Benedict Cumberbatch sorry for 'coloured' comment

Benedict Cumberbatch sorry for 'coloured' comment

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funkyrobot

Original Poster:

18,789 posts

227 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/30994775

Benedict Cumberbatch says he's "devastated to have caused offence" after referring to black actors as "coloured" on a US talk show.

He was talking about diversity in British acting when he said it.

Anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card says the term is "outdated" and can cause offence.
The Sherlock actor has since apologised and says he makes no excuse for "being an idiot".
Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes

The Oscar-nominated actor was telling American television presenter Tavis Smiley that he believes Hollywood offers more opportunities for black actors than the UK does.

He said: "I think as far as coloured actors go it gets really difficult in the UK, and a lot of my friends have had more opportunities here (in the US) than in the UK and that's something that needs to change."

His comments were quickly criticised online and charity Show Racism the Red Card said that he had "highlighted the issue of appropriate terminology".

They said: "The term 'coloured' is now outdated and has the potential to cause offence due to the connotations associated with the term and its historical usage."

In a statement the 38-year-old said: "I can only hope this incident will highlight the need for correct usage of terminology that is accurate and inoffensive.

"The most shaming aspect of this for me is that I was talking about racial inequality in the performing arts in the UK and the need for rapid improvements in our industry when I used the term.
"I feel the complete fool I am and while I am sorry to have offended people and to learn from my mistakes in such a public manner, please be assured I have.

"I apologise again to anyone who I offended for this thoughtless use of inappropriate language about an issue which affects friends of mine and which I care about deeply."




Is there anything that doesn't offend someone now?

I guess if someone referred to white people as pale it wouldn't gain this sort of attention.

Triumph Man

8,670 posts

167 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
I don't get these people who find any little reason to be offended. His apology was extremely long, and unnecessary. He didn't set out to offend anyone, quite the opposite. It's sad that he was making a decent point, and all people took away from it

What is the world coming to? Unfortunately it's people of my generation who perpetrate this "professionally offended" business.

Presumably you've all heard that Thrift Shop song? Well the word Honkey appears, but that seemed to be ok!

Fartomatic5000

558 posts

154 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Anyone know the history of the word? I thought it started being used because some found "black" offensive. Hard to keep up with the serially offended PC crowd.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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I hope people take it in context, that he said it with the best intentions.
.

Shuvi McTupya

24,460 posts

246 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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I remember getting a punch in the Face in about 1982 for describing a boy in the park as coloured ..

I thought I was being polite..

I just don't talk to them any more wink


Blib

43,795 posts

196 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Pah! Who needs context when there's an opportunity to be offended on behalf of other people?

funkyrobot

Original Poster:

18,789 posts

227 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Fartomatic5000 said:
Anyone know the history of the word? I thought it started being used because some found "black" offensive. Hard to keep up with the serially offended PC crowd.
Indeed. I thought that 'black' was the offensive term too.

ReallyReallyGood

1,620 posts

129 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
I thought the term 'coloured' was not the most PC term to use, but then I recently read about this organisation in the states... http://www.naacp.org/

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Hashtag confused.

t400ble

1,804 posts

120 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
I really dont see what he said being that wrong to be honest.

Blib

43,795 posts

196 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
ReallyReallyGood said:
I thought the term 'coloured' was not the most PC term to use, but then I recently read about this organisation in the states... http://www.naacp.org/

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Hashtag confused.
A very old and highly respected institution, iirc.

Eric Mc

121,784 posts

264 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Fartomatic5000 said:
Anyone know the history of the word? I thought it started being used because some found "black" offensive. Hard to keep up with the serially offended PC crowd.
That's not the history I remember.

The term "coloured" was specifically set out in South African legislation to differentiate between "true black" and "true whites". It usually referred to -

mixed race (black and white parentage or ancestry)
Asian


Once you have separate legislation in place, you must then take into account people who don't fit fully into the separate categories you have devised. Therefore you have to start making arbitrary distinctions between different categories of humans.

It's all a nonsense, of course.

Derek Smith

45,514 posts

247 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
It is a farcical response. His message against racism and for equal opportunities has been lost in the race to make him suffer for a slip of the tongue.

It would appear that taking offence at nomenclature is more important in the great scheme of things than anti racism.


BoRED S2upid

19,643 posts

239 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
We had one if these organisations come to work to tell us what terminology was correct and what wasn't very funny when she was telling us what terminology to use when referring to gay people. Puff is not acceptable. Actually (says our lesbian colleague) that's perfectly fine we don't mind it! Erm...

Who funds these organisations there are hundreds of them telling us what's right and wrong in their minds!

Of and what should we call people now just so I don't make the same mistake?

Eric Mc

121,784 posts

264 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
No point in making lists because terms come and go out of fashion as the years go on.
Next week's list of banned words would be different to last week's.

grumbledoak

31,501 posts

232 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Derek Smith said:
It would appear that taking offence at nomenclature is more important in the great scheme of things than anti racism.
Loudly taking offence turns the focus onto the 'offended' party. It is a shame there is no good use for attention seeking retards with time on their hands, God knows there is no shortage of them!


ETA- I know, I know. It's like goldy and bronzy but...

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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Eton educated ponce can't converse with people in the real world - not news, no surprise.

Guybrush

4,330 posts

205 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
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I understood 'colored' to be the accepted term, after all lefty fools don't even like the use of the term 'blackboard' and have imposed 'chalkboard'. I've also heard Americans use the term 'people of color' to describe (presumably) black-skinned folk, but maybe they mean any colour other than white.(?)

FredClogs

14,041 posts

160 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
Guybrush said:
I understood 'colored' to be the accepted term, after all lefty fools don't even like the use of the term 'blackboard' and have imposed 'chalkboard'. I've also heard Americans use the term 'people of color' to describe (presumably) black-skinned folk, but maybe they mean any colour other than white.(?)
"People of colour" is acceptable and a plural term, identifying someone as "coloured" is not, spelling colour "color" is never acceptable.

scorp

8,783 posts

228 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
FredClogs said:
Eton educated ponce can't converse with people in the real world - not news, no surprise.
I don't think he attended Eton? And why such prejudice ?

Digga

40,207 posts

282 months

Tuesday 27th January 2015
quotequote all
FredClogs said:
"People of colour" is acceptable and a plural term, identifying someone as "coloured" is not, spelling colour "color" is never acceptable.
Sorry, but that is bonkers, Machiavellian. If you are talking about mixed races - Asian, African, Afro Caribbean etc. - then surely "coloured" is grammatically and therefore factually, rationally correct.

I understand that we now live in a world where, for sensible reasons, no one's dog is named after Wing.Co Guy Gibson's, but I do think there is too much made of specific wording, rather than intent.