Facebook discussion on innate racism and terminology -- please join me on FaceBook

Terminology, words, vocabulary and innate racism -- Dana Tusaw and KMK - discussion - bringing up front again because it is impt. we be aware.

Kyi May Kaung shared Peace In Burma Now's photo.
8 hours ago ·

    Placard put on young man reads "I am a traitor - slave of kalar (foreigner/black person)"
    This disturbing image, unfortunately, supports and illustrates very well several points made in the editorial by Sai Latt that we shared earlier this week... http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/34006
    This disturbing image, unfortunately, supports and illustrates very well several points made in the editorial by Sai Latt that we shared earlier this week...
    http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/34006
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        Saw Michael likes this.
        Dana Tusaw Is the word "kalar" a derogatory term for Muslims? I think that's factually wrong. In all the uses of the word I've ever seen, it refers to people of Indian heritage. Do corrected if I am wrong.
        6 hours ago via mobile · Like
        Kyi May Kaung derogatory term for Indians -- means "Black" in Bengali - not Muslims specifically -- as far as I know, but junta uses "in broad sense" of foreigner or farang, as when they called ASSK "kalar mayarr" -- "foreigner's wife" --
        6 hours ago · Like
        Saw Michael Neo-Nazi in Burma !!
        5 hours ago · Like
        Dana Tusaw If "kalar" is a derogatory form, what is the regular Burmese word for Indians then? Or is it a case of a regular, non-derogatory word having picked up stigma over time? Then what should be the replacement name? The Burmese name for the country of India itself is "kalar-pyi"(Kalar country) and Anglos were referred to as "Kalar Pyu" or white kalars, which seems to make sense because in the eyes of the Burmese, Indians and Anglos look physically similar except for their skin color.
        3 hours ago via mobile · Unlike · 1
        Kyi May Kaung Kalar -- is "regular word" which everyone uses w/o really knowing it is derogatory, so often combined with "khway kalar" -- "dog kalar" -- correct term would be Eindiriya (Indian) Bama (not Mynamar) or Indo-Burmese - and we should use those terms ourselves to promote its correct usage. Correct term for India is not kalar pyee but Eindiriya (India) -- Correct terms are Burmese Muslims, Rohingya (subset of Burmese Muslims) -- "bengali muslim" is not correct as they have lived in Naaf River area for centuries. No Burma, nor Bengal existed then as all were city states.

Yes, the "regular/colloquial usage" inside Burma is corrupted by the junta's 50 year war on words, among other things. Khin Nyunt is supposed to have said, "in future if you wish to see a Karen, you will have to go to a museum" I get very angry when junta leaning "Burmese journalists" overseas say "bengali muslim" -- which is meant to imply they don't belong. Truth is Arakan is a very narrow coasctal strip and Burma is a very small country "the size of TX" -- but it is not big and square and full of flat land mostly like TX -- anyway, all this makde me angry so I am bringing this entire discussion up to the top again, and posting on my blog -- http://kyimaykaung.blogspot.com -- thanks for your comments, Dana. I remember all the wonderful international friends I met at your Mom's table -- Tamils, Ghanians, Indians, even one from the former "untouchable caste" -- all eating together and respecting each other. See also George Orwell's 1984, for Ministry of Peace wh means Min of War etc and the way the vocabulary is made smaller by an "official ministry" that puts words down the chute. kmk
       
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