My intent in starting this thread was to share my view on what things turn White people may innocently or purposely do that are offensive to African Americans.

I am grateful to Hilda Fish for deepening the discussion to the politics of inequity.

I am not sure if Hilda Fish thinks that only certain racial groupings are or can be angry about the politics of inequality. But I am not sure if such potentially divisive expressions of anger are helpful in addressing it - however understandable that anger may be.

But I agree that there is a difference between measures that are really addressing this inequality and the political correctness that started this thread.

Perhaps it should be recognised that political correctness has served its purpose? That it was never going to have any affect on those who wished things to stay as they were and intentionally wish to cause offence and stir-up trouble or those that did not care?

That the blunt weapon of increasingly imposing political correctness will not at the same time address both innocently caused offence and the purposeful one?

That continuing with it (without a general consensus) is pushing at an already open door. The effect of which upon those who are already desparate not to use the wrong words and cause offence is just to make them even more confused and twitchy. To make these people worry worry about things like asking for a black coffee or listening to banjo music - is not helping to address matters of serious ineqality.

For this can not be done if we are divided and this constant drive to make people feel guilty about a past they can do nothing about is risking this division and risking a reaction against political correctness which will help no one.

Azizi - Must everything continue to sound so negitive and so accusatorial to folk who honestly mean no offence? Along with the stick - there is also the carrot. Where is the encouragement for what has been achieved? Are there only racial no no's - are to be no racial yes yes's' from you?