Can someone South African break down what it means to be COLOURED?

[DoubleClutch]

Not long ago I remember seeing some black girl on social media with the tag in their bio saying “coloured and proud”. To me this was weird and kinda like saying “light skin power” Anyways, they were South African so I guess that’s a thing out there.

Fast forward I recently saw a documentary on race in modern South Africa and it made me even more confused how they view identity/blackness out there. overall their logic just seems backwards

Coming from an African American “one drop” slavery/Jim crow perspective “Coloured” has to be the most pointless label for any group of people who are of African descent

Do they not use the term “black” or even mulatto in South Africa?

Using “colored” to refer to anyone who is NOT purely white is like some reverse Hitler mentality.

plus it’s a completely ambiguous umbrella identity (maybe that’s the point ) for most of the population. It divides the actual Black people and still I think it creates more problems than it solves today in SA especially considering their Apartheid history.

Side note: when people in the media today always say Black & BROWN when referring to issues facing minorities would the “brown” in this case be similar to the SA definition of “coloured”?

so what say the coli South Africans? I know there has to be a few on here

 

[frankster]

I am Not South African so I hope you will entertain a response from a non South African....

Not long ago I remember seeing some black girl on social media with the tag in their bio saying “coloured and proud”. To me this was weird and kinda like saying “light skin power” Anyways, they were South African so I guess that’s a thing out there.

Fast forward I recently saw a documentary on race in modern South Africa and it made me even more confused how they view identity/blackness out there. overall their logic just seems backwards

Coming from an African American “one drop” slavery/Jim crow perspective “Coloured” has to be the most pointless label for any group of people who are of African descent

Colorism or Shadeism is a "thing"....it is the most dominant form of Featurism.
Children of mix heritage are usually referred as Colored... Yellow, high yellow, red, redbone, passing, or damn near white.
Depending on the community mixed individuals find themselves in, they often suffer at the hands of bigots, who accuse them of being "not white enough" or "not Black enough"

Do they not use the term “black” or even mulatto in South Africa?

Using “colored” to refer to anyone who is NOT purely white is like some reverse Hitler mentality.

plus it’s a completely ambiguous umbrella identity (maybe that’s the point ) for most of the population. It divides the actual Black people and still I think it creates more problems than it solves today in SA especially considering their Apartheid history.

Side note: when people in the media today always say Black & BROWN when referring to issues facing minorities would the “brown” in this case be similar to the SA definition of “coloured”?

so what say the coli South Africans? I know there has to be a few on here

In reality we are all shades of Brown hence.....Hu(e)man
Yes "Brown" in the USA is usually referring to mixed race individuals and some Latin/Hispanic Americans
And yes if you are not considered "pure white" then you are considered as to be belonging to the "colored races".

 

[Secure Da Bag]

Disclaimer: non-SAer.

From what I've heard, colored just means mixed. Trevor Noah is Black in America but Colored in South Africa.

 

[Lucky_Lefty]

Disclaimer: non-SAer.

From what I've heard, colored just means mixed. Trevor Noah is Black in America but Colored in South Africa.

This. It is just an identity that is exclusively South African. I had plenty of coloureds ask me about racism and American and if they would have to deal with it when they traveled to here. The ideal of their being a one drop rule and them automatically being considered Black (whom many considered themselves better than) once they crossed borders seemed frightening to them. I get it but they benefitted during apartheid for not being Black. Yellow bones are considered exotic to a lot of brehs over there. Yet, the coloured women I knew were quick to saddle up next to a Euro cac. The few I met who understood their designation by SA society but embraced their Black heritage were actually cool af. Many of them were deeply ingrained in the ANC Youth League

 

[DoubleClutch]

Disclaimer: non-SAer.

From what I've heard, colored just means mixed. Trevor Noah is Black in America but Colored in South Africa.

Right but coloured in South Africa also includes Asians, Indians, Chinese and other non white and even BLACK immigrants (like most African Americans probably)

Coloureds were ranked higher than Black Africans during apartheid and coloureds had their own communities by law sometimes separating family members.

like @frankster Said it’s supposedly to be based off skin color = shadism/colorism if you think of it how we understand stereotypes here in USA but it’s way more complex in SA

Being lightskin does not necessarily equal Coloured status how I understand it.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

 

[puckkhead]

might as well call them white....tbh....

 

[DoubleClutch]

might as well call them white....tbh....

But they would never be accepted. Kinda like how light skin/mixed blacks like Alicia Keys or Halle berry here aren’t seen as white.

white South Africans screwed up their minds so they would always have some type of dominance/control

the irony of this all taking place in AFRICA

I wonder what mixed Blacks in other African countries are called. And if they think they’re better

 

[Peak]

Not long ago I remember seeing some black girl on social media with the tag in their bio saying “coloured and proud”. To me this was weird and kinda like saying “light skin power” Anyways, they were South African so I guess that’s a thing out there.

Fast forward I recently saw a documentary on race in modern South Africa and it made me even more confused how they view identity/blackness out there. overall their logic just seems backwards

Coming from an African American “one drop” slavery/Jim crow perspective “Coloured” has to be the most pointless label for any group of people who are of African descent

Do they not use the term “black” or even mulatto in South Africa?

Using “colored” to refer to anyone who is NOT purely white is like some reverse Hitler mentality.

plus it’s a completely ambiguous umbrella identity (maybe that’s the point ) for most of the population. It divides the actual Black people and still I think it creates more problems than it solves today in SA especially considering their Apartheid history.

Side note: when people in the media today always say Black & BROWN when referring to issues facing minorities would the “brown” in this case be similar to the SA definition of “coloured”?

so what say the coli South Africans? I know there has to be a few on here

Coloured is not specifically for people of African descent. It is basically anyone who falls in between the three (Black, White, Asian). If you're mixed within any of those groups you are Coloured.