# Omnibus Stupid MFers in the news thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 31, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945 "2021-01-31T21:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 267
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5331 "2022-12-02T05:20:30Z")
I’m gonna apply Hanlon’s razor here. I could see a dumbass not recognizing “Monique” as a name and thinking it’s pronounced “Monkey,” but on being discovered, you give an abject apology and a free drink, not an argument. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5332 "2022-12-02T05:29:12Z")
An entirely plausible explanation . . . except for this, [![](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-360w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2022-12/221201-black-womans-starbucks-cup-labeled-monkey-al-0817-63163b.jpg) ](https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/image/upload/t_fit-360w,f_auto,q_auto:best/rockcms/2022-12/221201-black-womans-starbucks-cup-labeled-monkey-al-0817-63163b.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5333 "2022-12-02T05:32:06Z")
Was the name given verbal or off a glanced at debit card? Not that they guy couldn’t have clarified it. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5334 "2022-12-02T07:22:09Z")
Do POS systems have auto-correct? I can imagine something like “Monike” (poor spelling) auto-corrected to “Monkey” In my humble opion I would take a photo, and share with my friends and laugh about it, probably getting some ribbing from them for a few weeks about it, not cause a major fuss. I respect this lady’s right to take offence, it is just something I would chalk up on the list of mildly humerous things that happened to me last week. I struggle to empathize. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5335 "2022-12-02T07:42:32Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > Do POS systems have auto-correct? Given how terrible a reputation that baristas have in spelling names wrong, I doubt very much that they do. > [@scudsucker](#): > > I respect this lady’s right to take offence, it is just something I would chalk up on the list of mildly humerous things that happened to me last week. I struggle to empathize. She was the only person of color in the establishment, and she was treated with a lot of defensiveness about her order even before she realized what name was on it. Racism shouldn’t be treated so lightly. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5336 "2022-12-02T07:47:06Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > He should be arrested for having a Dwight Schrute haircut. Or if Mark Davis got bold and parted his hair. Those crazy influencers, though… > **[An influencer has apologized after a video of her kicking a dog while smiling...](https://ca.news.yahoo.com/influencer-apologized-video-her-kicking-175046633.html)** > > Instagram influencer Kajal Kiran said she was sorry for the "cruel act" after she was called out by animal rights activists. What a shithead - “I regret my actions and didn’t realize the gravity at that point of time. I vow to not harm any animals,” the caption read. Oh blow it out your ass. How the fuck anyone can laugh (as well as diphsit phone holder) from the kicking of a dog as it yelps in pain and fright is something quite beyond me. Couldn’t get myself to click on tweet. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5337 "2022-12-02T07:53:14Z")
I agree that: POS, in my opinion, usually means exactly that: Piece Of Shit. However, I rather doubt there was an auto correct function in use. If in the unlikely event that an auto correct system was in use for names, correcting Monique to Monkey stretches credulity to the breaking point. She was the only person of color in the store and the system programed for names just happened to auto correct her name to Monkey? Nope, just too damn convenient. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5338 "2022-12-02T08:55:48Z")
I live in a country with previously state-sponsored racism. Perhaps I am too cynical, having been exposed to it so much, because I feel having “monkey” on a coffee is a few orders of magnitude below being captured by the police and then executed by dropping into the ocean from helicopters while semi-anesthetized. “Monkey” on a cup is disgusting and immoral, but I am not sure that this fits into racism or just general stupidity. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5339 "2022-12-02T09:34:55Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I live in a country with previously state-sponsored racism. So do I. > [@scudsucker](#): > > Perhaps I am too cynical, having been exposed to it so much, because I feel having “monkey” on a coffee is a few orders of magnitude below being captured by the police and then executed by dropping into the ocean from helicopters while semi-anesthetized. So that’s what it would take for you to do more than laugh it off? That’s fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5340 "2022-12-02T10:52:20Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Hannukah > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > non-traditional presentations Okay then. Pretty sure Hanukkah celebrations predate Christmas ones, albeit not in Florida. > [@Sylvanz](#): > > the system programed for names just happened to auto correct her name to Monkey? I could see “Monique” being autocorrected to “monkey” under normal circumstances, especially if the person taking the order tries to spell it with a K, but I would think a field for names wouldn’t autocorrect at all or you’d have this problem constantly. It’s possible the person who took the order is simply an idiot who misheard in a noisy coffee shop and thought her name really was “Monkey” but I wouldn’t bet any money on that being the case. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5341 "2022-12-02T12:39:34Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So that’s what it would take for you to do more than laugh it off? That’s fucked up Laughter in the face of madness is a common coping strategy. I live in South Africa, a country which actively tried to perfect institutionalised racism, by the way. Where do you live? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5342 "2022-12-02T13:03:32Z")
“It could be worse” is a terrible response. That’s literally what people mean by a slippery slope ---
