In Europe, at least the continental part, the "white people" do not call themselves anything - the term "Caucasian" as a description of people of Anglo-Saxon ancestry is something I first encountered in the USA.

In general people in Europe describe other people based on their national origin rather than skin color. As I described the difference to somebody at home:

"If you see a person from Brazil, you think 'Brazilian', the Americans think 'them brown people' ..."

Generalization remains the real problem. As a New Englander, I am quite American, but I never have thought in those terms.

In fact we have a real problem in Massacbusetts with undocumented Brazilian workers taking unskilled jobs-especially in the small business arena and driving without licenses (and getting into accidents withoout insurance). One can drive down some streets and the homes and businesses fly the green Brazillian flags or hang them in windows-one would think we were being conquored by an invasion from south America.

But even the most ignorant New Englander isnt griping about "them brown people". You cannot miss those green flags. We specifically say "those Brazillians".

That is interesting; there is no distinguishable Brazilian population in the South, where I happen to reside. And obviously as a person that does not speak English natively I did not invent the term “them brown people” myself... J

I would not like to generalize things myself, but I suspect there might be a difference in cultural development between the South and New England, therefore indeed a reaction to any kind of a migration problem may be described by people in your corner of the US with more granularity.

I think you may be perpetuating a stereotype, I live in the west, in a very rural area where I have lived my entire life, and I have yet to hear anyone referred to as "them brown people", either the individuals of my community say Latin Americans, or if it is one of the "less-enlightened/ very ignorant" individuals they would say Mexican assuming everyone who is of dark skin tone is from Mexico. So while we Americans are sometimes thoughtless about many things, on a whole we are not so ignorant as to refer to someone as "them there brown folks", in fact the vast majority of us find out where someone is from specifically before we began to belittle, berate and discriminate against them, whether they are form Brazil, Botswana, or Boston.

you're from massachusettes and you have the nerve to mock republicans for their candidates? how many times have you voted for that fat, women killing, drunken pig tedward?

huh madame comrade PMS?

I've never heard anyone in the US ever refer to "them brown people"- not once. And I live in Texas, with family in Louisiana, and have traveled throughout both rural and urban areas of the country.

If you look like you're from Central or South America or the Caribbean, you will either be referred to by your own national origin, or as "Hispanic", "Latino/a", or "Mexican", but no one will refer to you as "brown people". Some people, especially racists and the less educated, may refer to you using the wrong nationality or using an offensive slur, but no one will call you one of "them brown people".

The people in the US who get referred to by color are black people and white people, and we're all such mutts that it's not really useful to refer by anything else. Ethnic heritage loses it's handiness if you're a French-Italian-Iranian-Irish English-speaking Jew.

Having lived in Europe on two different occassions, I can say from first hand experience, that they do in fact think of themselves as white people. This idea that Racism is an American or white invention is pure fantasy. It is a human affliction to seperate ourselves from the "other". Look at the recent race riots in France.

I have had the privledge of traveling to six of the seven continents, and have lived in four of them. And one constant that I have always found was prejudice.

If you are a white American, and travel to Africa or Asia, when people see you, they will be thinking "Who's the white guy?". Try it, and see for yourself.

i remember being in mombassa in the early 70's. i was on a navy ship. it was the superfly days and the black guys would go on liberty with these big old hats and long jackets with huge bell bottoms and platform shoes. the locals thought they looked like idiots.

they kept asking me if all the black people from america were clowns.

There you go again. Off your meds.

Nobody is mocking publicans for their candidate choices.

Yet.

I will, though. McCain is a brittle and obsolete.

irvingchang:

i remember being in mombassa in the early 70's. i was on a navy ship. it was the superfly days and the black guys would go on liberty with these big old hats and long jackets with huge bell bottoms and platform shoes. the locals thought they looked like idiots.

they kept asking me if all the black people from america were clowns.

Ah Irv,

You are such a clown! Pretty much everyone and everything in the '70s looks rather ridicualous to us now. If you don't believe me look at these images from the 1977 JCPenney catolog.

<link>

'Pretty much everyone and everything in the '70s looks rather ridicualous to us now. If you don't believe me look at these images from the 1977 JCPenney catolog.'

sorry but white guys did not wear the big superfly hats and the superfly coats.

irvingchang:

'Pretty much everyone and everything in the '70s looks rather ridicualous to us now. If you don't believe me look at these images from the 1977 JCPenney catolog.'

sorry but white guys did not wear the big superfly hats and the superfly coats.

You're right Irv. Us white guys were never cool enough to pull off the look.

of course i'm not cool enough to have gold teeth, wear my baggie pants down around my knees and my baseball cap crooked either.

i am so uncool because i'm white. i'm uncool because i value education and hard work too. blacks dudes are cool because they don't.