NO MORE REDSKINS

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

No, half-caste simply means mixed race. There's no racism in that description. The racism is what racists think when they hear or use that term. Which is exactly my point, whatever phrase replaces half-caste will mean the same thing, and that thing will depend on your view.

Half-caste is offensive, because it refers to the caste system in India.
It is not possible to be half in one caste and half in another. It describes someone who belongs nowhere, because they are rejected by the castes that each of their parents belong to.

It's like the term mulatto for people of mixed race/ dual heritage/ bi-racial, whathaveyou. It's just a word. But although there is some debate over when and where the word came about, for years it was generally understood to mean mule. The offspring of a horse and a donkey, useful only for hard work, unable to reproduce, neither nowt nor summat.

Why a word is used and its etymology is important. It means you can decide whether to use it or not. I wouldn't use the term half-caste because I know what it implies.