"It's the Thing that counts..."

Oh yes. I've read the whole of the article now. I see. Yes. That's where I'm coming from. I think.

(the bit about "a dwarf" put me off. Who would, on hearing that word, think of the mythical beings? Surely not! Especially after Game of Thrones )

www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jan/29/david-oyelowo-benedict-cumberbatch-coloured-gate-silly-and-ridiculous

Language does need to be inclusive.
I worked in academia as a lowly lecturer.
After a PC language related piece in the Times Higher trade paper we had a memo came round a few years ago telling us not to say 'Brainstorm' and suggesting 'Thought Shower' as an acceptable substitute.
Brainstorm being deemed unacceptable and possibly upsetting to hear for students who had or knew someone who suffered a stroke or similar.
Not long afterwards someone from a major head injuries charity wrote to the Times Higher saying that they had no objection to ' Brainstorm' at all.
It wasn't a term I ever used anyhoo.
" Think about it..." followed by " Any ideas?" generally did he job.

In your opinion jingl but I think you've missed the point it is making.

Because it is saying that language matters and I agree that Cumberwhatsit should have known better.

The word that is appropriate however is 'context'.

I agree that people should be mindful and careful, but not to be "punished" if they slip up if they make a genuine mistake.
They should just be able to say "sorry, I didnt mean to offend. I will be mindful of the correct word in future", and be able to move on without recriminations.

It is like, you are "in" a group, for knowing the latest, most up to date terms.
Or you are "out".

The rest of that article is bullshit rubbish.

From the article. " “the word ‘Jew’ is often used in an anti-Semitic context”

Isn't it just!

I personally cannot accept it. But I'm never going to change the feelings of others on here.

this is what I am trying to say Jingl

I am clearly not entirely up to date on all this. Does that make my inclusive and kind intention invalid I wonder? Or does it simply demonstrate my point that knowing all the latest argot does not make someone free of bigotry.

I worked for many years with people with disabilities and in the main they were united in their dislike of PC langauge - mainly I think because it assumed that they were too stupid to see the intention of the person speaking, and that they were so darned touchy about who they were that they needed to be tiptoed around. I took my lead from them.

Ironic

No. Calling someone a Jew is nothing like calling someone a diabetic. Saying someone is Jewish is much better. It's all in the connotations.

As I said before, you either get it or you don't. Depending on you really.

With you POGS.

Context and intention are what matter.

Treading on eggshells to catch the latest nuances of what is and what is not acceptable inhibits conversation and communication around someone of a different ethnicity or with a disability and that is not good.

I don't understand why inverted snobbishness has to rear it's ugly head as the word/term coloured is not the bastion of any one class (hate the term class more than coloured)

I am getting almighty tired of treading on egg shells over what I can or cannot say, what is or is not politically correct because there is simply so much hypocrisy and abuse of what is or is not upsetting to an individual.

Labour peer Oona King upset 'some' because she joked about Culture Secretary Ed Vaizy running late for a BAFTA lecture which was all about the how to get more minority and ethnic groups acting parts. Lenny Henry had been quite vocal at the time as to why there were so few parts for 'black'' actors. Oona King said " He is a different type of Minister, he runs on 'black people time, so welcome Ed". Lenny Henry said "What's that? I don't know why she said that". He then did the right thing by not making a song and dance but turned it into a joke and said " I was on time , 'the white guy was late".

Singer Pixie Lott was branded a racist 'by some' because she had a fancy dress birthday party and went as Tiger Lilly from Peter Pan. She was pounced on for wearing war paint and an Indian headdress calling her ignorant and racial stereotyping.

She is not the first and won't be the last to be called a racist but that in itself has a serious side. When the use of words/terms such as black,white,coloured, are seen to be offensive, degrading, racist then they will inevitably be seen as 'no go areas' and I find that quite a dangerous situation and I believe does actually have the reverse effect and people will feel so confused, worried to be able to use them it will be easier not to mix,integrate with people for fear of a backlash or being called racist where nothing was further from the truth.

I have many friends from various backgrounds. Not one of them cannot differentiate between when a comment is made with no malice what so ever, as with Benedict Cumberbatch, as opposed to when it is used with malice. They, like myself, do not find the words/terms an issue but the way they were used and the intention is.

I went to a friends house for Diwali. Her dear aged Uncle said 'Are any more of your White Friends coming'. That would count as being racist if the boot was on the other foot but it wasn't, it was just stating/asking a fact. I had a lot of people mentioning my 'white ethnicity' during the day/night and I found no issue with it all.

As Jonathan Miller said in Beyond the Fringe: "Actually I'm not a Jew, just Jewish: not the whole hog."

xd posts Galen!

Ipad! Religious not region

It's relatively easy to keep up with changes in meaning, and acceptability or otherwise of certain phrases, if you want to. And if you think it's important.

They don't change that often - as I said earlier and even Rod Liddle (not very PC he!) in the Spectator article also said, it's decades since Coloured People was acceptable.

How many grans would like a grandchild to be referred to as 'Retarded'? That description was in common usage not so long ago - I doubt if many of us had trouble dropping that one.

Muslim is a regions description not racial.

A Muslim is simply a follower of Islam and can be of any ethnic group.

With Jew, is it the race or the religion to which you are referring?

Anya what DH couldn't understand was that he could refer to someone as a Muslim and that was acceptable, but is it? Egg shells all over the place.

Yes Grumpa.
Two of my DGCs have dual heritage - American/British.
To muddy the waters still further, DS was born in Hongkong and is therefore a Hongkong belonger, and American DiL's great-grandmother was French, something in which she takes pride, and she has visited the ancestral village in NE France.
But I suppose you would say that the DGCs are white caucasian, if you had to categorise them.
Complicated, isn't it?

Perhaps calling someone 'a Jew' rather than Jewish, is similar to calling someone 'a diabetic' rather than saying someone 'has diabetes' ? It's not the whole defining part of that person, rather just one aspect of them?