**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 2, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5343 "2022-12-02T13:37:56Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > It’s possible the person who took the order is simply an idiot who misheard Honestly, I’d tend to lean that way. I think idiot is a simpler explanation than the clerk deciding to input a racial slur that was phonetically similar to the customer’s name, that would then be yelled out for the entire store to hear and printed directly on the person’s cup. ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5344 "2022-12-02T13:56:37Z")
There are an estimated 186 people named Monkey in the US: > **[MONKEY First Name Statistics by MyNameStats.com](https://www.mynamestats.com/First-Names/M/MO/MONKEY/index.html)** > > How popular is the first name MONKEY? What is its origin and ethnicity? In which state is it most common? Find these facts and more in the statistics, charts and maps from MyNameStats.com How outraged will those people be when they can no longer get their name on a Starbucks order? (Ok, the same cite also says Social Security records show 0 people with that name, so maybe not) ---
**Author:** ![tofor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tofor/32/13727_2.png) [@tofor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tofor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5345 "2022-12-02T14:02:14Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > How the fuck anyone can laugh (as well as diphsit phone holder) from the kicking of a dog as it yelps in pain and fright is something quite beyond me. The dog doesn’t make a noise because her attempt at a kick is so bad she might not ever have made contact. Don’t worry, the dog wasn’t hurt, just mildly startled. I don’t understand the language, so I don’t know what the joke was supposed to be. It’s a pretty weird. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5346 "2022-12-02T15:16:50Z")
Thank-you for the elucidation and taking one for the team by viewing the tweet. Glad to hear it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5347 "2022-12-02T15:18:49Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Given how terrible a reputation that baristas have in spelling names wrong, I doubt very much that they do. Isn’t it part of Starbuck’s shtick that the baristas intentionally mess up the names on orders? Like the guy who gave his name as " ‘Marc’, with a ‘c’ " and was given a cup labeled “Carc”? Like @DesertDog, I’m leaning toward thoughtless stupidity (or more accurately, unconscious racism). Many years ago I was working in a Home Depot, when I cut a length of chain for an African-American customer. I asked him if he wanted me to wrap it up, or wear it home? Now, I had previously worked for Macy’s, so the joke I had in mind was treating a hardware purchase like fine clothes or a new pair of dress shoes. But he was angry, and it took me a moment to realize just how incredibly offensive my comment was. I wasn’t _intentionally_ racist, but I am a Southerner who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s; I hadn’t then examined or understood my unconscious racism, nor the privilege that blinded me to the implications of suggesting a black man wear a chain. (I hope I’m a bit more aware now, but I’m sure I still have pockets of bias; it is something I look for in myself). So at a first approximation, I’d be inclined to chalk this up to unconscious bias plus Starbuck’s culture. Doesn’t excuse it, of course, or let the employee off the hook, or make it any less offensive for the customer. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5348 "2022-12-02T16:17:38Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > She was the only person of color in the store and the system programed for names just happened to auto correct her name to Monkey? Nope, just too damn convenient. And anyway, wouldn’t the reaction be ‘OMG, I’m so sorry, that was the autocorrect, it wasn’t me!’ > [@scudsucker](#): > > I feel having “monkey” on a coffee is a few orders of magnitude below being captured by the police and then executed by dropping into the ocean from helicopters while semi-anesthetized. Nobody said that it wasn’t. And nobody is saying the barista should be charged with murder, or with attempted murder. Calling out the thin end of the wedge is, among other things, one of the ways one prevents the thick end of the wedge from being inserted. > [@scudsucker](#): > > “Monkey” on a cup is disgusting and immoral, but I am not sure that this fits into racism or just general stupidity. Given the history of the USA (which also includes state-sponsored racism), it’s almost certainly racism. And why would it be “disgusting and immoral” if it isn’t racism? If the assumption is that it’s a genuine error, or an endearment, then it’s not “disgusting and immoral”. It’s only disgusting and immoral if it’s an insult. Are you assuming that the barista routinely insults random customers, or all customers? > [@Gyrate](#): > > Pretty sure Hanukkah celebrations predate Christmas ones It was originally a minor holiday. It’s been blown up in importance by people trying to come up with a Christmas-equivalent. > [@scudsucker](#): > > I live in South Africa, a country which actively tried to perfect institutionalised racism, by the way. Where do you live? In the USA, which did also. We stopped officially doing so a bit before South Africa did. But the effects linger. (As I suspect they do there; but being in a national majority may make a difference.) > [@tofor](#): > > the same cite also says Social Security records show 0 people with that name, so maybe not Maybe some people use it as a nickname, and are commonly known by it? I’m gonna take a wild guess that they’re not Black, though. – I have seen it used as an endearment, though only by someone personally close to the one being called that. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5349 "2022-12-02T17:43:48Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > And why would it be “disgusting and immoral” if it isn’t racism? If the assumption is that it’s a genuine error, or an endearment, then it’s not “disgusting and immoral”. It’s only disgusting and immoral if it’s an insult. Are you assuming that the barista routinely insults random customers, or all customers? I’m not particularly interested in getting into a fight about this, but I did posit the assumption that it could have been a mistake, albeit an extremely unfortunate one. I, as a white South African, see racisim every day. Our society is rife with it. I live in a small farming town, where racisim is exceptionally obvious. I think I know “racism” better than most of you in the USA. Apartheid only ended in 1994. Plenty people still alive - including myself, have lived through apartheid (to be fair, I lived in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe but the cultures were not dissimilar). Black people in town call me “baas” (boss in Afrikaans). I fucking hate it. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2022, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945/5350 "2022-12-02T18:03:34Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I think I know “racism” better than most of you in the USA. Gentle reminder - it’s not a competition. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945.md?page=266) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/omnibus-stupid-mfers-in-the-news-thread-part-1/931945.md?page=268)