[Politics] Amber Rudd used the word “coloured”

[Ernest]

Jeremy Hunt's Foreign Office accused of colonial racism in a job advert
Amber Rudd's 'coloured woman'
Not forgetting the Funny Tinge mob

And people say Labour have a racism problem

 

[Wardy's twin]

This incident just proves how bad things have become , no focus on the real issue just people making politic points on Amber Rudd's mistake. Yes she should not have used that word and asa politician she should be more savvy not to have made that mistake but it really is pathetic that she is being hounded and nothing done about the real issue. Note I don't like Amber Rudd.

 

[Bold Seagull]

This incident just proves how bad things have become , no focus on the real issue just people making politic points on Amber Rudd's mistake. Yes she should not have used that word and asa politician she should be more savvy not to have made that mistake but it really is pathetic that she is being hounded and nothing done about the real issue. Note I don't like Amber Rudd.

Sorry, who is hounding her? She said it on the BBC, they've reported it, it's not made any front page, or main page news outlet sites I use any road. Rudd apologised herself, can't see any calls for her to resign, or anything like that. I'm struggling to see where the hounding is?

 

[Grassman]

To confuse matters even more in the USA there is NAACP. The national association for the advancement of colored (US spelling) people. Semantics? Or in Diane Abbott’s case: Anti-Semantics!

 

[JC Footy Genius]

Jeremy Hunt's Foreign Office accused of colonial racism in a job advert
Amber Rudd's 'coloured woman'
Not forgetting the Funny Tinge mob

And people say Labour have a racism problem

More people every day ....

Equalities and Human Rights Commission announces it believes Labour might have broken the law by unlawfully discriminating against Jewish people - so ‘considering using statutory enforcement powers’ - party now has chance to respond - v serious indeed

— Laura Kuenssberg (@bbclaurak) March 7, 2019

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

I'm sure when I was younger we were told not to use the word 'black' but to use 'coloured' instead

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Rudd says coloured, Abbott shouts racist. How f*cking depressing all of this is!

Abbott had an opportunity to acknowledge that although Rudd may be many things, she is simply using antiquated language in a naive way, and is not being racist. However, that would have required a bit of perspective, and a realisation that it would have been far more hurtful to Rudd to be gently patronised than be absurdly accused of racism. But that would have required Abbott not being a polical flat track bully, a lazy self-indulgent hypocrital intellectual and cultural pygmy.

 

[carlzeiss]

I am sure Miss Rudd will be more careful in the future when referencing diversity .

 

[blue-shifted]

I've no love for Rudd or the Tories, and narrow distinctions between words do matter and we should be careful with them ..... but Rudd for me is completely off the hook. There was clearly no intention to offend or whip up fervent far right groups. She made a mistake which I think is fairly easy to make. It's actually not that easy to reference ethnicity in a sentence.... I mean you can say the correct terms, "people of African origin", "people of colour" "BAME" etc, but none of them really fit neatly into a sentence. Certainly not if you're trying to make (in this case an anti-racist) point in a short interview.

She should have constructed a longer sentence to convey her point. No doubt she will in the future.

Dianne Abbott, showed why she rubs people up the wrong way by clearly implying that Amber Rudd is a racist. I think very few would have heard it like that. Abbott could have won a lot more respect by coming out and saying she didn't think there was any intent (given that the point being made was actually to defend her).

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Personally, I think the way forward is to talk about it rationally and sensibly.

How simple would it be if we lived in a world where we could befriend or work with someone who was different to us (in colour, sexuality, disability or any other difference) and then just ask that individual 'hey - this is something which may or may not come up, but... if I ever need to reference you - what would you rather I said?'

Cue a very simple and honest conversation about how they feel, what they've experienced, how they think things could or should change - and wallop, barriers dropped and we all get on with things.

That's how it was for me growing up in a multicultural town, and I'd recommend it to anyone. We're all so shit scared of offending people, or being offended, or (the worst) looking to be offended it makes it all a total ball-ache.

 

[C-Complex]

The term’ coloured’ was used as a derogatory racist term in the US. It was also used in South Africa to describe racial groups who weren’t Black or White, therefore it is seen as derogatory to use it against any person of colour today. If you’re a White person and can’t understand why this is seen as offensive by non-White people, perhaps, just don’t use that term.
Unless, of course you want to offend.

I Didn't know that! But I wasn't a racist before and i'm not now...

 

[maltaseagull]

"women of colour" or "coloured women" what`s the difference ?

Pretty much sums up modern society.

Pathetic. What was she supposed to say?

 

[beorhthelm]

The term’ coloured’ was used as a derogatory racist term in the US. It was also used in South Africa to describe racial groups who weren’t Black or White, therefore it is seen as derogatory to use it against any person of colour today. If you’re a White person and can’t understand why this is seen as offensive by non-White people, perhaps, just don’t use that term.
Unless, of course you want to offend.

we're not the US or SA. when someone uses a term other countries find offensive, maybe rather than throwing brickbats at them, have a quiet word to note the term has fallen out of polite use.

