"People of Culture"

[Baitball Blogger]

Instead of the term "minorities" I think the term "People of Culture" has a good ring to it. I heard it for the first time today when I walked into my dad's hospital room when a specialist was talking to him about Diabetes Type 2. The woman was black and she had a good personality as she broke the news. He was just borderline and she said that she explained how it would affect his diet and that would require some changes because "we people of culture" like to eat certain foods.

"People of culture." I'll take it.

[msongs]

1. so the "people of no culture" don't get diabetes lol nt

[Baitball Blogger]

3. I was in Miami,

where food is incredibly good, culturally.

[libdem4life]

2. We're all people of culture. But also dislike the word "minorities". Some day, hopefully, we won't

need a word for it.

[Fumesucker]

4. So check beneath your fingernails, in between your toes

Right between your earlobes darling that's where culture grows

-Thomas Dolby

[libdem4life]

5. Good one.

[Callmecrazy]

6. I like that...

White Americans don't really have a culture they can call their own. So it fits.

[loli phabay]

8. not sure what this means, plenty of culture out there regardless of ethnic group or race

[Callmecrazy]

9. I can't think of anything off the top of my head...

What do white Americans celebrate or offer to society that is unique to them?

[loli phabay]

10. st paddys day, for one, scottish and irish and polish and german festivals

Ocktoberfest, scandinavian festivals etc etc etc

Same as any other group whether its hispanic, native american, african american or any of the other immigrant groups.

[Callmecrazy]

12. All true...

Scottish, Irish, German, Polish. All European immigrant celebrations brought from overseas.

American? Not so much. Do you get my meaning? White Americans have nothing uniquely American.

[loli phabay]

13. i would say they are american, a lot of the festivals etc are only done in america

Not the home country or elsewhere so i would beg to differ. Also by the same means all otjer ethnic groups barring first people are in the same boat with their culture, so it fails on many levels.

[Callmecrazy]

17. I dunno...

I'm not convinced. But we can agree to disagree on the subject without starting an international incident, right?
It's late here and I'm going to bed.
Goodnight, loli phabay. I enjoyed our talk.

Happy Veterans Day.

Peace.

[loli phabay]

18. thanks, have a good kip

[Throd]

15. I grew up in suburbia. Very uniquely American.

[notadmblnd]

77. Thanksgiving!

[arely staircase]

174. there is no unique white american culture

but many groups of white americans have distinctive cultures. Irish, Polish, Italian. Even Southern redneck culture is an descendant of Scotch-Irish culture. Traditional country music has its roots in Celtic music and even line dancing descends from Celtic dance.

[Throd]

11. "White Americans" are not monolithic.

[dawg]

40. Well, there's always this!

[Shrike47]

82. Lutefisk.

[Drahthaardogs]

58. I am caucasion but both sets of grandparents

Were from Torino. I grew up very cultured in an ethnic way. Although I will say that there is white and there is tuna noodle cassarole white.

[Bucky]

132. tuna noodle cassarole

is still culture

[Drahthaardogs]

172. Of course it is. I was being sarcastic.

You know "Hey, I'm white, but it is not like I am THAT white..."

I find the statement "People of culture" pretty damned silly, and certainly not exclusive to people whose skin has more melanin than their country-men of european decent. Everyone has culture and customs; what silliness abounds to those who say that Americans have no customs or culture. Of course we do. Some (like mine) are closer to their grandparents or great parents country of origin. Others, like Maple Syrup are very local. They are all, however, distinctly American. My sunday gravy would have no place on a piemontese table, and is a far cry from the bagnet rosso they serve on their tarajin. St. Patrick's Day is a solemn holy day in Ireland, and the Protestants have no reason to celebrate it at all over there. It is a CATHOLIC holiday. Here, it is an Irish-American holiday.

[MattBaggins]

70. Was that satire or actually DUs dumbest post of the week?

[Callmecrazy]

74. Opinions vary.

Take a poll.

[Scootaloo]

105. Uh... bull

Look around you. Turn on the TV. Pick up a paper. Read a book written in english - evne one by a nonwhite author. Pick up a history text. Go to the movies. Turn on the radio.

You are surrounded by white American culture. it is the overwhelmingly dominant culture in the United States. White Americans most certainly do have a culture, it is in fact the basis upon which we- yeah, we white Ameircans - define nonwhite or nonamericna cultures. We're also trained to think of other cultures as small and encyclopaedic, a collection of customs and traits that can be printed out on an 11x7 for all your "multiculturalism" needs - meanwhile white culture is perceived as so expansive that it's not even perceived as such, rather it's "just hte way things are."

