'That's offensive' - how far is too far?

[Graeham]

So Benedict Cumberbatch is now involved in a controversy over his use of the term 'coloured' to describe...a person of colour. It doesn't seem like his intent was to be racist and plenty of people growing up in England have been told to use this term in place of certain other terms. It feels like a storm in a teacup yet instead of taking a step back a lot of people seem to be intent on bashing the guy at every turn.

It's all rather troubling and a sad reflection of today's society. A lot of people seem far too quick to whip out the pitchforks and torches in an attempt to publicly humiliate someone for slipping up when the reality is they themselves are likely far from perfect. It's also very hypocritical - there's plenty of unfortunate terms out there that don't result in this sort of uproar but when the 'racist' card can be played all hell seems to break loose.

So, thoughts?

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...elevision.html

[Jester Joe]

Sounds like a whole lotta hoopla to me.

Seriously, it seems way too easy nowadays for a few people to start something out of nothing, and then the mob comes.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a couple of people doing it about anything they can find.

[Eroginous]

'Colored' is not outdated or racist. It fits perfectly with the rest of the words we use for black people - including 'black.' Benedict Cumberbatch shouldn't feel bad at all.

[Cthulhu 2020]

The way language evolves, terms are used to be PC while avoiding trying to use offensive terms. But after several years or decades of that term being used via tongue in cheek insults, it becomes a new slur itself. It's the evolution of language.

[Needonboots]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHMoDt3nSHs

[speakpkhq]

dissertation deleted. because of social media/the internet, thoughts have been suppressed. my only suggestion to the OP is to be as PC as possible in the workplace environment as possible, and you will be okay.
OK. oll korrect.

[Tokru]

In my eyes colored is way more polite than black. What else could he have said? African American somehow doesn't work when he talks about British actors. Never heard of African British. So what possibilities remain? Colored, Black, N***, dark-skinned? Colored seems the best way to go...

[Juliana]

From their website "The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination." NAACP

[Sierra85]

benedict can do no wrong.

saying coloured is a colloquialism in england / uk. is it really offensive?

[Jester Joe]

From their website "The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination." NAACP

I can almost hear Homer say "D'oh!"

[Slicer299]

African American is not a valid term. White people are not referred to as Irish or Polish American. But at the same time some Black people get offended at being called Black. Its a lose lose situation and the race baiters will always find something to take issue with. And as someone else pointed out, if saying "colored" is offensive or racist, then the NAACP needs to take a long hard look at the name of their organization.

[Hooked]

I would vote for him.

[Manataurus]

African American is not a valid term. White people are not referred to as Irish or Polish American. But at the same time some Black people get offended at being called Black. Its a lose lose situation and the race baiters will always find something to take issue with. And as someone else pointed out, if saying "colored" is offensive or racist, then the NAACP needs to take a long hard look at the name of their organization.

They might if it was a black only organization, but since it isn't, wellll......

[cuafpr]

African American is not a valid term. White people are not referred to as Irish or Polish American. But at the same time some Black people get offended at being called Black. Its a lose lose situation and the race baiters will always find something to take issue with. And as someone else pointed out, if saying "colored" is offensive or racist, then the NAACP needs to take a long hard look at the name of their organization.

couldn't have said it better... so damned annoying... when my folks were in school in the 60's during integration they were told by the schools to use the term negro then colored... now its african-american, which isn't right cause no other race is really referred to that way all the time. maybe we should just force the big three, negroid, Caucasian, and mongoloid... (if i recall them correctly) anything else is raciest

[Fablewynd]

Sums it up.

[Cybran]

A lot of tumblrinas from the slash scene will be devastated.

[Slicer299]

They might if it was a black only organization, but since it isn't, wellll......

So its OK to refer to black people as "colored" if they are being referred to as a group that is strictly non-white but not if you are just specifically referring to a black person??? Your logic is just as faulty as the people complaining about his original comments. Either its OK to refer to a black person as "colored" or its not. I know the left LOVES their double standards, but the rest of the educated world doesn't tolerate them. If the NAACP can use the word "colored", then so can every other human being on the planet.

Its the same nonsense with people saying "illegal immigrant" is offensive. Well, that's exactly what they are, people who illegally immigrated into the country. Whether by crossing the border illegally or refusing to leave after their temporary visa expired.

If we can't call them illegals, then we need to stop referring to all criminal citizens as things like "felon" or "convict". The term they try to force on people "undocumented" is nothing more then conditioning. They want to trick people into thinking that no laws were broken and act as if they just forgot their ID or something at the border.

[zorkuus]

White people are the most coloured. We are all the colors of the rainbow.

[Lord Havik]

"If you're not offended at least twice daily; you are not living in a free society." ~Thomas Jefferson.

White people are the most coloured. We are all the colors of the rainbow.

Fuck yeah!

When we're sad, we're blue.
When we're happy, we're pink.
When we're mad, we're red with anger.
When we're scared, we're yellow.
When we're envious, we're green.
And if you hit one of us hard enough, we turn black and purple. (Like a powdered jelly doughnut haha)

[Vanyali]

imagesnip

Sums it up.

That quote is almost as tiresome as Franklin's at this point. Two quotes you can pick out of a thread a mile away.


OT:

First, people from America having a fit? Sit down. Other countries use other terms. Some of our terms mean different things to them as well. Anyone who gets offended by cross-ocean terms needs to sit and think about language for a little bit

Second, I suppose he could have used "person of color", but really? really? he's trying to highlight an issue and people... make it a different issue because of a poor wording that has more to do with sharing a language but not the same words sometimes than most else :\