Colourful Language

I can't get my head around this idea that the adjective 'coloured' has suddenly become offensive, when it has been used for decades to describe a group of people who are not white and, indeed, I've heard it used by them themselves. I've never known a coloured person of my acquaintance to be upset at being referred to as coloured, just as I'm not offended by being called white.

All white people, regardless of their shade of pink or their location, are described as white. All those who are not white are therefore coloured, regardless of whether they're Indian, Afro-Caribbean, African or Aboriginal. They certainly aren't all black.

Surely racism is defined as hate, not merely the use of a particular adjective. If the intent is to cause offence and hatred is the driving motive, then it's racism, no matter the word used.

It seems that words to describe a group of people become racist with the vagaries of fashion and at the whim of the self-appointed and professional offence taker. Currently it's fashionable to label anyone using the word 'coloured' as a racist, regardless of the intent. To describe someone as being a person 'of colour', illogically, is acceptable, but it means exactly the same as coloured! An apple of flavour is a cumbersome description of a flavoured apple, for heaven's sake.

The equalities people at the university Hay is working at recently announced that people should stop using the term 'coloured'. Everyone was nonplussed.

In the case of Amber Rudd, whatever you think of her politics, her comments were not hateful - quite the opposite in fact, which is surprising given Diane Abbott's glaring incompetence. However, it seems she's a threat to certain people, hence the accusation of racism. People need to get beyond individual words and consider the sentence or paragraph and the intent behind it before accusing someone of racism.

John Barnes, the footballer, has leapt to Amber Rudd's defence in his usual, incisive and logical manner. Amber Rudd's sin was to not have kept up-to-date with the latest anti-racism fashion.