Ethnic Labels

Perhaps nowhere else is the abuse of language so disgraceful as in the use of ethnic labels.
Consider just a few examples of the clear meaning of commonly misused labels.

White : A light brownish pinkish color. NOT white.

Black : A dark brown color similar to dark chocolate. NOT black.

African-American : An American whose ancestors came from Africa. Genus Homo originated in Africa. Species Homo Sapiens originated in Africa. Subspecies Homo Sapiens Sapiens originated in Africa. Homo Sapiens Sapiens is the only subspecies of genus Homo that exists today. Thus I am African-American. Martin Luther King was African-American. Jim Thorpe was African-American. Donald Trump and Bill Clinton are African-Americans.
Some years ago, one of the major news media issued a directive to its reporters: Do not say “negro” or “Afro-American” or “Black”—You must call such people “African-American”. Soon we heard a report from the Olympics that an African-American had won the 100 yard dash. Then other people poked fun at the medium and the reporter, because an athlete from Kenya, who had never set foot in America, was called “African-American”.

Negro : This word means “black” in Spanish and Portuguese. Thus it is a synonym for “Black”, q.v. It is descended from the Latin word “nigrus”, also meaning the color black.

Indian : A person from India, a country in southern Asia.

American Indian : This would describe an American who moved to India and became a citizen of that country.

Navajo : A member of an “Indian” nation centered in northeastern Arizona. Europeans invented this name. The group call themselves, in their own language, “Dineh”, meaning “people”.

Papago : A member of an “Indian” nation centered in southwestern Arizona desert. Europeans invented this name. The group call themselves, in their own language, “O’odahm”, meaning “people”.

Pima : A branch of the O’odahm living along the Gila River just north of the Papago.

Sand Papago : A branch of the O’odahm living south of the Papago in Northern Sonora, between the volcanoes of the Sierra de Santa Clara, whose highest peak is Cerro Pinacate, and the dunes of the Desierto del Altar. The Sand Papago became extinct after an epidemic of yellow fever in 1853.

Native American : This phrase clearly means any person born in America. Thus I am a Native American in addition to being an African-American.

Basque : In the Basque language the Basques are “Euskaldunak”. The name Basque seems to come from Roman invaders.

German : A German is a native of Germany. But Germany is Deutschland, and German is Deutsch.

Vegan : A person from Vega, which is 26 light years away in the constellation Lyra.

Look around the world and I do not doubt that you will find a great many examples of weird names imposed on cultures by foreigners.