POC ZINE PROJECT — i dont mean to sound like an idiot (except I probably will) but I wanted to ask about the word ‘Woc’, because to me i hate that word so much because it sounds like the same word but with a g instead of a c (which obviously is a horrible word), how come it becomes a popular word on tumblr? I do understand it in a way now, but the first time I heard it i thought someone was being really racist! is that a common mistake or not?

i dont mean to sound like an idiot (except I probably will) but I wanted to ask about the word 'Woc', because to me i hate that word so much because it sounds like the same word but with a g instead of a c (which obviously is a horrible word), how come it becomes a popular word on tumblr? I do understand it in a way now, but the first time I heard it i thought someone was being really racist! is that a common mistake or not? — Asked by Anonymous

Hi Anon,

WOC is an acronym for Woman of Color/Women of Color and that is how it is usually used on Tumblr (in most cases).

There’s nothing offensive or racist about this acronym, unless someone uses it with the intention of it being read as racist.

Until now, we have never heard of anyone having an issue with the acronym WOC being used on Tumblr. Its popularity is tied to the high volume of Tumblrs discussing race.

So from our perspective, it’s not a common mistake to think that WOC is a racist term, but maybe in other circles it is?

Here are all the other things that WOC stands for:

http://www.acronymfinder.com/WOC.html

We hope this helps you.

For those who are wondering which WOG anon is talking about (racist term not typically used in the U.S.):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wog