Oprah said it first!
This was on the Monster.com job board.
Is 'Colored' Offensive to African Americans?
Monster member KimG721 posts: I used the word 'colored' to an African American coworker, and she didn't seem offended at the time. But three months later when she resigned, she accused me of being racist. I couldn't believe it. I was brought up by my grandmother, and that is a term she used. Come to find out the coworker is from the South -- Mississippi. But Oprah is from there and used that term. I don't understand!
Are you serious? I don’t care if you were raised by your grandmother, how many other people have you been in contact with since then? Are they all using the term “colored”, because I don’t seem to hear it. You seriously didn’t know that your grandmother is out-of-date? C’mon. Oh, and if Oprah says it, then it’s perfectly okay for you to use it in another context?
- From the mind of Red State Hostage
posted by Atsui_Gal @ 1:08 PM
9 Comments:
Let me start by saying, have we discussed this before? Doesn't matter. I wouldn't accuse a person of being racist for calling me the wrong thing. It's not that serious, but I think that for this Black co worker she really can't believe that another person could be so out of touch with her reality. In her mind, she's been Black or African American her entire life probably and thinks this lady refuses to use the term because she prefers the old one. But I will say that anyone who hasn't gotten the memo on this topic is just not paying attention. Colored isn't offensive to me, it's just played out and seems racist because that's what those Jim Crow signs read. But someone tell me why I should be offended, I can get pissed.
Maybe Oprah said, "of color."
This reminds me of a friend who's half black and half white. His all-white sister uses the term "colored" like it's PC. And I was not offended, but stunned that she had a Black brother and still hadn't gotten the memo. I blame him for not saying something, um, YEARS ago. It doesn't have to be confrontational it could just be a giggle, like who are you grandma? (His grandma also uses the term colored, but old people say all types of shit that's out of line. It's their right.) These folks are from Michigan and they don't have many "colored" folks around their parts.
http://community.monster.com/Forums/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=131290&WT.mc_n=
MNL000284
This is the thread that followed this posting. I didn't read far, but one person says that the writer isn't from the U.S. which explains why she uses antebellum lingo, but I'm not sure that our U.S. culture travels that slow.
lol ive been in the prescence of someone refering to blacks as "colored" twice since I've been in DC.
Once i was at a white co-workers bachelor party and his pops mentioned the word "colored" when referring to some pretty girls inthe vicinity.
The other time I was having dinner w/a prof who works here and he was reminicising about his first few years teaching and he mentioned the lack of "colored students" back then.
Both times I def was schocked, but not mad it damn near was funny but yea I chalk it up to ignorance and these 2 dudes were over 60 so i guess maybe when u reminicse u think back to what u used to say?
Racist is a bit harsh...I just like to think they are def not as cultured as they may think they are though...then again I couldnt get too mad b/c my black aunt (@75 yrs old) who is of sound mind referred to someone as colored too...so who knows mayb its an old folk/international thing?
Yeah i wouldn't go w/ racist...hell my uncle says colored from time to time...but he's OLD and SLOW and SOUTHERN. I think it just further illustrates that for the most part...race isn't an issue white american's usually have to deal with, or keep up with if they don't have to. Have some of these people really had to think about what they call someone or another race or how they'd percieve it...no...cuz it won't significantly affect their lives.
Now do I have to worry about how I talk or how i dress out of my normal context...yes...cuz it might fk w/ my paper....
if ain't ain't fkin w/ your paper u usually don't give a shit...and for the most part it doesn't matter what the hell we're called ...esp to older people....it's got nothin to do with thier paper...so who cares...
oh to have that luxury....
Building off of Twizz's statement
"Now do I have to worry about how I talk or how i dress out of my normal context...yes...cuz it might fk w/ my paper...."
It's funny, but sort of annoys me how I have to make sure I don't use slang in the office (being younger than most, black and female). BUT, one of our Senior Vice Presidents (middle-aged, white, male) is constantly using slang in meetings and on conference calls with the corporate office.
I've heard him say:
"I don't want to pimp their message."
"Book that hotel for the conference, I promise you it's phat."
and most recently at happy hour,
"You should have seen him downtown. He walked in with two foine (yes foine) ass hoes."
HIGHLY unprofessional, but at least he uses it in the right context. It does make me like him better than the other executives, b/c it's just odd.
I almost forgot his favorite phrase - "off the chain".
I guess I like that he doesn't only use the slang when talking to me, like some other people around here. He uses it in mixed company all the time. The other execs just nod like they know what he's saying. I enjoy that too.
yeah that's funny...one of my supers is an older black cat from mississippi...we get in a meeting together and it's MAAAD SLANG son...
HOWEVER...lol...HIS boss (SES status for u federales) word on the street...has been rumored as saying to a woman in the past 'my parents used to own your parents' now...i don't know the context...i don't now how well she knew this woman...and it was apparently a true statement (her grandparents/great grandparents had a plantation on the eastern shore of md...and apparently the woman she said it to's relatives were from it)
I say this because as cool as the 'cool ass' boss may be (they are cool though aren't they!?)...the further you head up that damn food chain...the less of that slang you gon get and the more it what.....fks w/ the paper...
fk this rsh...lets jsut start our own shit and people can't talk proper english in the office!
I'd like to work in this office.. although I use slang all the time and it's OK. I would like to work in an office with RSH and Twizz.. Twizz you'll do the boring paperwork and RSH and I will do fun creative things.. And we'll pop shit all day. Whoo hoo
Yeah, and it's important that slang is used with everyone in the office, not just the one person who is off color or "the coolest" as one of my bosses described me once. She used "cool" to spin "black," into something positive. Not that it needed a spin, but she's an idiot.
Speaking of idiot bosses, i just talked with a guy last night or night before who was fired for blogging at work about work. His boss called him in and had a printout of his post from a rainy day. She read it aloud and he was shocked. Then she asked him to leave. HA!
And let me say on the record that I heart my current job, fellow employees and supervisors.
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