Inform me, pls

[highlyeccentric]

Americans and persons better informed than I:

What is the "war on drugs", exactly?
Why am I seeing the occasional reference to the "war on drugs" in RaceFail posts, usually with the implication that said "war on drugs" is a specific and negative policy against the black community? Is there a particular race angle to its application, or is it something which negatively impacts low socio-economic groups, including a high percentage of the black community?

~

Next:

Is 'people of colour' really the PC term?
Is it PC anywhere outside of the States? Because it sounds racist to me, and my gut says it wouldn't go down well in Australia if you reffered to anyone as a person of colour.
Who IS considered a 'person of colour' in the States? Is an Italian-American considered a 'person of colour'? An immigrant from the Middle East? The Hispanic community?

Comments

[ahsavka.livejournal.com]

I know, it makes no sense.

We need a descriptive term for "light skinned" that's short. Light skinned basically works, except that it's relative. "White" and "black" are loaded. But what are you, if you're of significantly mixed heritage? I'm a French/Irish/Italian/Austrian/Hungarian/Romanian-American. Yowza. I think (not completely sure) you can still call me a European American, but what about my cousins, who are Irish/French/Mexican-Americans? And African-American doesn't tell us enough, because African's huge and diverse all on its own.

This topic is too big for me, I think.