Got told off by everyone today

" It's important to understand the meaning behind the terms we use to address people and to keep updated and willing to refresh our language so we use appropriate and respectful terms.

It’s also imperative to remember that individuals will have their own particular preferences as to how they would describe themselves, and how they would wish to be described.

Identity is extremely personal. You should listen, educate yourself, learn, and politely ask about preferences, if in doubt. "

From -
www.lawsociety.org.uk/en/topics/ethnic-minority-lawyers/a-guide-to-race-and-ethnicity-terminology-and-language

It is quite horrific to think a term like that was deemed acceptable.
It shows how deeply engrained racism is/was.
Obviously these terms need to be obliterated from common parlance, but again, I've not met anyone who isnt prepared to be put right.

I think that some people might get confused about what is current terminology. We all should know that 'coloured person' is offensive but people who do know what is and isn't correct use 'person of colour' which is not.

And yet, there is very little difference between the two. But your common sense tells you that one sounds more respectful than the other. However, before "person of colour" became the correct nomenclature, calling someone a "coloured person" appeared to be more polite (or less offensive) than calling the individual "black" - but now it's acceptable to use the word "black"... as in "the black community" - if, for example, you might be talking about social issues / poverty / education, etc.

Of course, if you know someone's name - there's no need to refer to skin colour at all, you can identify them with it.

The PC and non-PC terms change so frequently older people can be forgiven for not keeping up especially if they are not out at work keeping up with changing terminology.

One of my black / person of colour / 'native' friends, during a social evening in the pub when we were discussing this gave a couple of eye-rolls at the knots people got into trying to be (and I hardly ever use this phrase) 'politically-correct' (he used it). He said, basically, he knows when people are being racist and discriminatory on the grounds of his ethnicity... and he hardly ever comes across such a person! Which is good to know.

Biscuitmuncher...I feel for you. I told my daughter that the item she was looking for was probably in the glory hole.... She recoiled in horror and said Mum... You can't say things like that... Do you know what that means? Yes says I... It's means the cupboard under the stairs where everything that's doesn't have a home ends up. Apparently these days it doesn't!!!!

There is a lot of telling people off by people who do not choose to consider any possibility than the jump to a conclusion one.

Tales are many of people with hidden disabilities upon leaving a disabled toilet being criticised for having used it because their disability is not immediately obvious by looking at them.

Different terminology in other countries can also be a minefield.

I deal with mostly Americans in my business and the phrase "people of colour" is now often used as a catch all category for groups of people who are not white or of European parentage. I find it safer to say "African American", "Hispanic American" or whatever when describing an object I am selling.

Then there is the debate about how to refer to the group which as a child I innocently called "Red Indians". Now they are Native Americans or First Nation. However Native American is apparently falling out of favour and "American Indian" or "Indigenous American" are preferred by many people in this group.

Personally I think it is very disrespectful for a young person to correct a much older one unless they are using terminology which is overtly racist or hate speech. In my twenties I would have had more respect that to correct (say) my grandmother or any older person.

MissAdventure

I don't know of anyone at all who does refer to a person's colour.
I haven't known of it for years.

In N Ireland it's quite common and not meant in an offensive way. Perhaps because we don't have many black people here. My friend was wondering how her grandson would react when a visitor was due because as she said he's REALLY black.The child actually never noticed. Another friend talks about the little coloured boy who comes to play. Non of these remarks are malicious but just point out something unusual here.

Is it disrespectful to describe someone as ‘white’?

Polly73

Is it disrespectful to describe someone as ‘white’?

No, what an odd question.

A lot of terms are culturally sensitive and depend which country and also even which part of a particular country you are in at the time. It is rude and racist to call our indigenous people Abos, for example and now it is usual to say First Nation peoples. Here the word ‘wog’ means an Italian or Greek person and they use it themselves with a smile. I wouldn’t use that because I was brought up in the uk. Like Pom which I think, personally, is very racist but others disagree and even use it to refer to websites like Poms in Oz.

Iam64

I used mixed race in a formal report about 15 years ago. The individual had interesting Afro Caribbean, North African, Irish and English heritage so mixed race seemed right to me. I was kindly and politely advised the term is outdated and dual heritage the currently acceptable description. Bet that’s moved on as well now.

Interesting point Iam64. But the person you were discussing wasn't 'dual heritage', if she knew of the four parts of her heritage?

nanna8

A lot of terms are culturally sensitive and depend which country and also even which part of a particular country you are in at the time. It is rude and racist to call our indigenous people Abos, for example and now it is usual to say First Nation peoples. Here the word ‘wog’ means an Italian or Greek person and they use it themselves with a smile. I wouldn’t use that because I was brought up in the uk. Like Pom which I think, personally, is very racist but others disagree and even use it to refer to websites like Poms in Oz.

Oh yes, Croatians too.
I was asked by an Italian Australian if I'd seen the film "The Wog Boy" which was popular in Australia at the time!
He couldn't understand why I was shocked.
It means something entirely different there.

I remember some years ago they were considering doing a remake of the film The Dambusters, and some people were whinging and whining sending in complaint letters to radio 4 because the pilot’s dog that got knocked down by the car was going to be renamed ‘Blackie’ for the new film instead of the ‘n’ word the dog was named in the original film. These people were saying the change in name would ruin the new film and there was no point in remaking it if the dog’s name was going to be changed because it would make the film completely unhistorical’! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I can’t remember for certain but I’m pretty sure the phrases ‘political correctness gone mad’ and ‘PC Brigade’ was used in some of these complaint letters that were read out on the radio!

Well my post really did stir up a lot of debate

Naughtyneine I only found out recently when the glory hole came into conversation with my grandkids they were in hoots of laughter when I told them it was the under stairs cupboard

It’s got a WHOLE or ‘hole’ new meaning today ?

So what do we called Verdi's Slaves' Chorus these days? "Chorus of unjustifiably detained ones"?

For crying out loud that’s pretty nasty boadice slaves were hardly ‘detained people’ why would you use that term

How many of us have said that they have been ‘slaving over a hot stove’ or similar?

I too, was shocked to hear my Aussie son in law refer to ‘wogs’, quite ok apparently, but ‘abos’ wasn’t.

At our aquacise class, some instructors now call ‘woggles’ by another name, ‘noodles’, and others use the old term.

I honestly don’t think anyone thought about it previously. It wasn’t meant to be disrespectful or anything. It was just the name.

So what title doesVerdi’s opera go by now?

Excuse me, BlueBelle, but what brought on that comment, and the accusation of "nastiness"?? It was asked in perfectly good faith...the chorus of Hebrew slaves in Egypt - an historical fact...what's wrong with calling them "slaves"? Slaves were just that. An inescapable historical fact.

TerriBull

I've never heard the term "slave bangles" always referred to such jewellery as bangles or bracelets

same here

Calendargirl

So what title doesVerdi’s opera go by now?

Nabucco is the opera. Va pensiero is the chorus of Hebrew slaves and no doubt us still known as that, because that is what they were. Sorry but a silly question

Calling slaves ‘detained people’ is awful putting them on a par with someone in prison for a few weeks ….dragged from their families, killed, flogged, owned, sold, beaten raped …but in your words ‘detained’ people if you can’t see why your post made me shocked I give up boadicea !!

If you can’t see, after reading this thread, why your comment was provocative and unpleasant Boadicea, I don’t suppose you ever will.