Was the tweet racist?
Poll
 | 4 votes (12.5%) | ||
| | 21 votes (65.62%) | ||
| No votes (0%) | |||
| | 7 votes (21.87%) |
32 members have voted
Everyone probably knows by now that the Greek Olympian was kicked off the team for tweeting the above phrase. Apparently the tweeter is a member/sympathizer of a Greek anti-immigration group.
I got into a debate whether or not this tweet was racist. I said that it is not racist, it's more bad joke / anti-immigration. Against the Olympic spirit, so I understand why she was kicked off - but is it racist?
Here is the definition of racism from wiki: RACIST - A person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others.
I'd put this more to off-color than racist.
The thing is, so many minorities seem to think it is overboard. Here is one that happened at work this week.
They were pushing yet another potluck day (see thread for my thoughts on them.) Supervisor tells us about some kind of meatball she makes, but says she doesn't bring them to the office, here is her basic quote:
"Well, I make them and they are great, but I do not usually make them for the office because many of our African-American employees do not eat pork. Pork has high salt and avoided by many people with hypertension."
She leaves, and the response by black female employee near me:
"What on earth is she talking about? I don't know any black people that don't eat prok. We eat pork all the time.
The next night there was a manager's meeting so the junior managers were monitoring the floor. One (black female) who just has one of those motivate-the-team personalities decides to have a game of hangman. So she is rolling this whiteboard along the floor asking for guesses. As she passed, the same woman above shouts out, "Hey, look, it's Vanna Black!"
Point being, let the minorities decide when they want to be offended. And most times tell them to learn that they have no right to not be offended.
Quote: WongBoi wonder what you would think and how you would feel if you were one of "the minorities"...
There are more Africans than Greeks in the world, so which minority are you talking about?
so disingenuous.
(context would be people, geographical place, history, culture, language)
Quote: FaceCertainly not racist, not even terribly off color. Appropriate in that venue? Maybe not. But something needs to be sensationalized, does it not?
Most people in our 50's remember when most people told "Polish jokes" or "Italian jokes" (In UK they put HMS on their ships for "Her Majesty's Ship", in USA they label them USNS for "US Naval Ship", in Italy they are labelled AMB, for "Attsa My Boat"). While the mosquito joke was in poor taste, and she fails the IQ test for tweeting it, I think a public apology was appropriate. Not the destruction of a lifelong dream.
People are not made of crystal. It's not like someone was physically hurt.
Quote: P90Any mention of any race or nationality in any context other than stressing how important it is to pretend that they don't exist even in jokes is undoubtedly racist and a sign of an emerging murderous dicktator.
EXCELLENT!
I remember a few years ago at a blackjack table a black dealer called the pitboss over to take someone's card and the pitboss asked, "Which gentleman"" and the dealer stated "The African American guy right there" - at this point, the "African AMERICAN" guy stated 'I am from England, I am not AMERICAN in any sense of the word, nor am I African, I am English, thank you"
I love how we have become so obsessed to not wanting to be racist that we do not even realize there are blacks outside of our own country
Quote: aceofspadesI remember a few years ago at a blackjack table a black dealer called the pitboss over to take someone's card and the pitboss asked, "Which gentleman"" and the dealer stated "The African American guy right there" - at this point, the "African AMERICAN" guy stated 'I am from England, I am not AMERICAN in any sense of the word, nor am I African, I am English, thank you"
I love how we have become so obsessed to not wanting to be racist that we do not even realize there are blacks outside of our own country
While in the USA 1 person in 8 is black, in the UK it is roughly 1 person in 50. While the couple they used for the history of British music in the Olympic Opening Ceremony was very cute, I couldn't help thinking that they are not representative of British demographics.
Only about 7% of the UK is not white, and that includes Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese, mixed race, etc.
I think that her tweet was racist. But it was more or less stupid racism, not a ranting hate filled diatribe. It should have been deal with by apology.
Quote: pacomartinWhile in the USA 1 person in 8 is black, in the UK it is roughly 1 person in 50. While the couple they used for the history of British music in the Olympic Opening Ceremony was very cute, I couldn't help thinking that they are not representative of British demographics.
Come on who doesn't have a crush on this girl now (look on the Twitter trends)
Quote: WongBoi wonder what you would think and how you would feel if you were one of "the minorities"...
Wong,
Are you saying that someone who is a minority cannot be a racist?
Where is the line between saying something stupid and racism?
FWIW, hearing about the athlete's political position they may well be racist, but I'm just wondering your opinion...
Quote: pacomartinWhile in the USA 1 person in 8 is black, in the UK it is roughly 1 person in 50. While the couple they used for the history of British music in the Olympic Opening Ceremony was very cute, I couldn't help thinking that they are not representative of British demographics.
