I don't think it is, but it dawned on me recently that African Americans might take offense at that. I am particularly interested in your feelings if you happen to be African American. Thanks.
2007-04-16 04:05:06 · 18 answers · asked by lmnop 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
I agree with most of you that this has nothing to do with race. But Apple 21 makes an interesting observation. I also agree with Heinz that this PC stuff has gone way too far. But I don't wish to deliberately offend somebody and that is why I asked the question. Good observations, folks!
2007-04-16 04:21:03 · update #1
The phrase "Pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom, used to accuse another speaker of hypocrisy, in that the speaker disparages the subject in a way that could equally be applied to him or her. In former times cast iron pots and kettles were quickly blackened from the soot of the fire, so it seems ridiculous of the pot to call the kettle black.
Are we that sensitive that even the word 'black' cannot be used without some backlash.
2007-04-16 04:14:43 · answer #1 · answered by ekavet245 2 · 8⤊ 0⤋
Not everything using the word "black" is a racial slur. Pots that have been seasoned, are black. Kettles (back in the day) were black because they hung over a fire and got smoke all over them. Often they were both cast iron, which gives that really lovely deep shade of seasoned black. "Isn't that a case of the pot calling the kettle 'black'?" Simply and means, isn't that a case of you pointing out something true about them that is also true for you? Just because we always use the phrase to mean bad things doesn't actually mean it is limited to that - we just generally don't feel the need to say "well so are you" for good things. "Hey, that Tommy's a really great ballplayer." "Isn't that kind of like the pot calling the kettle black?" "Why are you questioning my complimenting him? We don't do that in our society." It is possible that the original meaning gets a little bit lost today in that a lot of people don't remember and can't imagine a time when you couldn't get pots in your favorite tangerine orange or kettles in seafoam green. When the phrase originated, however, kettle and pot were black with use. If it is really bothering someone you talk to a lot, try re-phrasing to the grass calling the mold green or the sea calling the sky blue or the flaming liberal calling the ultra conservative crazy or any other same-same situation. Though, if you are already changing speech patterns to sooth someone's issues, that last suggestion might not be the best...
2016-05-21 03:04:43 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, the pot is stating a fact about the kettle which also applies to itself.
The 'black' refers to the sooth that both have.
Interestingly enough, the phrase is also used in my language (Dutch) and it translates litterally.
But does this mean you want to ban all phrases and sayings with the word 'black' in them? I think you are being oversensitive here.
'The pot calling the kettle African-American' ... that just doesn't do it for me.
A black page in our history - an African American page in our history.... No.
He got hit and now has a black eye.
When thinking about oversensitivity, I can't help wondering if some overly correct Americans would say 'African American' when referring to an inhabitant of Africa without thinking about it.
2007-04-16 04:26:31 · answer #3 · answered by mgerben 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I wouldn't think it is, since the phrase comes from the time that both were made out of black colored materials. Kettles aren't always black nowadays, but many still are and all the pots I have seen are still black. It has nothing to do with race, just the color of cooking ware.
If you'd like, you could say "That's like the fork calling the spoon silver," provided you're talking about silverware rather than plastic cutlery or anything else.
2007-04-16 04:15:32 · answer #4 · answered by Kharm 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
People will make a statement into whatever they want it to be. I've never thought of it this way, but that doesnt mean someone else would. In this day, pots and kettles are usually made from metal rather than iron. So, you could change it to something like, "That's like the pot calling the kettle silver." Unless we have an alien invasion of silver skinned beings, you won't offend anyone.
2007-04-16 04:14:43 · answer #5 · answered by ineeddonothing 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Heck no! That saying has been around forever! I am really sick and tired of this P.C. atmosphere where one cannot say anything without worrying if a African American will take offense at it. This saying has nada to do with African Americans.
2007-04-16 04:30:13 · answer #6 · answered by PURR GIRL TORI 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not African-American. However, I don't believe it is offensive. I seldom use the phrase though. The African-Americans I know do not take offense to things that are meant non-offensively.
2007-04-16 07:01:12 · answer #7 · answered by Patti C 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you think too much! This saying has been around for eons, and I believe that most kettles and pots were black in the past. Getting tired of people taking offense to silliness.
2007-04-16 04:14:28 · answer #8 · answered by karenhar 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Absolutely not, as it has nothing to do with race. Had to do with pots and kettles being used over open flames and getting soot on them.
What I DO find offensive is the super sensitivity garbage based on 'PC'. If someone wants to be sensitive and read negatives into it, that is their problem, and the hell with them.
It's a type of oneupmanship which I refuse to play. It's BLACKMAIL ;-).
2007-04-16 04:13:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 8⤊ 0⤋
When this saying was created Kettles and pots (cast iron) were black.
Race has nothing to do with it.
It's the equivilant to saying - that's the sky calling the ocean blue.
2007-04-16 05:44:22 · answer #10 · answered by rickybobbi 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