to wonder why people still use this word.

[Creepycrawler]

Half caste

My children are mixed race and my son when to his friend's house for a sleepover last night.
I was chatting to the mum when she used this term about another boy who '' is half caste as well''. Luckily, my son was in the car and didn't hear.
I was recently in hospital and having a conversation with someone who also used the term and I excused myself to go outside and sat somewhere else.

... And it's not just here. Several years ago H' s (Nigerian) aunty visited from Africa and used the term. We were both very uncomfortable and H told her we don't use that word.

Do people really not understand that it's offensive?

There is still a lot of racism where we live now (South Wales) and we get a lot of it at school ( where I work). I don't think this woman made the comment intentionally but surely people know by now not to use it?

Or it didn’t happen and is another attempt to say that half caste can’t be racist because ‘language evolves and people can’t keep up’.

I don't use that phrase but I have heard it. I do think that many white people have not been told it's offensive. I'm glad you posted about it, because it is offensive.

Not OK at all, but presumably the people saying it don’t know that. You could maybe politely educate them, just pull a kind of 😬 cringe face and say “I don’t think that term was ever really OK, but it definitely isn’t now.” Don’t have to shame them, but they would hopefully appreciate being told the preferred term so they can use it if/when required in future.

The roots or history of a word in another language does not necessarily mean that the same connotations hang on to that word as time goes on, especially once it has been absorbed into another language. That's just not how language works, many words we use now in English had quite different senses or connotations at other times, sometimes even contradictory ones.

This!!

Has the meaning of the N word changed over time? So why do you think half-caste is used in a different sense?

Care to share your ethnic origins so we can see if you are ‘impure’?

The term “half-caste” had its origins in nineteenth century British colonial administrations

quoted from a paper by Aspinall

There are some mixed race people who prefer that usage. Why should those who have decided they don't prefer it get to decide what language everyone uses?

If you poll a reasonable sized group, or even sometimes a small group, or people of the same racial background, often you get quite a lot of differences of opinion on what designation they personally prefer, and the ones they dislike (as opposed to are neutral about.)

There is really no way for any speaker to accommodate the views of all of them every time they speak, or even know what their views are in most cases.

The constant language changes are largely a useless waste of brain power and also goodwill - people become quite cynical about it all. None of it does bugger all to advance any real issues.

I accidentally called a colleague/friend this once a few years ago. He was a little mortified but once he realised I genuinely didn’t know it was offensive he just explained to me, I apologised profoundly and I’ve not used it since. No major drama required, just brief education.

I’ve seen a few comments saying to use “dual heritage”, but I don’t feel comfortable using that term due to not knowing whether the person in question is of only two heritages (ie. dual: two). Pretty sure I would say “mixed heritage” …. that’s right, no?

Perfectly fine.

I always thought this poem by John Agard explains it well once you unpick it.

Excuse me
Standing on one leg
I'm half-caste

Explain yuself
Wha yu mean
When yu say half-caste
Yu mean when picasso
Mix red an green
Is a half-caste canvas?

Explain yuself
Wha u mean
When yu say half-caste
Yu mean when light an shadow
Mix in de sky
Is a half-caste weather??
Well in dat case
England weather
Nearly always half-caste
In fact some o dem cloud
Half-caste till dem overcast
So spiteful dem dont want de sun pass
Ah rass

Explain yuself
Wha yu mean
When yu say half-caste?
Yu mean tchaikovsky
Sit down at dah piano
An mix a black key
Wid a white key
Is a half-caste

Explain yuself
Wha yu mean
Ah listening to yu wid de keen
Half of mih ear
Ah looking at u wid de keen
Half of mih eye
And when I'm introduced to yu
I'm sure you'll understand
Why I offer yu half-a-hand
An when I sleep at night
I close half-a-eye
Consequently when I dream
I dream half-a-dream
An when moon begin to glow
I half-caste human being
Cast half-a-shadow
But yu come back tomorrow
Wid de whole of yu eye
An de whole of yu ear
And de whole of yu mind

An I will tell yu
De other half
Of my story

Absolutely!

I’ve never been offended if someone has called myself or family members a word that is now deemed as offensive if they aren’t trying to be offensive.

Obviously the N word is offensive but terms like half cast, mixed race, coloured etc are terms that people may not realise are offensive and they just need educating, not reprimanding.

It reminds me of the threads where posters claim to be offended because the bus driver called them ‘love’ or people being offended because they’ve called them the wrong gender.

Someone can be extremely racist and not even need to say racist words.
There is so much actual racism that we shouldn’t be offended over someone accidentally using an outdated word if the content was not racist.

.... But there are mixed race people telling you here themselves that it isn't offensive.
So you are telling the very people you are talking about they are wrong and must not use it because someone in a meeting told you so.

I don't know anyone who would be comfortable calling themselves half caste. Many use the term mixed race.

If coloured is not offensive, let’s call white people coloured and black and brown people can be the norm. After all, white is a colour too.

So are you coloured @showus?

I wonder how many of those courses assuming that mixed race people find it offensive were written by actual mixed race people ? 🤔
I wonder if any of those course creators even spoke to one mixed race person ?

You are being fucking offensive to tell mixed race people on this thread that they are being racist and uneducated by using mixed to describe themselves.

If you're comfortable calling yourself unpure or a lesser being than a white person, that's for you to decide.

Mixed heritage and mixed parentage is also fine by me.

BAME is offensive and not acceptable.

I found it pretty offensive the first I was told that that is how I'm supposed to refer to myself. At least it's now been recognised as offensive.

I actually feel dual heritage on is in the same vein as BAME and will die a quick death- it's inaccurate, and doesnt really describe what people mean when they tall about mixed race.

Would someone with irish and scottish parents describe themselves as mixed race, whereas they may describe themselves as dual heritage.

@WheelsUp I apologised to the OP for that, and if you care to read a few comments lower than what you quoted me on, you'll realise I wasn't saying that.

Where have I said that mixed race people on this thread are both racist, and uneducated?

Agree

• I wouldn't say half caste or mixed race.

I do think a lot of it is to do with people not privy to work based diversity courses.*

By educated I mean taking work based diversity courses. I assume you're in some public sector role where white people are teaching diversity without consulting people who would know ?

There have been countless people on here saying that they are mixed race. Why the fuck wouldn't you use that term to describe them too?

Yes I am ‘coloured’ although I wouldn’t use the term.

You obviously still use the term as you are unaware that it’s offensive therefore I am not going to call you out and call you racist and report you because I know your intentions were not racist.

@WheelsUp yes. I have been on work based diversity courses, I've been told that mixed race wasn't acceptable, and yes, you are right, it was covered by white people who had a white audience.

I apologised because I had no intention of causing offence to the OP or anyone on this thread. I'm now aware that mixed race is still acceptable.

Again, I apologise to you if I caused offence. It really wasn't my intention.

I am now confused as hell what is offensive and what isn't.