The Brazen Careerist says your name makes a difference. The shallow person might assume that these hilarious clips from CNN prove that she's right. I say, hardly. The guy is, after all, running for president. My name, Animal, is one hundred per cent E…

Thanks for the response.

Many people are suprised that I prefer the term "person of color" because of its seeming similarity to the old term "colored". While I can't speak for all people of color, I can say that non-white is fine with most people I know, as well.

I am also Latina. You'll encounter many people who would rather you refer to them as Hispanics.

My point was – almost anything (within reason) is better than minority. That is a sinister word that carries undercurrent connotations.

If you aren't sure which term to use you can 1) ask friends or 2) use whatever term you think is best – someone will let you know if it's passe.

I agree that there has to be a dialogue about race. So, while you might not get fabulous reactions when you write about race on the blog, the fact is at least you have the courage to engage in earnest dialogue – which, I can tell you is few and far between. People of all shades like to dance around the topic of race but when it gets to the meat of the issue, most turn tail and run.

To the extent that you are comfortable with it, keep talking about it and keep being willing to "go there" – again to the degree that it resonates with you.

Here is an interesting story on NPR about the issue: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5539692 Jensen, like you, "goes there", in a way that I find revealing, honest and raw. I can *always* appreciate revealing, honest and raw.

-Lena

I believe that if anyone sees/refers to ANY other person – spouse or not – as a "minority", it's a disgrace.

People should really look up the word "minority" to see its other meanings and racially hostile connotations.

As a person of color, being called or referred to as a minority, insults me and I usually tend to think the person using the terminology is not well-informed.

And for those that still think the word "minority" refers to census metrics, do you know what the U.S. government calls States in which people of color comprise the majority of the population? Majority-minority states.

So, if people of color were minorities supposedly because, at one point, we made up the minority of the population, when we make up the MAJORITY of the population, why are people of color still referred to as minorities? Care to guess? Think about it. It's the subliminal stuff that gets ya.

Look beyond *your* experience,

Lena
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Hi, Lena.

Penelope

This reminds me of a trend I know about through my friends who are musicians. In classical music, orchestras used to be dominated by men — like, 90% men and 10% or less women. Yet getting a job with an orchestra is a matter of pure talent, since nothing matters more than the audition, right? It must have been that women just weren't talented enough to pass auditions, people used to think. Then orchestras started conducting auditions with the player behind a screen, so the director (and whoever else makes hiring decisions) could hear them play but not see the person playing. Within a few years, orchestras had quickly become closer to 50-50 M/F. Amazing what a little difference like that makes, even when people swear up and down (and even believe ourselves) that we are color- and race-blind.

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Ooooh, I loved this one, Dylan. Thanks. I dug up the Princeton University report on having blind orchestra auditions. Here it is for anyone who is interested:

-Penelope

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Dale, This is such a revealing, profound, and useful comment. Thank you for showing us this issue up close.

Penelope