maybe but personally in that situation i would have said something about who did it, trying to be friendly. say i new the guys name my respoce would be something like "yh dave did it a couple of weeks ago, he took his bloody time though usually only takes the other guy 2 hours took him 6" making a bit of a joke of it. maybe referring to him as the black guy wasnt the best choice of words but so what if every time you choose your words without extreme attention to detail trying to be freindly you get called a racist things would certainly be very dull
I like Amps convo seems more right. 
amps verion was maybe the best or ideal choice of words but that dont mean to say that was the only option. you also have to take into account the profession involved, for someone in an office reffering to someone as the black guy is far from a good idea but in a more relaxed profession such as a mechanic it is acceptable. for example some of the stuff that happens to me at the dealership i work at would get everyone fird for bulling in an office environment
Oh no he said a bad word. 
Tell him to grow up and stop pretending he's actually offended, it just mocks genuine issues of racism.
Tell him to grow up and stop pretending he's actually offended, it just mocks genuine issues of racism.
Then you need shooting.
Jesus, whats up with you guys. I despise racism. I find it abhorrent. What Dan said wasn't racist in the slightest.
The world's gone mad. I hate this PC bullshit, and I'm a big girls blouse liberal.
When you work somewhere with a lot of staff you can't really memorise all their names, especially if you only see them for a few hours every year. There are 500 people at my work place, we tend to refer to people by the features that people recognise the most. We even call one guy "shoe bomber" because he has grown a massive beard like the guy in Knocked Up.
dan, don't feel bad, people think i'm racist too... but the problem is, i hate everyone equally. 
You can't say anything these days.
It is bad when you say "The Mexican guy" and you get done for being racist, You say "the black guy" and you get **** for that. Yet why is it if you are in a room with back dudes and they refer to you as "the white guy" there is no person who would give a damn.
It is just way out of hand. There is nothing wrong with saying what they are, I mean seriously. What is really wrong with a simple description like "The black guy" or "The Japanese guy"?
Anything can be racist now. Apparently you can be racist against pigs so...
It is bad when you say "The Mexican guy" and you get done for being racist, You say "the black guy" and you get **** for that. Yet why is it if you are in a room with back dudes and they refer to you as "the white guy" there is no person who would give a damn.
It is just way out of hand. There is nothing wrong with saying what they are, I mean seriously. What is really wrong with a simple description like "The black guy" or "The Japanese guy"?
Anything can be racist now. Apparently you can be racist against pigs so...
Not racist, just a little bit stupid.
You never, NEVER, say anything that might cause you trouble regarding other person's gender/race/creed. NEVER!
You never, NEVER, say anything that might cause you trouble regarding other person's gender/race/creed. NEVER!
This is just stupid, before you could say negros, but due to the fact it got classified as racism you HAVE to say a colored man / a black man, at least in Norway. I allways thought saying a black man sounds wrong, but it's the politically correct way saying it over here.
This has nothing to do with racism, and I hope your boss understand what you meant too, I see nothing that is out of line.
Well, if we canot say a colored man, a black man, a negro, what can we say? I know there is other ways describing someone other than their color of their skin, but often it's easier.
And no, I am no racist or anything, I just wonder what word I can tell to people without getting them to feel offended.
This has nothing to do with racism, and I hope your boss understand what you meant too, I see nothing that is out of line.
Well, if we canot say a colored man, a black man, a negro, what can we say? I know there is other ways describing someone other than their color of their skin, but often it's easier.
And no, I am no racist or anything, I just wonder what word I can tell to people without getting them to feel offended.
bah bah rainbow sheep...
It's got way too out of hand. As people have already said a "black person" call call you "white" and nothing will happen so why can't you call him "black"? It's all blown out of proportion.
You can no longer call a blackboard a blackboard, it is now known as a Chalkboard .. As Klutch mentioned above a well known kiddies song is ruined by changing one word from "black" to "coloured".
You can no longer call a blackboard a blackboard, it is now known as a Chalkboard .. As Klutch mentioned above a well known kiddies song is ruined by changing one word from "black" to "coloured".
Well, while I agree that the skin colour is a quick way to describe a person, mocking his speed of work in connection with his skin colour DOES sound racist.
