[Politics] Amber Rudd used the word “coloured”

[dangull]

Black seems to be the correct term to use at the moment, but I am slightly unsure using that to describe someone who has slightly darker skin than a typical Swedish person.

 

[Steve in Japan]

If Rudd had simply said "and it's even worse for non-white women", would that have been

A. Good. No mention of the colour word, either as noun (preferred) or adjective (really, really bad)
B. Bad. Saying something is non-anything is negative and therefore racist.

Hmmm. Minefield. Best not to go there at all.

 

[pauli cee]

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

Exactly that. Same here.
Black was a racist term term when I was young, and coloured was the pc thing to say.
I remember after being abroad for a good few years, coming back and innocently mentioning to mates something about a coloured person and the look of disgust I got from them.
I honestly had no idea that the pc term for that had changed and was quite shocked / embarresed / confused....

 

[London Irish]

We devalue the real fight against the evil of racism if we continue to vilify people who, with all good intent (and her point was that abuse of women and black women in particular is heinous), use the wrong word. It's not a word we use nowadays, it can be offensive to some, she's said sorry and maybe that will stop others saying it. That's the end of it for me.

Amber Rudd? The Windrush deportations of black people Amber Rudd? That good intent?

 

[Surrey Phil]

I am now genuinely completely lost with what you can or can’t say in public any more. But I am even more lost having read this thread and many others, that social media allows you to pretty much write whatever you like whether racist or derogatory but you just can’t say it apparently?

 

[lawros left foot]

Not 'white' maybe, but 'whitey' certainly has. As has 'honky'; no prosecutions or outrage about that though.


Funny that.

Really? Do you think that ‘whitey’ and ‘honky’ has the same resonance of abuse as words used in the description of slaves, or those used in the subjugation of a whole race in a white dominated country? I realise that we are not in America, but a lot of racist abuse is shared between our two countries.
When was the last time you heard any black or Asian person use the term whitey or honky?

 

[Dick Head]

Exactly that. Same here.
Black was a racist term term when I was young, and coloured was the pc thing to say.
I remember after being abroad for a good few years, coming back and innocently mentioning to mates something about a coloured person and the look of disgust I got from them.
I honestly had no idea that the pc term for that had changed and was quite shocked / embarresed / confused....

'Coloured' was the acceptable term in the '50s and '60s until the Black Power Movement came to prominence in the late '60s/early '70s promoting the attitude of Black Pride.

 

[birthofanorange]

I really struggle to grasp the concept that "It's hard to know what is/is not acceptable to say, these days". Is it really that hard? You don't have to study or research such things, just take an interest in what people find offensive, and choose to not use such terms. Any other action is just laziness (at best) and offensive to those affected (at worst).
I'm not saying that an ill-thought choice of a clumsy term makes one a racist, but using a defence of "It's hard to keep up" or similar, certainly demonstrates a lack of awareness for which there is little excuse.
In my opinion, obviously.

 

[Kent Seagull]

Exactly that. Same here.
Black was a racist term term when I was young, and coloured was the pc thing to say.
I remember after being abroad for a good few years, coming back and innocently mentioning to mates something about a coloured person and the look of disgust I got from them.
I honestly had no idea that the pc term for that had changed and was quite shocked / embarresed / confused....

Exactly this! It's not what you say it's how you say it. Far more important is how you actually treat people. I'm probably seen as an old fart who isn't particularly politically correct at times, but I've always tried to treat everyone fairly and not judge by appearance.

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

I would agree if it were almost any other profession other than a politician.

It is literally her job to represent the public. It's her job to be mindful of the things she is saying. If she is using a racist term publicly then she is not fit to do her job, simple as that.

But most concerning for me is that it is likely a fruedian slip, as she will know full well that it is a racist term, and uses it anyway. It is also likely to offer an insight into the kind of company she keeps where it acceptable to use this kind of language.

I'm usually pretty sensitive about these things, and quick to condemn - but in this case I agree that Amber Rudd genuinely meant to make a point about racism and to show solidarity with DA, and the wrong phrase used really shouldn't detract from that. I'm disappointed that Diane Abbot, a highly successful black woman who makes a major contribution to Britain, uses Rudd's use of words to score a political point. It isn't necessary.

