Do you consider this racism???

[darkmatteruk]

It appears that they think that being black in itself is offensive...They're the racists.

to be brutally honest, i find his forehead quite offensive

[POND LIFE]

yeah i was gonna say, forehead aids.

[x-kaylie]

nah i dont think thats racism.

[the acid never lies]

What rubbish! It seems that people will decide to get offended because they feel that they should sometimes.

"The couple with the dark eyes and dark features..." *oh god I hope they don't realise that I noticed that they're black*

[hayze99]

Absolutely fucking ridiculous. The fact that they're saying that the restaurant apologizing isn't enough; they want an apology from the waitress. Who gives a flying fuck. I'm jewish by descent, but don't practice. Still, my whole family on my father's side was German Jewish and had a couple problems in the holocaust. I get slightly offended by holocaust jokes, but don't make a massive deal out of them. If someone starts with the bad holocaust ones I do cough and be like, erm, that's probably not appropriate, but with standard run-of-the-mill jew jokes I never see them directed towards me.

Everyone's a fucking pussy with the whole racism issue nowadays. Everyone needs to have a sense of humour about the whole thing, because this kind of shit only makes it worse. Just in the same way that law students find it funny to slag off business students and british people love to slag off the french, white people like to make fun of black people and so on with all the races. Everyone just needs to brighten the fuck up because slavery is long gone, and 99% of children growing up in the uk these days are tolerant of everybody.

[firky]

My thoughts on it...

[gnome]

Haha what wankers. I'm sure htey would be more pissed off if it said upstair white couple!

[bright maroon]

..should be referred to as coco browns

[hayze99]

My thoughts on it...

But it wasn't political correctness that sparked that change, it was the abolishment of racism. It was the integration of other races in our society and the campaigning for their equality. It would be just as offensive for the teacher to call a white kid a white spot because it has the same aggressive implications. People don't still harbour racist thoughts and just mask them through political correctness, we've grown up having rightful respect for people of other nations. It has to do with respect not political correctness. Just because people stop being politically correct doesn't mean that every white teacher in the world is going to be going "yes, n*gger" to the black kids. I still think it's bullshit.

[firky]

Nah, my point is that sometimes it pays to be tactful and if the result is some people are hypersensative to being singled out as the black couple then that is a small price to pay, because it is not very long ago they wouldn't have been served at all.

[hayze99]

Nah, my point is that sometimes it pays to be tactful and if the result is some people are hypersensative to being singled out as the black couple then that is a small price to pay, because it is not very long ago they wouldn't have been served at all.

I just don't see it as a 'price to pay'. It's suggesting that the whole attitude to racism just lies superficially in what we say, not how we act and feel. It's pretty clear to everyone that there were no bad intentions. If someone really believes in true social equality, we shouldn't be offended by others referring to the tiny superficial differences between us.

[Pistonsbeneath]

i dunno i see all people as one

we're moving forward in our society in areas like this...my friends are a mixture of every ethnicity and we all say offensive things to each other

these two are just thick and don't seem to grasps what racism is...saying coloured is offensive as it's avoiding someones blackness through awkwardness as if it's somethin that needs to be avoided...

i swear some people just like being offended by things.....i have in the past occasionally met people this stupid...i'm a very familiar guy and love to be forward with people if introduced to them through a friend and putting yourself out there like that leaves you open to attack from those that like being offended....one of my mates ex-gfs who i meat once i said to her 'where does your blackness come from?'

and she found that offensive and told my mate not to hang around with me anymore lol....any normal person would take it in the spirit it's intended but no no..some people need to be offended...she was of course really middle class and hated hip-hop or indeed any black music...she liked things like keane & the script...so typical...hated her blackness like it was a disease and hence saw it as being something to be ashamed of

[firky]

Nah, my point is that sometimes it pays to be tactful and if the result is some people are hypersensative to being singled out as the black couple then that is a small price to pay, because it is not very long ago they wouldn't have been served at all.

I just don't see it as a 'price to pay'. It's suggesting that the whole attitude to racism just lies superficially in what we say, not how we act and feel. It's pretty clear to everyone that there were no bad intentions. If someone really believes in true social equality, we shouldn't be offended by others referring to the tiny superficial differences between us.

I hear what you're saying but you're not them, you're not the couple. My own opinion is that they do have a point but they made a bit of a fuss over it, the DM loves shit like this.

[firky]

one of my mates ex-gfs who i meat once i said to her 'where does your blackness come from?'

I asked one of my friends which boat she got off and she didn't take offence - but if a stranger were to do that.....

[Pistonsbeneath]

one of my mates ex-gfs who i meat once i said to her 'where does your blackness come from?'

I asked one of my friends which boat she got off and she didn't take offence - but if a stranger were to do that.....

yes but i didn't say that did i firky...i just mentioned colour

[Pistonsbeneath]

Nah, my point is that sometimes it pays to be tactful and if the result is some people are hypersensative to being singled out as the black couple then that is a small price to pay, because it is not very long ago they wouldn't have been served at all.

I just don't see it as a 'price to pay'. It's suggesting that the whole attitude to racism just lies superficially in what we say, not how we act and feel. It's pretty clear to everyone that there were no bad intentions. If someone really believes in true social equality, we shouldn't be offended by others referring to the tiny superficial differences between us.

I hear what you're saying but you're not them, you're not the couple. My own opinion is that they do have a point but they made a bit of a fuss over it, the DM loves shit like this.

what point do they have really??

they're being racist at the end of the day...not the restaurant

it was a description..nothing more...it offended them because they still maintain race matters

[dg.]

entirely not, if i had "White Couple" on my erecipt it really wouldnt bother me.. Its Notfiyng who is staying within the room

[magma]

The couple are black, there's no much disputing that. In the same way that I'm white, skinny and short-haired that bloke is black, well built and short haired. There are no value judgements in there, it's just description.

By making a big deal out of it, they imply that there is something negative, or even untrue, about them being "black".

They are either cynically trying to squeeze money out of the company or they have totally retarded views on race themselves. Either way, they don't deserve to have their story in the paper.

[-dubson-]

Not racist at all.

Tactless yes, racist no!

[the acid never lies]

It's almost inevitable that this would turn into a conversation about political correctness I suppose... while I think this particular incident is ridiculous does not mean that I am opposed to the idea of not hurting somebody's feelings - I mean if I can help not offending somebody, then why not do something about it?

Perhaps there would be less outrage if the couple calmly pointed out to the staff that they found what they wrote offensive rather than run to the press and shout about how angry they felt. Okay so whether or not referring to them as the "black couple" is offensive is clearly debatable but that's not really the issue -

The problem is when you take a moral grey area and you make it an absolute - if I make a joke that involves a hot air balloon and you tell me how bringing that up reminds you of how you granddad died in a hot air balloon, I will sincerely apoliogise for upsetting you. A strange reaction would be to start hollering at me about what a disgusting human being I am for making light of hot air balloon deaths - that's just bizarre.

And just cos I'm in the mood for making more analogies:

Accidently cutting the cheese at the dinner table is one thing, taking a shit through the wicker chair is something else altogether