So Ridley Scott's a racist now, gee great (1 Viewer)

[therealjohnny]

I really hate the term "Person of colour" and its acronym POC


I know a term is needed in order to have a conversation, but this..it just sounds contrived by a person without/of no colour.

 

[jonah]

I really hate the term "Person of colour" and its acronym POC

I know a term is needed in order to have a conversation, but this..it just sounds contrived by a person without/of no colour.

Yeah, I'm not 100% on it either, to be honest, even though I have no reason to be. Seems to be the term most POCs (so yeah I used it again) I know use, so I follow suit. I guess its more inclusive than some other terms? But it also posits and reinforces the idea that white people are "invisible" of colour, or the idea that we view ourselves as non-coloured/raced and everyone else as coloured/raced. Which is dangerous and fucked. But yeah, I still prefer it to like "ethnic" type terms, because that's WACK.

 

[therealjohnny]

This is it..I don't have any alternative suggestions to offer but this just grates

 

[nooleen]

PNTBRA

people not to be racist about

 

[therealjohnny]

good..but my mind sees "Panty and bra"

 

[7 - No tomorrow]

I say 'brown people'.

Probably offensive.

 

[jonah]

Nah brah, lots of people identify as brown! I dunno, I'm white, I can't speak to how a signifier makes someone feel, but like, I think people are afraid of saying black, brown etc. I have a close friend from Jamaica who grew up in England, and she had a white person once tell her not to refer to herself as brown, to say "african american". She was like, GO FUCK YOURSELF, because clearly no part of her is african or american, and the idea that some right-on white dude told her what to call herself was insane! But yeah, I'm pretty much willing to take the lead on whatever people prefer to be called.

 

[therealjohnny]

In my line of work I've had to grotesquely alter stick figures to hint at "African American" ethnicity...yes..a giant afro was added, the client approved.

Halfway through a project, with no concerns up to that point I had a recent request to change simple cartoon drawings to make them ethnically diverse and I put the foot down. I asked if there were any non-white* people on the client's side making these requests..there weren't. People in work have even taken to calling all black people "African Americans"...regardless of where the person is from.

It grinds my gears.


*terrible term, I know

 

[Scientician 0.8]

Why didn't they cast those Mexican/Cuban/Italian Mafia/Afghan/Arab/Turkish/Maori/Iranian lads they cast in every film where they need a swarthy villain or two?

 

[Scientician 0.8]

Why didn't they cast those Mexican/Cuban/Italian Mafia/Afghan/Arab/Turkish/Maori/Iranian lads they cast in every film where they need a swarthy villain or two?

I mean Ben Kingsley, Cliff Curtis et al.

 

[Unicron]

I mean Ben Kingsley, Cliff Curtis et al.

For real, Ben Kingsley is in this. He's Indian, that'll do

 

[washingcattle]

Why didn't they cast those Mexican/Cuban/Italian Mafia/Afghan/Arab/Turkish/Maori/Iranian lads they cast in every film where they need a swarthy villain or two?

Because none of them have profile big enough to make the film money.

And none of them will ever get a profile big enough if no one casts them.


Catch-22 innit.

 

[therealjohnny]

Billy Zane in mascara...jobs a good un

 

[Unicron]

Yeah, I'm not 100% on it either, to be honest, even though I have no reason to be. Seems to be the term most POCs (so yeah I used it again) I know use, so I follow suit. I guess its more inclusive than some other terms? But it also posits and reinforces the idea that white people are "invisible" of colour, or the idea that we view ourselves as non-coloured/raced and everyone else as coloured/raced. Which is dangerous and fucked. But yeah, I still prefer it to like "ethnic" type terms, because that's WACK.

One thing that bugs me about the right-on internet (or perhaps it's just Anglophonic right-on internet) is that there's slant to it that everything must conform to the American social/racial paradigm, it's nearly imperialist in a way, so you get a term like POC/person of colour which has gained much traction there as a preferred term but is less common here which can be problematic by itself. For example I read a piece on Football 365 a few months ago about the lack of black managers in the professional ranks of English football (at the time there were none, there were two at the 7th tier, which is semi-pro) which used POC/Person Of Colour throughout. One of the comments to the piece from from an older English man objecting to the use of the term because to him it reminded him of a time when he'd be called a "darkie."

 

[Moods For Mallards]

As soon as the poccers take over they'll be casting themselves all over the place. Bobby Sands biopic with Ejwela Adjumbe as the lead. George W Bush played by an aging Mohammed al Nusra. It'll be a total shambles for our lads. So enjoy this spell in the sun while it lasts. Rage against the dying of the light, Ridley! Make art!!

 

[Unicron]

Damnit, too late to edit. I don't think there's anything wrong with the term or it's usage so long as context and audience is understood. The two (white) lads who wrote the piece obviously felt that they were using the correct language and intended for no offence to be caused but because is was written for an audience where the term is less universally recognised it caused an issue.

 

[Cormcolash]

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[Jim Daniels]

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[tim]

People in work have even taken to calling all black people "African Americans"...regardless of where the person is from.

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Do you work in Ireland?

 

[therealjohnny]

That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Do you work in Ireland?

Yes