Home Politics & Debate
If you need urgent support, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E. To contact our Crisis Messenger (open 24/7) text THEMIX to 85258.
Read the community guidelines before posting ✨

ls "half caste" offensive?

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
.
«1

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its a term generally best avoided I think.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Race usually denotes blacks, whites, orientals, etc.

    Physical anthropologists generally reckon that the notion of race is a redundant one!!! There are NO major PERCEIVED differences between the different races!!!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by the sole liber
    Race usually denotes blacks, whites, orientals, etc.

    Physical anthropologists generally reckon that the notion of race is a redundant one!!! There are NO major PERCEIVED differences between the different races!!!!

    What do you mean? What's a physical anthropologist?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I didn't understand that either.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by the sole liber
    Physical anthropologists generally reckon that the notion of race is a redundant one!!! There are NO major PERCEIVED differences between the different races!!!!

    There aren't, really. Blacks and whites are physically identical, with a few subtle adaptations to the climate in which they live, like pigmentation or sickle-cell anaemia. It's the same with those from the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, the Middle East. Race exists in no real sense, only culturally.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ^
    that makes sense now Kermit, and I agree.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by MoonRat
    What do you mean? What's a physical anthropologist?

    It's a branch of anthropology which deals with how humans evolved!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    and my best mate calls himself halfcast and his parents call him it, and i call him it therefore cause my mum uses it (in a non degratory way i must add, shes like super liberal) but when i used it around someone else recently they had a big go at me and called me racist, huh!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    There aren't, really. Blacks and whites are physically identical, with a few subtle adaptations to the climate in which they live, like pigmentation or sickle-cell anaemia. It's the same with those from the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, the Middle East. Race exists in no real sense, only culturally.

    Ahh yeah, I agree.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    There aren't, really. Blacks and whites are physically identical, with a few subtle adaptations to the climate in which they live, like pigmentation or sickle-cell anaemia. It's the same with those from the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, the Middle East. Race exists in no real sense, only culturally.

    i didn't know that, thanks
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Kermit
    There aren't, really. Blacks and whites are physically identical, with a few subtle adaptations to the climate in which they live, like pigmentation or sickle-cell anaemia. It's the same with those from the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, the Middle East. Race exists in no real sense, only culturally.

    My understanding is that, if you believe in genetics and the evolutionary chain, we are decendants of "Blacks"... dominant genes etc...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Can't really see why it should be used in the first place. None of the mixed people I know, seem like half-castes to me.
    Joking and in private is another thing. But still, can't see the relevance of the term in everyday usage.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by the sole liber
    It's a branch of anthropology which deals with how humans evolved!

    Stop using so many exclamation marks! Its really annoying!!!!!!!!

    See!!!!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by Jacqueline the Ripper
    Can't really see why it should be used in the first place. None of the mixed people I know, seem like half-castes to me.
    Joking and in private is another thing. But still, can't see the relevance of the term in everyday usage.

    Identity perhaps? As long as diversity is celebrated whilst not segregating.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Originally posted by MoonRat
    Identity perhaps? As long as diversity is celebrated whilst not segregating.

    I don't understand where you're heading at?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have a have a half cast friend, though he seems to prefer to call himself black. He's also gay, but that is a different story. He's quite the minority but people just dont mind.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The word caste comes from the Latin word Castus, which means 'pure' and the Portuguese and Spanish word Casta, meaning 'race'. So basically when you call someone half caste you are calling them 'half pure race'. So in answer to your original question, I would say its pretty offensive
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    welcome to the boards and all that though!! :)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    what do you mean when you say half cast...?

    sorry couldnt resisit :P
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Explain yuself
    wha yu mean
    when yu say half-caste
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thats it!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I don't get it
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yu mean when picasso
    mix red an green
    is a half-caste canvas
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    I don't get it

    it's a poem looky http://www.intermix.org.uk/poetry/poetry_01_agard.asp
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I really don't any opinion on this at all. It was a term that was used widely in the 1980s, but now seems to have fallen out of use for some reason.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    x_offender wrote: »
    The word caste comes from the Latin word Castus, which means 'pure' and the Portuguese and Spanish word Casta, meaning 'race'. So basically when you call someone half caste you are calling them 'half pure race'. So in answer to your original question, I would say its pretty offensive

    doesn't that answer it SG?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    doesn't that answer it SG?

    Not really - as the word Welsh means foreigner and was used by the Anglo-Saxon invaders as a derogotary term for the natives of this Island. I don't see massive calls we should not longer call it them.

    Come to that 'Paki' means pure in Urdu - but people don't mean it like that

    It doesn't matter where the word comes from - it's how people use it now that matters. Now half-caste may be insulting - but it's historical connotations (which 99% of people don't know) is irrelevant in that.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Not really - as the word Welsh means foreigner and was used by the Anglo-Saxon invaders as a derogotary term for the natives of this Island. I don't see massive calls we should not longer call it them.

    Come to that 'Paki' means pure in Urdu - but people don't mean it like that

    It doesn't matter where the word comes from - it's how people use it now that matters. Now half-caste may be insulting - but it's historical connotations (which 99% of people don't know) is irrelevant in that.

    I didn't know that. I just thought that the origins of the word is interesting and could give a clue as to why it is so insulting today.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I didn't know that. I just thought that the origins of the word is interesting and could give a clue as to why it is so insulting today.

    Could be as much referring to someone as 'half' anything.

    Calling someone who's vertically challenged half-pint will often get you into a fight (though normally I can just hold my hand outstretched against their head and they can't get near enough to get a decent swing in)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yes I guess the clue is in the name!
Sign In or Register to comment.