‘BAME’ has got to go
by Rakib Ehsan, spiked:
Finally, broadcasters are ditching this patronising, catch-all term for non-white people.
The UK’s main broadcasters have finally decided to ditch the term ‘BAME’ – a crude catch-all term for all black, Asian and minority-ethnic people. This acronym should have been consigned to the dustbin of history a long time ago.
UK broadcasters have made their move following a new report from the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity. The report concluded that the term BAME is being ‘used to hide failings in the representation of specific ethnic groups’. And it also claimed that BAME obscures the unique experiences of people from different ethnic backgrounds.
BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have all welcomed the report’s findings and pledged to move away from using the term in their newsrooms and corporate communications.
It’s good that this homogenising acronym for all black, Asian and minority ethnic people is being ditched. Yet it is also important to acknowledge that life experiences differ not just between specific ethnic and religious groups, but also within them.
People’s viewpoints differ, too. Just because some people share a certain ethnic background doesn’t mean they share the same opinions.
Watch: The Brazier Angle from GB News
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