by Victoria Moss

Created on: July 29, 2008

I consider the term "coloured person" totally offensive and would not condone its use in any context.

This opinion is not based on self-protective instincts, as I would be equally appalled if someone described me as "white'. A person's "colour" is of no more significance in regard to worthiness than is that of the dairy cow in my neighbour's paddock.

To make a point: the cow is a Friesian, an indigenous breed of Northern Europe; its colour, incidentally, is black and white, yet this has no bearing on its physical hardiness or its ample milk-production the two reasons for which it is valued by the dairy farmer.

As with the cow, we must aspire to observe people with regard to the qualities that they possess rather than judging by the colour of their skin. The farmer would have chosen his Friesian even if it had been all-black. Colour was not his concern.

Racial differences may be cultural and behavioural and involve religious and political divergence, yet "colour" is not really the issue and should never be used to describe someone's ethnic origin. It should be remembered that those who first described people according to skin colour were of European origin and the description was used in a derogatory sense - the abuser thereby claiming "white superiority".

Mankind's bias and discrimination against individuals of its own kind is, without doubt, today's greatest dilemma. When this impasse can be finally overcome, global warming and financial collapse will seem relatively manageable, comparatively speaking.

Racial discrimination is learned behaviour. Put two babies of different ethnicity together and they will engage and play together happily, providing their parents are supportive and encouraging of this friendly interaction. If either parent were to exhibit anger or resentment towards the other, these innocent children would be experiencing an early lesson in "colour" prejudice.

In their first years of school, children often speak with delight of their new friends, recognising individual differences such as spiky hair or freckles or deeply-tanned skin, but without making judgements. They might describe the new friend's sense of mischief, his skill with a soccer ball or his ability to whistle louder than anyone in the class.

When is it that the child becomes conscious of racial comparison? It is when it is inflicted upon him by the opinions or behaviour of the adults in his life. And the adults whose influence is strongest are those that are the most loved, most admired,

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