This "white people don't have a culture" nonsense is the sort of thing that leads to tokenism. White people are "normal" so we need a colored guy to be "cultural"

[Callmecrazy]

110. You make a good point, Scootaloo...

I'm going to think on that a bit. You may have changed my mind.

[Vashta Nerada]

115. French? Italian? Scandanavian?

They have no culture?

Uh...okay.

[Bucky]

134. Is this deliberately trolling?

Or genuinely ignorant of what the word "culture" means?

[Callmecrazy]

171. it's ignorance...

On my part for thinking I could have a discussion without being called stupid or ignorant. Tell me you disagree if you want but quit trying to pick a fight.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

167. Umm... you're not so much a person of American culture

We celebrate a lot of American culture in Chicago.
Blues Fest
Gospel Fest
"Rock 'n' Roll" (our export to the ROW)
4th of July
Thanksgiving
Baseball
Football
Basketball
Architecture

Good luck finding these celebrated in other parts of the world!

[uriel1972]

7. Errm...

I don't like it, it implies other people don't have it, which is dead wrong. It is exactly the racism that is railed against (and rightly so) every day when DWEM's are held up as the pinnacle of all culture. We all have culture some of it positive, some of it negative, but have it we do.
As a joke between your dad and the specialist, fine, but not as a general designation. YMMV.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

169. I don't like it either

This stuff is tricky for people who don't live in cities like Chicago. Chicagoans (both black and white) use black and white. I listen to WCPT, our Progressive radio station, and blacks identify themselves, "I'm a black man/woman." Once you leave Chicago, people don't know how to act and are looking for something new.

I'm fine with black and white and Hispanic or Latino.

[Skittles]

14. just curious but....who exactly has no culture?

[Baitball Blogger]

16. Well, everyone has a heritage and a legacy, but when you hear

Heritage or Legacy in right-wing communities, there's no question they're referring to the Anglo-Americans. So, what's the big deal if ethnic minorities prefer to redefine themselves as "people of culture?"

[Skittles]

19. because it insinuates other people have no culture which is not true

[Baitball Blogger]

25. Then why aren't we making the same push against the right-wingers

when they use the Heritage and Legacy terms? Why are there different rules being applied to ethnic minorities?

[MattBaggins]

72. I believe we do make that push

[Baitball Blogger]

80. Show me a link to a thread that discusses it.

I haven't seen one.

[MattBaggins]

86. I'm not a star member

sorry I can't do that

[Luminous Animal]

22. Because white people are also people of culture. You really want to take a term and

Last edited Tue Nov 12, 2013, 01:28 AM - Edit history (1)

use it to negate that? My small French-American farming community that I grew up in certainly was brimming in culture. We were more in tune with our French brothers and sisters in Canada that we were with the Michiganders in the next town over.

Certainly, the Christmas traditions that we celebrate, originating in Europe, have been combined and refined to a uniquely American experience.

This is really a very ignorant post. White people, like people of color, come from all over the world and they brought their food and traditions with them and created, from both, uniquely American foods and traditions.

Hillbilly music and old timey country music originated with the immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, and England. It evolved into a uniquely American art form with the incorporation of blues and jazz.

Cajon foods and music originated with Acadian refugees from Canada and evolved into uniquely American art forms and cuisine.

Deep frying came to America from Scotland and Colonel Sanders turned deep fried breaded chicken into a ubiquitous picnic standard.

[Baitball Blogger]

26. I have no problem with your reasoning. I just wonder why no one thought to be

Last edited Tue Nov 12, 2013, 11:25 AM - Edit history (1)

equally outraged when the right-wingers co-opted the term Legacy and Heritage. Why were they allowed to define themselves as they like, but minorities are limited to a term which one day will become inaccurate in this country?

[Inkfreak]

43. I think that when

the right-wing uses those words they take on a negative meaning. Because we know they mean to exclude anyone not in their club. But those words don't necessarily mean bad things, right?

Legacy & heritage are things all cultures would cherish, I think. Now the right-wing can define themselves as that, but they are challenged regularly by more forward thinking people like us.

Being called a minority isn't bad at all. They would have us think that in their phrasing of it. "Those minorities are coming over here to take our money." But to me, that's all nonsense. I won't let them own the conversation by misrepresenting the meaning of words.

