There was a time when such words as "darkie", "paki", "puff", "spastic" and "coloured" were common currency. We have abandoned them for the same reason we no longer burn witches at the stake or stick orphaned children in the poor house. We have moved on. That's not political correctness but social and political progress. Not imposed by liberal diktat, but established by civic consensus.In my experience, the British haven’t, as a whole, abandoned such words, though thankfully they are heard far less frequently. It’s certainly true that such words are never used in polite society, but I do sometimes wonder if that’s simply because the English middle classes have become wary of revealing their prejudices.
Perhaps I’m being unfair, but I don’t think society has “moved on” quite as much as Gary Younge thinks it has.
