January 8, 2009
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faux pas
I was in training yesterday with a coworker and someone I’d never met, but who had worked at the place I worked at until 2004 (she worked there from 2005 – 2007).
I am not really “up” on what is PC but never want to offend anyone by my ignorance. I mentioned that Barak Obama was getting all of these “he’s black” accolades but it seemed that they were ignoring that he was also half white. I said “Why don’t they say he’s our first mulatto president?” Oops. Turns out that is just as offensive as the “N” word. I had no idea. I wonder how many people I have offended by telling them, over the years, that I thought mulatto children seemed to have the prettiest skin color, ranging from the color of coffee with cream to cocoa. I always envied them. (Which is probably why, in my younger years, I was always on a quest to have the darkest tan on the block.)
I really hope the girl yesterday believed I really had no idea that “mulatto” was such an offensive word.
Correction
It turns out that it’s just not “PC” – it went the way of the terms “colored” and “negro”.
Comments (5)
I had no idea either. I actually think in itself it’s a pretty word.
@nevragn - I thought so too. I was discussing this with a couple of coworkers and they said they just say “Mixed” but that even if they are only 1/8 black, they consider themselves black. They said it was mostly because of skin color, not so much ethnicity.
I have never heard that mullato is close to as bad as the ‘n’ word. I think that’s a little ridiculous, but maybe the “news” just hasn’t spread up north yet.
@TLS - Chicago is pretty far north!
@Kallioph - Yes, but MN is still further!