"Black"

It's a way to describe somebody, it's a simple way to describe a person, yet it calls to mind the whole host of easy stereotypes which comes with that way to describe somebody. It brings to mind our idea that the people who aren't like "us" are different, evil, one dimensional, we say somebody's "black" because we lack the means to see that people are not one dimensional, "black" does not adiquatly describe somebody, in fact, it only makes the person you are speaking to call to mind their own stereotypes, which have become "common knowledge" as though an entire race can be described in one word. Yes, they are all black, but that's not what they are. That does not describe their individual needs/feelings/desires. It only describes the physical, yet in today's society we seem to think that one word can describe an entire race, because we all have some idea of what that race "should" be like.

Truthfully, if you ask me, the only difference between dark skinned people is that they can wear bright colors like white and hot pink while I look like a ghost in white and the acne on my face really pops when I wear pinks or reds. Black, is a color, not a skin tone though, truthfully, nobody is black, they are just dark skinned. Black is such a simple word though, and any race is more complex than just one color. Even as we see the label "white" for Europeans.