# It wasn't racially motivated unless your race is "dumb" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 29, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592 "2005-12-29T17:18:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/81 "2005-12-30T19:02:16Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I’m suggesting that when you purchase household chemicals along with food, that you bag them separately. This is not exactly a hardship, nor is it difficult to remember, nor is it difficult to execute, nor is it expensive. It takes all of putting the can of ant spray in THIS bag instead of THAT bag. It is a tiny effort that could save a bag of food from being ruined. I’m not arguing this point. If one wishes to have containers of household chems bagged separately from food, I have no issue with that. I, personally, don’t care. Product containers are generally pretty reliable, and food is normally well-wrapped even if a spill DOES happen. However, your tone (if not your actual words) suggests you feel that it’s the WORST THING IN THE WORLD™ to put a can of bug spray in with other groceries. And there are those in this thread who have called the clerk names for what was, IMO, a simple and inconsequential mistake. My take: The guy who sprayed the clerk should go to prison. The clerk should be instructed to bag household chems separately, to please the tightasses. And he should get a raise for dealing with assholes like Mr. Bug Spray and his wife. As for the race issue, I think the clerk probably shoulda just kept his mouth shut about it. Maybe there was an element of bigotry here, maybe there wasn’t. But, it wasn’t necessary to bring it up–the case has merits all on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/82 "2005-12-30T19:12:48Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Yes, I’m mentally retarded because I think cans of poison should be bagged separately from food. You appear to be mentally retarded because you’re throwing an enormous fit over something that no one has argued with, and because you apparently can’t read very well and are forcing me to repeat myself. It is of zero relevance whether bug spray and food should be packaged separately - and obviously they should be and that is the policy of most grocery stores. But your constant refrain here is not germane to the discussion, unless you’re suggesting that it’s appropriate to respond to a minor error in bagging groceries by spraying POISON into their face. God you are a moron to be throwing this huge fit over this. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/83 "2005-12-30T19:13:43Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > OK not punctured. Accidentally expelled. Has it ever happened to you, or to anyone you know? I thought not. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/84 "2005-12-30T19:29:47Z")
> [@threeorange](#): > > Furthermore, I think the whole idea of the “race card” is preposterous. While I have occasionally heard charges of racism that I thought were not well-founded, neither I, nor most black people I know blame racism for everything that’s not ideal in our lives. **mswas** seems to think it’s some kind of power we hold over long-oppressed white people, when in actuality, there are plenty of people like **mswas** who will routinely dismiss any charge of racism without knowing enough facts to make such a call. Black people are not the only ones that throw down the race card at the drop of a hat. I once had a jew tell me that my belief that it is possible that fairies do exist after he finished telling a little girl she should stop believing in fairies, and that only stupid little kids believe in fairies tell me that my logic, was the same kind of logic that holocaust deniers use. What was funny about this guy was that he was selling Tarot Cards in an Occult Bookstore. So somehow my belief that fairies could possibly exist equated to holocaust denial in this guy’s mind. I never said that it’s not possible the dude was a racist, simply that being a racist is not sufficient motivation to spray someone in the face with insecticide most of the time. That I think it was pretty clear why he sprayed it in his face. However, you are perfectly welcome to think that I am keeping the “black man down”, even though I didn’t single out any particular ethnicity in my OP. Nor did I claim that the overuse of the race card said anything about those who do not overuse the race card. From your post though, I am more than willing to believe that YOU use it inappropriately at other times and not just this one. Erek ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/85 "2005-12-30T19:37:51Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > You appear to be mentally retarded because you’re throwing an enormous fit over something that no one has argued with, and because you apparently can’t read very well and are forcing me to repeat myself. > > It is of zero relevance whether bug spray and food should be packaged separately - and obviously they should be and that is the policy of most grocery stores. But your constant refrain here is not germane to the discussion, unless you’re suggesting that it’s appropriate to respond to a minor error in bagging groceries by spraying POISON into their face. > > God you are a moron to be throwing this huge fit over this. Might I suggest that it is YOU who is the moron? > [@threemae](#): > > Look, if it’s a pesticide sold in a grocery store, it’s not going to be toxic enough to kill anyone. > [@contrapuntal](#): > > You people are crazy. Separate bags for bug spray? How about separate carts? I mean you wouldn’t want to walk around the grocery store with a potential bug spray bomb right under your nose. Hell, better yet, hire a [insert race card here] to buy your bug spray for you. Maybe they should just sell it outside the store in locked containers like they do LP gas. Two people DID in fact argue that seperate bags for bugspray was not necessary. Cheesesteak is merely pointing out that this is ludicrous. You are telling Cheesesteak that he is stupid for pointing that out. Your motivation for doing so is lost on me unfortunately. It’s a bad idea to bag bug spray with food, period. The kid was dumb, especially if the customer notified him of his error. Now of course there can be all kinds of extenuating circumstances that we don’t know about, and I don’t think that spraying someone in the face with poison is a reasonable response to the offense committed. That does not change the fact that it was a dumbass maneuver. The kid messed up his ONE AND ONLY safety requirement for that portion of his job. Good luck in your flaming though, don’t let your abject failure stop you from trying again. Erek ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/86 "2005-12-30T19:55:29Z")
