Consider, if you are old enough, the multitude of terms that have been used to refer to that portion of the American population that is commonly called ‘Black’.

In no particular order, there is negro, colored, African-American, black, people of color, and I’m sure some that do not come to mind at the moment.

And those are simply the ‘polite’ terms.

Like Indian. There was red man, Indian, AmerIndian, etc. I think that the polite term in Canada is something else, but I don’t remember what.

All attempts to reinforce the concept of ‘other’.

As opposed to simply people.