Am I unPC?

[Shimmy21]

What's Ok now then? For work I've been asked to write up what are the OK terms for various ethnicities etc. I've read that the term 'mixed race' is not used any more because of negative connotations. This is news to me. Blimey, I must have been making negative connotations about my own kids for a while now then. So. what should I be saying instead? How do you guys talk about yourselves, your children if the subject crops up???

hey y'all,

Its quite interesting this whole mixed race / dual heritage or what have you topic! Its generally used to describe a person that is not typically black or white (if there is a typical) so where do you draw the line? The whole god damned human race is mixed or dual heritage Whether you can trace it or not!

Someone has posted in that they consider their children to be dual heritage and both parents are white, each to their own and good for them I dont know about anyone else but mixed race to me growing up in Inner city London is not someone that from the outside 'looks' black or white. I'm just wondering what we 'really' need the term for anyway? we may aswell have white - mixed/dual whatever, then black - mixed / dual whatever then mixed meaning two different colours? I dunno. beats me, can you ever define the human race? Personally I am a black female but I have long curly 'mixed' textured hair and I am very fair skinned with caucasian and black features people always assume I am mixed. But in many ways thats my argument, I look mixed and clearly am somewhere along the line, but I havent the inclination to trace where. But on forms I tick black british. Do we need to pigeon hole ourselves with such detail?

I also think that there will always be a new PC term for the same old thing! Half-caste was fantastic at the time, alot of my closest mates are mixed and many moons ago had no trouble refering to themselves or other mixed people as half-caste! Now I'd happily agree it does sound offensive, but I dont see much of a difference between mixed race and dual heritage, besides dual in my mind indicates 'two' when some mixed race people have more than two different backgrounds.

tam x

ah the joys of being black in a pc world lol.

Nice post Tamula,

Maybe it's just us middle-class-guardian- reading-mung-bean-eating-hair-shirt-wearing-honkeys desperate not to offend anyone having so much guilt to carry on our shoulders for the actions of our great grandfathers! (A bit like Harrry Enfield's German tourist - do you remember him?!)

(I love 'honkey', but I bet I'm not supposed to use it... let me know )

what about dual heritage though? I wish people would stop calling my kids mixed race! What does that mean. I am African and my DH is British. What is this 'mixed race'? The last time i looked we are all part of the human race. The kids and ourselves have a mixed heritage but why mixed race? It says to me that my husband and i are from different races and so our kids are a mixture. When are humans going to stop referring to someone with a different skin or culture as a different race. i.e. 'black' race and 'white' race .www.mumsnet.com/te/11.gif

I also dislike the term 'mixed race' for exactly the reasons you mentioned. That there is only one human race and we're all part of that but it often doesn't bother me depending on who says it how they intend it. If someone uses a term that I dislike then I'll think of who they are and how old they are.

Elderly white ladies have referred to my son as 'mixed race' but when they say it with a smile as they're reaching in their handbags to find a chocolate bar for him 'oh he's just adorable! Is he mixed race? Aren't you just too cute! Let me see if I've got something nice in here for you...'

I just think they don't mean anything bad by it and it's not like they're going to make the terminology popular by using it for the next 40 years so I just let it go.

With younger people I sometimes say (with a smile) that I prefer to say 'dual heritage' but I think the bottom line is that it depends on the person who uses the terminology and what, if anything they mean by it.

I always tick the 'other' box.

I have no issues with mixed race and will refer to myself and DS as such, but to me mixed = more than one.

I am half Chinese, half English thank you very much. DSs dad is English yet DS will also claim to be half and half as I make sure he knows he has Chinese blood and encourage my dad to teach him Cantonese and about Chinese traditions.

In fact, my grandad is Scottish, so I used to refer to myself as a dolly mixture when I was young!

Interestingly, many of my black friends use the term mixed race themselves and have no problem with it. I can't exactly put my finger on why I dislike the term myself but I think it's to do with my son being labelled as not completely this or not completely that - which is irrational I know since there isn't a person on the planet who is entirely composed of discrete DNA.

I do like the term dolly mixture though! Sounds so cute! I love that you're making an effort to educate your ds about his Chinese side. I think he'll appreciate that when he's older and be glad that you did.

When my dp and I were first together I rarely corrected his English because I thought it was cute and endearing the way he said certain things 'sock's' for socks and stuff like that but now that ds is talking I have to correct him so that ds won't learn incorrect English. I was bullied terribly at school for my 'posh accent' and yet our family are working class.

The only reason I had such a posh 'accent' is that I was raised abroad and had no choice but to speak the 'Queen's English' because I didn't have any exposure to any regional accent. I'd like ds to speak properly but I don't want him to get bullied at school like I did. We're trying to teach our son Hindi but ironically it seems to be only me that is prepared to put the effort in as although dp is good about teaching him about Hindu culture he seems a bit lazy about teaching him Hindi. We watch a lot of Bollywood movies though and it gives me an incentive to study harder myself so that I can raise him to speak Hindi. I'd hate for him to go to India for the first time and for his Paternal grandparents to feel that we neglected that side of his heritage.

