# Characterizing arguments as racist - OK? If not, it should be

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characterizing-arguments-as-racist-ok-if-not-it-should-be/941527>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [May 6, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characterizing-arguments-as-racist-ok-if-not-it-should-be/941527 "2021-05-06T14:28:37Z")\
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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [May 6, 2021, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/characterizing-arguments-as-racist-ok-if-not-it-should-be/941527/8 "2021-05-06T14:59:13Z")

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> [@k9bfriender](#):
>
> In fact, he never “put any words” into that person’s mouth, he simply asked how you thought that that person would feel about the situation. No one answered the question, just implied that the question itself was racist to ask.

False. Look at these 2 quotes.

> [@Banning menthol cigarettes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banning-menthol-cigarettes/940973/57):
>
> Do you think he’ll be grateful to the government for banning his favorite smokes? Or do you think he’ll perceive it as racist?

> [@Banning menthol cigarettes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banning-menthol-cigarettes/940973/60):
>
> But banning the preferred smokes of Black smokers is, well, it’s not going to go over well. Again I ask, how do you think the hypothetical Black smoker described by Martin\_Hyde would react to that?

He’s clearly implying that his sock-puppet man would definitely find a menthol ban racist. So it’s incredibly ironic that I then characterize the entire contrivance as racist, and then he (or somebody) reports me as racist for pointing that out.

I’ll stipulate that probably everybody in that thread should probably withdraw from calling stuff racist, because most people are deploying it with “actually helping black people is the real racism” theme.

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