It's upsetting when other whites reveal their racism to me.

My company hired around a dozen temps from an agency to do some data entry. They showed up this morning. I set up the workstations for them yesterday so I have an interest in how things are going.

So a few minutes ago I asked the receptionist if the temps had shown up yet, and I got an earful.

“Ohmigod, you should see them. It’s a good thing the CEOs not here. You should see the one girl. And they’re all black, not that that matters.” The “not that that matters” came after I made some “why would that matter?” sounds. Then she says “I told Sally (not a real name) if they can’t do it send them home”.

So I wondered down, appearing as if I was doing a last minute double-check of the computers, and i saw Sally talking to a group a perfectly normal women in reasonable business attire. I’m relatively certain the receptionist wouldn’t have given them a second thought if they had been white and dressed the same way.

I just makes me sad when I see someone I’ve worked with, and who’s seemed like a decent person, show that side of herself.

Sorry your sensitive little feelings got hurt. Racial prejudice is always going to be around, and guess what? Whites aren’t even the worst offenders. Look, I know some whites think bashing fellow whites for “racism” shows how very aware and special they are, and they get a lot of cheap praise for their absurd complaints. Just try to remember most folks aren’t much impressed by your absurd moral posturing.

Wow. Unbelievable response. I guess I should have expected it knowing this place.

Piss off, you sanctimonious asshole.

Yeah, davidm, why you gotta be like that? Taking offense at overt displays of racism is just so much absurd moral posturing.

Relax, man, his post wasn’t about you. You can be as racist as you like.

Maybe this thread should become a well deserved pitting of LonesomePolecat.

Wow, it didn’t long for the racism apologists to show up.

People, please, ignore Lonesome Polecat, he’s our special boy. And I don’t think it’s fair that you judge all of us from your one, first response.
I (obviously, not being white) don’t hear white-to-white racism much except over the phone, since over the phone I sound white. But sometimes people come out with it surprisingly. Like the lady who said the other day how she really loved black babies, and how she wanted a black baby because they were so cute, and her husband, a “White boy from Boston”, would be “very concerned” were she to bring home a black baby.

I wanted to say; they’re not accoutrements or toys, lady. Instead I just went back to typing furiously.

Here’s my question - what was she actually complaining about in the “OMG - you should see them” and “You should see the one girl”. Was there any reason at all? Any one of them wearing, I don’t know, a bowler hat or something equally weird?

LoathsomePolecat is more like it.

Crap. My mother, or one of her racist-ass friends (birds of a feather … ) apparently has a job as a receptionist now? Hmph, thought she’d retired. Sorry, OP - they’re out there. Sucks to be blindsided like that, though.

Then again, “If they can’t do it, send them home” is pretty applicable to all temps, no?

If you think sticking up for other races and “bashing” other whites for racism earns you cheap praise, you may be spending too much time on SDMB. In real life you’re considered a “n------ lover” or some form of it.

Really?

And on a similar note, I am an invisible immigrant. I take much secret pleasure when people start riffing about immigrants, and I get to respond with “I wasn’t born in Canada.” After much backpedaling and awkwardness they usually try to make excuses about the “type” of immigrants and “you know what I mean?”

Umm, no. No, I don’t really.

I didn’t see every last one of them, so there may have been someone with something freaky, but she seemed to be bothered by the whole group.

Also, and maybe I’ll get criticized for this next statement but, you know it when you see it.

Think about it, why even mention their race? Maybe it was just because she knew that the CEO would react negatively to it, but I don’t think it was just that.

I want to add that I wasn’t judging the entire board by any means. I just meant that there are a few very vocal idiots on here and I should have expected one of them to jump on me for it.

Not that that matters.

I get the OP. I have a brother-in-law and sister-in-law who I love very much except that for all their apparent liberalism, they’re actually seriously racist. Turns out they’re only liberal about things that let them live their bohemian, outside-the-norms lives and not so much on things like social justice for people regardless of race or religion, that kind of thing. I facepalm really hard whenever I hear them criticizing not-white people for things that they themselves have taken advantage of in our social support system, but apparently it’s different for them because they deserve the help and aren’t scamming and… whatever. :smack:

And then there’s my father-in-law who was eyerolling at the references to Pres. Obama being part Irish (cf the popular “O’bama” song on YouTube, etc.). Except that, you know, he is. On his mom’s side. So after being told this, FIL was ranting something about “Oh, well I guess that Irish guy must have moved to Hawaii too” and suddenly I realize he’s a Birther as well. Great. Just fucking great.

You’re pretty clueless, aren’t you?

You’re a perfect illustration of what the OP was talking about: a racist who thinks he’s normal.

Who?:confused:

Wow, that first response (and second) response from Polecat actually managed to shock me. How have I managed to avoid his steaming shit this long?

You’d think living in the south I’d be exposed to more overt racism, but really I see it very rarely. I must just luckily know better people that that (or at lease people smart enough to keep their racism to themselves).

I can’t deny that black babies are cute, though.