Talk:BME

The Black and Minority/Ethnic definition seems to have expanded into an article-length bit of content. It should be moved to the page it links to; there doesn't currently appear to be a specific page for it, so I'm not sure where it should go, but clearly the disambiguation page isn't the right place. earwicker (talk) 08:16, 16 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

The reasoning given for the ordering of the BME abbreviation appears to be entirely speculative - perhaps it should be removed. Ewx (talk) 16:07, 16 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Agree - here's the text, in case anyone can usefully remove the speculation, original research, unsourced facts and still find something to put in an article somewhere earwicker (talk) 07:33, 26 September 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Black and ethnic minority persons or groups, the preferred umbrella term in official circles, used as an alternative to the terms "Black, Brown and Yellow", "Coloured" or "non-White" which might be considered politically incorrect (see Political correctness), racist or otherwise unsuitable.
The term is similar to the term "visible minority" as used (amidst some controversy) in Canada, and excludes 'invisible' groups such as White Poles and non-Orthodox Jews, who cannot immediately be seen as belonging to a distinct group because of their appearance.
N.B:
(i) Terminological problems arise with use of the word 'minority' if - owing to immigration or population growth - a minority group becomes a majority, locally or nationally, and
(ii) The term is abbreviated to BME not BEM, perhaps to avoid association with inappropriate terms such as Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, Bug-eyed monster or Borneo Evangelical Mission, and to conform with the equivalent term "BME" in other languages that normally place an adjective after the noun to which it refers
(iii) Many apparently harmless words have been used in an unpleasant or unsuitable way at some time in the past, especially with regard to race or ethnicity. Those who belong to a frequently-vilified group will naturally become sensitised to attempts at further vilification, while those not belonging to such a group, and not sharing its experiences, may see people from this group as 'over-sensitive'.
The term "Black and ethnic minority" with its abbreviation "BME" might seem unsatisfactory, but anyone seeking a better term would need great sensitivity and skill, plus considerable time for research