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I suspect someone played a practical joke on your sister-in-law. As an example of how American culture has not influenced South Africa: "Coloured"[1] is legitim
by sangnoir 7y ago
I suspect someone played a practical joke on your sister-in-law. As an example of how American culture has not influenced South Africa: "Coloured"[1] is legitimate racial category in South Africa which is can be freely mentioned in polite company and even on government forms. Incidentally, it refers to a non-black demography (and most black people do call themselves black). I believe the term "Colored" has fallen out of favor in American culture, and arguably constitutes fighting words.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloureds https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coloureds
- toasterlovin 7y agoFWIW, I believe the term ‘Coloured’ in the South African context refers to a specific ethnic group that came about by mixing between white and native Africans. Which is different than the (now dated) term ‘Colored’ in the American context, which referred simply to people with African ancestry. So, if my understanding is correct, a South African Coloured is different from a Black South African. But in the US, both ‘black’ and ‘colored’ refer to the same people.