Here's the thing... people probably wouldn't really have noticed as much in the UK as they would have in the US.
Apart from the odd Tory MP obsessed with race.
Quote: aceofspadesI remember a few years ago at a blackjack table a black dealer called the pitboss over to take someone's card and the pitboss asked, "Which gentleman"" and the dealer stated "The African American guy right there" - at this point, the "African AMERICAN" guy stated 'I am from England, I am not AMERICAN in any sense of the word, nor am I African, I am English, thank you"
Kriss Akabusi, a British 400m hurdler had the same thing when interviewed by an American sports presenter after he won a medal at the Olympics a decade or so ago. He was asked how he felt as an African American about winning a medal...
As to whether it is racist or not (even a good joke can be racist), it plays on geography, not race, so there is nothing racial about it.
Quote: weaselmanI voted "other". I don't see why the joke is considered "bad". I found it pretty funny.
As to whether it is racist or not (even a good joke can be racist), it plays on geography, not race, so there is nothing racial about it.
From personal experience I can confirm that Af/Americans are touchy about sickle cell anemia. This could have been underlying the touchiness here.
Quote: AZDuffman"Well, I make them and they are great, but I do not usually make them for the office because many of our African-American employees do not eat pork. Pork has high salt and avoided by many people with hypertension."
She leaves, and the response by black female employee near me:
"What on earth is she talking about? I don't know any black people that don't eat prok. We eat pork all the time."
I'm not black, but I've never heard this either, and have enough black friends and coworkers that if it was common I should have heard of it by now.
I have a similar story involving my wife. We let my oldest daughter had a slumber party for her birthday, and a couple of her friends are of Indian descent. When planning a menu for snacks, my wife was insistent on making sure we had enough vegetarian foods, since "all Indians are vegetarians". Now I know that very few people in that ethnic group (and country) eat beef, and that they probably do have a higher portion of the population who are vegetarians that the USA does; but I also know that every Indian restaurant I've ever been to had a menu loaded with chicken, fish, shrimp, and lamb dishes. Turns out one of the girls was vegetarian, the other one wasn't.
Quote: pacomartin
People are not made of crystal. It's not like someone was physically hurt.
You don't know that somebody didn't get a hernia
from laughing too hard.
The mosquitoes are from Africa, the people are from Africa, mosquitoes bite people, I really don't see how, "Home food," is racist. It was a poor joke because it was not especially funny, and because someone would clearly make it into a big deal about racism.
I'm from Ohio, if we had a critter in Ohio that spread to other States, and I happened to visit one of those states, and someone said, "Good, the vermicious canids will be getting some home food," are they prejudiced against Ohioans?
Of course not, that's ridiculous.
Quote: Mission146
I'm from Ohio,
I'm from MI, I've heard of Ohio. Didn't you have a college
there that had a pretty good football team years and years
ago, Ohio State I think it was called. Are they even still around?
Quote: EvenBobI'm from MI, I've heard of Ohio. Didn't you have a college
there that had a pretty good football team years and years
ago, Ohio State I think it was called. Are they even still around?
I'm a Rutgers fan, and we were never any good. We did house the first college football game in history, though.
I've got one. Years and years ago there was a huge land dispute in which Ohio and Michigan couldn't come to an agreement as to whom Toledo belonged to...
Ohio lost.
Quote: Mission146I'm a Rutgers fan, and we were never any good. We did house the first college football game in history, though.
I've got one. Years and years ago there was a huge land dispute in which Ohio and Michigan couldn't come to an agreement as to whom Toledo belonged to...
Ohio lost.
Indeed, and if you've ever been to Toledo, you know
exactly what that means. I can't see any difference
between Detroit and Toledo, they're almost sister
cities anyway.
Quote: Toes14
I have a similar story involving my wife. We let my oldest daughter had a slumber party for her birthday, and a couple of her friends are of Indian descent. When planning a menu for snacks, my wife was insistent on making sure we had enough vegetarian foods, since "all Indians are vegetarians". Now I know that very few people in that ethnic group (and country) eat beef, and that they probably do have a higher portion of the population who are vegetarians that the USA does; but I also know that every Indian restaurant I've ever been to had a menu loaded with chicken, fish, shrimp, and lamb dishes. Turns out one of the girls was vegetarian, the other one wasn't.
