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

Oh well. Or something similar.

I'm with jings agsin - I am completely underwhelmed by Nick Cohen and his journalistic endeavours. Whenever I read him I find him slight, full of non sequiturs and populist.

I agree that Cumberbatch was probably brought up in an environment where white people thought themselves a bit above the hoy palloy. We don't know Benedict Cumberbatch, just what he wants us to see. He was not being deliberately offensive, it is obviously just how he has been brought up.

As an archery coach, GT, I have to ask people directly if they have any disabilities, long or short-term injuries, body piercings, etc that might have a bearing on how I coach them in archery. This is so that everyone is accommodated properly.

Body piercings are relevant. If you have pierced nipples, for instance, I'd strongly advise you to wear a chest guard when shooting.

Just saying because I think there clearly are cupircumstances when it is allright for a stranger to ask someone about disabilities or anything that might affect their ability to do whatever it is, or the coach's ability to teach them.

That link reinforces my point Bags

Even Liddle says

And it is true that the term ‘coloured’ has been a little de trop for the past 25 years

Bags I really can't see why you're even mentioning H&S questions for archery students in relation to someone being asked how long they've been a cripple!

Body piercings?

Thank you Anya ^i do think some people who have not worked in certain jobs, environments, been out in the world much, read certain books, etc. may well have missed out on an understanding of what is acceotable and what isn't. This isn't a reflection on them as such, it's more a case of 'you don't know what it is you don't know'.
I was unaware and I now stand corrected, apologies to all who find this incredible however it is true.

It is true. I didn't know and not only that - I have a friend in Kent who describes herself as coloured! What do you do then? She is in her 50s and a beautiful pale coffee colour, she says she doesn't want to be 'black'! I only knew that some people used black, and others used coloured. I thought the americans preferred black, that was all, and that is had perhaps been adopted by the youth culture purely because they liked all things American.

I should imagine that nipple piercings could be relevant in archery. I personally have never caught my breasts with bowstring (flat chested) but I know people who have! Ouch!

I find it astonishing that he didn't know that the word was no longer acceptable.

Not a sport for the well-endowed then thatbags!

Loopy and janerowena I'm not doubting your sincerity but I do get irritated by those who profess faux innocence/naivity and how difficult it is to keep up with current vernacular - when did people last use words such as Mongol, Spastic, Sub-normal?

I cannot recall ever using those words.
I have already apologised for causing some GNs an obvious degree of incredulity for my apparent lack of 'emotional intelligence' etc but what I say is totally true.
Obviously better I avoid some threads in future.

Anya, have you never heard of body piercings before?

A visiting African cleric was constantly referred to by the local minister as 'our coloured brother'. When he got into the pulpit to preach, he began:
'Colourless brethren...'

I heard that from an unimpeachable source more than fifty years ago and believe it to be perfectly true.

Ok loopy! Let's let the "emotional intelligence" thing go now!

My MP used the word crap in parliament this week, and was asked to withdraw it as being unparliamentary.

She actually said 'crap teachers', which is slightly different Jend, but when I saw it on television (either BBC or ITV news), the commentator said that parliamentary privilege meant she could say such a thing, which of course was hotly denied by the headteacher of the school she was referring to.

It was the word crap that was unparliamentary.

Actually loopy, several archers I know are what you call well-endowed. They wear chest guards. I'm not and I don't iyswim

anno, I like that.

river, sorry if my reason for mentioning archery wasn't clear. My point was that sometimes it is appropriate to ask people you don't know very well about any disabilities they might have. I understood another poster to be saying that it was never appropriate and was giving a counter argument. I may have misunderstood everything, in which case I am sure you will not mind being so kind as to ignore my remark

My grandmother used handicapped of her thrid daughter, my aunt, who suffered cerebral palsy. No-one could have loved or respected my handicapped aunt more than her mother did. The word itself is not offensive though it can be used offensively. This is the whole point at issue in this thread and in Cohen's article: it's not the expression used that is important but how it is used. Cumberbatch had no intention of being offensive therefore he wasn't being offensive.

I think one would be disapproved of for using handicapped (except in relation to golf, etc) nowadays. The thing about PC diction is that one can't win; it's always changing because some people use some words abusively. The words are still not abusive in themselves.

!!!!!! >>splutter<<