Azizi, I have to agree with Amos on this one. The use of the term "black" in the contexts you allude to is NOT intended against people of African genetic origion, nor are those people black, they are brown, and the only reason anyone ever called them "black" in the first place was because people don't seem to be able to call something what it is...they have to go to some silly extreme!

Why do I say that? Because white people aren't white! They're sort of pink, more-or-less. Furthermore, Asians aren't yellow, and Amerindians aren't red. We are all various shades of beiges, pinks, and browns, with other subtle overtones mixed in. No one is black, white, yellow, or red...unless he has just fallen in a vat of paint.

It's all so stupid. Are we supposed to curb the use of the word "white" (which can be taken in some contexts to mean pale with fear or illness), or "yellow" (taken by some to mean "cowardly"), or "red" (as in "communist" or "angry"), because those words TOO may offend someone??????

I don't think so. Here's a big reason why "black" is used to describe a bad situation: because darkness is black, that's why. Every spiritual tradition in the world, including the traditions of African people has symbols that equate evil with darkness. It has nothing to do with the color black...it has to do with darkness versus light. We are day creatures. We don't see well in the dark. Our primitive ancestors were very afraid of the darkness when predators roam the land looking for prey, and they waited anxiously for every dawn when the sun would bring light in place of the darkess.

This did not mean they had something against the color black. They didn't. The color black, like all colors, is a completely neutral thing, and remains quite popular in most cultures for clothing, footwear, cars, whatever...