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Offended by 'BAME'?
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ZaraS
7 Comments
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GrannyBibi
24/07/2020Being of a generation that had to endure racism on a daily basis and the names we were called were insulting in every possible way, being called BAME is the least of my problems.
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Anonymous
27/06/2020I saw this on twitter and wanted to share: "BAME is a melting pot label that expects the same outcomes for everybody irrespective of their individual differences" (said by @rozina_kana)
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MeowZee
27/06/2020I don't think BAME as a term is offensive or patronising but I do feel that it is a misunderstood and 'misused' term because technically speaking no one is BAME. If asked, we would identify ourselves as Black, Asian, South-Asian, Bangladeshi, Arab, Syrian, African, Kenyan etc... you get the gist. However some people will use the term BAME when they in fact mean e.g. Bangladeshi or Pakistani and that is where the issue comes from; this is a misuse of the term. We do need a collective term because there are also scenarios where you need to refer to all ethnic minorities. The alternative is 'people of colour' but that is also not without issue, as it could exclude the traveller communities, Eastern Europeans etc, who also face a lot of racism, prejudice and discrimination. It's a debate for a reason but not one that I think we will have an answer to anytime soon and I think the term BAME is good enough for now - so long as it is used correctly.
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Zeinab
25/06/2020I agree, it creates this perception where those who don't fall into the BAME category (i.e. white people) are the 'standard', and the rest of us need a label. It's as if it's all us POC lumped into one 'homogenous' category and white people having their own identity. This also completely erases and ignores the issues and barriers faced by Black individuals - by minimising their struggles and ignoring the specific problems they, and they alone, face. The disadvantages Black people face in society aren't necessarily the same for the rest of us non-Black POC.
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SuperMum
25/06/2020I am concerned that by not having a reference point, actually our issues as minorities will simply fall off the radar! I am not offended by the term as I feel at least I'm counted- and it allows for intersectionality- as a woman, as a Muslim woman, and as an Asian woman. 'Women of Colour' doesn't cover that! For me, 'BAME' provides the starting point to discussions- so whether or not we fully agree with it, at least it's on the table.
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Anonymous
25/06/2020I see more people are starting to use Women of Colour or People of Colour. i was thinking where do White converts fit into this? They would face discrimination especially if it was perhaps obvious they were Muslim e.g. hijab etc and within these categories they would not be included. Some people dont use BAME and use BME - i wonder if another brand new term will be invented.
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NazminA
24/06/2020I don't think it is offensive or patronising and see the term BAME as referring to me. However I do understand concerns with the use of it when all ethnic minorities are 'lumped' together as one group in situations where disaggregated data is extremely essential. The recent statistics around Oxford university students is a key example of this. Although they are saying around 22% of new students are from a BAME background, I read somewhere that the percentage of new students who are Black is only 3% - so this is a clear example of when disaggregated data really matters and how 'lumping' everyone under the BAME banner can be counter-productive.
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