offensive language - Is the term "halfcast" racist?


When I was at university in the late 90s, a girl I shared a flat with would use the term "halfcast" to describe people of mixed race, especially in the context of people who had a similar skin colour to Halle Berry or Melanie B (from the Spice Girls).


Is this a racist or offensive term?



For a bit of context - this was at a university in the British midlands (ie near Birmingham/Leicester/Nottingham), the girl was born in Dundee in Scotland but was brought up in Northampton in England. I don't consider her to be a racist.



Answer



The word is half-caste:



half-caste


noun : a person of mixed racial or cultural descent : HALF-BREED


adjective : of the rank of or relating to a half-caste



Many dictionaries flag half-caste as being "offensive," "often offensive," or "derogatory."


Interestingly, while OxfordDictionaries.com lists a related term, mulatto ("a person with one white and one black parent") as being offensive, it doesn't flag mestizo ("a person of mixed race, especially one having Spanish and American Indian parentage") as being so.


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