I never read this far into the topic before I posted so I'm gonna add my 2p into the discussion.

First of Sticks, Are you being sarcastic or trying to be funny because I can't believe that someone who lives in the real world would have such PC views, It is literally mad.

Anyway the way I see it is that the PC brigrade spend all this time thinking of ways to avoid offending Ahem 'people of Colour' that they never realise that they are only segregating different races by putting them into groups. We'll never be able to beat racism if the PC brigade constantly get hung up on people's skin colour, to me that in itself is racism.

The way I see it everyone has the same colour blood so why do we have to get hung up on skin colour? Treat everyone the same I say.

Lol that must have been hirrarious
Good on ya for standing up to the school :spin2:

The word cocoon never had any racial connotations around it to my knowledge, but when I was growing up, the doll did. We were told it was a racist caricature of black slaves in the American deep south, hence it was beyond the pale and the reason why pressure was put on Robinson's Jam to drop it as it's logo.

My upbringing has been in a multi-cultural environment so I am fully committed to the rich diversity we have around us.

As for the breakfast cereal, I can see where you are coming from, but the derogative was spelled with a double o, not a single u

This is why we love Angie. :laugh2::laugh2:

:hug:

Haha, thats such a great story. I'll know never to mess with you! :joker:

FS though, it's people like they teacher though that make the world a sad place. Oh and those who listen to BBC Radio 2, if anybody gets me.

So now you know it does... are you going to stop using THAT innocent word too? If I provided you with a list of words that could potentially cause offence, yet were in general, innocent (i.e. Golliwog and Cocoon!) you'd stop using them ALL??

The derogative can be either way. So I bring my point up again - are you gonna stop referring to the breakfast cereal of that name "just in case" ? :conf:

I actually pity you, Sticks. I really do.

Ok, late in to this one.

"See thats where you shoot yourself in both ignorent feet Sticks everyone on this planet is a person of colour.

Not just that dirty black lot we sometimes cant quite figure out what they may want to be called this week, simple why not ask THEM!!!!"

I remember Oprah Winfrey having a pop at someone who in the course of conversation said something along the lines of "you, as a black Woman" Oprah insisted she and all black Women should be called "Women of color" This became a big thing. We were told that that was the way forward. (never liked it myself) Now you are telling me this is not acceptable.

So if sticks used the term "person of colour" then he did so (at a guess) as "black people" had told him that was the term to use. In that case I think it is unfair for people to have a pop at him. You told him to "ask" Well he was saying as he has been told.

For the expression I used earlier, I have now found two contemporary examples where it has been used

here and here

I also saw it used on the ACLU site, so it seems to be an expression used on the other side of the pond by those to whom it applies. (If that makes sense)

That just supports the point everyone is trying to make. Not everyone will find a term racist and the world shouldn't suffer for those that DO happen to find a term racist.

I think (I'm obviously not sure because she was the one who said it) that Angie was proving a point with that.

If she meant it the way I took it - she was showing that even attempts to 'soften' what could be deemed offensive words, are still offensive. Henceforth we shouldn't go around finding alternative words for what could be offensive.

Like I said, she could've meant something completely different by that, though.

I was just pointing out that the term "people of colour" comes from black people as a term white people should use. So to pull sticks up on that one was unfair and some of the comments were uncalled for.

You can't tell people to say one thing and then change your mind and not tell anyone.

As for the people who said Sticks was saying "coloured", they are just showing their ignorance.

Lol at the story Ange. I can just imagine you marching to school like that!

Oh, Lauren. I am afraid I have to take what ever you say with a pinch of salt.

A lot of black people don't like to be called "coloured" and its deemed as racist by many black people. The point I was illustrating is that Sticks was going on about how certain words are offensive, yet he mentioned something along the lines of "people of colour", which is essentially the same thing except in a more polite manner. As I've said many black people find that word offensive so its a bit hypocritical to request the thread title have "***" removed when he wrote that in his post.

If any race is coloured is us white people.

:puzzled: Ok?

It would be easier to set me on ignore, though.

How on earth can someone who has been offended by a racist term like *** be vilified the way you guys are vilifying Sticks.

I agree that banning the likes of Baa-Baa black sheep is PC going mad but I think most of you are failing to understand why we have political correctness in the first place. Not too many years ago people used to use racial epithets all the time and with no consequences. Black people were subjected to out and out abuse and we were then told that we were 'too sensitive'. Political correctness has addressed that. Now we do have the situation where some people have taken it too far, but never lose sight of why political correctness exists and I, for one, would never vilify someone for being offended by a word that has been used as a racist slur.

1) We aren't vilifying him, simply just arguing our point across
2) We've tried to tell him why he shouldn't be offended; it wasn't used with malicious intent
3) The way in which Sticks is coming across is that all words with some kind of offensive connotation should be banned because of PC gone mad.

There is a black woman actively posting in this thread her points about political correctness. As far as I can see shes against it and finds it pointless. As its supposed to be those types of people that are being "saved" from offense, I think her opinion is more valid than the white people who are enforcing those rules.

Just because you don't find a word offensive it doesn't mean it isn't offensive.

But my point is, are we meant to stop using words that in theory could cause offence? Including, as Ang said, 'monkey' ?

I would find the words offensive depending on the context. The opening post and thread title clearly isn't offensive or supposed to cause offense. Its just to tell us a story about when she went to her daughters school dressed as a giant golliwog. In another context (ie calling someone that) then yes, it is offensive and racist. But its not in that context.

The racial slur came about from the name of the doll so not all racially motivated words can have the same affect. People should be allowed to refer to the doll without being accused of being offensive.

There's a black man posting in this thread now (Me). I see what Angies saying but she's yet to comment on truly offensive words and the basics of political correctness. If you read my post you'll see that I'm against banning the like of Baa-Baa Black sheep but that don't mean I like hearing people use the N word.

Is that Wu tang in your sig?Do they not use the N word?

It is and they do?

Yet you don't like hearing it.