Is referring to someone as ‘coloured’ offensive?

[Autumnflakes]

I am a white person (in my twenties) that grew up in an area of diversity.

I’ve recently got myself a new seasonal job to pay the bills until my industry (hopefully!) starts back up.

I’ve heard supervisors referring to other colleagues as ‘the coloured lady’... ‘she’s coloured’ when I’ve been unsure who I’m working with next.

I know these people wouldn’t say it if they thought they were causing harm and it’s probably because I’ve not heard people use ‘coloured’ for quite a while —unless it’s an old person whispering—. I’d personally use another feature to describe someone before their skin colour but that’s just me.

What is the PC way to say it? Person of colour/coloured/Black/lady with corn rows/the lady who wears pink converses?

How about referring to their name?

Yes it’s offensive.

They should just use the person’s name.

It's acceptable if they've just done that 5km run where you get pelted with paintballs so they look like they've run through a rainbow. It's also acceptable if you work in the 1950s.

Er, call the person by their name?

Uhh as a black person there is no problem with calling a black persons black. ‘Coloured’ is from the 1950’s.

Yes it’s offensive. I’m not sure why it’s necessary to say someone’s colour in a work setting? Isn’t ‘xxx in x dept’ sufficient? If I was describing someone for a specific reason, I would say white, black, Asian etc, but not in a work setting.

Yes coloured is considered very offensive.

Of course it is!

I was born on 1960 and brought up to say coloured because it was polite. And then in the mid 70s it stopped being so. Unbelievable the term is being used in the 21st Century.

Goodness, is it the 70s? I just find this ignorant but I can't get too worked up as I suspect they're trying to be nice about saying 'the one that isn't white' . I'm not white (also older) and would instantly correct someone who said this but I understand it's harder for a younger person who's new in role. I suggest saying something like 'do you mean x with the blue eyes shadow and yellow top'.

DD was born with the help of a very wonderful midwife from Senegal. She was professional, kind, empathic and her colour was 100% irrelevant. Her name was Hawa. When I wrote and thanked the hospital I just used her name.

How many time’s a week does this question pop up surely in your 20s you would know it’s offensive? I live in London and I’m half black every black person I’ve ever known has called themselves... black, isn’t “a person of colour” American? I don’t know anyone in the U.K. who is black that calls themselves that.

So....

Assuming you don't know anyone's name and you wanted to identify a white woman in a group of black women as being the person you were talking about, would you say "it's the white woman who owns that dog", or would you find some other way to single her out?

How would you similarly identify a non-white woman in a group of white women?

Yes it is offensive. Just use people’s names.

I think if you're trying to describe someone it's ok to use features which distinguish them in that setting, like "Susan, the black lady with the nose ring" or "John, the American, the tall guy". But not coloured, no.

I think op means to describe the person if you don't know them by name? Such as the girl with blonde hair, the man with the ginger beard, the tall lady with dark skin, the short man with a limp , describing people is OK, but there are better ways to say it than to say coloured. Coloured doesn't even mean anything unless they're Mr Tumble.

Yes, of course it is. Did you not see the news story from last week about the chair of the football association resigning?

I think it's offensive for sure, my parents still use this term even though I've told them about 20 times go just say black. I think they think they are being inoffensive by saying coloured.

The term is offensive and archaic chiefly because it was the language use in racial segregation laws in the US.

Similarly, the term "homosexual" is offensive because it was used in discriminatory law.

HTH.

Hang on. Homosexual is now offensive? When did that happen?

Yes I find it offensive.

@MondeoFan

I think it's offensive for sure, my parents still use this term even though I've told them about 20 times go just say black. I think they think they are being inoffensive by saying coloured.

Same. My mum was brought up in an environment where you didn't say "black" because it was too close to "negro".

In the US the largest, most influential, longest-standing black rights organisation is the NAACP ( (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). Is then, the word colored (US spelling) acceptable in the US (but not in the UK) ? Anybody ?

Jesus christ.