# Asking an African-American woman to give up a bus seat in the handicapped section makes me racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 17, 2013, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137 "2013-11-17T19:02:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/201 "2013-11-20T20:33:48Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I _knew_ those seats were going to inch forward. a.) I’m not for the OP’s POV, I’m merely for the maintaining the accuracy of what she said vs. what people are then translating her to have meant. b.) I’m sure the seats are in the same place. I just couldn’t remember if she’d said THE back seats or was merely referring to the back portion (or third, or area, or whatever) of the bus or whatever. “…the back of the bus…” could encompass more bus real estate than just the very last row. c.) FWIW, every bus I’ve been unfortunate enough to ride in, the very back seats were always where the cool kids, of all racial varieties, congregated. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/202 "2013-11-20T20:49:53Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Before you write them off altogether, try riding in a regular-sized one. Haaaaaaaaah! ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/203 "2013-11-21T01:18:24Z")
This is a wonderful thread. I do enjoy a good trainwreck–or buswreck in this case. The only thing that’s missing is Nazis. The teenage girls weren’t eating _Death to the Jews!_ brand potato chips, were they? ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/204 "2013-11-21T01:41:46Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > That said, her best bet (and imho, for people who truly do have invisible injuries/disabilities this is the most efficient, least risky confrontation-wise), would be to go to the driver first and not even have to stress about it regarding other people. I’d rather kick her with [this](http://www.giraffeboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4483&d=1335493059) leg. She no doubt deserves it. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/205 "2013-11-21T01:56:54Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > …The only thing that’s missing is Nazis. The teenage girls weren’t eating _Death to the Jews!_ brand potato chips, were they? They Live! ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/206 "2013-11-21T03:38:01Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > They Live! No, they’re Jews. They were gassed in the previous scene. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/207 "2013-11-21T21:45:40Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > I’d rather kick her with [this](http://www.giraffeboards.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=4483&d=1335493059) leg. She no doubt deserves it. That link only took me to something that said I wasn’t logged in to Giraffe. 🙂 I have a feeling that the OP, based on entitled opinions re: other subjects, would have RATHER started a lot of nonsense rather than do it quietly and effectively. I have a sneaking suspicion that her request of the girls wasn’t as polite as she stated (back of bus, or seats closer to the front). And that, coupled with normal teen girl snottiness, is what caused the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2013, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/208 "2013-11-21T23:19:53Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > That link only took me to something that said I wasn’t logged in to Giraffe. 🙂 It’s just a link to an X-Ray of a shattered leg, fixed with lots of plates and screws to hold it all together, and zipper-style skin-stapling to hold the wounds shut. Which, unfortunately, happened to be _ **my** _ left leg. And I’m still recovering from. And except for the 2 screws that were taken out in the third surgery, are all still there. ☹ You could probably google up a thousand pictures like it. I’m _not_ my doctor’s first leg to fix, by any stretch… Nor is he the first doc to specialize in that field. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/209 "2013-11-22T04:17:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > _Hahaha!_ Thanks, this thread needed some comic relief…😉 Was this question ever really settled? ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2013, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/210 "2013-11-22T20:43:36Z")
> [@Cheshire\_Human](#): > > It’s just a link to an X-Ray of a shattered leg, fixed with lots of plates and screws to hold it all together, and zipper-style skin-stapling to hold the wounds shut. Which, unfortunately, happened to be _ **my** _ left leg. And I’m still recovering from. And except for the 2 screws that were taken out in the third surgery, are all still there. ☹ > > You could probably google up a thousand pictures like it. I’m _not_ my doctor’s first leg to fix, by any stretch… Nor is he the first doc to specialize in that field. Heh!! Sounds a lot like my Right leg. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2013, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137/211 "2013-11-23T07:47:10Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Heh!! Sounds a lot like my Right leg. Between the two of us, then, we’ve got a complete set of legs. Will you marry me? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asking-an-african-american-woman-to-give-up-a-bus-seat-in-the-handicapped-section-makes-me-racist/674137.md?page=10)