 

[amexer]

What a lot of fuss about nothing. I agree its how you treat everyone . Many of us have grown up referring to blacks as coloured but do now respect its not now correct term to use but so what if one makes odd slip up. I remember going to a function in London a few years ago and somebody said ,man your the only whitey here. No offence we just had a laugh.

 

[Wardy's twin]

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?

Hounded might have been too strong a word but certainly it has put a lot of people's attention on one word when what she was actually saying about abuse was what really mattered. I know the word can cause offence but I think Diane Abbot could probably have won some high ground by saying something like 'Amber dear we are all coloured, I am brown and you are some strange shade of pink'

 

[Steve in Japan]

Hounded might have been too strong a word but certainly it has put a lot of people's attention on one word when what she was actually saying about abuse was what really mattered. I know the word can cause offence but I think Diane Abbot could probably have won some high ground by saying something like 'Amber dear we are all coloured, I am brown and you are some strange shade of pink'

Nick Ferrari has been obsessing over it for most of the morning on LBC. As far as I can tell, some callers are bothered and some aren't.

 

[wellquickwoody]

Yes, because the race of someone we're addressing is not usually the important bit. In your example we'd say 'No, not the woman with the jacket, the woman with the glasses next to her', rather than say what race they are. That's not relevant to Amber's point, as she was intending to stand up for woman from ethnic minorities. Her mistake was to say coloured woman, instead of black woman, or woman of colour.

I wouldn't say 'coloured woman', because I've grown up in a society that deems that term to be offensive, but there are other cultures where it's not offensive. I don't know if Amber has mixed with other cultures and accidentally assumed that the term is considered acceptable here, or what.

What actually is the difference between ‘woman of colour’ and ‘coloured woman’?

The precise and exact answer is fxxk all apart from spelling, and the likelihood of some up-their-own-arse-holier-than-thou-liberal-**** attempting to pull someone up for choosing the latter.

Awaits comment from TAT.

 

[Bladders]

I was under the impression the term People of Colour was the new in thing?

She just forgot the people of bit

 

[wellquickwoody]

I'm usually pretty sensitive about these things, and quick to condemn - but in this case I agree that Amber Rudd genuinely meant to make a point about racism and to show solidarity with DA, and the wrong phrase used really shouldn't detract from that. I'm disappointed that Diane Abbot, a highly successful black woman who makes a major contribution to British comedy uses Rudd's use of words to score a political point. It isn't necessary.

Edited for accuracy.

 

[T.G]

We devalue the real fight against the evil of racism if we continue to vilify people who, with all good intent (and her point was that abuse of women and black women in particular is heinous), use the wrong word. It's not a word we use nowadays, it can be offensive to some, she's said sorry and maybe that will stop others saying it. That's the end of it for me.

Entirely agree with this. However, she still has a lot to answer for after The Windrush Scandal and her role in The Hostile Environment policy. I guess that why Ms Abbott remarked about her 'clumsy language' being revealing.

 

[maltaseagull]

I think black is okay, as is gay for homosexual people.

The point is that ‘ white has historically never been used as a general term of abuse, where as coloured, ******, paki, spastic,queer, have all been used as abusive terms for various groups. To use any of these , and other words that denigrate a specific group is considered now to be worthy of censure.

It may evolve that’gammon’ will be deemed to be a racist term of abuse in the future, and then everybody will have something to get irate about.

I suspect Ginger will be next

 

[Hampden Park]

utter namby pamby bollox

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Amber Rudd? The Windrush deportations of black people Amber Rudd? That good intent?

Entirely agree with this. However, she still has a lot to answer for after The Windrush Scandal and her role in The Hostile Environment policy. I guess that why Ms Abbott remarked about her 'clumsy language' being revealing.

Amber Rudd simply took the blame for Theresa May who was Home Office minister when the Windrush scandal started (and is still going on). May even sent out vans with Go Home or get arrested on them. The one thing she is adamant about is stopping FOM for workers coming in. Theresa May is xenophic.


I'm surprised nobody has raised the worse statement yesterday from Andrea Leadsom. Islamaphobia in Britain? Talk to the Foreign Office.

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https://metro.co.uk/2019/03/07/andr...reign-office-islamophobia-8856755/?ito=social