nobody can find the Caucasus Mountains on a map. (I know it's kinda to the right of Turkey, but that's about it.) There's no bad correlation in our mind with that region. No lifestyle or images come to mind when we hear that term.

But if you mention the word "African"? For most Westerners, that brings forth the mental image of tribal life, mud huts with lions and giraffes in the background, and emaciated children covered in flies. (Even though this isn't how the majority live in Africa, it's still the cultural perception in the West.)



How do 'white' people in the US react to being called 'European', though? (Or European-American?) Do you think they would be accepting of that term? It's as historically accurate as 'African-American' is, and would be a better comparison than 'Caucasian', imo.