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?

You can't be that thick OP. You're young enough to know that it's an offensive term. What's your intent behind this post? It's not PC, as you put it. As other posters have observed, it's common decency to simply refer to someone by their name.

@oldmotherriley

The NAACP was founded In 1909, maybe they didn’t want to change their name as they are such a well known organisation

I've had this conversation before with a black colleague (clients are unlikely to memorise our names, but often use a descriptor about the person they last spoke to). She'd rather be 'the black girl', 'the skinny girl' or 'the lady with the badass shoes/hair'.

'Coloured' is not a thing in this millennium.

Just asking why the NAACP continue to refer to themselves as such (seems odd to me, but I don't live in the US) ? Why the hostility ?

@DontBeShelfish

You can't be that thick OP. You're young enough to know that it's an offensive term. What's your intent behind this post? It's not PC, as you put it. As other posters have observed, it's common decency to simply refer to someone by their name.

Don't be so offensive - it isn't always that obvious.

8 years ago I did diversity training as part of induction training for a new job (yes in 2012) and was told you said "people with disabilities". Now you say "disabled people".

Things change. And it is normal to use "person of color" in the US, so it's not that weird that people get confused.

Yes you usually use someone's name and if you don't know their name it's much better to refer to the colour of their dress or their bag or where they are sitting or whatever than the colour of their skin. But no need to be sanctimonious, it does get really tedious on here. Just say "yes it's offensive and this is why" and move on.

@oldmotherriley

Just asking why the NAACP continue to refer to themselves as such (seems odd to me, but I don't live in the US) ? Why the hostility ?

Because some MNers have to try to show how anti-racist they are, even though they show themselves to be intolerant in other ways.

Yes, of course it's offensive.
I personally have no issue with someone saying "she's the black lady in the green shirt"- clear and concise if someone is looking for a particular person. But "coloured" is outdated and reminded me of USA segregation-era notices - "White Only No Colored" etc.

Now there are probably older people who grew up thinking that was the polite term for a black person, but even that argument is getting old now. I grew up when using the former name of the scope society (and other diabolist slurs) as an insult was fine, but then there was a drive to change it because it wasn't fine anymore, and now hardly anybody (certainly not anyone I know) of my generation use it as insult.

I’ve always believed it was offensive because it’s defining the person by the fact that they’re not white. Referring to a specific race e.g “Susan, the small Chinese lady in accounts” is OK. For this reason I’m always baffled that “person of colour” is considered acceptable. I would never say it!

Yes it is offensive.
It really is a stupid description for a black person I'd be shocked and call it out if I heard it.

There was a cop on my shift who was black. He hated people being referred to as coloured. He got his point across very well, if ever there was a broadcast for a missing person/suspect and they were described as coloured you could guarantee hed come on and say 'Can you clarify what colour the person is, are they blue, red or what' Got the message across very nicely

@cologne4711 The offence was caused by the OP. It's not sanctimonious to call out stupidity in maters such as this. If the OP was of an older generation I could understand it better. They're not. But by all means defend the person using a racist term. It's a good look.

Anything that people take offense at is offensive, by definition. The black community take offense at the word coloured, so it is offensive. But not everybody knows that they find bit offensive, usually people who live in communities with few black people and who don't follow diversity politics ... that's a lot of people, including my mum (in her seventies, lives in north-east England) until quite recently. Once someone tells them, they usually get it and don't need to be told again. They're not racist, or ignorant, just unaware, and a bit behind the curve. Be kind, and have a word in their ear.

But if you have a prominent role in a national organisation, you should know these things, which is why the Chair of the FA had to resign last week for using the word coloured to describe black players.

@NeopreneMermaid

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.

I'm also surprised to see that 'homosexual' is now considered offensive. I have genuinely never heard that before and I do tend to use the term (as well as heterosexual). Surely it's just factual?

I'm also surprised to see that 'homosexual' is now considered offensive. I have genuinely never heard that before and I do tend to use the term (as well as heterosexual). Surely it's just factual?

I've never heard of it either, but language does change and evolve. Most offensive words weren't at some point. Most places now use "Gay and/or lesbian people" anyway.

What is and isn't offensive changes over time. It can be a challenge to get it right as things change. Using the person's name would be ideal; but if you do not know the name and someone is trying to describe to you who they are then the colour of their skin is relevant to the description.