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 ...
It's hard to keep up with what is the acceptable PC speak of the day :P
That race card is getting old. He offended no one. That’s a lot of cr**.
Coloured in South Africa means any one of mixed race - people who have white and black ancestry.
Barack Obama is not really black - he’s Coloured.
The NAACP needs to change its name then.
Colored people, person of color. I’m confused.
I think I’ll watch “Sherlock” again on Netflix. What a big nothingburger all this “controversy” is.
The man knows how to truly apologize, even if it really wasn’t that insulting a description.
Somebody needs to raise the “coloured people” issue with the NAACP. He just called ‘em as they see themselves.
Dese negroes are out dae rabbit ass mines!
According to liberals, you can safely say ‘people of color’, but not ‘colored people’. Liberals also insist on referring to people from the Orient as ‘Asians’ even if many of those same people refer to themselves as ‘Oriental’ when speaking English (and even if they don’t like the term ‘Asian’).
You basically need a liberal playbook to navigate your way through the politically correct ethnic wilderness created by liberals.
Who cares? He’s still a hottie. And a darned good actor.
f— ‘em all!
Could it be that the word “colored” brings to mind the looting, pillaging, race-baiting genre that is at the forefront of the news so often in this country? Bad associations can sometimes be made through words. Even more so when a large percentage of a certain group chooses to act in a manner that is unseemly. Changing names doesn’t help. Am I imagining things or do the “people of color” in Britain have more restraint? I truly can’t see that British blacks have any more freedom or opportunity than those in America. They just seem to make better use of it on the whole.
LOL. Put the Maoist Dunce Cap on him and march him into the village square in a walk of shame while he issues groveling apologies to everyone along the way.
Cumberbatch is a liberal but he’s also the guy who said you can’t enjoy your civil liberties if you are dead in response to questions about NSA spying so I guess he’s not all bad.
Try the “wasn’t aware of cultural norms” defense used by muzzies. It sometimes gets them off of charges of raping little girls in the UK.
I always get a kick out of when liberals refer to black people from other countries (even Africa) African Americans.
After the Granada’s Sherlock Holmes of the 80s which were great, I didn’t expect much out of Sherlock but I was impressed with the series and both stars.
I think CNN referred to one of the French terrorists as “African American”. :P
The best idea would be to not call them...period...for anything.
Poor Bennie. Stardom really is a bitch. I remember when he was an up and coming actor at the Royal Court in London - moving around freely to the ATM or buying cigarettes. I always recognized him he was so distinctive in appearance. Why he would do this particular show is beyond me! Too bad Joe Franklin died; that would have been a better choice.
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