It amazes me how hung up people get when someone "different" comes into their sphere. People who have to buy a gift for a priest think it must be something religious becaue, well, he is a priest. Nobody thinks to ask, "What does he like to do in his free time?" Maybe the guy likes hockey and tickets to the game would be enjoyable? I remember reading an article where a black kid was being recruited somewhere for something or other, some non-sports college IIRC. Kid said the recrutier kept asking him about Prince. The kid was upset, saying he didn't listen to Prince, didn't care about Prince, why didn't the guy just ask what he liked to do for fun.
Heck, when I was in HS I was fixed up with a friend's mother's friend's daughter. They were not from a "bad" part of town and I was not from a "great" part, but my part was about two steps nicer than her part. Went there with the friend, met her and her friend. The first houw was, well, weird. You see, "these guys are from Hill Valley--WOW, what do we talk to them about?" Or much later, dating a girl who had friends who were teachers. She told them I was slightly to the right-of-center politically (I had a few differences with her parents, though her dad was some history professor or something so we did have good conversation he and I) and they had said, "OMG, what can we talk to him about?"
The common thread in all of the cases is just converse about basic things and find some common ground. For crying out loud.
Not being one of the "minorities" I could not see where it might be offensive, outside of possibly rude.
We can not live in a society where NO ONE will ever be offended.
We all have to develop a slightly thicker skin.
She is being kicked out of the games becasue she didn't "toe the line"
The IOC is the same one that will not recognize for even a moment the athletes that were killed 40 years ago.
Make sure you "toe the line".
Where ever that LINE may be drawn.
SFB
Quote: Mission146I'm from Ohio, if we had a critter in Ohio that spread to other States, and I happened to visit one of those states, and someone said, "Good, the vermicious canids will be getting some home food," are they prejudiced against Ohioans?
I thought the scientific term is "Rednecks"?
Quote: P90I thought the scientific term is "Rednecks"?
You must be mistaking us with West Virginians.
Do you know the difference between a wealthy Ohioan and wealthy West Virginian?
The wealthy Ohioan has two cars.
The wealthy West Virginian has six...sitting on cinder blocks in the front yard.
Quote: Mission146The wealthy West Virginian has six...sitting on cinder blocks in the front yard.
WV does have one billionaire.
Quote: Forbes 400Jim Justice
Age: 61
Source of Wealth: Coal
Residence: Lewisburg, WV
Country of Citizenship: United States
Education: Master of Business Administration, Marshall University; Bachelor of Arts / Science, Marshall University
Marital Status: Married
Children: 2
Jim Justice sold all of his company's West Virginia coal interests to the Russian company, Mechel OAO, in May 2009, for $436 million in cash and 83.3 million Mechel preferred shares. Justice made headlines later that year when he snatched the iconic Greenbrier resort from Marriott, paying $20.1 million. The property was hemorrhaging a reported $1 million a week and on the verge of bankruptcy when Justice stepped in.
Born and raised in Raleigh County, W.V., Justice received his undergraduate and MBA degrees from Marshall University before joining his father's coal mining outfit in 1976. Shortly after arriving at Bluestone Industries, Justice launched Bluestone Farms, a commercial grain farming operation. After his father's death in 1993, Justice became President and CEO of Bluestone and expanded the firm by rapidly acquiring new coal reserves. Today the rebranded Justice Companies maintains coal operations in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia and active farmland in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky and South Carolina. A former Boy Scout, Justice gave $25 million to the Boy Scouts of America in 2011 to support the creation of a 10,600-acre land reserve near his home in West Virginia. One of the reserve's parks will be named for Justice's father. Justice enjoys hunting, coaching the girls' basketball team at his local high school, and dining at Appleby's. Justice took over coaching duties for the boys' team as well, starting with the 2011-2012 season.
Quote: ahiromuThe black/pork thing might be related to the high African Islamic population in the some areas.
While it could be, it was not the case here. Most blacks around PA are Christian, some form of Baptist Protestant. I will file it under "you had to be there and know the people involved."
Quote: s2dbakerIf a person from Mongolia has Down's Syndrome, how can you tell?
Trisomy 21,
Is this really something you want to be joking about?
Flag
Quote: Mission146You must be mistaking us with West Virginians.
What is the difference between a hillbilly and an asshole?
The Ohio River!
Quote: FinsRule"With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!" .
Shssh. A look at history here. The Pharohs were GREEK. Egyptian society was really Greek society. So if you have Egyptians in Greece its really more a home coming than anything else. The problem is the mosquitoes and they are annoying everywhere.
Quote: Mission146The wealthy West Virginian has six...sitting on cinder blocks in the front yard.
Before the days of saving it digitally, I lost my picture of what I was calling "the richest guy in Caroline County VA" ... must have had 20 cars up on blocks. Well, he was probably doing some kind of junk-yard thing out in the sticks. Still, it seemed to fit. No longer there.