I really didn’t think I was throwing some huge fit. I looked over my posts in this thread, and outside of one bolded “poison” I thought I was being fairly levelheaded about it. I just was trying to explain why it’s a good idea to keep non-ingestible chemicals bagged separately from your food, when others seem to think it’s A-OK. Obviously whatever I’m writing is coming off totally the wrong way. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/87 "2005-12-30T19:57:12Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I really didn’t think I was throwing some huge fit. I looked over my posts in this thread, and outside of one bolded “poison” I thought I was being fairly levelheaded about it. I just was trying to explain why it’s a good idea to keep non-ingestible chemicals bagged separately from your food, when others seem to think it’s A-OK. > > Obviously whatever I’m writing is coming off totally the wrong way. Carry on. No, it’s not you were fine. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/88 "2005-12-30T20:08:24Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > However, you are perfectly welcome to think that I am keeping the “black man down”, even though I didn’t single out any particular ethnicity in my OP. Uh, why do you have “black man down” in quotes when they’re _your_ words? If fact, I’ve never heard anyone use that phrase genuinely in my lifetime; only racists trying charicature blacks who take issue with racism. No comment on your pointless Jew anecdote. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/89 "2005-12-30T20:22:53Z")
> [@threeorange](#): > > Furthermore, I think the whole idea of the “race card” is preposterous. While I have occasionally heard charges of racism that I thought were not well-founded, neither I, nor most black people I know blame racism for everything that’s not ideal in our lives. **mswas** seems to think it’s some kind of power we hold over long-oppressed white people, when in actuality, there are plenty of people like **mswas** who will routinely dismiss any charge of racism without knowing enough facts to make such a call. I wish there was a nodding smiley, or maybe one giving a thumbs-up. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/90 "2005-12-30T20:58:03Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > Uh, why do you have “black man down” in quotes when they’re _your_ words? If fact, I’ve never heard anyone use that phrase genuinely in my lifetime; only racists trying charicature blacks who take issue with racism. No comment on your pointless Jew anecdote. He made an assumption that I was talking about black people. So I was charicaturing that. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/91 "2005-12-30T20:58:44Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > The kid messed up his ONE AND ONLY safety requirement for that portion of his job. No, he kept the bleach and ammonia in seperate bags. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/92 "2005-12-30T20:59:10Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > He made an assumption that I was talking about black people. So I was charicaturing that. But to the point of a strawman. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/93 "2005-12-30T21:02:09Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > But to the point of a strawman. I wanted his strawman to have company. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/94 "2005-12-30T21:11:47Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I wanted his strawman to have company. Oh…kay. Don’t know what you’re talking about, but…whatever. ---
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/95 "2005-12-30T21:17:55Z")
Oh wait, assuming the guy you’re talking about was black is the strawman? But you don’t even know what the guy you’re talking about is, the story doesn’t say - which even further’s threemae’s point about your knee-jerk reaction to the “race card” when you don’t even know everything about the situation. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/96 "2005-12-30T21:30:44Z")
> [@pizzabrat](#): > > Oh wait, assuming the guy you’re talking about was black is the strawman? But you don’t even know what the guy you’re talking about is, the story doesn’t say - which even further’s threemae’s point about your knee-jerk reaction to the “race card” when you don’t even know everything about the situation. I’m pretty certain **threeorange** is black > [@threeorange](#): > > If the attack was racially motivated; according to mswas, we should never assume it was, even if the assaulter was using racial epithets. Apparently, **we silly black people** haven’t figured out that that kind of language is never a sign of bigotry; racism is just a figment of our imagination. Erek ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/97 "2005-12-30T21:31:32Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I’m pretty certain **threeorange** is black Apparently black and orange… ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/98 "2005-12-30T23:13:01Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Might I suggest that it is YOU who is the moron? It would certainly be possible for you to do so, but you’re having enough difficulty with the pitting that you started that it strikes me as unadvisable to embark upon another conversation at the same time. Anyway, I’m busy, as Jesus is back, and I’m expecting him to show up any time. I want to clean the bathroom in case he stops by the house. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/99 "2005-12-30T23:54:57Z")
> [@Excalibre](#): > > It would certainly be possible for you to do so, but you’re having enough difficulty with the pitting that you started that it strikes me as unadvisable to embark upon another conversation at the same time. Anyway, I’m busy, as Jesus is back, and I’m expecting him to show up any time. I want to clean the bathroom in case he stops by the house. I don’t know where you live. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592/100 "2005-12-31T00:42:34Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I don’t know where you live. Well then, you _can’t_ be Santa Claus after all, now can you? As for the OP, though, right on. The one thing American consumers have a right to expect is a total lack of contact between pesticides and food. Particularly food that isn’t packaged, like produce. Thank goodness agriculture is a pristine, chemical-free enterprise. Now if we could just do something about all that nasty _dirt_… And, keenly analytical as you are, you should appreciate the fact that being homeless doesn’t mean you _weren’t_ still taking up more of the world’s resources than you deserve, and thus over-privileged compared to your actual merit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-wasnt-racially-motivated-unless-your-race-is-dumb/337592.md?page=6)