Anywho, I dunno if I'm making any sense or just rambling. I get what you mean and where it's coming from. It's just that if someone from another place came to my lil town, they would see a type of culture they might not see elsewhere. So saying "people of culture" in place of minority almost seems to say we have none. And I kinda don't like that. We here in Oswego, NY would disagree.

[Baitball Blogger]

46. It's a good ramble.

First, the word "Heritage" or "Legacy" is very prominently plastered around town in a right-wing community. Around here it is the name of a new residential community that offers affordable housing, which, of course, would normally be open to minorities. But between the name of the development and the prominent poster of three anglo-looking children, it's no shocker who they're trying to market to.

"Minority" is a negative word. Period. If you are in the minority your voice will not be heard in this county, for instance. And I'm using the term in the general sense here. A City Manager once said it openly in a meeting. If you're an individual, the county's feeling is, 'who are you?' That is why the city recognizes the authority of a master homeowner's association which has no legal right over the homeowners, but the two breach the Fourteenth Amendment all the time, colluding between each other. Is there no wonder that there is nothing around here that would appeal to "minorities?" I don't think that's by accident.

"Minority" is not a word that expresses strength. How it is interpreted, especially in this new world of political powerplays, is that people in these groups don't need to be recognized at all.

[Luminous Animal]

99. Heritage is also plastered around my town

In San Francisco, you won't hear white people saying it but there are many events and exhibits celebrating Mexican heritage, Philippine heritage, Chinese heritage, etc.

[Baitball Blogger]

100. There you go.

Then you shouldn't have any problem with the "people of culture" term, since there wouldn't be a copyright on that either.

[Luminous Animal]

103. Then you would have no problem with Storm Front

defining themselves as "people of culture" as opposed to, you know, those people who are not. (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.)

Really, you are getting quite ridiculous.

[Baitball Blogger]

106. Our societies are getting so divided that I believe it will happen that way anyway.

[Luminous Animal]

130. Kulturvolker

It is what you are promoting.

[Baitball Blogger]

133. Self-determination is what I'm suggesting.

[Luminous Animal]

145. To the exclusion of others.

[Baitball Blogger]

150. Wake up. They are a minority group.

In my community illegal land re-zonings have already excluded them. Why do you think they are so distrustful of the systems that are supposed to be helping them?

[Gidney N Cloyd]

57. Well, there's that guy who, when you say "Dylan,' thinks yer talkin' bout Dylan Thomas.

Whoever that was.

[Shrike47]

85. People who spit.

[Brickbat]

20. I can't tell if this is ironic or not.

[Baitball Blogger]

27. Not ironic at all. It comes down to the theme of self-determination.

[JI7]

21. everyone has a culture so it wouldn't make sense in the context people want to use it

[Baitball Blogger]

28. Follow the posts up thread where I point out that the same reasoning should be

applied to the terms: Legacy and Heritage.

Let's be consistent. That's all I'm saying.

[MattBaggins]

76. Ummm I would bet that 99.99999% of DUers

are opposed to the Terms Legacy and Heritage when used by such groups. You are demanding that we take a stand we have already taken.

[Baitball Blogger]

79. I don't recall any threads trying to take the terms back.

[MattBaggins]

84. I am fairly certain there have wither been threads or subthreads

lambasting groups for the dog whistle terms you posted as well as Patriot and Native.

[Nye Bevan]

23. Are you sure she didn't actually say "people of color", and you misheard her?

Because the concept of replacing the word "minorities" with "people of culture" is utter nonsense.

[Baitball Blogger]

30. Read your statement very carefully.

You know what my mother, a Panamanian, would rail about over and over again when it was obvious that we were leaning to the American way of life. "Mi cultura..., mi cultura...mi cultura!"

Do you really think that someone from a Latin American culture would come into the U.S. and immediately take to the term "people of color" just because it would make Americans feel more comfortable? Believe me, in Miami, never would the term "people of color" be used by someone to define both blacks and Latin Americans. For one thing, it is meaningless for Latin Americans who can look Nordic.

[treestar]

24. I like people of color

Color is what gives life beauty, is a good quality.

[Bucky]

139. Now that you mention it, "people of color" is pretty stupid too.

Everyone has color, melaninically speaking. Everyone has culture and color. For that matter, everyone in America is some kind of minority in some sense.

We quickly run into logical limitations when we try to pretend that artificial constructs like race have any objective meaning.

[scheming daemons]

29. stupid idea. every human on the planet is a "person of culture"

This kind of weird word play is wrong when Republicans do it ("family values", etc) and it is wrong when we do it.