 

[Albion Prem]

one is acceptable, one isnt apparently. ive heard black people say "coloured". dont even start on the whole mix race/hertiage issue, and who's blacker than who. i think its time we stopped such stupidity.

Could not agree more,years ago there were just white,half caste and black,half caste[mixed parents] went out of fashion and replaced by coffee coloured, no idea now whether black or coloured is correct

 

[maltaseagull]

Abbott had an opportunity to acknowledge that although Rudd may be many things, she is simply using antiquated language in a naive way, and is not being racist. However, that would have required a bit of perspective, and a realisation that it would have been far more hurtful to Rudd to be gently patronised than be absurdly accused of racism. But that would have required Abbott not being a polical flat track bully, a lazy self-indulgent hypocrital intellectual and cultural pygmy.

Sadly, for a lot of people on here Abbott is correct.

Just out of interest, what should Rudd have said to differentiate between ethnic backgrounds?

 

[Super Steve Earle]

Not something I find myself feeling particularly anxious about, because I can function in life without needing to call everyone who isn't white, coloured, a person of colour, a funny tinge or anything else. We are all people of colour.

I'd go to football with my grandad who is now 97 and still going to games regularly, and he'd sit counting during the warm up, 1,2,3,4,5...I'd ask 'what are you counting?', '6 coloured lads in the starting line up today'. Didn't matter they were black, mixed race, asian, or whatever else, just that there were 6 non whites in the team. Completely racist mindset beyond any equivocal doubt. Harmless, and without any hate I might add, but you can bet your life when he was hiring for his business, he would have discriminated. I pulled him up on it once or twice, and he said 'what am I meant to call them then?' and at that point, I knew what he was and there was no changing him, as much as I tried to explain what he was saying actually meant.

You can't rewrite history. People who weren't racist in the 60's and 70's used to count the players who weren't white because it was less common. That wasn't a racist mindset, it was a talking point and of interest at the time. They may have been racist, but not just because they counted the black players in a team. I'm sure 'coloured people' used to be acceptable whereas 'black' was not, so I completely understand the occasional slip as by Amber Rudd.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Could not agree more,years ago there were just white,half caste and black,half caste[mixed parents] went out of fashion and replaced by coffee coloured, no idea now whether black or coloured is correct

I think "coffee coloured" would offend me! The modern term (I think) is 'mixed race' - which I think is a fair and honest description and can be said with no malice? That's unless 'race' is now a stereotype and some berk can somehow manage to take offence...

Black is factually wrong, as is white (unless you're a geisha, permanently in full make up). Brown and Pink sounds wrong, though.. Who knows what 'right' is - unless you ask. I'd be perfectly happy for an African to call me 'the white chap' if I was in a crowd of black people. Wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[wellquickwoody]

A huge one, it seems. Absolute bollocks...

Here's a whole new level of bollocks though : Colourism

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-47468011

Wankers!

 

[sully]

My point, not very succinctly put, is that if anybody objects to a term used to describe them, be it racist, size, hair colour, sexuality, or disability, then, whatever anybody else thinks, those terms are derogatory.
It doesn’t matter if you or me disagree with the definition of what is abusive or not, unless we are the ones being abused.

So if we all decide that we’ve had enough of being called white, all those using the term will have stop doing it and call us Caucasians instead.

Where does that end?

Why can we not use black and white to differentiate between two people who may otherwise be the same age, height and build?

I’m totally fed up with everyone taking offence at everything. Who, exactly is using these terms in a derogatory way?

I have a cousin called Gaye. Should she change her name? If so, what is acceptable?

I can’t believe this whole thread started because an MP dared to suggest that racist abuse was wrong!

 

[Lower West Stander]

Why? For most considerate people, it's pretty easy not to offend people. I wouldn't walk up to a fat person and say, good morning aren't you obese even though it might be a factual statement, why because unless you know someone, or are familiar with rhetoric a particular group of people adopt around each other, most people are able to avoid offending people unless they intend it.

Back to this case, Amber Rudd is a representative of her constituents in Parliament and is extremely well renumerated to do so. In carrying out the responsibilities of office, it really is incumbent on MPs in exercising their duties whether to the media, or the public to observe some basic aspects of common sense and knowing how to phrase things.

I suspect most people on here, regardless of whether they think the reaction is pathetic, or justified, wouldn't address a black or any other person as coloured. If you were picking out a person you wouldn't say, "not the white women, the coloured women next to her..." think about it, I suspect most of us wouldn't, because faux outrage or not, we know it's not a thing to say.

Wrong.

I think it is incredibly easy to offend people these days. There is so much correctness that it is genuinely difficult to know what you can and can’t say. However well you know someone you have no idea anymore as to what people are offended by.

Quite a patronising post.


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