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Re: In case anyone had forgotton...
Philip Deitiker (pdeitik@bcm.tmc.edu)
Mon, 12 Aug 1996 00:11:09 GMT
brunner@mandrake.think.com (Eric Brunner) wrote:
>The answer is an unequivocal "yes", and the question was whether or not a
>pseudo-scientific "racial" construct (amerind, negroid, mongoloid, ...)
>is offensive. One need not even necessarily be non-caucasiod to arrive at
>this conclusion.
while the construct is a little awkward it has some scientific
functionality. For example, in other areas of science temporary names
are given to groupings until more insightful designations can be
given. In as much amerind falls into this catagory and is not meant to
dimishes amerinds, but as a means of breifly 'tagging' a tentative
grouping of precolumbian 'americans'. I suppose if you been reading
the popular scientific literature you might have gather that there is
much debate over how many major native american groups exist by
language or by genetic studies and the current answers leave alot of
uncertainty, and I think as long as the term amerind is not used in
offensive matter it should be used until the other issues resolve
themselves. I know that for certain groups such as eskimo/inuit and
some other north american tribes being group in with the body of other
native americans may not be fair considering the most probable
relationships of endemic peoples in the asia and the americas, but
from a scientific point of view I think the 'method' is to allow
longstanging designations remain until more appropriate designations
firmly found themselves. Many (including myself) could argue this has
not occured yet.
Philip
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