# Racism in the elevator **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 22, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783 "2009-10-22T21:38:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ajb867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@ajb867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajb867)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/1 "2009-10-22T21:38:33Z")
How many of you have seen this video, [http://www.youtube.com/](http://www.youtube.com/) watch?v=HRfjLfyXYlA (Language not safe work, just remove the two spaces after the / to watch) I’m a white guy (with tons of black friends!!! 😉 ) and I liked the message. What do you guys/gals think? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/2 "2009-10-22T22:31:33Z")
> [@ajb867](#): > > . . . with tons of black friends . . . And you let them use your bathroom, right? Women act the same way toward men who are not black. And I don’t blame them. ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/3 "2009-10-22T22:44:33Z")
I don’t know how prevalent those sort of actions are, but I do know that if I see someone get on the bus dressed like a gangsta, I’ll keep a firmer grip on my iPhone. (I keep it out while listening to music for convenience of skipping tracks.) Doesn’t matter what race or ethnicity the person is though; if they’re dressed like a hood I’m going to assume they are. Best hedge my bets, 'cos there _are_ people who are likely to try and beat your ass to the ground for something you have that they want, and race isn’t an indicator. Well-dressed people, or at least those who aren’t dressed in obscuring hoodies who look like they’re trying to evade recognition because they might want to do something they don’t want to be recognized for, shouldn’t provoke that kind of reaction in normal people. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/4 "2009-10-22T22:54:50Z")
What Mindfield said…While I certainly decry the racial squeamishness many typical suburban middle class whites feel towards interacting with black people, we should give at least some credit in that, generally speaking, if a 5’2" black guy in a suit enters the elevator, the typical suburban middle class white person most likely won’t be so obviously clutching their belongings as much as if a 6’ dude in a hoodie had entered the elevator. So, it’s basically a straw man, even if there is a point. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/5 "2009-10-22T23:20:13Z")
**Racism in the elevator** Man, that was like the worst Aerosmith song ever. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/6 "2009-10-22T23:51:12Z")
[SIT, LADY!!1!](http://www.snopes.com/racial/mistaken/hitfloor.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/7 "2009-10-23T03:09:41Z")
That’s either one tall white woman, or one short black dude! ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/8 "2009-10-23T20:25:33Z")
LOL, pretty funny. I will say tho’ the original commercial they’re spoofing pisses me off. That’s not freaking racism you fools! Yes, I acknowledge it exists; but that isn’t it. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/9 "2009-10-23T20:30:52Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > LOL, pretty funny. > > I will say tho’ the original commercial they’re spoofing pisses me off. That’s not freaking racism you fools! Yes, I acknowledge it exists; but that isn’t it. There’s an original commercial? Link? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/10 "2009-10-23T21:39:21Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > There’s an original commercial? Link? Don’t have a link but basically its like the one in the OP. Black guy gets on elevator, notices white woman “death Grip” her purse, then black guy shakes his head in disgust. Then a narrator comes on and says if you’re a woman doing this you’re being racist. Yeah, I can’t think of any reason why an attractive woman alone at night in an elevator might need to be on guard. Nope, no reason at all. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/11 "2009-10-23T22:09:51Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And you let them use your bathroom, right? > > Women act the same way toward men who are not black. And I don’t blame them. I hope someone makes a spoof that has \*her \*talking to the camera, explaining this. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/12 "2009-10-23T22:13:44Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Don’t have a link but basically its like the one in the OP. Black guy gets on elevator, notices white woman “death Grip” her purse, then black guy shakes his head in disgust. > > Then a narrator comes on and says if you’re a woman doing this you’re being racist. > > Yeah, I can’t think of any reason why an attractive woman alone at night in an elevator might need to be on guard. Nope, no reason at all. :rolleyes: Because attractive white women get their bags yanked from them more than ugly guys? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2009, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/racism-in-the-elevator/514783/13 "2009-10-24T04:57:21Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Because attractive white women get their bags yanked from them more than ugly guys? Well, women in general do.