We need to strive to quit coming up with words that divide us.

"People of culture", in the context of this op, is designed to divide Americans into two groups. And that makes it a bad idea.

All of us our people of culture. We all have family values.


Stop this nonsense.

[Baitball Blogger]

31. Were you as adamant when the right-wingers began to use the terms

Legacy and Heritage?

[scheming daemons]

32. there is no prohibition for us to use those terms

"African-American Heritage" is often used.

In my family, we talk of Italian Heritage all the time.

Those terms aren't co-opted at all.

And it is strange that you want to take a bad idea on the right, co-opting language, and have the left do it as well.

Do you want to adopt all of their bad ideas?

[Baitball Blogger]

34. I'm not convinced it's a bad idea.

At least, I find it's a good topic of conversation. If anything, it should say something about how ethnic people view themselves vs how they're defined.

[scheming daemons]

36. it is divisive

It screams "I am a person of culture, and you are not"


We need to use inclusive terminology, not exclusive.

[Baitball Blogger]

37. I understand your reasoning.

[Union Scribe]

51. You seem to be using them as a benchmark

and a way of justifying a terrible idea. When you have to say "well the right wingers do it too" that should be clue 1 that you are on the wrong track.

[Baitball Blogger]

67. I don't think it's a terrible idea.

I think what we have is a clash between what is right for minority groups, when it comes to reaching them by using the obvious cultural differences vs. progressive's desire to remain inclusive.

Where there is a clash, I will side with the side that does the most good. And reaching minority groups in the U.S. to provide them with the information they need to stay alive, is a good cause.

[Luminous Animal]

101. Yes. Cultural DIFFERENCES!

Acknowledging differences is not attempting to claim ownership of "culture".

[tammywammy]

61. +1 n/t

[IrishAyes]

33. Thanks for the OP; I rec'd it.

Will mention this, however: Delightful as the substitute term is, and I hope it spreads, it's probably too (appropriate adjective here?) to displace 'minorities' as a national population-wide workhorse word. No doubt you've thought of that possibility - I'm just saying. Glad your father will be okay and that his condition was discovered in time.

Some people IRL ask me how I've managed to lose most of the weight gained after a bad car wreck 6 years ago left me with a (now largely healed) TBI, but nobody ever asks why. If goodies threaten to overwhelm me, I try to remember the doctor saying a year ago that I was nearly borderline diabetic. That scared the hell outta me no matter how sympathetically she broke the news. I don't just want to live, I want to outlive all my enemies!

[Baitball Blogger]

35. Thanks for the rec.

I have noticed how minority groups are falling behind when it comes to getting health advice. That goes for everything from HIV information to Diabetes II. So it really resonated with me when she used the term because it immediately connected with our cultural diet. That kind of terminology means something to us, which may be lost in translation for everyone else.

[MattBaggins]

81. Did this woman say "people of culture" or "people of MY culture"?

that would be a huge difference in meaning.

[Baitball Blogger]

87. I think it's obvious that it translated to mean "our" cultures.

Which should tell you that there are perspectives between minorities that will probably be misunderstood by the "dominant" forces. And that may be a reason why they shut themselves off from the very agencies which are trying to help them.

[Bluenorthwest]

38. Words mean things. Let's take a look at what 'culture' actually means and what you are saying

some people are bereft of while others own and operate it independently:
cul·ture
ˈkəlCHər/
noun
noun: culture

1.
the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

Your claim is that some people have human intellectual achievements in the arts and otherwise and that some people don't.
Your idea that there exists a group of people who do not create art, science, faith and ritual, music and dance, theater and literature is simply incorrect and also the same theory that past racists had about folks unlike themselves-they have no culture, the racists would say, insisting that all culture was their culture.

[Baitball Blogger]

39. What I think is that it means something to ethnic minorities and that is not a bad

thing when you're trying to find ways to reach them to provide them with important health information. They do feel they have a culture. One that has been marginalized by words such as "minority," which is a word that, if you're honest, is a put-down.

[Bluenorthwest]

41. Of course they have a culture, we all do. That's the point. If they think they have a culture and

I don't they are racists. And don't pull this 'if you're honest' crap with me. How have I not been honest? Did I use the term 'minority'? I'm gay. Am I somehow a majority? We are the ONLY group which it is legal to discriminate against.
I want to be very clear. I did not say that anyone or any group is without culture. You did.

[Baitball Blogger]

42. I understand your point.

However, legal discrimination is something that is far too prevalent in this country for any one group to monopolize. i.e. Trayvon Martin.

