Black People - Coloured People !

[bond]

I live in the South, my mother lives in the North. I say we have black people here, and people from other ethnic origins, my mother says there are coloured people near her. I try to tell her that this is not the correct way to describe people from other origins or countries. I find myself feeling offended by it and I am white, but my mother is not listening to me. She is 69 years old. I just wondered if anybody knows anyone else who uses this word "coloured" and how they feel about it and how to deal with it and perhaps correct that person to be more polite. Or is it still just a word in certain parts of the UK. My mother is not racist per se, but she keeps using that word!

[Maydup]

I dont think its a regional difference, its just an outdated and now considered to be an offensive term that she is using.

[Mamyalynne]

She's set in her ways that's all, I wouldn't worry too much.

[Buenchico]

When I was teaching, back in the 1970s and 1980s, it was a serious disciplinary offence for any member of staff to use the word 'coloured' with reference to race, potentially leading to dismissal.

The use of that term by any pupil was also a matter that was regarded as being extremely serious, involving referrals to senior staff, probable disciplinary action and the possible involvement of parents. So your mother appears to be at least 40 years behind much of the rest of society!

I do sometimes have to stop myself using terms I picked up in my childhood though, such as the deeply offensive 'half-caste' for a person of mixed race. Like your mother, I'm (hopefully) not racist per se, but old habits do die hard!

[andy-hughes]

My M-I-L is eighty-seven and she still says 'coloured' - I agree it's just habit, and you are unlikely to break an old person of habits of a lifetime.

[ladyalex]

I'm not so sure about it not being a regional difference.
When I moved up to Scotland in the 1980s after a long time working in London I could not persuade my new workmates that 'coloured' was offensive. I cannot speak for nowadays, but back then they just would not listen and indeed told me with utter confidence that I was completely wrong, that 'black' was the offensive word.
There were then and are now significantly fewer black people in Scotland tha there were/are in London.

[Spicerack]

Black was considered rude when your ma was younger.
Check out the NAACP.

[JimF]

"that 'black' was the offensive word"

I can remember when that was the case! "People of colour" was the in-thing for a few years too.

[Hopkirk]

It's all very confusing.
I am considered to be white, but my skin is a sort of pinky beige colour. Certainly not white.

Nowadays people of colour are supposed to be called black, but few have skin anywhere near black.

We could do with some better words.

[albaqwerty]

When I was younger, people were coloured, calling them black was a no-no.
Now it's the other way round.

I once referred to someone as black, in privacy of home and both younger sons (in their twenties) corrected me.

Might it help to mention to your mum they are BAME if you think that'd help her not to be perceived as racist, which I'm sure she isn't.

[rowanwitch]

Maybe if we had a shade card, and everyone was assigned a pantone number at 18 that went on official documents...

[Spicerack]

'I was talking to a number 5, earlier'
Nah, don't like it although I'd be a No.1, rowan.

[Buenchico]

Lets just do what Pc Plod already does and all use IC codes ;-)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IC_codes

[rowanwitch]

I doubt it,

[Spicerack]

I already do, chris.
https://images.app.goo.gl/eatWLbF7rfxzDkVu7

[Tuvok]

I've never used that 2 words.

Growing up in the 70's and where I grew up we had another word.

[naomi24]

As has been said, it used to be unacceptable to say black people are ‘black’. 'Coloured' was consider polite. However in the USA there has existed for over one hundred years an association, that Spicerack referred to, called The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It hasn’t changed its name.

When we make a big deal of words we end up meeting ourselves coming back.

[Cloverjo]

‘person of colour’ seems to be the accepted terminology now.

[retrocop]

http://www.upl.co/uploads/When-Im-black-1587679738.jpg

[TheChair]

"When we make a big deal of words we end up meeting ourselves coming back."
Very nicely put, Naomi.

[Barsel]

I know a lot of 'older' people who still say coloured.When they do, I say, 'What colour were they,purple?' Doesn't sink in though, they still say it. When I was growing up, black people were called a lot of names that fortunately aren't used today.