Have you ever been called a racial slur?

Question

It happened for the first time (to my face anyways) this weekend. I was grabbing a bit to eat from mcdonald's and this black guy (pointing out race because it's relevant to the story) sitting near the cashier asked me for the game pieces on the cups. I said no because I thought it was a wierd thing to ask. I turned back around waiting my turn in line and I hear "HONKEY""HONKEY!"
I thought it was kind of amusing at first, I didn't know how to take it. Later I got pissed off when I realized how stupid the whole thing was.

This is nothing compared to what many people go through I know, what did you do, if it happened to you too?

To make it relevant, what would jesus do?

Warrior for God: I don't consider myself liberal or conservative.

loco: hah! I'm dating a hispanic girl now, and she was with me at the time.

I don't even like mcdonalds, don't think I'll be going back. That fat dude was probably sitting there all day begging.

I ended up tossing my game pieces in the trash.

Seems some of the answers on here have been reported. My apologies to anyone who had their voice silenced. This question demands the use of certain terms and it seems some people can't take it.

Answer 1

Probably 10 times in my life. I grew up in Atlanta, in an all-Black neighborhood so there wasn't much racism to talk about.

Answer 2

Interestingly enough, this never became an issue for me until I started working at my current job. Interesting because many of the areas in town where I've lived, I've been part of the smallest racial minority.

Since I've started working here, though, I've been "that white b*****" or "f***ing white b****" more times than I care to count. In addition to the verbal slurs, I've had several people come into the office with the attitude that either a) they're soooo much better than I am or b) I owe them something. It wouldn't be so bad, except when my co-worker (who isn't white) comes out of her office, their attitude changes completely as long as they can talk to _her_.

I've never done anything about it - just blow it off. If it's that important to them to try to intimidate me (or whatever it is they think they're doing), then they can go ahead and try. My keeping a straight face and not getting upset by their garbage is probably the most effective counter-attack I've got.

Answer 3

Yep. Been called Whitey White Hair by a guy who waited on me. When I turned around his other African American friends looked embarrassed. I didn't do anything. That was about 15 years ago.

More recently I had an African American friend who was slightly insane because he thought he could hear white peoples' thoughts. He thought white people all thought racist things about him. So not true. Everyone but my African American friend Jackie thought he was a great guy and no matter how many times I told him so he couldn't believe it. (As a side note, he was very, very wealthy with a six-figure income, grand house, sports cars, etc.) Eventually, he told me he looked forward to the day all the blond-haired blue-eyed people, like me, got bred out of society. It was sad because I thought he was a great guy. His paranoia got the best of him. I broke off our friendship.

That's nothing compared to the constant ethnic slurs I get living in England for the last 18 months. I've had people taunt me about 911 (September 11, 2006), yell at me when they hear my American accent (often), accuse me of supporting baby killers because they say I personally supported the IRA (Huh? I'm not even Irish and the rationalization they use is quite uneducated.), witnessed English shop keepers drive a Chinese woman out of the store and then got as many customers as they could to join in a racist foreigner-bash (mid-February, 2007), and had an English driving instructor try to start fight after fight with me as I remained silent. When I reported it to the British School of Motoring they told me that no one cared about white on white racism. I had an Irish woman start yelling at me in a park while I kept saying, "I'm sorry. I think you have the wrong person." She then called the police and said my dog sniffed her baby. She didn't even have a baby (October, 2006). The people who tried to run me over with their car when I was walking on the sidewalk might have not been racist because I'm not sure if they knew I was American (Easter Sunday, 2007). They lived down the street. Maybe they knew. At least they moved.

To cope I do not speak to the natives here unless it is my husband, his family or his friends. Also, people don't pick on me when I'm with my British husband. It's easier to pick on a person who is alone. I keep quiet in public and whenever possible I go to British Muslim cashiers. Since they never try to pass Euros and give the correct change I can only surmise they don't think their soul is worth short changing some nice woman with an American accent.

