Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that it is possible to learn outside of an academic institution.
And so I present to you my request: teach me.

Why is "eskimo" such a horrid word? It's the only term I was ever taught to describe people who live in the Arctic tundra of North America. No-one ever complained, until this evening, that it is offensive.

Is there a more appropriate term? (I assume from your "if you don't know, I can't be bothered to tell you" rant that there is) If so, then what is it?
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sat 10 Apr 2010, 0:45, 1 reply)

Apparently you are supposed to say Inuit now
The word Eskimo is only considered offensive in some areas. No-one has ever explained to me why it's so offensive. I have never heard it used in a derogatory way. The Inuit Circumpolar Council, uses both "Inuit" and "Eskimo" in its official documents.
( Peej, Sat 10 Apr 2010, 0:59, closed)

I wonder if it's similar to "negro".
When I was growing up, "negro" was an accepted term for a black person. There was no malice intended by it, and it wasn't used in a derogatory fashion; it was simply common parlance at the time.

Of course now, in these oh-so-enlightened times in which we live, we realise that "negro" is no longer quite so palatable. It occurs to me to wonder if "eskimo" might be the same: we use it unthinkingly, accepting it as a perfectly inoffensive term for a group of people, without realising that the people in question might have an entirely different meaning for it.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Sat 10 Apr 2010, 1:08, closed)

From what I heard...
Eskimos and Inuits are two similar but different groups of people. It all depends on the area from where they come from, however I'm sure the all-knowing sphere that is QI was not wrong on this.
(General_Manchego, Sat 10 Apr 2010, 1:18, closed)

Speaking from relatively close to the frozen tundra, the reason ``Eskimo'' is considered offensive is that it means ``eaters of raw meat.'' It comes from the language of the Dene, another native tribe in Canada's far north. It was used by them as a perjorative description of their rivals/remote neighbours. When white folks showed up and asked what the Inuit (which means ``the people,'' in the inuit language) were called, the Dene replied ``Eskimo.''
As far as who finds it offensive, most Inuit I've met will patiently explain the history to people who use the word Eskimo. And most people, if reasonable, will understand why it's offensive. Once in a while, you can get someone radical (usually some morally superior twat who's taken a first-year Political Science course in Native Studies, like perhaps the original poster) who will deliver a stern lecture and really get their nose out of joint.
(tuqueboy has been in a medically -induced coma since, Sat 10 Apr 2010, 1:56, closed)