Ever been called "racist" for no good reason?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

An example.

I’m a picky eater – I tend to approach new foods very carefully.

A few years ago, when I was dating this one woman, we’d often go out to eat. She preferred small, out-of-the-way, ethnic restaurants with very unusual cuisine. Her philosophy towards other cultures is that you not only have to sample the food, arts, and so on, but you must also like it and embrace it – you must like everything.

Well, one time we were at a little Tibetian restaurant in Boulder. I didn’t see much on the menu that I liked, but I found something that I felt I could eat without much problems. She ordered something that I really didn’t like – I can’t remember what it was, but it wasn’t something I’d comsume without taking a small sample and getting used to the texture and taste. Anyhow, she insisted that I try a sample of her dinner. I reluctantly did so, and didn’t really enjoy it.

My reaction met with rage. She argued that because I was reluctant to try and enjoy strange, unfamiliar foods, I was shunning another culture, and therefore bigoted and racist. WTF?

The thing is, once you’re called a “racist,” it’s next to impossible to defend yourself. What can you do?

2

I have a friend (female, woman) who teaches in an inner-city public high school. She gets called “racist” all the time by students she disciplines. FTR, she’s not a racist. She gets pretty mad when called racist, but generally has learned to ignore it. There doesn’t seem to be a good defense because when it is said incorrectly, denying it only seems to worsen matters.

3

All-purpose retort: “I’m not a racist! [sub]I hate all people equally.[/sub]”

4

I worked for a car rental agency at an airport here in Montana when I was in college. Now, it seems that some people are still not aware that tourism is one of the biggest industries out here, especially in the more scenic areas, of which this was one. Also, the rental car fleets tend to be small because while there’s huge demand for cars in the summer, there’s much less demand in the winter. The result was that we were often totally sold out during the summer months (especially in August) and would not have extra cars available for walk-up customers (people with out reservations). Also, of course, there’s not a lot of black people in Montana and maybe some people think it’s a redneck-y place, which might have added to this guy’s paranoia, I don’t know . . .

Anyway, it’s August, a plane lands, people are lined up for their cars, and this black guy comes up and wants to rent. I said, very politely, “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t have any cars available” – something I must have said like twenty times already that day. He then shouts at me “No cars, my ass! I can see that your lot is full of cars! I bet if my white friend came over here, you’d have a car for him wouldn’t you?”

I explained to him, in a very even voice, that: (1) Yes, our lot was full; it was full of cars for which there were reservations. If I gave away one of those cars to him, I would then have no car to give to some guy coming in later who had take the time to reserve it. (2) I did not care if his friend was white, black, yellow, or green, if he didn’t have a reservation, he wouldn’t get a car either. (3) He had balls of solid brass to accuse me, a person he doesn’t know and had never met, of racism just because he couldn’t get what he wanted. (4) If he didn’t stop screaming at me and get away from the counter so I could help customers who did have reservations, I would call security.

The wash guy I was working with said he thought I was going to lunge across the counter at the guy. I was so mad I was literally shaking. It was the only time anyone has ever accused me of racism, and it was so unjust (and, to me, insulting) that I have never forgotten it.

5

Last semester, I student taught a class of second-language learners (that is, their native language was not English) with near full fluency. All 36 kids were Latino. I only had two kids who really gave me problems, and the first settled down after my master teacher, the history teacher, and I settled his hash. The second kid though . . .

He turned in less than half his homework and was flunking with a 56. He would come and bug me about it, but never hang around for me to print up his grade report and go over it with him. When I finally sat him down and explained to him that he did have to turn in his homework in order to pass, his answer was, “Oh, Ms. Phouka, you just don’t like me. You’re failing me 'cause I’m Latino. You’re a racist.”

Just like Jodi, I was shaking with anger, but I did manage to point out that all the other kids in the class were Latino too, and not all of them were failing. It ended up going all the way to the counselor, because he’d pulled that on a couple of other teachers. That kid got his butt chewed on by me, my master teacher, the history teacher, the counselor, an assistant principal, and his mom. He ended up turning in just enough homework to pass.