Funny old world. The United States is supposed to be 'the most racist country in the world' yet every time I move outside the USA I find it's so loving and welcoming compared to other countries. Guess they weren't graced by the great and glorious Martin Luther King, Jr. It shows.

Answer 4

Yea I was called the dreaded "N" word, shutters (lol). Unfortunately it didn't really bother me, besides made me comment on how lame of a insult that is. The manner in which you react fuels the use of the word. Words much like anything in this world is only a stimulus, one gives ignorance strength by the manner in which they "react." I find it more reasonable to take that negative experience and seek to understand what prompts people to be the way they are, also use that situation as a moment to promote consciousness, basically make it a learning experience so they can reflect on their ignorance and see their defect, that's what Yeshua would do. Just like when in the allegorical scriptures when the Pharisees came condemning him, he turned the tables and used them as an example of ignorance and reflected their nature and foolishness back at them, so it became a learning experience to them about themselves, their mechanical, external, literal, hypocritical, carnal mindset.

To be honest cracker is a stupid slur, it is basically a reference to slave masters and the sound that a whip made when it snapped. I suppose that it symbolically is calling a person evil, essentially. That's my guess...

Answer 5

I have never been called a racial slur to my face. That's rough and I am sorry you had to hear that. I honestly probably would have "gone off" on the guy (if the roles were reversed and I was called the N word or something, I'm black). I know that it is more "acceptable" in this society if a Black person gets angry at a White person for calling them a racial slur. But, if I were you I probably wouldn't have kept my mouth shut. I would have called him out on it.

Any racist name calling is unacceptable and you should take it from anyone. Whether White, Black, Latino, Asian, etc. People are sooooooo stupid.

Answer 6

For some reason people think I'm Jewish. I don't know why, or if Jewish people have a certain "look" that I don't know about (all my Jewish friends just look like people), but I've been called a Kyke and the like before. I just thought it was weird. Later I felt bad that I couldn't really appreciate the situation at the time. It was an opportunity for me to learn what some people go through that I, as a white male, don't really have to worry/think about, and I didn't know how to take it at the time.

Answer 7

Yes I got called a "Jew b*tch" in front of my children the other day right before the muslim guy who said it assaulted me.
I was lucky it was witnessed- One less scumbag on the streets. I have the privilege (ha) of being an Arab descended Jew married to a Mexican/ Arab Jew, so the racial slur possibilities are endless.

Most people are decent, though, and see us for what we are- one more family living in America trying to make our own life. So the incidents are few.

Answer 8

Yes I have. I've been called the dreaded n word hundreds of times. Since I'm about as white as you can be, it never really bothered me. I've also been called a cracker so many times that my friends ( who run the gamut of skin color) got me a shirt with a big saltine on the front.

Answer 9

I know the feeling!!!!!
I am not racist, but it pisses me off how, blacks can call whites honkeys, and white crackers, and ppl think we should just overlook it, and that it really don't mean nothing, but if a white, or another race were to call a black person a *** ger, then the law can get involved, and blacks act as if it,s the worse crime ever!!!
I know, I would have turned around in that McDonalds and said....look *** ger...do you have a fuc king problem with me!!!!!!
And I am not racist, but I would have said *** ger just because of the fact that he called me a honkey!!!!!
I am a white female, and I have been married to a hispanic for 12 years!!!!!

Anyway.....I am glad that you did not give him your game pieces.... Shi t.....you might have some free fries up there....LOL

Answer 10

Racism is wide spread and knows no boundaries. Ignore them, I would not like hearing on the news about the person that got killed over game pieces. To answer your question I think most of us have.

Answer 11

I was called a gringo in Porto Rico when I was at a club. A dancer was paying too much attention to me and one of the others told her to stop hanging with that gringo so much. At the time I was having fun so it did not bother me much. I had a lot of fun when I was there for work.