racist

[stylinsam]

iv just posted a question in film and tv and i used the term coloured to describe the girl from eastenders who works in the video shop so there was no confusion on who i was talking about. and i got a post saying i cant beleive you just used the word coloured. i have coloured cousins so iam definetly not racist what are peoples views on this.

[Tha-Flash]

Coloured is quite an old word. Doesn't seem/sound racist to me. It just doesn't seem like a very descriptive word.

You have to remember, you aren't responsible for others' feelings.

If something is intended to be offensive then you'll know about it. -- words are words and if you're offended by them then you're giving the person who offended you power as they are controlling your feelings.

[Dollie]

Absolutely ridiculous - I'm middle aged and for years we used the word coloured but now we have to say black - I wouldn't care a jot that I'm known as white, and wouldn't care if I was described as pink or beige (and I guess most other white people would agree) My workmate is black and I know she wouldn't care either. And so the age-old debate goes on and on - my dad's eastern european and we call him 'olive skinned' - so where the hell does it all end. Stylinsam - don't give a hoot you've done nothing wrong.

[kazminx]

ive noticed that racism tends to be one sided....but i wont even go there. i worked for a long time in a call centre and the racism against 'white' people was extremely one sided and also the fact that we were scottish....i was frequently called a white scottish illiterate c*nt...am i bovvered!!!??

[Belle Fast]

Well, I think it is really important to try and describe people the way they want you to. It's hard to imagine when your culture is in the majority how it feels for the minorities. I got a taste of it when someone who thought I was Scottish cracked an Irish joke. I felt so unwelcome in England after that, though I knew not everyone would view me like that, or think the joke was acceptable.

[raysparx]

Do you know styli, thinking about it,YOU are probably one of the last people on here I would of thought of as rascist in any way shape or form,and it shows that by you even asking the question, take care, Rayxx

[Rubyrose]

Now a days there is no right way to say anything. My mate is black and I take the p!ss out of him all the time. I don't care what people think coz Im not racist one little bit. My mate is black.. its a fact not an insult.

[QueenOfSheba]

Surely everyone in the whole wide world is a "colour"?!

I am a colour as is everyone else on the planet, whatever the colour may be.

My best-est friend is black and would describe herself as such just as she would describe another black person as black and me as white when we are both clearly not, as white is the colour of paper, I am not, I'm more of a kind of pink! and black is the colour of coal, she is not, more a kind of brown, its just the easiest way of describing someone

Her affectionate name for her (also black) husband is Blackie, for goodness sake. I think that "they"* want us to refer to a particular ethnic group in a certain way when even that group isn't offended by a particular term "they"* want us to not use as they try so hard to be p.c.

*=This loony government we currently have...

We work together and have in the past been accused of being racist (preferential to customers of our own respective colours and of different colour) We're most certainly not not racist, we just hate all of the moany clients, ha ha!

So to finally answer the original post! I am not offended by the word coloured, but then again I wouldn't use it as I would just describe someone by their actual colour, be it black, white, pink, green or purple etc!

Sorry for going on, just think its political correctness gone mad...

Now I really must go to bed! Night night, see you all tomorrow!

[waltadasilva]

Why should I be referred to as White, I am more of a creamy pink!

Whatever the term used, someone will take offence to it. Black, Brown, Coloured...whose write.

What is write for one is wrong for another.

An Asian, well that covers everyone from Turkey to Russia, Saudia, Tailand, China, Japan....

Raciasm is a none starter anyway as we are all one race. What should be examed more closely is prejudices against certain people.

I can quite easily say that I find some black people, some white people, some people from the middle east and Australia as not very nice. I find some peoples culture difficult to accept or understand the positives elements ther claim to have.

My own responsibility is to ensure that I use the words `some people from...` when I am discussing the issue.

For every bad black, asian or white man/woman their is many good ones to appreciate.

[Curitiba]

I think it is wrong. Well, I am white, isn't that a colour? So I am coloured too!

The vast majority of population in Brazil is black and yet they prefer to be called negros. If you call them black they take offence. It seem that the term 'dark skinned' is quite acceptable.

[ronnie3]

A brown man says to a white man "How can you call me 'coloured'.

I was brown when i was born, i'm brown when i'm ill, i'll be brown when i die, i'll be brown all my life.You, my friend, were pink when you were born, your green when you are sick, you turn blue if you stop breathing, red when you are embarressed and then grey when you die"

the white man shook the brown mans hand and said "how wright you are"

[ronnie3]

* right

[NeverendingR]

As a black person I find the term coloured offensive. Because it suggests that everybody who is of darker skin is a colour and if you are white you are something different. Thus segregating yourself. Is it so hard to say "Shes black, hes White, Shes Indian, Hes Chinese" I dont think it is. Coloured was a term used for segregation and of course the only people who see that nothing is wrong with it would be those who are not called it. Easier to be PC then cause offense I say. And there is nothing wrong with being called Mixed Race because its factual. Thats pure and simole what it is. The mixing of two races. Coloured is far from that.

[kepla]

How can calling somebody either black or white be anything other than offensive - because it is actually inaccurate. I'm NOT white ! Most of the time I'm a sort of pink colour, but I go a more reddish shade if I'm embaressed or too hot. If I stay out in the sun I go pale brown and if I hold my breath for too long start to turn blue ! Therefore all sorts of colours ! I've never known of anybody who was actually black. A fairly dark shade of brown, yes, but not actually black. Anyway, the term black actually refers to two different races. Negro, who originated in Africa, and black-caucasian, who originated in the Indian sub-continent. They are physically very different and yet both called black ? ? ? Makes no sense to me. Then we have this weird term 'Asian' when the continent of Asia acually contains several large sub-continents and is home to two races - black caucasian and mongol. So 'Asian' cannot be a racist term as it does not refer to a particular race. Please don't get me started on that word which originated as a friendly short-form refering to people whose origins were in the area of Nigeria. As an English word it was not originally meant to be offensive - just familiar and friendly. Like with many things, the Americans decide to put a 'slant' on it -in this case because of their shame over slavery. So am American might use it as an insult but if I use it the intention is friendly. I am NOT American and refuse to accept any changes they attempt to make to our language.