6

I’m from Mississippi. That in itself is enough for some people to back off and whisper “Racist”. I keep expecting them to check and make sure I have shoes on. :rolleyes:

Anyway, I was chatting with one lady from Virginia years back, 20 minutes, doing fine. When she mentioned she was from that state and asked me where I was. I replied, and she suddenly said “I don’t talk to racists!” and that was that. I tried to get a response, but it seems that she’d automatically shut her brain off when she heard where I was from.

Oh, and living here isn’t any better. Something doesn’t go someone’s way? Cry Racist. Wanna keep your job? File a Lawsuit! One girl literally sat at her desk and talked with whomever she pleased for Months because management was scared to fire her for being lazy! She’d filed a lawsuit alleging something, and then knew she couldn’t be fired because of her Race! In her mind, if they did fire her for any reason, legal or not, it was clearly admitting they were guilty!

This makes for a long pit topic, needless to say we’ve got a ways to go before people live in harmony on this planet.

7

When I was in college, I worked at Spencer’s Gifts, which is a fairly popular novelty store here in the States. We sold a lot of small items - keychains and the like (yeah, yeah - I know what else…). Shoplifting is the bane of retailers like Spencer’s. One day, I noticed a teenage girl “of color” behaving suspiciously in front of the keychain rack. So I watched - we had mirrors in the store that were installed so that you could stand just about anywhere and keep an eye on someone. Legally, once you notice them palm something, you cannot take your eyes off them for a second. So I warned the manager, who called security, and I kept an eye on her. When she left, she was apprehended. First words out of her mouth were, “You’re only picking on me because I’m black!” Umm. Actually, no. We’re picking on you because you’re a shoplifter! Proven by the stolen merchandise up your shirt!

A decade later, that still makes me nuts.

8

Saint Zero, I feel your pain. When I tell random chat people or people I have just met that I’m from Alabama, at least 7 out of ten will ask me if I’ve ever participated in a lynching or if my relatives were ones that turned the hoses on in Birmingham or sent the Native Americans on the Trail of Tears.

My reply? “Some of my best friends are not of my race and a good MANY of my ancestors went ON the Trail of Tears, thanks very much.”

9

When I was at uni I was the Student Rep for Education. Part of this was to arrange discussions with faculty that students are having difficulties with.

This particular time we heaps of the students (me included) were having problems with a subject called “Australia and Indigenous Studies”. It was a new subject run by Kumbari (or something similar) which is a specific branch of the university entirely dedicated to helping those with indigenous ancestry (no matter how far back it seems).

Anyway I went into this meeting to discuss issues like constantly changing final assessments (we had been given 5 to date and each time told to scrap the work we had done previously), lack of study materials (eg none) and the fact that our lecturers and tutors didn’t turn up 1/2 the time.

So I wandered into this discussion/meeting and was immediately verbally branded a racist white pig, just because I was the only “white” person there and I was the one bringing a problem to their attention. I nearly got kicked out of that class and failed the course - thankfully I confronted the lecturer and threw all kinds of legal shit his way until he relented and “let” me pass.

10

Once I broke up a fight between two hispanic students. Then some stupid loud mouth little oompa loompa monster girl starts screaming at the top of her lungs how I am such a racist for grabbing the hispanic one. "Why’s it always gotta be the hispanic… " she starts. Did never did shut up. I told her to go to the office if she had a complaint. She screamed all the way there, her friend dragging her the whole way.

:sigh:

11

WhooBoy. Yes.

About ten years ago, I worked at a retail clothing store. One morning, two black women walked in, I greeted them, and carried on stocking racks. I was walked by them a few times and was met with angry glares by the both of them. A minute or so later, they were leaving, and one of them turned around and started yelling at me. She accused me of being a racist and as bad as all the “other white salesclerks”. She turned around as she was walking out the door and let go with her parting shot, “you know black people have money, too” and left before I could say a word.

