Thread: Racist comment?

Oh good grief. Too many people are just waiting for the next thing to be
"offended" about. Its gotten ridiculous. There is life beyond "race"!
If everyone was half as concerned about our country as they are about
trying to make everyone super sensitive about something, anything, we
would be in much better shape than we are now.

You know, sometimes things are just what they are...nothing more.

Contrary to what some people claim:

racism does not exist behind every tree
racism does not exist under every rock
racism is not implied in every comment
racism is not inherent in the enforcement of every law

racism is often the claim people make to suit an agenda.

Very well put and right on!

I am trying to think if I had ever heard it used that way - don't think so

I have heard it used as the poster used it, however.

Gosh, I didn't know Tar Baby was offensive, I use that all the time - usually referring to myself when I want to stay out of some discussion or something - as in 'Tar Baby's not saying anything'.

You know I think this is all silliness and people are not offended really. If someone uses it toward them, personally, then it might be so - but just the word - good grief.

I would not worry about it - some have used the world 'racist' in such assinine situations, it no longer has any meaning. It is really silly.

I once saw a black man interviewed on TV and the interviewer was talking about racism and he said well people need to be more careful what they say. He said he heard a group of people talking and one said something about a 'coon(something)' and he was offended. That word in these parts has nothing to do with black people. It is what many people call North Louisianians - and it's what they call themselves.

So sometimes people just want to be offended -----

So sometimes people just want to be offended -----

so they can play the victim in order to demean the opposition and thereby promote their agenda which often involves the very thing they say they are offended from.

I would say the word "spade" could only be considered racist word if put in a racist context. How could the writer have known the color of the complainer’s skin? It’s sad that someone is so sensitive that they are unable to distinguish a slur from a commonly used phrase. I always thought it referred to the playing card.

IMO it's a super stretch to say there's anything racist about those words.

Originally Posted by nntrixie

I am trying to think if I had ever heard it used that way - don't think so

I have heard it used as the poster used it, however.

Gosh, I didn't know Tar Baby was offensive, I use that all the time - usually referring to myself when I want to stay out of some discussion or something - as in 'Tar Baby's not saying anything'.

You know I think this is all silliness and people are not offended really. If someone uses it toward them, personally, then it might be so - but just the word - good grief.

I would not worry about it - some have used the world 'racist' in such assinine situations, it no longer has any meaning. It is really silly.

I once saw a black man interviewed on TV and the interviewer was talking about racism and he said well people need to be more careful what they say. He said he heard a group of people talking and one said something about a 'coon(something)' and he was offended. That word in these parts has nothing to do with black people. It is what many people call North Louisianians - and it's what they call themselves.

So sometimes people just want to be offended -----

I think it was last year........Don't you remember when Joe Biden innocently used "tar baby" to refer to something------and he was slammed by the media for it??

I don't think that Al or Jessie jumped on it though.

So, what's our general consensus? Was it racist for me to say this?

No, but I can understand why someone would see it that way. I remember hearing the phrase "black as the ace of spades" to describe someone. It was a derogatory comment. In the context you are using (calling a spade a spade), we have to consider that your intention is not negative at all. We do have to see why someone with an African American history might flinch a bit, however.

I remember talking to an African American friend of mine about the concept called "white privilege." When you are a white citizen, you have lived your whole life seeing yourself as the "norm." That's not a bad thing necessarily--it's just the way it is. My black friend, on the other hand, has to think whether she should take her kids to a particular park to play. Will they be picked on? Are there a "mix" of ethnicities there so they will fit in? Could she buy this house in this neighborhood? She has to think about this kind of thing every day all the time. When you are white, you just assume that you can go where you want or buy the house you can afford.

Anyway, I think we need to assume the best about each other here. We are all concerned about the immigration issue and need to overlook the little stuff!

Did both of you know each others ethnicities? If not, that's where the question would come in.