Frankly, if "people of culture" is a term that will help get health information out to the intended demographics, I will accept the criticism.

[muriel_volestrangler]

54. But it doesn't mean anything to ethnic minorities

You said yourself that yesterday was the first time you ever heard it (if you did hear it correctly). Had your dad heard it before?

[Baitball Blogger]

68. Not in such terms.

But, as I stated before, my mother was big about promoting "mi cultura." It's just the kind of thing that a kid would take for granted, until they got older to understand what was being communicated.

[muriel_volestrangler]

89. Yes, but that's just part of everyone having culture

and 'my culture' indicates she was fully aware that everyone else also had their own culture, so 'people of culture' would mean 'everyone'.

If it's not a phrase in common use (and it doesn't seem to be), it's not going to help in communication.

[Baitball Blogger]

90. Truth be told, it's for them to decide how they should be addressed.

I know I have no problem with it.

[sibelian]

44. No.

Rebranding is for household products.

[Baitball Blogger]

47. Soon, a generation will have to come up with a new word, because

"minority" will soon be obsolete.

[Iggo]

83. No.

Just because white folks will be in the minority doesn't make the word obsolete.

[Baitball Blogger]

88. Well, it will no longer apply to the larger ethnic cultures.

[oldhippie]

45. I think a lot of people .......

.... have different definitions of "culture", if they even have one at all.

[IrishAyes]

48. I'm really disappointed in a lot of you, so eager to stir the pot.

BB related a sweet story and some people can't just leave it at that. If I say to one person, "You're beautiful," am I then necessarily calling everyone else ugly? Of course not! Every time a person says something nice about their own culture, is it obligatory to recite a worldwide list of other cultures as well just to dodge brickbats from people with nothing better to do?

If any of you provoked negative comments toward yourselves by such disgraceful behavior, you'll get no sympathy from me. Shame on you! Petty, petty, petty. When it comes to hypersensitivity and divisiveness, you've got no room to throw shoes.

[Baitball Blogger]

50. Thanks. I needed that today.

Now I'm off to the gym to work up some more endorphins.

[Luminous Animal]

52. What if I, a white woman decided to call white people

we people of beauty?

[Baitball Blogger]

69. And you think that message doesn't get communicated in a number of ways?

[Luminous Animal]

96. Of course I do and it is bullshit

As is any group claiming that they own "culture"

[Baitball Blogger]

97. That is how you may view it.

I think what is lacking in your case is seeing it from their view. They have formed their own societies, and the term works within their circles.

[Luminous Animal]

98. I'm sure it gives them some comfort to believe

That white people are bereft of culture. But that belief comes from ignorance.

Funny that this conversation reminds me of the discussions I used to have with white supremacists on the old Michael Moore discussion board.

[IrishAyes]

112. First see post #33, then concentrate on #48.

I swear half the respondents to this thread must've awakened this morning wondering what kind of needless strife they could stir up today. Were you all raised in a barn? If that's your culture, you can keep it. Your animus is showing.

[Luminous Animal]

125. So are you or are you not a "person of culture".

According to the OP, I am not because I am white and white people have contributed no original culture to the United States.

The OP actually asked white people to present their uniquely "American" cultural credibility. How fucking insulting is that? I gave her specific examples of white European migration that contributed to uniquely "American" culture and her response was *crickets*.

The needless strife was caused by the OP. It has not been caused by specific groups of white people (French, Irish, German, Italian, Estonian, Polish, Ukranian) who, as do people of color, not only strive to maintain their culture and celebrate their folklore, but have contributed to U.S. culture in their own unique ways.

For people of color to claim the mantle that they ARE the people of culture is to flat out negate the fact that white people also are people of culture.

[IrishAyes]

127. I believe callmecrazy was the one specifically claiming lack of American originality or uniqueness.

The rest of it that you and many of the others are projecting onto the OP is coming straight out of your warped brains.

[Luminous Animal]

129. You are right. But I've yet to see the OP recognize that white people also

are "people of culture". In fact, she has defended otherwise.

Are you white or are you a a person of culture?

[JI7]

55. there was nothing wrong with the story, but he asked about replacing certain terms with others

and that is what people are responding to.

[IrishAyes]

113. And what, pray tell, was so evil about the original question? NOTHING!

Revisit post #33 and #48, then try #112. I'm tired of repeating myself. This was a tempest in a teapot that never should've happened.

[sibelian]

157. I feel so ADMONISHED.

How shall I convince you of my transfinite contrition?