I think that it's definitely a personal thing which term you want to use, as long as it's not offensive. I have no problem with the term mixed race and had no idea that big brother had now deemed it offensive. I am a firm believer in being in-offensive and fair, but there comes a point when i think we can try a little bit TOO hard and i start to zzzzzzzzzz Also I'm not too keen on those in authority instructing me what i should and should not feel offended by. As a P.S., I'm not keen on the term dual-heritage - i think if i used it, i would feel like i was coming across as too desperate not to offend and i personally would feel uncomfortable using it. hey ho though, each to their own. but let's try and be down-to-earth please!

The term 'dual heritage' really makes me want to puke.

Seriously..say it out loud.

Its nonsense anyway it only describes a person with a 1/2 & 1/2 background, some people are a mix of more than 2 races.

I dont think i have EVER heard anyone use that term other than on forums like this or in adverts for adoption.

To be honest I don't really refer to my children ans anything like that. If it does come to the question I say they are half Turkish (my husband prefers to call them half Kurdish).

On ethnic group forms I always tick white British for them, my husband would tick white other as he is very proud of his Kurdish heritage.

I don't see any problem with mixed race either though.

I just don't really think about it too much though.

I think mixed race will soon become an outdated term, just like the general use of the word 'race'. I prefer the terms 'dual-heritage' for my daughter as it emcompasses culture, religion, language, nationality, not just the colour of her skin. Just as 'ethnicity' is replacing 'race' for the same reasons.

And when it comes to terming your own children, its nothing to do with being PC, its a personal thing.

This is an interesting thread.

Out of interest how would you describe the child of someone whose parents are from the same country/background/heritage but have different skin colour?

Then dual heritage wouldn't work. I can see the argument against mixed race - whoever said there is only one human race was right. But what would you use as an alternative?

I am expecting my first a d contemplating this concept.

I agree with stranded in many ways. Me and DH born in the same hospital, speak English as our first language (with a London twang maybe) and identify as English. I am English a way back (thanks to my dad's genealogy obsession I am sure). DH is 1/4 Irish, 1/4 German, 1/2 Indian.

This bean will be a pleasant jumble, but honestly it's parents are English. One is just a little darker and the other is a little paler.

Having said that, I want bean to know about all it's grandparents' heritages and feel proud that it is a citizen of the world with ties to lots of rich cultures.

Not sure what box I'll tick, or if I'll abstain.

My brothers kids are half Anglo, quarter Latin, quarter West Indian.

I say they have mixed heritage.

I describe my DD as mixed race (half English half Indian).

I tend to say we are a "mixed bunch" mainly because I hate the word "race" used in any context. It seems so dated and to me implies "difference", like the races are different breeds of humans, which they are not. Humans have the very least genetic differences than any other species in existence.

However I also don't like "dual" because we are not just two things. In america they also say Bi-racial, which I also dont like because of the implication of only being two things.

"heritage" confuses me too because are you referring to skin colour or national identity.
I have two passports and my "heritage" is from six different european and american countries, but I appear white. My husband is black and has three passports, but his "heritage" is from two African countries.

My children have three passports, uneasily identified skin colour and so far are being raised in London...what will they consider themselves? British? even though their parents are not? I think they will just say they are "mixed"--meaning they have many identities and speak more than one language and are a part of more than one type of family culture and heritage.

OP - I think all terms are every cchanging.

I have no black heritage but am anglo asian. I would refer myself to mixed race. But I do believe that this term is now referred to people of people who are of african/european blood.

I think part of the problem arises from who other people thing you look like. I know anglo asian people who look anything to blonde to kids who like they have no european blood whatsoever.

I stick to anglo asian as it suits me. I loathe people who in this day and age like to make comments on people's backgrounds.

gROWING up I had 'you don't look english - where are you from'. I explain my parentage and the answer is 'you don't look indian'. Well holy shit - why should I I'm mixed so don't look either englishh or indian. Look like me.

I dispair at modern culture that takes a range of ethnicities and decides how kids should look like.

You look like how you look like - nothing like your upbringing.

Last time I used mixed race was to describe my daughters at a sporting event to the spectator mummy sat next to me. It made sense at the time because their skin colour was the clearest identifying characteristic.

However it is one of only a handful of times I have used it other than on a form. And I agree, I don't like the race aspect of it. I can't use bi-racial or dual heritage, as my daughters are a mix of 3 races and 6 heritages, so thank you for introducing me to the idea of mixed heritage as a label... I have not heard it before. Ha! tri-racial! What about that!

have to add my FFS/OMG reaction

'where are you from, no where are you really from?'

[mad pulling out hair emoticon]

I've always referred to my children as mixed race, don't see anything wrong with it to be honest. Surely it's more PC than saying dual heritage, as how do you know there is not more!