What shocked me the most is that it came totally out of the blue. I’ve always wondered what I did that set her off…

12

You begin to wonder if people actually think sometimes.

It is reassuring to see that at least this odious practice isn’t confined to the South East USA.

13

I really am shocked by all of this, maybe it’s just because my school was designed to be racially diverse, (we actually have the percentage of each race written down somewhere, we keep it fairly consistent) but we usually don’t have problems with it.The only thing that gets my dander up is when people think you shouldn’t be in a cultural club if it’s not your culture. A white girl is running for office in a club called MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/Chicana de Azatlan) and I find it so messed up that people aren’t going to vote for her solely because she’s white. Oh well, I guess you can’t win them all, but normally the worst we get, from some of my white guys friends is, “It’s 'cuz I’m white, isn’t it?” and even that is just playing around.

Kitty

14

Oooh…I had a friend, Shannon, and this girl would come to stay with her father next door to Shannon every summer. Andrea. She just happened to be black. She was also younger, very insecure, very self-conscious, etc etc.

Well, I wasn’t too crazy about her, because she tended to be very pushy, invite herself along when Shannon and our friend Jill and I would go out and do something. Finally, one day, we decided to take a walk up to the school and talk and stuff, like best friends do. We didn’t invite Andrea because frankly, we just wanted to hang out and do our thing.
The next thing we know, she comes charging up to us at the school, CRYING and accusing me of not liking her and wanting to get Shannon to hate her-because she was black.

Uh huh. Nahh…it’s not because you’re rude and pushy-it’s because you’re black. :rolleyes:

I just said that Shannon and I wanted to talk about school and guys and things like that, or some other lame thing. Her father moved away after that summer, so I never saw her again. By the end of the summer, our little circle of friends was kind of sick of her. It’s NOT that she was a bad person, I didn’t hate her, she was just annoying, because she always would pop up when we were doing something, and so she’d get in our faces. If she hadn’t been so insecure of being black (like, when we were at the pool, she said, “I feel stupid-I’m the only black person here”-she’d always say things like that), I wouldn’t have minded her. It seems she had issues, I suppose. Probably having to do with her parents’ divorce and all that.

15

When I was a bank teller a black woman walked in with a $2600.00 check from the state lottery. She wanted to cash it, and I explained that you had to have an account as well as enough to cover the check in order to cash it. She didn’t have an account at our bank, and didn’t even have proper ID, even if I could cash it. I explained that to her, and she told me that if she was white, I would have cashed it for her. I couldn’t believe she said that. Did she really think she could just stroll into a bank and cash a check for that amount if she was white? She started yelling for the manager, called me a ‘white bitch,’ made a big scene, etc. The manager quietly walked her to the door, and basically told her to get lost.
At the same bank, I had two black coworkers. I loved one of them, and we became really good friends. The other one was a real bitch, and I tried not to talk to her if I didn’t have to. I know the reason she didn’t like me was because I am Italian. The neighborhood we worked in (Bensonhurst, Brooklyn) was made infamous in the late 80s or early 90s when a group of Italian kids killed a black kid who just happened to be walking down the street. She had made comments and such about the neighborhood, and the people who lived there that made it pretty obvious she wasn’t too fond of whites (especially Italians). Well, one day we had a function after work, and I offered to give my friend a ride home afterwards. Granted, she didn’t live in the best neighborhood, but whatever, I wasn’t afraid to go there. The bitch overheard us talking, and said to her “Oh, I’ll drive you home, you know why” and looked at me sideways. Right in front of me! I almost exploded. I just knew she was insinuating I would back out because my friend lived in a black area. I regret biting my tongue that day, I should have told her off. By the way, this bitch also jumped up and down, clapping, laughing and whoohoo-ing when the OJ verdict was announced.
Rose

16

When I worked at Hollywood Video, a black guy got mad at me for something or other (I forget, I was really mad afterwards, and it’s mostly a blur), and he called me a rascist. I nearly screamed at him, but I managed to keep my voice at a constant level.

“I was practically raised by a black woman.”