Truly I am not a person of culture but a person of BOORISH SQUALOR. MY LIFE IS BEREFTOF MEANING.

[LanternWaste]

49. I had no idea that we could, simply by looking at a face, determine a person's culture or heritage.

I had no idea that we could, all things being equal and by looking at a face, determine a person's culture or heritage.

[Baitball Blogger]

71. That's missing a lot of important information that has already been relayed.

We were in Miami and the specialist already had a few meetings with my dad.

[maxsolomon]

53. Coded speech verging on meaninglessness.

Once you start to parse it, it quickly loses specificity and sense. It was a way to start to address diet without making the patient defensive, to put your father at ease and show him that the nutritionist was on his team. And very likely it had been chosen from among several options by the staff.

"We people of (our) culture". I'm the same as you, I face the same challenges, I can do it, so can you. Et cetera.

It translates into: "we" like to eat carbohydrates.

But everyone likes to eat carbohydrates. It's common to every American culture, just like obesity.

[Baitball Blogger]

73. Statistics show that medical information is not reaching minority groups.

So I side with whatever method will make it easier to communicate what needs to be communicated.

[maxsolomon]

161. I agree. Whatever it takes to make the patient less defensive.

But claiming that a specific "culture" (African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans) likes sugar and carbohydrates more than some other is absurd.

Look around. Everyone's fat.

[Baitball Blogger]

164. That was never my position.

I was referring strictly to a term that worked to get the message across to Latin American and the Black communities.

[maxsolomon]

170. Yes I know.

I think it's what the commenters are taking away from the Nutritionist's words.

BTW my partner got diagnosed with "Type 1.5" (that's what they're calling it because she's not fat) about 3 months ago and we've cut our carbs way down. I am not following her diet exactly (Pizza slices for lunch), but I've lost weight already and we haven't changed anything else.

I sure miss the rice though.

Good health to your Dad!

[Baitball Blogger]

173. Thanks. I appreciate it.

[Dreamer Tatum]

56. For all intensive purposes, you probably have something there.

I think one of the French benefits of working in a hospital like that specialist does is meeting all sorts of people...those of culture, and those of none. Case and point: I was talking to my liver specialist who had to take account of my lack of culture in interpreting my results. Is that racist? Well, I'd argue that it's sort of a mute point. Irregardless, good post. More people should of rec'd it.

[tammywammy]

59. I don't usually comment off topic like this...

I think you have a good point, but it's "all intents and purposes". Irregardless isn't a word, just say "regardless".

[rudolph the red]

60. Lol

Wooosh

[tammywammy]

64. No, I got it.

[rudolph the red]

65. Sorry about that

[tammywammy]

66. Nah, it's all good.

[Dreamer Tatum]

62. You mean I misheard all those phrases I wrote?

Wow! How weird.

[tammywammy]

63. ....

People of culture, indeed.

[Baitball Blogger]

78. No, I don't think you do.

There are many interpretations for the word "culture."

The one that this thread concentrates on is:

: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group, place, or time

: a particular society that has its own beliefs, ways of life, art, etc.

I think you demonstrate the obstacles that we have to deal with when the goal is to provide minorities with the information they need to stay healthy.

[tammywammy]

92. I find it amusing you think I don't know what "culture" means. n/t

[Baitball Blogger]

94. I think it's in poor taste to try to take a cheap shot on an issue that is very

important to minorities.

[tammywammy]

95. You think the phrase "people of culture"

is a very important issue to minorities?

Can you please point out exactly what my cheap shot was?

You do realize Dreamer's post was implying you misheard the phrase, right? Which is why I found my reply post "correcting" Dreamer amusing. And then you stepped in with an unnecessary vocabulary lesson, which again I found amusing and said so. And now you're saying I'm taking cheap shots. Now I find your ability to extrapolate based off what, let's say 20 words I've posted, amusing.

[Blue_Tires]

117. "Irregardless" is a perfectly cromulent word

what is you; ignorant??

[Bucky]

144. Thank you. It means without irregard to something.

Word ravens leave me so flustrated sometimes.

[Baitball Blogger]

75. I appreciate it.

[Bucky]

142. *

[valerief]

91. I think "people" sounds better. nt

[Jamaal510]

93. +1

[NOLALady]

102. Could she have meant

People of Color?

[Baitball Blogger]

107. Good grief, no.

That would show a tremendous amount of ignorance considering that Latin Americans cover the gamut of races. Which makes the term, essentially, meaningless.

