Posted on 01/27/2015 6:35:30 AM PST by Eurotwit
Benedict Cumberbatch called black people 'colored' on show Tavis Smiley He was hitting out at lack of opportunities for black British actors in UK His use of 'outmoded' racial terminology sparked outrage among viewers 38-year-old Oscar nominee said: 'I'm devastated to have caused offense'
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch has apologized after describing black people as 'colored' on US television, saying he is 'an idiot' and is 'devastated to have caused offense'. The 38-year-old Sherlock star used the racial term during a debate on the lack of diversity on British screens on the talk show Tavis Smiley last Wednesday. After the interview, hundreds took to social media to condemn the actor for his choice of terminology, with many branding it 'racist' and 'inappropriate'. Last night, Cumberbatch responded by issuing an apology for his 'incorrect' and 'offensive' use of the phrase. He said: 'I'm devastated to have caused offense by using this outmoded terminology. 'I offer my sincere apologies. I make no excuse for my being an idiot and know the damage is done.'
Cumberbatch, nominated for an Oscar for The Imitation Game, added: 'I can only hope this incident will highlight the need for correct usage of terminology that is accurate and inoffensive. 'The most shaming aspect of this for me is that I was talking about racial inequality in the performing arts in the UK and the need for rapid improvements in our industry when I used the term.
'I feel the complete fool I am and while I am sorry to have offended people and to learn from my mistakes in such a public manner please be assured I have. 'I apologize again to anyone who I offended for this thoughtless use of inappropriate language about an issue which affects friends of mine and which I care about deeply.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
My husband just said: Whoops! He just blew his Oscar.
coloured is politically correct
Barack Obama several times used the expression “people of Color”
That means the acronym POC is appropriate
“Al Sharpton and other POC’s are damaging their place in civil society by their constant whining and acts of terror on the streets”
People of color, colored people? He should have just called them African-Americans even though he was speaking of Brits.
It has gone full circle through Negro, African American, Afro American, Black, People of Color [as used by Oprah].
Black is a color as is white, red, yellow and brown. Get over it! He could have called them “Street Rats”.
I know. It’s only okay when THEY say it. And, of course, by calling themselves “people of color”, the subtle implication is that they are somehow better.
So even speaking out about lack of opportunities for black actors does not absolve him of this horrific, horrific crime!
I wonder who “gets to” these white people and tells them to plead and grovel the way they always do.
Somebody needs to raise the “coloured people” issue with the NAACP. He just called ‘em as they see themselves
For years I wondered what is the difference between people of color and coloured/colored people.
I thinks someone just wants to complain because they have a chip on their shoulder. I am sure Benedict Cumberbatch is not the problem. Now he knows how touchy people act.
That colored boy is a mulatto.
That would be African British, wouldn’t it?
The PC way to describe him is Biracial bisexual.
Technically, neither black nor white are colors - one is the absence of color, the other the sum of all colors.
obama is not even human....IJS
I would have more respect for that quivering actor if he had stood up to those PC bullies. “Excuse my idiotic slip of the tongue, I actually meant to say nigger.”
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