Anonymous asked: is it disrespectful to call someone from Pakistan a "Paki" if you're not from Pakistan? and do people from Pakistan call each other that? I want to know so I can make sure to not offend anyone.

jaykay227:

desi-problems:

I have heard my Pakistani friends refer to other Pakistanis as “Paki” but I’m not sure. Anyone else have any thoughts on this, comment below! 

@desi-problems In the UK the term is offensive. In the late 50s and 60s when South Asians 1st came to Britain, the term was used in a derogatory/ racist way to describe all South Asians.
It’s on par with using the N word. When the word is printed or used it’s usually seen “P*ki”.
Although in recent times, the Pakistani diaspora have started embracing the word.

writingwithcolor:

sapphicwocsource:

Phrases to avoid at all costs when referencing women of color:

• “Colored”
  
• “Ebony” 
  
• “Caramel”
  
• “Brownie” 
  
• “Cocoa” 
  
• “Chocolate” 
  
• “Exotic” 

Any word or phrase that reduces their appearance to skin color, or relates their skin color to food (or some other inanimate object), or anything that objectifies their racial identity/dehumanizes their racial identity is fetishistic, racist, and misogynistic. I understand that people are trying to disseminate positivity for all women, but please be careful when talking about women of color because language can lend itself very quickly to racist/fetishistic/sexualized territory. It is that kind of language that has been used against women of color, in the long, long history of white people (especially cishet white men) colonizing, trafficking, and commodifying the bodies of women of color. 

There are ways to uplift and celebrate the beauty of women of color without treating them as a monolith, sexualizing them, dehumanizing them, or infantilizing them. It’s very simple easy. Finally, uplifting women of color isn’t just about emphasizing positivity for their skin color or shade - it’s also about racialized features (such as noses and body hair) that women of color are frequently mocked about and targeted for. 

If you, as a white person, do not think that you have the capability to avoid dehumanizing a woman of color or viewing her as an equal, refrain from trying to performatively spread positivity about her. Trust me - we don’t need it. 

All of this. Describing People of Color as foods and sweets is really unnecessary, tiresome and dehumanizing, and this seems to target Women of Color, especially Black women, a whole lot.

To read what WWC wrote on this, check out Part I of the Skin Color Description Guide: PoC & Food Comparisons.

For alternatives, see Part II of Skin Color Description Guide: Words for Skin Tone.

More description guides that folks may find useful:

• Describing Wide Noses
  
• Praising Beauty Without Fetishizing PoC
• On Why Calling PoC “Exotic” is Offensive
  

–WWC

(Source: wlwocsource-archive, via whitegirlsbadhenna)