To have gone right off Benedict Cumberbatch

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

I read today that Benedict Cumberbatch has had to apologise after using the phrase "coloured actors". Coloured? Seriously?

He did apologise and said that he knew it was wrong, but the fact that it was in his head in the first place is what's so troubling. I am older than him and have always known that "coloured" is an offensive term. Yes, I am aware that it wasn't considered so until the late 60s, but it hasn't been acceptable in his lifetime.

What was he not thinking?

Riding- our local shop was called "Paki Paul's", no-one said it to be mean, it was just what we called it, including the owner, I totally agree with you.

Told 3 people today that "coloured" isn't allowed to be said anymore, all were confused and had never heard "people of colour" before.

In the 80's growing up you weren't meant to say "black", you had to say "coloured"...

My 87 year old father still says Paki.

Fortunately he is housebound so can't offend anyone.

Wow - 19 pages of posts about the use of a single word - and almost nothing about the underlying issue.

I'm a middle-aged woman of colour (African father, white mother). When I was a girl in the sixties 'negro' was considered perfectly acceptable, and 'coloured' was the most polite. 'Black' was generally derogatory.

Then in the early seventies (a bit later than the US) we got 'black power' and reclaimed the word 'black', which became more widely used through the 80's.

But I don't know who decided the word 'coloured' was unacceptable - certainly not me or anybody I know (but that might be down to our African background).

The key point is about intent - 'coloured' has never been used as part of a racist insult (nobody ever called me a 'stinking coloured cunt'). Since forever, when someone used the word 'coloured' they were always trying to be polite.

So I don't mind being referred to as coloured, black or mixed race (or pretty much anything else as long as your intent is kind). And even though it is a clumsy Americanism, I love the term 'woman of colour'. But I'm not happy with the 'N' word or that other strange, modern word 'Schvartzer' (spelling?) which is definitely meant to be offensive and seems to have some very violent associations.

But I see this whole argument as being a perfect illustration of the bizarre hypocrisy of modern Britain - as long as polite folks make a big fuss about the wrong words being used, we can ignore the real descrimination which goes on silently in every walk of life every day. I suppose we should be grateful that our police do not routinely carry guns...

Raffles I TOTALLY agree with you.

Yeah, well, 'racist' is just a word too. And when I was young, it was used by everyone I knew to apply to people who used derogatory and offensive words about people's race and heritage.

Frankly, I can't be doing with all these complicated changes, and I'm sick and tired of pussyfooting around trying not to offend the racists. At the end of the day, if the racists want to get offended, they will find a word to get upset about. So frankly, I'm going to carry on calling anyone who isn't thoroughly embarrassed at the memory if calling a shop a 'paki shop' when they were too young and ignorant to know better a racist.

Just a word guys, get a grip!

peckham your points seem to me to depend on an assumption that people who have a problem with the term 'coloured' (which certainly does have connections with segregation) are not the people who also care about the other issues you mention. In fact, I would hazard a guess that the 'it's just a word and I used to call the lovely paki in my village paki Patel in the 80s when coloured was a good word' brigade are not necessarily the people who are most likely to be angry about young black men being shot dead in America all the bloody time.

If I have to refer to a person as black, which I do from time to time, I actually have to do a mental check that it's ok. I actually flinch as I say it . Growing up in the 70's/80's it was considered highly offensive as opposed to coloured. I know it's correct terminology, but I still expect people to be outraged when I say it.

I think people need to get a grip on this!

He was openly defending 'people of colour' or whatever PC term folk choose to use nowadays.....he's hardly the KKK.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with the word coloured. If someone called me coloured I wouldn't be in the least bit offended.

It's either a very slow news day, or this whole thing blown out of proportion by the media is just a distraction from the rest of the shit going on in the world. ISIS, Boko Harum anyone????

SteamingNit not trying to be rude but I don't understand your first sentence.

In the context I mentioned the simplest would be, I suppose, to focus on the lack of diversity in the workplace.

Which is fine unless one wants to consider one group in particular. For example the lack of female dancers of black African origin in classical ballet. (I've been at Covent Garden tonight)

There are many dancers of Asian ( meaning far east) ethnicity but black dancers are rare.

hopeless, peckham said this:
'- as long as polite folks make a big fuss about the wrong words being used, we can ignore the real descrimination which goes on silently in every walk of life every day.'
I'm saying the 'polite folks' who care about words are quite likely the same ones who are bothered about 'real discrimination', as opposed to causing a fuss which obscures it. Hope that makes sense.

