Benedict Cumberbatch in race storm: 12 Years A Slave star says he was an 'idiot' for calling black p - Polidicks

I thought colored person / person of color was the politically correct way of saying black person.. I don't even know anymore, I was once called out for using the term "black person"

Coloured is considerer polite here too, too polity actually, so nobody actually says it. Meanwhile black is pretty offensive

[QUOTE=Jodern;47021199]Coloured is considerer polite here too, too polity actually, so nobody actually says it. Meanwhile black is pretty offensive[/QUOTE] Colored is considered outdated here and generally is never really used. Meanwhile black is pretty well accepted.

[QUOTE=TestECull;47020911]Honestly, what he should have done is gone on a tirade about the sorry state of society where we can't even use innocent adjectives to describe people in America. Using the word 'colored' to refer to non-white Americans is not offensive, he shouldn't have to apologize for saying it. It's not a slur. He didn't go around calling them niggers or cotton pickers or anything like that. Those are offensive terms that nobody should ever use to refer to black people. No. All he did was use an innocent adjective, one used by many rights groups fighting for equality of that very portion of society. If he's in the wrong for using that term then let's sue the living shit out of the NAACP! Sigh.[/QUOTE] Well nigger is just a mutation of the term negro, which is just Spanish for black, so there's no reason why that should be offensive. And why is cotton-picker offensive? it's not like there's anything inherently wrong or bad about picking cotton. It's almost as if language exists in a cultural context that gives words meaning beyond their strict definition and etymology.

Anybody who is having a marked reaction to this is being very silly. He used a term innocently, without intending to offend or even realizing it was considered offensive in certain circles. Those circles said, "hey, mind the terminology," and he apologized for it in a very legitimate sort of way. There is no great controversy here. For those who are arguing that this is political correctness gone mad (a phrase that I instantly associate with the societally out if touch), you have to understand that not everybody has the same perspectives as you. While I agree that "colored" is not [I]inherently[/I] offensive, is it really so hard to see how certain people may feel differently? The adjective arguably has some degree of negative social and historical connotations to it, after all. Also understand that social norms are not constant. What was offensive yesterday may not be today, and what is acceptable today may not be tomorrow. Long story short: the correct response to accidentally offending somebody with your choice of words is not to berate or mock that person or persons for being offended, but to just say, "[I]I'm sorry, I truly didn't mean to offend you.[/I]" Which is what Cumberbatch did. Pointless controversy averted.

[QUOTE=joshuadim;47020875]Jesus Christ people cry over small words. It's a fucking term used to describe non-white people in a non-racist way. Deal with it.[/QUOTE] It implies white is somehow the norm for humans while in reality black/other types are more common. Can you see why it's a problematic term?

I'm confused, people use the term POC now (person/people of color) isnt it the same thing

If any of our Facepunch members would become we would directly be charged with racism.. or you know, run guys over in our sport cars :eng101:

You could call me uncolored and I wouldn't care but then I feel bland :(

[QUOTE=Glitchman;47021385]You could call me uncolored and I wouldn't care but then I feel bland :([/QUOTE] The proper term is "melanin diminished individual", thanks.

[QUOTE=Siemz;47021355]If any of our Facepunch members would become we would directly be charged with racism.. or you know, run guys over in our sport cars :eng101:[/QUOTE] What?

Guy at my work hates being referred to as African American, because he's not African. He tells people that he'd rather be referred to as black, because he is black.

Coloured/poc to me sounds like another term for "blacked up", so that's why I personally wouldn't want to be called either of those, and also the fact they're divisive

Lynch him, obvious racist must be stopped now.

