullshit blanket statement by our host claiming she was lazy by proxy of label and for being indigenous? I don't see that as any different than American history where whites blame blacks for urban problems.