Thread: What's "white" in russia?

Nice site you have here.This hapaned some time ago but goign through the boards is it offensive in russian custem to be called caucasian?No offense anyone but I used to think that meant "white" in general but aparntly this anoys people.I know prejutice is bad but is being indian with a germanic accent the cause or the people I spoke to?

"Caucasian" (кавказец) means black.

The police in Russia is instructed to stop only "blacks" (caucasians) and control their passports and registration. If there any explosion, terrorist act, or mafia actions, accidents in marketplaces and basars, all people (and the press) says, this is because "persons of caucasian nationality" or "blacks".

This black has nothing to do with black races, though.
It's an offensive name for a person from the Caucasus Mountains and this word is not used in polite speech.

The police in Russia is instructed to stop only "blacks" (caucasians) and control their passports and registration.

No. They stop everyone. I'm white*, fair-haired, Slav. And they stop me twice a month to check my passport (I live in Moscow). Maybe they think I'm from Ukraine without registration.

*Although Russians are white we never say about themselves that way. And I feel strange to say "I'm white". We have no such tradition.

Originally Posted by new1

Nice site you have here.This hapaned some time ago but goign through the boards is it offensive in russian custem to be called caucasian?No offense anyone but I used to think that meant "white" in general but aparntly this anoys people.I know prejutice is bad but is being indian with a germanic accent the cause or the people I spoke to?

It annoys me, too, because the people who live in Georgia and Armenia(i.e. the Caucusus) really don't look like average white guys from the US. There is actually a thread about this somewhere in "English for Russians."

BTW, Nixer, maybe you call people from the Caucusus black in Russian, but in proper English "black", when using it to refer to a person, means someone of African descent.

Originally Posted by Pravit

BTW, Nixer, maybe you call people from the Caucusus black in Russian...

I'm afraid they are called "black-assed" in this case, although I would never use this derogatory term myself.

Well, from my experience in Petersburg, Russians call the "black race" for "nigger" (негер) without the negative connotation... I was mildly shocked when I first heard it!

No reason to be shocked in any language. It simply means "black" . The same word in English means the same. Originally a Latin word. So whats all the fuss about?

The word is негр, and it can be translated as "Negro", which does not have any negative connotations in the US. The word "Neger" is also used in Germany without any negative connotations. These are not translations of the word "n*gger."

Even the word "n*gger" had no negative connotations until recently. When I was growing up we had this word taught to us in school as the correct name. We even had a popular candy named by this. It comes from the Latin word "Niger".

Perhaps in Australia, but in the US that word has been regarded as offensive for quite some time.

So that's why I got those "funny" looks when I first came over here!

Mark Twain used 'n i gger' as a common word, the same as 'negro'. Perhaps it was common at his times.

The tone of usage by hate-mungers dirtied this word. I've always known it to be inoffensive in its 'true' nature. Though, the same can be said for almost all words. Calling someone a 'slant-eyed' or an 'abo' (short for 'aboriginal' aren't offensive except for the fact that people 'mean' them in an offensive way when they say it. Between me and my friends, 'abo' and leb' (for Lebanese) is a term of endearment accepted in some circles, so long as ytou don't say it to the wrong person. ie. a stranger who doesn't know your neutrality of attitude.
There were once buscuits called 'golliwogs'. Chocalate buscuits. PC-ness has robbed them of their cuteness. I'd honestly never heard any complaints from any black people about this product. It was paranoid white people that took it upon themselves to decide it was offensive, so now it's long gone from the market. At least the name is gone. Maybe they're around under the name 'darker toned epidermal peoples with big curly hair buscuits'. Hence, they're no longer popular with the children. Hence- gone!

Brett, yes, you rightly noticed that it is white people who started this trend with "offensive names". West Europeans and North Americans, to be more specific. And how it all looks from the neutral point of view? First, they f@#ked those "n*ggers" and "slant-eyed" for many decades with their rasist theories, creating the ground for the abusive usage, and now they hypocritically fight for political correctness, f@#$king their minds.
I dont want to say that there are no such problems in Russia (of course they are, and many more serious than that one), it's just an impression of a third-party member.
P.S. Although I'd never call anyone "slant-eyed" myself, so, generally, I preffer just to make a little fun of PC-ness, rather than to hear rasist talks.
BTW, for the subject of this forum. I'm afraid the 'white' in Russian will be "русский" And 'non-white' will be "нерусский". Just a couple of useful examples from the rough real life:
"В том магазине работают какие-то нерусские."
"Понаехали тут чурки нерусские."
"Чё ты, правильно сделать не можешь? Делаешь всё не по-русски..."
And even: "Актёр такой, ну, он ещё в Матрице снимался, там один из главных чуваков, нерусский"

(Это было бы смешно, если бы не было так грустно).

Yes. The people who legislate out such words and products are the very people who never look an ethnic person in the eye. They treat them as political crusades, rather than as people to connect with and learn from on a human level. That's the most offensive thing one can do. Using a racial unrest as a PC badge of honour, yet continuing ones own seperatist view of the peoples. It doesn't bring people together, it seperates them further.

Originally Posted by brett

Yes. The people who legislate out such words and products are the very people who never look an ethnic person in the eye. They treat them as political crusades, rather than as people to connect with and learn from on a human level.

Too right,mate!

Some of those words have innocent backgrounds and some of them don't - I'm sure "abo" was originally thought up so people wouldn't have to say "aborigine" all the time. But do you really think the term "slant-eye" has ever been used in a neutral sense? It would be sort of like calling Jews "crooked-nose" and then expecting them to take it as a completely inoffensive term. For comparison, in China there's a term "gaobizi"(tall nose) to refer to white people. It has always been a pejorative term and to this day you will piss off white expats with it. Maybe not because of the term itself, but because of the context they hear it in. There's also a word that's more innocent, "laowai"(literally "old foreigner"), sort of the "hey old boy" way of referring to foreigners, but apparently Westerners are starting to find this offensive as well. It's interesting to hear about their experiences when they're on the receiving end. Many Westerners who were unaware of racism in their hometowns are suddenly complaining about people making fun of their big eyes and (perceived) lack of intelligence.

Interestingly enough, in politically correct Germany you can still buy little chocolate snacks called "Negerkuss(Negro kiss)" or "Mohrkopf(Moor head)."

Originally Posted by Pravit

Some of those words have innocent backgrounds and some of them don't - I'm sure "abo" was originally thought up so people wouldn't have to say "aborigine" all the time.

You are right about that and I will tell you right now that word will not be dropped from my my vocabulary. Anyone who takes offence at that is not worth having as a friend.

That would be like me getting offended at being called an "Aussie". And that would be complete B.S.

Originally Posted by Pravit

The word is негр, and it can be translated as "Negro", which does not have any negative connotations in the US. The word "Neger" is also used in Germany without any negative connotations. These are not translations of the word "n*gger."

Pravit you are completely wrong about the usage of the word "Neger" in German. No one will use this word in public if he does not want to be strongly provocative.
I think the reactions provoked by using this word have changed in much the same way as when using the word "Nigger" in the US. 30 of 40 years ago "Neger" was a more or less neutral word for people of black skin. But nowadays it has a very strong derogative connotation.

Alas! Old Mr. Cothrun in my high school German class must not have known, then. Good that I haven't used it yet.