Lindsay Lohan Calls Obama "Colored" (Video)

In a move that inspired forehead smacking that could be heard across the country, Lindsay Lohan, America's favorite (little g) gossip girl, called Barack Obama "colored." In an interview with Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos, Lindsay said, "It was really exciting. It's an amazing feeling. It's our first colored president."

I have two questions: First, why is anyone asking Lindsay freaking Lohan's opinion on politics? (I'm not saying she can't have opinions, I just don't know why anyone would waste live interview time asking her about them.) And second, which is the question being asked around the blogosphere today, is "colored" an acceptable descriptor of a black person?

There are many terms that people have used to describe differences in skin tone but, rappers notwithstanding, only a few are generally used in polite society today. In the media one generally hears "black" or "African-American." Occasionally there is a reference, often in legal terms, to "a person of color" but that is often used to describe almost any skin color besides the peachy-pink we call "white." The last time I heard the phrase "colored" was by my nutty-as-the-Planter's-guy and admittedly racist grandmother. I will not repeat her statement here except to add that it resulted in no less than three family members launching across the room to put their hands over her mouth. And that's a lot for an 86-year-old woman.

But even if it were a generational issue, Lindsay is definitely not in the same demographic as my grandmother. Though they do share a strange penchant for leggings and muumuus.

Comments

[Shamaura]

Just because she did not mean it offensively does not mean it was not wrong! It was wrong on so many levels! What people need to stop doing, is bringing color into everything. She could have easily said she was excited about the progress of this country! Everyone knows that Obama won and everyone knows he is half black, why keep talking about it? This is 2008, not 1958!

[prs]

I attended a primary election convention for President Elect Obama at a High School Gym in Catawba County, NC. He is a brilliant soul. He is more impressive in person than on TV. This is what everyone should be expressing, rather than what color his skin or eyes may be. I wonder who the first 'green-eyed' president was?... Well, you get my point... Lindsay's comment did not offend me, because she is totally unaware of what she said wrong. She 'meant' no harm... however, it shows that she is still stuck in the ingrained ideas that are forced upon all of us. People should think about what they're words. I am a white female w/ adult children & grandchildren. My large family, like PE Obama's is multi-racial. You see what makes him so different, is that he truely does not see color. When you have people in your family (or close friends) whom you love, skin color variation is no different than the eye, or hair color variations found in all families... It is normal... Her comment showed her need to make a distinction between the two... which was wrong!.. It takes a long time for old habits to die, but times are improving!.. As President, Obama will accomplish great things, if we all remember to do our parts as well... Yes... We Can...

[sjcb8]

i honestly don't think she meant to be offensive, however i have seen her in a few different interviews say stupid things that wouldn't have made it through a normal person's inner-filter. for example, she was on jay leno talking about how clumsy she is, and said, "i always have bruises all over me from falling and stuff...i look like a battered wife." you could hear a pin drop in the audience. and another time she called reports of her having had a boob job "retarded"...though i know that term is for some reason OK to say. anyway, she doesn't think before speaking. these two examples i've cited were from at least 2 years ago...i wish she'd grow up a little!

[RTIII]

To all the people upset over this; you're only hurting yourselves.

When I was young, growing up in New Orleans, "colored" was considered a polite term, not offensive at all, as was the termn egro - as opposed to the offensive termn igger. (Go listen to Malcom X, for copius examples.) Then, in the 70s, that changed, slowly. Either "n word" became taboo - if you were "white!" There was a long period - easily more than ten years - in which there was strong confusion over what was a polite term one could use because some people found the word "black" to be offensive. This is VERY understandable with the influence of so many non-Affrican "people of color" in New Orlean's history. The only really important measure was the double-g n-word; it was understood by all to be offensive. There were other very descriptive terms in use, none considered offensive, such as mestizo, mulatto, etc.

If you happened to grow up in that time period and if you happened to just not have a lot of contact with the black community, you should be forgiven, as with Ms Lohan, for use of the term as she did as it was not intended as an offense; that is the point you should always and ONLY look for as to whether or not to be upset - was offense _intended._ AND, I would argue, being upset doesn't help you anyway, so just get over it and disempower the negative word.
.

[OrganOfThought]

I'm going to go ahead and guess that about 99% of the people offended by her saying this are not African Americans.

Even if this really is what she said, she certainly didn't mean to be offensive. This is so irrelevant that maybe everyone should just chill out.

[mmmd]

So white people are ----colorless? LOL.

[RTIII]

Technically, it's backwards: Scientifically, white objects reflect "all colors" while black ones absorb "all colors" - they look black because no color is reflected back at you.

I put "all colors" in quotes because clearly not all colors are reflected or absorbed. Note also that black isn't technically a color at all, it's the absence of light. White isn't a color, either; it's the inclusion of all colors. You can fake out the eye and make most colors from three complementary colors (eg: red, green and blue), but this is a failing of the eye, not a flaw in the science of colors.

...So, in essence, from a PURELY scientific perspective white objects can be thought of as "all colors" and black ones "no colors", and to apply this to people makes "whites" the most colored of all and blacks the least!

Strange how that works, eh?
.

[fightorleave2]

This comment is way more interesting than the Lindsey Lohan story.

[nippyfan]

If she really said it....Dingbat!

[KISSman]

Wat??

She's so out of her element when she's talking to the media. She needs to just go back to looking pretty for candid TMZ pics where speaking isn't necessary.

[majorteddy]

listened to it 5 times and couldn't tell the first three and then the last two I thought she said good.

[derekw007]

For chrissakes! Can we just stop obsessing over Lindsay Lohan saying the word "colored" and get back to the real issues at hand - that being me obsessing over the image of Lindsay Lohan with my wiener in her mouth?

[sjcb8]

i just did one of those, "oh, my god, that's horrible...and yet i can't help but laugh" laughs.

[Mekarri]

Linsey Lohan should just smile for the camera and maybe not talk. How can someone so young even think of an out dated word like color. I don't know what made her use that particular word but given that she doesn't care about exposing herself to the general public should speak volume. Nothing this person does or say surprise me.

[NoSandwiches]

When someone makes a statement like this and doesn't seem to be aware of the taboos, likely they grew up hearing the term. It is a reflection of not just her personally, but also her family and community.
She takes joy in Obama's election despite this.

I will take it as a positive, and not a negative. She no doubt is aware now!

[moodigirl]

WTF? Who says this anymore? So much for Hollywood being the land of the liberated. That's like straight out of driving Ms. Daisy!

[Nclghtning]

She was probably trying to say first "president of color" Amazing the difference that makes.

[vim876]

My brain is always trying to create the most efficient sentence possible before it comes out of my mouth, and I have occasionally caught myself about to replace "people of color" with "colored people." I'm 23, so it isn't like I was raised that way or anything, it's just that the most acceptable term happens to be an inefficient variant of an unacceptable term. Otherwise it would be like saying "dinnertime" instead of "time for dinner." If Lindsay Lohan were, say, a 58-year-old Georgia congressman calling Obama "uppity," we'd have real cause to suspect that there were some racial issues at play. (http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/09/04/georgia_gop_congressman_calls.html)
But this? C'mon.

[manshands]

A rose by any other name.....

[morbie5]

Change the name of the NAACP if the term is offensive.

[chronic]

Ooops! Good One!! LOL

[nypchung]

oh that's why she was confused..­.right...r­ight...