At the footy last night we had a black linesman. now at some point during the night, one of our fans shouted some friendly banter at him calling him ainsley. Now this was obviously a referance to Ainsley Harriet the Black chef famous in the Uk!
Now my friend said this was a bit naughty, but I argued that if he was a bit fat and had a beard and I'd shouted out hey Worral Thompson you useless c***, no one would have worried in the slightest! He responded that the reason the ainsley coment was rasist was that it was suggesting all blacks look the same, and that it was meant in a racist manner! now in my opinion this guy did have a bald head and had a slight resemblance to the man. So is this racist or just a typical over reaction to a comical moment! (sorry you yanks and cannucks aren't gonna have a clue what I'm on about on this one!)
2006-07-19 12:22:23 · 18 answers · asked by dbbadger 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
If there was a physical resemblance other than just colour then I wiould class it as just a bit of a mickey take.
If there was no resemblance then it is obviously rascist and unfunny..
2006-07-19 12:27:10 · answer #1 · answered by dopeysaurus 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Hey I'm a Yank and I get the jist of the incident. I don't think it was being overly sensitive to a blind remark meant to be taken as banter. It was.....I wouldn't say exetremely racist, but it did have a "racial" undertone that to someone black could be taken offensively. On top of that, it wasn't meant to make the man feel proud of his race. It was meant to say....ok...I'm going to tease you about looking like a black cook just because you guys have the same racial attributes.
Now I personally don't take offense to this, but people who are not black and mainly whites see my two boys together and separately and ask me, "are they twins"? LOL I actually laugh, but hey, I can't tell some white people apart right off, but the difference is, when I know that I've mixed up a pair of white guys or girl, I actually make it a purposeful point to notice their differences one from another...that way I can be respectful, step out of my cultural zone and get to know AND RECOGNIZE them as an individual. What I don't do is call white girls britney spears or jessica simpson or white guys ricky schroeder or luke perry or whatever...just because they look similar in racial attributes.
By the way, my sons are thirteen months apart, about seven shades difference in color, one is the color of a cup of black coffee and the other the piece of caramel candy. Their hair is wayyyyy different, one has curly or wavy hair and the other has extremely kinky hair. They are built totally differently. One is skinner than a bean pole and the other slightly thin to normal framed. I could go on and on and on about their differences....but the point being..white people are NEVER able to tell them apart.
I think that while people shouldn't be so insensitive, they should at least realize that blacks have been bantered one too many times about cultural differences/sameness and that from a black perspective, if you care to bridge the cultural gap...stay out of that territory. Once again...In this situation I have to say, it's a black thing...you may not understand, but at the very least you could respect it...if you care to.
2006-07-19 12:36:54 · answer #2 · answered by fiteprogram 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
First of all I'm Black and I think the only time something is racist is if absolutely no one laughs. We all need to laugh at each other a little more. Second, your dialect is way different (a bit naughty? lol...), and third, who the heck is Ainsley? Never heard of him. Not even on the FoodNetwork, which I watch often. Oh yeah, you said famous in the UK! No wonder I never heard of him.......
2006-07-19 12:31:21 · answer #3 · answered by Poetess_4U 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
borderline, on a scale of 1 to 10 I would class this as about a 3 for racism...a little bit but the same lookalike type comments are made by same race people so no racism would be claimed there but can be a bit insulting perhaps...a jokey jibe...
2006-07-19 12:30:47 · answer #4 · answered by inspirationpurity 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its not racist but as u said if people yelled worral thomas at people it's not the same considering white people havent had the experience of racism that black people have and are less sensitive about things like this . i thik in this case u need to see it from both perspectives.
its the same with jews, they are very sensitive about non jews making certain comments. i think u have to be careful with people who have been persecuted by your race.
2006-07-19 12:29:38 · answer #5 · answered by poppettes 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A racial insult is when a person of caucasian descent (white) uses a slur to any member of another race to which that person takes offence.
However, due to the nature of Politiacl Correctness, the reverse of this is not true, any racial slur towards a caucasian is not a racial slur as those of us "Whiteys" are not allowed to be offended as that is not a racial slur! Go figure!
2006-07-19 12:29:06 · answer #6 · answered by Tony T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
White guilt working overtime dont worry about it maybe he was personally offened but not a racial slurr stop frettin and quit worring about all this racism stuff treat everyone as an equal and move on!!
2006-07-19 12:30:27 · answer #7 · answered by BrianKSE2006 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i could think of a lot more insulting names to call someone than Ainsley any one who thinks its racist is pathetic Ainsley is sweet and lovely its a complement
2006-07-19 12:54:13 · answer #8 · answered by keny 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Depends how you said it and why you said it.
Had he just given a decision against you and then you come out with a comment like that that would definetly be racist.
Same way if you had called him fat or whatever.
2006-07-19 12:33:27 · answer #9 · answered by Alistair B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When you generalize and make sweeping statements
and attribute characteristics that realisticly could belong to any race to someone or group because of their race and only because of their race, it is racist.
Not bad for a bloody Yank, eh?
2006-07-19 12:33:14 · answer #10 · answered by helixburger 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