It's not offensive at all. A typical conversation at work; 'Do you know Larry in billing?'. 'No, what's he look like?'. 'Heavy set black guy about 40'. I have had conversations similar to this thousands of times with people of different races. You should not be uncomfortable describing people in this manner unless you yourself would be offended if someone described you that way.
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Name : Bill23070, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 50, City : Durham, State : NC Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, It depends...In your example I would agree that it's an easier way to identify the person. And, to be honest, that's what I would do if I were to point out someone white in a crowd of black people. Nothing racist, just logical to me. But the reason why it's an issue is because white people will usually point out someones race when their race is irrelevant to the subject (or whatever the case may be). For example: referring to a friend as your 'black friend' instead of just as your 'friend'. Or saying 'there's a black woman waiting to speak to you' instead of saying 'there's a woman waiting to speak to you'. It's as if we can't just be a regular person, we have to be further catagorized when it's not necessary.
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Name : Brenda19425, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, City : Phoenix, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, There are two ways to look at this question. There is a definite distinction between when a person is telling a story and when a person is identifying someone. For example in a story if a person says, 'this black guy...' or 'this Hispanic woman' it shows his or her own, probably subconscious, racial bias. For example, when a white person is telling a story about another white person they do not often say, 'this white guy' because they automatically assume the person is white. This however would be true for any other race. So in that way one could find describing someone by his or her race offensive. However using it as a characteristic to describe someone because the purpose is to identify is totally justifiable. In order to end racism (so issues like this don't even come into play) we could embrace all races, not ignore them like a big pink elephant in the middle of the room.
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Name : Sarah, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 17, City : Wilmette, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : student, Social class : Upper middle class, I have taught in Atlanta for over 30 years. The vast majority of my colleagues are black. They often describe other people of color in terms of skin tone, e. g. 'that light skin guy', 'she's darker than me', etc. It's just a description ... not a judgement!
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Name : William Dyson, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 62, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : Teacher, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, from where i stand, the problem is that you identified the race as 'black.' the race is what country they are from, not their color. this presents problems if you don't know what country they are from, of course, but if 'the black guy' is considered offensive there is a preferred way of saying this. for example, in the states, african-american is the preferred phrasology. unless of course the person was not born in the u.s., in which case we are back to saying where they are from. the reason we do this is because 'the black guy' is offended, probably due to others using this phraseology as a put-down or having racist implications. basically it's that he's not a color he is a person, from a country, and skin color tells you so little about who he is. look at it this way: if a friend told you she was hurt when you called her a certain name or described her as, say, the girl with wide hips, would you continue to use the same terms? it's a matter of respect and deference for other's feelings. though p.c. talk can get to be too much, i agree, it is rooted in the desire to not offend or hurt those we are talking about, which in this way is a good and noble thing.
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Name : holly, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : barcelona, State : NA Country : Spain, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, I usually don't get offended. Normally, I am 'you know, the black girl' :-)
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Name : Tia G., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 32, City : St. Louis, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : Technical, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, If saying 'the back guy' is the easiest and most obvious option, that's fine. I am Black and don't ahve a problem with it. It there was only one White woman and one White man in the crowd, I think that it's perfectly acceptbale to say, 'the White Woman' or 'the White Man'.
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Name : Lynn, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Methodist, Age : 43, City : Little Rock, State : AR Country : United States, Occupation : Manager, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, When it is convenient I do point out people by race. Just do it non-chalantly, none but the hyper-sensitive should mind, and in my experience they are most often white folks.
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Name : Vail, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, NOOOO! At least it shouldn't be offensive. It's time to get beyond this petty racism crap and move on to bigger better things. The fact is, we have different races, but that doesn't mean we're not all human. And don't give me that 'It's easier said than done' crap, because it is just as easily done as it is said. All we have to do is want to move on, I did it and so can the rest of the world. Everyone should (that's right SHOULD) just wake up and realize that even with our differences, we're still humans, and together we can accomplish anything.
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Name : David25925, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, From a white male with children perspective I do find it offensive in that I want my children to notice something other than race when pointing out a person. Nothing makes me cringe more than my father pointing out someone to my children by color. It is easier to notice skin color, true and I had used it often, as an adult. But if we teach our children to look deeper, even if it is a color of clothing, hopefully they will grow to look at all people deeper than there skin color and as human first. Well I have to try, right?
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Name : Mr. J, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 32, City : SW, State : CT Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Seriously. Your 'worrying' is completely unjustified. The single black person in the all white crowd shouldn't be offended if he or she overhears someone refering to them as a black person, or THE black person. I see nothing wrong with it. As long as you are not insulting that person's race, they have no reason to become upset. Unless they are ashamed of being black for some reason. When someone of a different race refers to me as a 'white guy' I am not insulted because I have no reason to be. I am a white guy. I'm not ashamed of that fact either. Why should it be any different for a black guy? White people seem to be overly cautious of inadvertly insulting a minority. Probably because of the fear of being labelled racist. I can't speak for black people, but I have had black friends (back when I lived in california) and they were never insulted when I would point someone out as being black. In fact, one of my black freinds teased me for trying to physically describe someone who was black, without mentioning their race. After he figured out who I was talking about he said 'Oooh, the black guy? Why didnt you say so?' Am I wrong? If it IS insulting to black people please, will some black person reading this let me know why being called black would insult you. Stop worrying Dom! And keep it real!
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Name : Dave Goodwin, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Humanist, Age : 19, City : Hayden, State : ID Country : United States, Occupation : Warehouse worker, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Lower class, For some reason, I have found that many Blacks seem offended by being identified as 'Black'. This leaves us with options of, 'That tall skinny person' or 'that person with the hoop earrings' or perhaps, 'the person in the red dress and shoes.' All of which take way too much time to say. Why can't the term, 'The Black woman over there.' be used? Why is this racist? I think its a sensitivity issue. Sort of a chip on my shoulder kind of thing. I do not find it to be insulting, demeaning or otherwise a negative thing. If I were pointing to a row of new cars the only way of identifying the one I like is by its appearance, hence color. Why is it impolite to do likewise with a human being? I've pointed out a person by their tan, by their hair color or some other identifying feature, why can't I use the term Black or African American where appropriate? If there was only one white person in a group, I'd certainly identify them as being 'the White person.' I think it's much ado about nothing if you ask me.
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Name : Robert Boevingloh, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 60, City : St. Louis, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : retired, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Hi Dom. Please understand that most blacks expect people to identify them by thier most obvious feature. If there where a fat guy in a crowd of skinny people, a women in a crowd of men. A black person in a crowd of white. I feel that people should just say the most distinguishable thing about them. You aren't racist for asking this question. Those that say you are, need to stop being so sensitive
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Name : AVEN, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : Alsip, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Because,to the person that finds it offensive its only because of lack of understanding or knowledge of one's race.
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Name : Tay, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 20, City : Phiadelphia, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : College Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I don't necessarily feel that it is offensive to use someone's race as an identifier, but you could just as easily say, the guy with the dreds, or the guy with the green pants and brown shoes. So where you live, that is frowned upon and there's a reason for that. People do not like being defined by their race as if that is all they are. You are first a person. So if you feel the need to point me out on the street, the choice is up to you. You can say, 'that black lady', or you can say 'that tall slender lady with the brown hair and green eyes, the one standing at the entrance of the store there'. Great question.
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Name : Nakena, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 28, City : Charlotte, State : NC Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 
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