[QUOTE=Hat-Wearing Man;47021403]What?[/QUOTE] a guy on facepunch ran someone over when illegal racing while he was a major or something I remember (could've been another position) /Moral of the story: never ever give a facepunch user a high position

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;47021322]Anybody who is having a marked reaction to this is being very silly. He used a term innocently, without intending to offend or even realizing it was considered offensive in certain circles. Those circles said, "hey, mind the terminology," and he apologized for it in a very legitimate sort of way. There is no great controversy here. For those who are arguing that this is political correctness gone mad (a phrase that I instantly associate with the societally out if touch), you have to understand that not everybody has the same perspectives as you. While I agree that "colored" is not [I]inherently[/I] offensive, is it really so hard to see how certain people may feel differently? The adjective arguably has some degree of negative social and historical connotations to it, after all. Also understand that social norms are not constant. What was offensive yesterday may not be today, and what is acceptable today may not be tomorrow. Long story short: the correct response to accidentally offending somebody with your choice of words is not to berate or mock that person or persons for being offended, but to just say, "[I]I'm sorry, I truly didn't mean to offend you.[/I]" Which is what Cumberbatch did. Pointless controversy averted.[/QUOTE] Here's an only tangentially related issue but: I have no problem with people finding "colored" offensive, some words just develop bad connotations, but if it is offensive can we please throw out "people of color" as the politically correct term? They are the same. It is silly.

I wonder what the NAACP has to say about the use of the word colored in reference to blacks. You know, the National Association for the Advancement of [I]Colored People[/I].

[QUOTE=Gordon Frohm;47021529]I wonder what the NAACP has to say about the use of the word colored in reference to blacks. You know, the National Association for the Advancement of [I]Colored People[/I].[/QUOTE] Because it was founded in 1909 when "colored" was just about the nicest thing you could call a black person. [url]http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/4142989/[/url] [url]http://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-NAACP-still-use-Colored-People-in-the-organizations-name-Like-Negro-that-term-appears-to-be-outdated-Some-even-find-it-offensive[/url] First and third google result.

i didn't realize colored was offensive. It's an old term but i see and hear it frequently.

[QUOTE=demoguy08;47021334]It implies white is somehow the norm for humans while in reality black/other types are more common. Can you see why it's a problematic term?[/QUOTE] Not really. Why would using a term to designate people who don't have a certain physical trait imply people with such traits are the norm? By that logic referring to white people as white implies that white people are not the norm as well. If there's a reason for 'coloured' to be considered offensive that's certainly not the one.

oh come on whats the difference between saying "people of color" and "colored people".

I seriously think it's weird that whites are called white, because they aren't. Blacks are not literally black. I cannot fathom the shitty mental process people must have gone through to call people any of those.

honestly, i really was not aware that "colored" was offensive, i've always thought it was the more polite alternative like it is in portuguese

I vote we refer to different people through food nicknames. Whites are (really) a light Peach Blacks are Chocolate

[QUOTE=Zukriuchen;47021711]honestly, i really was not aware that "colored" was offensive, i've always thought it was the more polite alternative like it is in portuguese[/QUOTE] I don't think a lot of people necessarily see it as offensive so much as just outdated in current English lexicon. [editline]27th January 2015[/editline] Even Cumberpatch seems to acknowledge this.

[QUOTE=ghghop;47021706]I seriously think it's weird that whites are called white, because they aren't.[/QUOTE] Speak for yourself.

[QUOTE=ghghop;47021706]I seriously think it's weird that whites are called white, because they aren't. Blacks are not literally black. I cannot fathom the shitty mental process people must have gone through to call people any of those.[/QUOTE] I don't think it stems from a shitty mental process as much as from a habit of characterising through hyperbole.

[QUOTE=DoritoBandit;47021701]oh come on whats the difference between saying "people of color" and "colored people".[/QUOTE] One's more passive, which means more emotional/mental padding for your sensitive mind-butt.

Why can't we just call them chocolate people? Everybody likes chocolate.

[QUOTE=Impact1986;47021889]Why can't we just call them chocolate people? Everybody likes chocolate.[/QUOTE] Because it's hilarious and the world can't handle any more comedy [sp]justajokeplsnoban[/sp]