I don't get how coloured is offensive.... the consensus these days seems to be that it strips people of their identity.... as if by defining someone by the term 'coloured' negates their background, culture, heritage etc. For example, people take offence to word coloured because effectively it is lumping blacks and Asians into a single defining category. IYSWIM.

Conversely, 'white' people don't seem to complain that by being defined as white they too are being lumped in with people of many races, nationalities, cultures. Or are all white people the same?

No I'm not trolling here.... this is genuinely how I feel. I don't understand the double standard that goes on in society in general.

And before I get flamed, I have a black (Carribean) mother and a white (English) father.

Cumberbatch is not a racist or fascist, nor should he be scapegaoted as being one. He didn't use whatever PC term is now 'in' with media luvvies.... so feckin' what. But he WAS sticking up for ethnic groups and how they are under represented in the media in the UK. Or did everyone choose to ignore his point and focus on a word he said which he didnt mean to cause offence by?

One minute we want freedom of speech (Paris attacks), the next we can't say owt in case we inadvertantly offend someone.... get a backbone peeps!

Jus' sayin'.

Thank you. Yes it does.

Boredom, you are spot on. It's ludicrous how one word can cause so much of an issue, and takes over completely from the context in which it was used.

Besides, he apologised. Frankly I don't think there was any need for him to do so. But he did and if anything that should have been the end of the matter.

I'm glad I am not in the public eye. You get bloody vilified for having the wrong hair colour nowadays.

Who cares, his intent was obviously not to cause offence. Its not like he used the N word.. There are plenty on here who are bitter, twisted and ready to be offended.

Peckham - although I see what you mean about "coloured" not forming part of most racist insults, the word did feature on the signs for segregated services in the US a lot ("no coloured", "coloured waiting room" etc) and feels very old fashioned and unacceptable to me for that reason. Though my point is perhaps undermined by the UK signs that would say "no Irish no Blacks" - though I suppose there what is offensive about the word is how it is pluralised into one group.

Thanks acat

P.S. If Americans prefer the term 'people of colour', does that mean they have done away with the phrase 'African-American?' or is the in use? I bloody hope so, it is so damn hard to find Africa-America on a map ;)

word*

"People of color" is a broader group than African American (which is still very much in use.)

You probably won't find Scottish America on a map either, but I am Scottish American. We are all hyphenated or double barreled Americans. By the way, one reason that many Native Americans actually prefer American Indian is because it is the only designation in which American comes first.

And if you prefer to be identified as Scottish-American thats up to you Scone. I believe black people in the US prefer the term African-American as a way of preserving their identity and that's their call to make.

No disrespect here but I'm gonna assume it was predominantly white, rich, media moguls with news to sell that took such 'offence' to BC's comment

I believe black people in the US prefer the term African-American as a way of preserving their identity and that's their call to make.

Of course. I don't think that I have said anything to suggest that I believe otherwise.

In the US, black came first during the Civil Rights Movement to replace "colored" and "negro." Up until then "colored" was the more polite and respectful term. African American came into to use later (in the late 70s and early 80s) to recognize ethnic heritage and culture as a parallel to what other ethnic groups in the US were called: Irish American, Italian American, Anglo-American, and Chinese American, for example.

I think for the most part, among black people and non-black people, black is the term that is most used informally and African American is used in more formal settings.

As someone who can't be described as "white" (Sorry - did I offend? Did I strip you of your identity?) or "Caucasian" (Yes, all those pale people are from the Caucasus), I think the world has gone PC-mad.

I never know what word to use. But the last thing I want to hear is if some leftist white person patronisingly tells me what I should find offensive. Oh... And this has happened. In my DH's very "white" extended family, there's this social worker woman who proceeded to tell me what words my friends and I should be using to describe ourselves (all types of ethnicities in my circle of friends). Apparently, we were using offensive words...

BoredomKilledTheCat Ditto. I share your opinion.

I am friends with Obama on Facebook! He often uses the phrase people of colour. I was a bit taken aback as I train people on correct terminology. It is a phrase commonly used in the US but not in the uk. I can see why it's in his head if he is living in both places. Was it really the crime of the century?

I'm sorry Slutbucket but your handle cracks me up!

Especially as you train people to use the correct terminology.

I'm genuinely giggling