[BainsBane]

104. That assumes the rest of us don't have culture

I don't like it. It suggests a fetishistic view of what culture is, on the order of early 20th century anthropology.

[Baitball Blogger]

108. I support it if it gets the necessary medical information across.

[BainsBane]

109. Whatever a doctor wants to discuss with a patient is their business

Why this has to be some public proclamation, I don't understand.

[Baitball Blogger]

111. I'm sorry. I forgot my place. I'll cast my eyes to the ground again.

[IrishAyes]

116. I know you're being facetious, but if you let these gauche contrarians really get to you,

that would be your only mistake. Barking dogs, that's all they are. Raised in a barn, the lot of them.

[Baitball Blogger]

119. IrishAyes, you are a bright light in a dark room.

I sense that you get it. I appreciate that.

[Union Scribe]

122. So no culture and now not even human.

You two sure are generous with your depictions of other posters.

[IrishAyes]

124. Well, quite frankly, when I'm set upon by a swarm of bees, I start swatting!

As I advise others to do. You guys brought this fight to us, not the other way around, so you don't get to complain about having your knuckles rapped. You're whining, "Mama! She hit me back!"

BB tried to reason with you guys far more patiently than I would have - or did. But I have no patience with bullies, which is exactly what a lot of respondents turned out to be. Forgive me if I don't quail when you rail.

[Union Scribe]

136. Dehumanizing, belittling, insulting...

Yeah you're really fighting the good fight.

[BainsBane]

123. Come on

People obviously are free to call themselves what they like. But if you post something in GD asking opinions, you're going to get them.

You suggest "people of culture" should be a term to apply to all minorities, and then you give that example of a diet leading to diabetes. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can think of only a couple of ethnic groups that applies to: African Americans and Mexican Americans, while clearly it applies to the broader American culture that includes white people. Asians and many from Latin America eat diets rich in vegetables and fruits and thus less likely to lead to diabetes than the broader American culture. So I think you're wrong in suggesting this can substitute for people of color or minorities. The term minorities is increasingly becoming inaccurate as the percentage of Euro-Americans declines in the population.

Then, as I said, the term equates culture with otherness. Culture simply means beliefs, customs and way of life.

[Baitball Blogger]

126. Erm, white rice is piled on in Latin American restaurants.

Yucca and Llame are tubers that qualify as carbs and are a big part of the L.A. diet. Then there's plantains that are fried, and delicacies such as carimanolas which can drip grease when you pick them up.

And that's not getting into the desserts.

I don't think your experience with L.A. food is similar to mine. Yes, there are vegetables (guandu!) and fruits. But there are quite a bit of fried foods and carbs there too.

[BainsBane]

146. True, but it's still healthier than the average American diet

which includes so many processed foods. And many from Latin American eat a lot of fruits and vegetables.

[Baitball Blogger]

151. There are other factors at play.

Exercise for instance. It's getting better, I think, but for the most part extra-curricular sports activities at a young age is still a male dominated environment. Exercise at later ages of life is something that needs to be worked on.

Thank God for Zumba.

In the way of diet, they are still in the meat and potato stage. They still need to make healthy adjustments. I might have been luckier than most because my mother suffered from hypertension and cut back on salty seasonings for all our meals.

[IrishAyes]

114. It IS important - it illustrates the utility and respect of relating to a person on their own terms.

Just because something might not matter to you hardly diminishes it. Too many people shout to the rooftops about the necessity of inclusion and diversity, but God forbid a person should innocently illustrate the matter in their own life! Then it's bring out the fire hoses and accuse them of every perfidy under the sun! Hey, you didn't automatically brag on MY culture unbidden, so it must be discriminatory because I'm the center of the universe and anything that fails to offer homage to ME with every breath must be derogatory on the face of it.

You guys started this fight, and when you get your shorts snapped for it, oh my stars and garters!

[Baitball Blogger]

120. +1000

[Luminous Animal]

128. Actually, the OP has claimed that this is a title that "minorities" should

claim for themselves to replace "people of color" and "minorities".

So, if "people of color" (a descriptive but exclusionary term) replace that with "people of culture", who are they excluding from having culture?

German anthropologist also claimed kulturvolker for themselves.

[IrishAyes]

135. I'm trying to make this as simple as possible so you and the others can understand;

If I say I have the red hair of many Irish, I'm not saying that no one else has red hair, especially not that they might even be bald.

In short, your reasoning is as full of holes as Swiss cheese. You're manufacturing error where none exists. But it's especially despicable when you feel free to make Nazi references. Well, that's what bullies do, isn't it? Telling.