The best part was, that woman had the good grace to walk in the store at that moment. She called to me, and I nearly ran over and gave her the biggest hug. I never saw THAT guy again…

17

Sometimes it’s just easier to blame your woes on “racism” than face the real reason for your problems.

My aunt moved and furnished her apartment with her American Express card. The whole family wondered how she was going to pay the bill when it came. Well, she couldn’t. She called AmEx and said that she would pay it in installments. They said, um, no. You owe us the amount in full.

It was because she was Puerto Rican. It wasn’t because she was an idiot or because she did not listen to the advice that the rest of her Puerto Rican family had given her when she went on this spending spree. Nope, it was because AmEx was racist by making her follow the rules she agreed to when she got the card.

There really are racists in this world and there really are buisness that discriminate on the basis of race. Accusing everyone who disagrees with you of racism only discredits those who have a legitimate complaint.

18

We use to have a guy work here who I could not stand. He claimed I didn’t like him cause I was prejudiced against Italians. I asked him for his proof: I talked against Joey Buttafuco, I said Italians fought against Americans in World War II, and I said Italians did not release cast CDS of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows. All true statements.

Another woman I currently worked with claims I’m prejudiced against Spanish people because I think they should learn English, and cause I don’t think we should have to learned Spanish. She insists this country should have Spanish as a second language. We don’t have a first language, most countries who have a second language have English, and why Spanish and not Korean or Hebrew or whatever?

19

I wouldn’t be surprised if everybody who worked in retail was at one time or another accused of being a racist. Ditto for civil servants who work with the public. I was in McDonalds during a very busy lunch hour. The line was slow, but it was obvious that the people behind the counter were working their butts off. A twenty-something, well-dressed black guy starts complaining loudly that his order taker isn’t filling his milkshake all the way to the very top. Then he starts insulting the girl! Telling her that he would get better service if he were Jewish or European. Now, everyone behind the counter was black! He starts telling her how she doesn’t know how to treat a brother, etc. It was obvious that they all thought he was a complete jerk.

Ditto to Biggirl’s last sentence.

The couple of times I got accused of being a racist for no good reason at work (retail) my black co-workers and black manager gave me a “don’t worry about it” look.

20

Oh yeah…

I am a public prosecutor, and therefore a civil servant who works ‘with’ the public. I am white, and live in a pedominantly white country.

Our ‘organisation’ has run into a little difficulty recently because of a case involving the murder of an asian man (Indian or Pakistani - I don’t think I ever knew which). Now there were problems with the case, and no-one was ever convicted of the murder, although people were convicted of assaulting him. Also, we chose to prosecute the people separately because (due to the laws of evidence and, I understand, due to tactical considerations) no-one would have been convicted of anything had we prosecuted them together.

WHOOSH! Accusations of racism come flying in from the asian community, principally, it must be said, at the instigation of a trainee lawyer who appears to be trying to make a name for himself. The allegations are fairly vague and seem to be that we just didn’t put the effort in because the victim wasn’t white. It didn’t help that the head of our organisation ‘admitted’ that we were ‘institutionally racist’. We had a few things to say about that, I can tell you! (We now have a new boss who has retracted that statement). These accusations are totally unfounded, and I know the persons who discussed the case and the victim was never referred to by name just ‘the victim’ or ‘the dead guy’ and most people didn’t know or care what colour he was.
The true facts are now beginning to come out thankfully.

The upshot is that we all had to go on ‘racial awareness’ training. One of the people giving the training said that because she was from an ethnic minority, if she decided that a case study example was racist - it was, and if we disagreed - we were racist. WHAT!? Does that mean that only coloured people could disagree with her? Isn’t that racist?

I can’t pretend to know what it feels like to be discriminated against because of my race, but I can use my brain to think a situation through.

Some people have to learn that they are treated in a certain way not because of their colour, but because they are not nice people.

I’ve never been personally accused of racism, only as part of a group, so if I multiply how I feel by a hundred, I might be getting close to how Jodi and you other guys feel.