So who exactly has the chip on the shoulder? The person who refuses to accept the evolution of language is equally guilty IMO.

I agree he should not have used this word, as it is now outdated and not used.

By using it now though, does it become offensive ?
Who decides when a word is deemed outdated and therefore potentially offensive ?

I think his over the top apologies may also have something to do with his Oscar aspirations also.



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HE used the word cuz he didnt know it was taken by some as offensive and his over the top apology show it was a genuine mistake but others in similar situations simply fight for the right to use a word they know is offensive. Who has the chip on the shoulder in that situation?

Out of touch middle class people seem to be the ones who use terms like "coloured". On that 'Make Bradford British' programme there was one guy who was terrible for it.

(Obviously not all do and the older folks are worst for it)

Yeah, that's how I see it. It's not a word I would use, but to make such a mountain out of a molehill when he's clearly not a racist it just daft.

Indeed :thumbs:

I saw this story and felt for him TBH. His apology was excellent and hopefully everyone can move on.

I didn't know the word 'coloured' was now offensive either Girth - and I'm 'coloured'. But I'm of the opinion that there is far more racist intent and offense in saying; "I don't like 'black' people because they're too loud and excitable", for example, than in saying; "I like coloured people because they're more laid back and cool to be with".

It's intent, intent, intent, every time.

I didn't know that the phrase; 'chip on your shoulder' had racist origins or current racial interpretation either, because I was under the impression that it originated from carpenters or 'chippies' rights to take odd lengths of spare timber home with them from dockyards when they were shipbuilding, because they used to carry such lengths home on their shoulder, and I always believed that the phrase was coined to describe some chippies resentment when the practice was stopped by the shipyard owners.

A quick 'google' after I read your post confirmed as much:

"A chip on the shoulder" comes from the ancient right of shipwrights within the Royal Navy Dockyards to take home a daily allowance of offcuts of timber, even if good wood was cut up for this purpose. The privilege was instated as a prescriptive right from 1634. By 1756, this privilege had been abused and was costing taxpayers too much in lost timber for warship repair and construction. The decision was then made by the Navy Board to limit the quantity a shipwright could carry home. A warrant was issued to the Royal Dockyards to reduce the quantity of chips by ordering shipwrights to carry their bundles under their arms instead of on their shoulders, as one could not carry as much timber in this fashion."

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What I do know, is that all this 'political correctness, and oversensitive 'offended' reaction to words and phrases long used by ordinary people who have not got a racist bone in their bodies, is all ridiculous B.S. and has got out of hand.

It's absolute PC madness. :shrug:

The term colored was used during Apartheid in South Africa and segregation in America as an expression to describe anyone who wasn't white. They didnt offer any further distinction than 'WHite or 'Coloured' but sometimes they used 'non white'.


http://i1298.photobucket.com/albums/...ps55119250.jpg

[QUOTE=GiRTh;7544558]The term colored was used during Apartheid in South Africa and segregation in America as an expression to describe anyone who wasn't white. They didnt offer any further distinction than 'WHite or 'Coloured' but sometimes they used 'non white'.




yes but this is the UK and the word has a proper historical nautical meaning. You seem to be living your life in south central LA :shrug:

I have a feeling coloured in associated with the 60s and 70s and as it was a more racially intolerant time it has just gone out of fashion and as such younger people confuse this with offence

he used a term my mom would have used so it must be bad as it was bad back then

The term is is associated with civil rights struggles in America.

in what way?

simply because it was the term that was used at that time to describe a black person?

A non white person. Please be accurate so mixed race and any in between were not allowed in the white areas.

Which leads us onto why black people prefer to be called black.

This did not happen in the UK though?

No but Benedict Cumberbatch said this in the USa. I feel for him cus it was always gonna cause a fuss.

Yes I can understand why idiots in the USA would ignore what he was saying and take to twitter to be offended but not sure why coloured would be a wrong term to use here, a bit outdated yes but nothing else.

I wouldnt call them idiots

Lol.I read somewhere that 'blackboard' was banned but did'nt actually believe it,Thought it was one of those urban myths.

pretty much how I feel about this

I wonder how Tumblr is feeling about his comment. He's like their idol and they don't like anything remotely racist. I wonder if any of them have burned all their posters of him, lol.

I don't think it's racism if he had good intentions, but it's really stupid of him to make such a mistake.

When I was a kid I was taught that "coloured" was a regular PC term, but obviously I realised it's not pretty early.