Now I'm more than fed up with the vulture attitudes of so many on this thread, so I'm not answering any more of you. After all, as dear old dad loved to say, only a jackass answers every donkey that brays.

[Union Scribe]

138. Please stop referring to posters as animals. nt

[Luminous Animal]

141. Actually. You've not answered the one question I have asked you..

Are you a person of culture?

It is a simple question. The OP has definitely said that people of color should claim that for themselves to replace the terms "minority" or " people of color".

So, are you a person of color, thus a person of culture? Or are you a white person who is neither.

Yes or no.

[BainsBane]

148. well, under that definition

You don't have culture either (assuming you're Irish). Such a notion of culture evokes the era of anthropologists probing Trobianders.

[Baitball Blogger]

137. "People of color" is an inaccurate term to describe

Latin Americans. I have said that several times in this thread.

[Luminous Animal]

143. Then I guess they are not "people of culture".

[Baitball Blogger]

152. Non Sequitur.

They are rich in culture. But "people of color" to an American suggests that they are dark skinned. And not all Latin Americans are dark skinned. Some are blond and blue eyed. Nordic. Do you see your mental block? You are trying to pigeon hole them into a category that works for you. But they see themselves in a different way. For example, in their own countries of birth they don't refer to you as an American. They would refer to you as a North American. It is subtle, but it is a different perception.

[Luminous Animal]

168. I already know that. I was being sarcastic.

Also, I try as much as I possibly can to avoid calling the U.S. "America" and it's citizens "Americans".

[BainsBane]

147. What guys?

And what fight are you talking about?

As I said, people can call themselves what they want, but if someone posts a thread in
GD I'm going to give my opinion. Astounding that you think inclusion rises and falls on what I think about the term culture.

[quinnox]

118. Go for it, I think people have a right to call themselves whatever

they want. It reminds me of a recent thread where some duers described themselves as left libertarians, which sounds good to me, and then a couple indignant responders said it didn't exist, as if by saying that, it would magically be the truth. I chuckled to myself at the time.

I think, if you say you are a left libertarian, then awesome.

Or if you are part of a race of "people of culture", that is great too.

[Baitball Blogger]

121. It feels great to hear you say that.

[Bucky]

131. It's bland & meaningless. Everyone has culture.

It comes across as a malapropism.

[Baitball Blogger]

158. It is a meaningful term to them.

They have a culture. It is one that is constantly being dismissed in this country because they are marginalized as a minority group. I think what is important to take away from this discussion is that someone in the medical field that wants to deliver important information to their patient would reach them more readily by recognizing the patient's reference points.

I read it over and over again how Blacks and Latin Americans are falling behind with health benchmarks, and no one seems to know how to bridge that gap. Well, in this thread not only do we see how that can be accomplished, but we can also see the obstacles in communication that are preventing it.

[Dreamer Tatum]

140. Wow, this is STILL going on?

Amazing. The probability that the word spoken was "color," not "culture," is about .99999.

[smokey nj]

149. At least we know what DU would be like if Emily Litella were a member.

[Baitball Blogger]

159. I was standing right next to her.

She said "culture."

[get the red out]

153. Everybody has a culture of some kind, don't they?

I've been trying to outrun the hillbilly one I was born in for years, but it has really long legs

[sibelian]

154. Fair enough. I guess I'll be a "person of gaucheness"...

a "person of tastless populist pap..."

[NCTraveler]

155. I can be a part of a culture with minorities.

I cannot be a minority.

[devils chaplain]

156. A thoroughly insulting name to whites and non-whites alike...

Although for different reasons.

[Baitball Blogger]

160. There is no copyright on the term, "culture."

Anyone can use it. I threw this out because of the immediate benefit in communicating important medical information to a minority group which is difficult to reach any other way.

[sibelian]

162. Then how can it meaningfully describe any subset of humanity in separation from any other?

Enquiring minds want to know.

[Baitball Blogger]

163. Because we are already a divided society.

Whatever communication methods are being used for the dominant Anglo-community are not getting down to the ethnic neighborhoods because they have their own societies. In your eyes they are a minority group. In their eyes they are a Latin American community, rich with a culture that dates back centuries.

[sibelian]

165. That response may appear to you to have pertained to my question.

But it doesn't. It answers a completely different question, which is "describe minorities using the word culture".

[Baitball Blogger]

166. I guess you'll have to make yourself more clear because I feel

I have answered your question.