Being un-PC?

1. I expect the girl concerned would rather be treated as an equal than given any special treatment, and by stepping onto the field of play thats whats happening?

2. I think it's fine to use colour to describe someone in that way as to be fair, it is an accurate description, much more so than to describe using someones size which what one person judges to be big, another may not!

So in short, I don't see that you did anything wrong.

no, i dont think so, but id use 'coloured' rather the 'black', ive alwasy ben told using black is un PC!!

I am now laughing at the Will in the inbetweeners comaprison!!

No I don't think it's wrong but have also had similar comments when I have tried to explain who I meant by saying 'the bald black guy'. I don't care that he's bald or black, it just happened to be the two most recognisable features. Like if someone was describing me it would be 'the fat blonde' or something like that.

See I was always told it was the other way round. I would have thought coloured was more offensive than black? Black people generally decribe themselves as black, not coloured?

Footlong I dont think you did anything wrong on either account.

See i would have thought using coloured would be more un-PC. I would rather be distinquished through my skin colour rarther than "the big girl"!

Flow, do you live in the 60s?

Pahaha the inbetweeners comparison made me chuckle!

I don't think you did anything wrong, I would definitely use black over 'big'. It always seems to be really awkward descibing 'the tall black guy' but I agree it shouldn't be different to 'the tall blonde guy'

Interesting you say that flow, I remember someone doing a big speech in one of my school assembly's about how 'coloured' is more hurtful, and really inaccurate. It went along the lines of: when white people are born, they are yellow, we are black, when white people are ill, they go green, we are still black, during exercise, white people go red, we are still black etc etc so in fact, white people are 'coloured'

1. Hilarious. Sorry.

2. No, you were fine.

Flow: I would never use 'coloured'. I always remember a poster on the wall in primary school. It said something like:

Your skin is pink, a colour.

When you get embarrassed you go red.

When you get cold you go blue.

When you are unwell you go white or green.

And you have the nerve to call me coloured?

I would always avoid describing someone by weight (either fat or thin). I think that kind of label hurts people's feelings. Whereas I'm not sure using skin colour does?

Me either. It doesn't mean anything, and it certainly doesn't convey a specific skin colour. If someone uses it, I always ask "Oh really, which colour?"

I also thought coloured was wrong. I'd use the term black. It's the equivalent of white which is an acceptable term so I don't see the problem there. Referring to someone by their skin colour (for identification purposes only) is a hell of a lot better than referring to their weight (IMO). If the team was predominantly made of black players with one white person no one would bat an eyelid if you identified them as "the white woman."

Something I find amusing (not right or wrong, I just notice it) is how it's common practice to call grown women 'girls' but hardly anyone calls a grown man a 'boy'. (Not singling you out here Footlong as I know you say 'boy' too, it just made me think of it.)

Funnily enough no-one ever says 'brown' as a description though. Well, I do ? Much rather be 'the brown girl' than 'the big girl'!

Also Will in the Inbetweeners clearly hates disabled people. Remember when they go to Thorpe Park and he makes a huge fuss about people skipping the queue, and they turn out to have Downs Syndrome and wreck Simon's car?! ?

Anyway, I digress. Where I live and work, there are quite large numbers of brown/black people so using skin colour alone as a description would, whilst ineffective, be largely inoffensive also. However, I could probably have some sympathy with someone who is 'the only black in the village' or whatever who is constantly described as so. OTOH, I'd have the same sympathy with the only blonde in the office or the only baldy in the town.

godoness, maybe ive been very un pac and offedning people left right and centre for years without knowing, thinking i was donig right ??

He he. I use "boys" as well, but possibly not as often as I use "girls". Context is everything. At netball, females are "girls". In a work conference, females are "women".

Firstly ? at being compared to Will off of Inbetweeners.

I don't think you were being un-PC!

I've just always noticed this since a boy at school referred to his mum as a girl. The English teacher asked him if that meant his dad was a boy and he seemed horrified at the idea. I think you're right about the context though.

I would say black or white, never use coloured. I would be hesitant to use it though, not sure why as it is just a factual descriptive term. Whereas calling someone 'big' depends on judgement, so I think a factual word is preferable.

I would much rather someone called me 'the white girl over there' than 'that big fat lady'!!!

1. If the girl was willingly playing in the game then she was up for injury! Just an accident.

2. I don't think describing her as the black girl was wrong at all. I seem to remember a debate on here a while back when someone had described a black guy as Jamaican, without knowing his heritage.

Thinking about what I say, it's normally black, white or Asian, never brown!

I'd say you were not being un-Pc on either count.

But I am ? at anyone being so small as to only come up to your shoulder!! (Is that un -PC of me?)

haha that would be me then!

I think the problem is that there isn't really an accurate term to describe black/white people so people's perceptions of what is offensive or acceptable are likely to change. For now it's the easiest way to get across what you mean rather than saying "beigey whitey pinkish" or " dark browny blackish." Will probably all change in the next generation or two.

I don't use this either. Asia's a big place, composed of multiple ethnicities - it could refer to someone from Japan, someone from Pakistan or someone from Indonesia. I tend - if possible, where I can't pick a country - to pick a region. So, "East/Far Asian" or "South East Asian". India/Pakistan/Bangladesh/etc, I tend to prevaricate and am more likely to use a religious descriptor, if it's obvious.

I have no idea if any of those are un-PC. Isn't it funny how we tangle ourselves up (and possibly overthink things).

She tiny.

Possibly only tangentially related, but I did enjoy this 'rant': http://freethoughtblogs.com/amilliongods/2012/09/27/baggy-silk-pants/

H constantly worries about 'making the flat smell like curry' and makes me open all the windows. Total racist ?

But, but, curry smells so good. Nothing beats the smell of daal.

Interestingly, a friend of ours was telling us the other day that her pre-teen daughters were trying to describe a friend of theirs from school and were describing him as "the boy with the black curly hair" rather than "the black boy" (where we live, it's unusual to even have one non-white person in the school). She was telling us in the context of her daughters not being racist etc but I think it's perfectly acceptable to use skin colour as a description, just in the same way as it would be acceptable to refer to someone as "the boy with ginger hair".

Maybe you should have said the IC3 Female!

• IC1 White person
• IC2 Mediterranean person
• IC3 African/Caribbean person
• IC4 Indian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Maldivian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, or any other (South) Asian person
• IC5 Chinese, Japanese, or South-East Asian person
• IC6 Arabic, Egyptian or Maghreb person
• IC0 Origin unknown

Cool. I have heard IC1 a lot on those Police programmes. Might learn these and try and fox a few people....

Oh yeah - H uses this!

1 - I would expect you to treat the girl with cerebral palsy the same as any other team player. An accident is an accident and I think it would have been wrong of you to treat her differently to avoid any of the usual bumps that come with playing netball.

2 - I also feel a bit weird about describing someone by their skin colour first, as though it's their defining feature, but I wouldn't go with their size either! That's just mean. "Asian" is another word that irritates me because, as you said, Asia is a frickin' huge continent!

It refers to *apparent* ethnicity, not *actual* ethnicity. Do you not fall into one of the other categories? If not, I'm intrigued... (Or stupidly missing an obvious option?)

I am a Viking. At least that's what I put on ethnic monitoring forms.

That would be IC0, I guess....