Microsoft Word has “gone woke”

I have to say that maybe I led a sheltered life, but I've never had to describe anybody by referring to the colour of their skin or their genetic origin.

And while people still insist on referring to the skin colour or genetic origin of others, racism will always be with us.

The distinction is too subtle for me to understand ‘Calistemon’. Why such a mouthful to say essentially the same thing? Glad to be well over 60.

Alegrias1

I have to say that maybe I led a sheltered life, but I've never had to describe anybody by referring to the colour of their skin or their genetic origin.

So Diane Abbott is a racist! ?

I have just put another load in the washing machine. Items of colour.

Lincslass

Our post lady or our post man, depends on who does the delivery, both lovely people. Postal person, so de humanised, like a robot.

i thought it was postie. gender irrelevant. cf, milko.

Diane Abbott has a valid reason for discussing how people of different backgrounds fare in this country. I don't.

What's your reason for caring what colour someone's skin is, Chestnut at al?

there is a history to how the term coloured person was used.
it is not good.
and those people who have laboured under those negative assumptions etc, are the ones who get to decide how they should be referred to.
although i don't see why anyone else needs to refer to ethnic origin of someone else.

It is important sometimes. If you want to talk about racism it would be impossible without being able to refer to different racial groups. How would you explain that if you are black you are more likely to be stopped and searched than if you are white, for instance?

The difference between 'coloured' and 'person of colour' is that 'coloured' puts white as the default, and suggests that anyone not white is tainted in some way. 'Person of colour' puts the human aspect first with 'person' or 'people'. That's how I see it, anyway. Also, 'coloured' was a term in South African apartheid, which gives it those connotations.

welbeck

Lincslass

Our post lady or our post man, depends on who does the delivery, both lovely people. Postal person, so de humanised, like a robot.

i thought it was postie. gender irrelevant. cf, milko.

Depends where you live too.

It is important sometimes. If you want to talk about racism it would be impossible without being able to refer to different racial groups. How would you explain that if you are black you are more likely to be stopped and searched than if you are white, for instance?

I agree with that DoodleDog. And people in that position, like Diane Abbot for instance, are probably aware of how to discuss it without using derogatory language.

So I'm just wondering how many of the posters here who are SO confused about what they are allowed to say actually have a need to say anything at all about a person's skin colour.

WOKE ---- GRRRRRRRR!!!!
Who the hell came up with that stupid thing?

Alegrias1

Diane Abbott has a valid reason for discussing how people of different backgrounds fare in this country. I don't.

What's your reason for caring what colour someone's skin is, Chestnut at al?

Just seen this ha ha. I don't care what colour anyone's skin is. But I do care about the laundry! I'm sure you would have been utterly horrified 30 years ago if you heard me regularly shouting rather loudly up the stairs "White and pastels!" one day and "Blacks and darkies" another day. Yes, I confess I made the family separate the wash loads by colour.

Don't know if I would have been horrified 30 years ago.

I am today though.

I expect you have ‘items of colour’ and ‘items not of colour’ * Alegrias*? I have ‘whites’ and ‘coloureds’.

I certainly don't have d*****s

Darkies were dark coloured items of clothing like jeans and trousers, and that's all it meant. ?

Alegrias1

Is hat you Lawrence?

www.theguardian.com/society/shortcuts/2020/jan/21/how-the-word-woke-was-weaponised-by-the-right

Nothing's being changed without your approval. Same as people being able to stick with terrible grammar and misspellings, Word isn't telling you what to write. Its just suggesting you might like to be a bit less biased.

How is a ‘chink in the dark’ offensive ? To my mind that’s looking for racism where it doesn’t exist because the meaning has nothing to do with anyone’s ethnicity.

Ali08

WOKE ---- GRRRRRRRR!!!!
Who the hell came up with that stupid thing?

African Americans in the 30s. Take it up with them.

Started gaining popularity in the 60s.

Not a new expression.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woke

Alegrias1

Diane Abbott has a valid reason for discussing how people of different backgrounds fare in this country. I don't.

What's your reason for caring what colour someone's skin is, Chestnut at al?

But surely we all have a valid reason for a discussion of that kind don’t we ?

Chestnut

Darkies were dark coloured items of clothing like jeans and trousers, and that's all it meant. ?

That's all it meant. OK. I was using a word that's offensive and anachronistic, but I'm old. ? How am I meant to keep up? Poor innocent me.

Offended? Never mind. Bit of fun, innit?

Galaxy

I know I am derailing but I have just found a brilliant Twitter rant about how rubbish Pat is at his job. Locking Jess in the van all day, using a helicopter to deliver one parcel, delivering crockery safely b 'driving slowly' There are people out there who have given a lot of thought to this issue.

Have never heard of items of clothing being referred to as ‘blacks’ and ‘darkies’ before.

Sorry Galacy, didn’t mean to quote you.

Galaxy . Think I’d better get offline before my typing gets any worse!

Have never heard of items of clothing being referred to as ‘blacks’ and ‘darkies’ before.
It was 30 years ago and the clothes were either black or dark coloured like jeans and trousers. It had no connection with anything else. I wasn't going to call up the stairs "Black and dark coloured washing." This is exactly my point, people making a racist issue where there is none. Same as 'chink in the dark'. Words do have meanings which are not racist.