Date:  Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:08:39 -0600
From:  "Emerson, Jessie J" <jjemerso[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]INGR.COM>
Subject: "race" (was PC Dictionaries?the N word? racism? race?)

I believe the word race used in this context derives from Middle French
or Italian and means something like "generation" (please correct me on
this). And if I can remember anything from my anthropology courses, I
think that in the early or mid 19th century (before anthropology became
a science) that this term was used in conjunction with the division of
the world's population into Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid. Of
course, the Caucasians made up the divisions, so they got to be number
one.

Jessie


>From Ditra Henry

> The origin of all the derogatories that we all are so familiar with of
> course then stems back to the word race itself. Was this word just
> a convenient development to set up slavery in this country? or did it
> have
> other meanings before this? I doubt it. However just the emotions
> that
> have been aroused from this discussion is proof that racism is not a
> thing
> fo the past and that it is still thriving as a meaningful and integral
> part of this country.
>
>
>