Re: Hypothetical Un-PC Questions....

[John Renish <John -dot- Renish -at- CONNER -dot- COM>]

For the first question, there is no simple answer, if you insist on being
PC. The chief of a New York tribe recently insisted vehemently that the
college at whose commencement he spoke identify him as an Indian. He pointed
out, rightly, that anybody born here is a native American. A close friend of
mine, Walking-to-You of the Yurok people, always refers to himself and
others like him as Indian. His wife, a Cherokee, uses both terms
interchangeably. The highway billboards advertise "Indian Casinos," and the
government still has a Bureau of Indian Affairs. I prefer "aboriginal
American" as accurate and unambiguous, but probably about two people in the
whole country agree with me. My preference would provide unworkable terms
for the database as well.

Having said all this, I offer terms that will not offend, will be accurate,
but will *not* be strictly PC because they don't have the right code words.
Why not name the field "tribe", "tribal_identification", or
"tribe_identification" and the description as "tribal identification" or
"tribe identification," depending on how the system uses the data? Surely
nobody using this system would expect "tribe" to identify, say, an Arab
tribe.

The second is easier. Road signs commonly say "People Working" or "Road
Work" nowadays. A gentle "May I suggest 'people/equipment' as more
acceptable to all our customers?" should work nicely.

For the second

John -dot- Renish -at- conner -dot- com
My statements are my own and do not represent Conner Peripherals, Inc.
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