[Campbell McGregor]

I understand that many black people in Britain and the United States find the term 'colored' offensive. However, in South Africa, there is a community that for better or worse has been known as colored, and it seems this is regarded by everybody in South Africa, whatever their race or politics, as the normal way of referring to this community. This has become a problem because some schools in London have imported teachers from South Africa, some of them define themselves as colored, and prefer this term to 'mixed race.' So is the term colored acceptable in a South African context?

User Detail :  

Name : Campbell McGregor, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : asperger's syndrome, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 43, City : Glasgow, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Occupation : school crossing patroller, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Alica]

When in Rome, do as the Romans. South Africans who immigrate to Britain and the United States should be respectful of the cultures. As a black American, I would be insulted if a South African teacher referred to me as 'colored,' and I'd be disgusted if the term were applied to himself. It is the responsibility of the immigrant to assimilate to the predominant culture, but of course without compromising his or her own belief system.

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Name : Alica, Race : Black/African American, City : Atlanta, State : GA Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, 

[Diana]

I am a white British person and would never refer to a mixed-race person as 'colored,' as this term is well-known to be offensive to British black and mixed-race people. To me, it has a nasty odor of South African apartheid. Indeed, it has been used by racists in Britain as a sneaky way to upset black people, while pretending to be polite. (Back in the sixties, many white people did believe that 'colored' was a polite term, and for many years seemed not to notice that black people referred to themselves as black.) South Africans coming to Britain should be sensitive to the feelings of the black British on this issue.

User Detail :  

Name : Diana, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 42, City : Leicester, State : NA Country : United Kingdom, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Mark22058]

If the term 'colored' is so offensive, why doesn't the NAACP - the National Association for the Advancemant Of Colored People - change its name?

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Name : Mark22058, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, Age : 21, City : San Diego, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Engineer, Social class : Middle class, 

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