To not know if describing a person as coloured is politically incorrect.

[WhenSheWasBadSheWasHorrid]

Was talking to a friend today and I mentioned I had met one of his colleagues (but I wasn't sure who). He said. Oh was she a coloured lady?

I said yes and we each knew who it was I had met. I was a bit taken aback as you don't really hear the word coloured used anymore. But it was probably the best way to describe her (kind of Mediterranean / Indian).

Was I being too politically correct for being at the way he described her?

Coloured is still a very common term in South Africa and is still used to 'categorise' people. hate the term, I have to use it in my work frequently and I cringe every time I say it.

Whether coloured is accurate or not, when I was growing up it was the 'pc' word to use, and black was considered to be offensive.

Times have changed - and although I'm getting on (!!!!), I've changed with them. My 85 year old mother hasn't, and is quite concerned when I refer to someone being black.

DS was born with a cleft. Some people still talk about hare lip. It's not the pc term to use, but neither DS nor I can get upset about it, when people are certainly not intending to be offensive. There's more going on in both of our lives to think about.......

Whenever I hear someone use this term I shudder inwardly. It's horrible and I'm afraid I always make a judgment about the person saying it, I can't help it.

But is a black person offended by the term coloured?

No, Im not racist. To be racist I would have to assume (a) I am superior and (b) discriminate purely on the grounds of colour/ethnicity/nationality. I don't assume Im superior and I treat all as equal.

You can't tell people what they're allowed to be offended about though.

She wasn't black. If she had have been he would have "Oh the black lady"

I think he only said coloured because it would be hard to define her race just by looking at her.

Why do you think that only a black person would be offended by racism trois?

Your definition of racism is not correct - casual racism happens all the time and we are all capeable of it sadly.

Its not the right word to use but im sure between friends it was fine it wasnt as if they were saying of the coloured lady in front of a crowd of black/brown/purple people , No offence was meant imo and sometimes the colour of somebodies skin is the quickest way to see who you are talking about , Its just like saying oh the woman witht he ginger hair ,

Oh crap. I say "coloured" if I have to describe the colour of someone's skin as anything other than white Caucasian. I am in my late twenties but was always taught that it was rude at best, & racist at worst, to use the actual colour e.g. black etc. I certainly don't mean any offence by it, I've just always accepted it as a term & figured it was a sort of "hedging your bets" sort of thing to say. Thankyou for letting me know it's not the done thing!

So is it preferable now to say the actual colour? But how do you describe people like the OP mentioned? Someone that isn't black but you don't know their nationality/origins? I'm aware I sound incredibly ignorant, but certainly don't intend to be racist - to me this whole issue is a minefield & I'd really like to avoid offending anyone!

I'm white and very offended by racism.

The term 'coloured' is not used specifically to refer to black people though, trois- therein lies part of it's inaccuracy and offensiveness.

I can't give you data on 'whether a black person is offended by the term coloured', but I can tell you of at least 20 black people who would. Does that help? What if I find 30? 40? How many do you need?

I am staggered that anyone would imply that being offended by the term 'coloured' was an artificial construct by white people- you're not saying that, are you?

C0smos I have no idea what kind of work you do here in South Africa but we dont "categorise" people! Thankfully, nobody I know of personally or in business has to "categorise" anyone! It is not even legal to ask what race anyone is on a job application form.

Edam, in an SA context 'cape coloured' refers to a particular and specific ethnic/cultural group. They have a distinct identity, and the term is used totally differently to how it was here. It would be considered factually incorrect if used for a black or Indian person, I think.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Coloureds

The term 'coloured' does set my teeth on edge rather, but then its not up to me to decide.

But aside from this particular group of people, yes 'coloured' is not the one to use these days. I agree that acceptable terms change all the time, but is it beyond us all to learn new things? If in 30 years time, black people say they want to be called coloured again, I hope I'll have the manners to honour the request. Its not a big thing to do, really, is it? I don't know why people get so arsey about doing something which, when it comes down to it, simply amounts to being nice to people instead of rude.

No, it's not. I hate that term.

'Its not the right word to use but im sure between friends it was fine'

This is the reason why people are unaware about casual racism. Using offensive terms is never fine, no matter whose company you're in.

I met a black woman who detested the word coloured, given that pretty much every black person I know uses the word black that's what I'll go with.

The word coloured is dated, offensive and ignorant. It's not appropriate just because you don't know what (non white) ethnic mix a person is. It is ok to just be descriptive- the woman with dark skin would have been 100% better than coloured, even the Asian looking woman, just not coloured.

Would the man in question have used the same term if the OP wasn't white (which we have assumed she is, BTW)?

Sometimes I think we skirt round the issue of skin colour too much. It's as if people are afraid to mention it, but surely when describing someone it would be ridiculous to act as though you hadn't noticed. It would be like not noticing someone was tall, or had blond hair.
I have previously worked in places where I have been in the ethnic minority and have been referred to as the 'white lady.' I could say it lumped my ethnic background into one as I could have been white British, white Irish, eastern European heritage etc. But I wasn't any more bothered than if I'd been called the brown haired lady. It's just describing someone imo and I personally think if it has been said in that context it is not racist.

Flangelina the correct term for that particular group of people would be Cape Malay.

The one I dont "get " is dual heritage - well that could be two entirely different ethnic back grounds of the same colour (eg traditional Scots and Irish) but it's actually meant as a descriptive term to replace "mixed race"

I can't actually think of a nicer, politer term for mixed race, but if I described someone as dual heritage, no one would be wondering if I meant their mother was a Scot and their father Irish - they would however assume 2nd generation (eg) West Indian with a white mother/father.

The whole descriptive thing is a minefield.

There is a whole subconcious process that is used to register people as you first see meet them... first is gender, second is skin colour, third is age, fourth is weight ... then things like height, hair colour, eye colour factor in ....

sigh ok the OP is a casual racist im sure she will use the right termanology next time , Im not sure what she is supposed to say , the lady with the dark skin the fat woman , the short woman , what was she supposed to say ? If you dont know somebodies name and trying to pinpoint who they are I usually say of the person looks like X YZ , I am usually the person with a limp TBH if thats how people ID me then thats ok , I dont accuse people of being disabilist how can you say what people are offended by ,

'There is a whole subconcious process that is used to register people as you first see meet them... first is gender, second is skin colour, third is age, fourth is weight ... then things like height, hair colour, eye colour factor in ....'

Where do you get this from?

Oh, I love it. So much intermarriage/inter-relationships in this globalised world that everyone is getting their knick-knacks in a twist about what to call such people....

Barack Obama is considered black, but he has a white mother... (negating her input then).

I find the term "coloured" offensive but then the term "half caste" even more so.
So 1950's. I always want to say "which half do you mean?" I know it stems from the Empire days in India...

I myself have a child by my ex-husband from Africa, friends and acquantances have children from all kinds of backgrounds - Africa, Asia, Middle-Eastern.

I just go with the term multicultural... multiculti kids

The OP is not a racist - the term was used by someone she was talking to.

Is it, tiptoptoe? I'll have to remember that, I've heard people call themselves cape coloured recently too though. Some have been what I'd have considered black, but I understand that calling them black would be seen as not respecting their separate culture and heritage.