Now it doesn't matter if it's factually true, because the person you talked to doesn't know this. Thus to him you're sounding like the average "OMG TEH N!GG4RZ IZ LAZYYY!!11!!" zero-braincell-white-supremacy-ranter.
So I personally don't think the guy was overly sensitive, and I actually do think it's a great show of moral courage. Only that in this case, the reaction was a cause of a misunderstanding and not enough info.
Still, I think racism, nationalism and sexism should not be tolerated, even in slightest forms.
Now it doesn't matter if it's factually true, because the person you talked to doesn't know this. Thus to him you're sounding like the average "OMG TEH N!GG4RZ IZ LAZYYY!!11!!" zero-braincell-white-supremacy-ranter.
So I personally don't think the guy was overly sensitive, and I actually do think it's a great show of moral courage. Only that in this case, the reaction was a cause of a misunderstanding and not enough info.
Still, I think racism, nationalism and sexism should not be tolerated, even in slightest forms.
So calling the ginger haired guy at work "the ginger one" will land me in hot water then?
I said that complaining about the bad work of a black person to an outsider who doesn't know if it's true or not does sound racists, even if it isn't meant that way.
Also, is ginger really a racist term? I thought it rather described the hair colour, like blond or brunette... :P
Also, is ginger really a racist term? I thought it rather described the hair colour, like blond or brunette... :P
I can see where you are coming from but, for me personally, if someone had said that to me I wouldn't of thought it was racist. Maybe it was a misunderstanding and if it was then it was, but dan's boss should of questioned what happened and I would hope have to sense to see it was a misunderstanding not racism.
It is racist against the Scots
These days, there are certain terms that have been battered out of shape, no longer represent the gravity of the term and terms that people just look for an excuse to use.
Two of these are "racisim" and "bullying", and it doesn't take much to give certain people an excuse to pull either of these cards.
Lets look at "racism".
Now, the above is a "dictionary" statement describing the term, I DO NOT in any capacity believe that someone describing someone as "the black guy" even approaches the defination of racism.
Describing someones physical attributes IS NOT racist.
However, if the OP suggested that the "black guy" was slow, and some how indicated that him being black was in someway related to his slowness, or job performance, this can, and will be, classed as racism.
Two of these are "racisim" and "bullying", and it doesn't take much to give certain people an excuse to pull either of these cards.
Lets look at "racism".
Now, the above is a "dictionary" statement describing the term, I DO NOT in any capacity believe that someone describing someone as "the black guy" even approaches the defination of racism.
Describing someones physical attributes IS NOT racist.
However, if the OP suggested that the "black guy" was slow, and some how indicated that him being black was in someway related to his slowness, or job performance, this can, and will be, classed as racism.
I don't see where he indicated that the skin color reflected the fact that he was slow. He didn't say, "the black man, who was slow because he was black..." He just said which guy it was and the fact that he was slower than the normal guy.
When I talked about my previous boss, no one knew who I was talking about until I said, "the japanese guy". When I talk about one of the salesmen that I work with, no one knows until I say "the tall guy". And when I talked about one of the guys from a different plant that I work with, no one knows who I mean until I say "the black guy".
Oh yeah, want to talk about offensive? We had a guy, Gene, long scraggly dark grey hair and long scraggly beard. We called him Osama Gene Laudin. He was never offended by it and laughed all the time about it, especially when everyone complained when he shaved that he didn't look like Osama bin Laudin any more.
When I talked about my previous boss, no one knew who I was talking about until I said, "the japanese guy". When I talk about one of the salesmen that I work with, no one knows until I say "the tall guy". And when I talked about one of the guys from a different plant that I work with, no one knows who I mean until I say "the black guy".
Oh yeah, want to talk about offensive? We had a guy, Gene, long scraggly dark grey hair and long scraggly beard. We called him Osama Gene Laudin. He was never offended by it and laughed all the time about it, especially when everyone complained when he shaved that he didn't look like Osama bin Laudin any more.
It's not about what you say, but HOW you say it... Especially with the words you chose the tone in which you say it makes a big difference...
Here the latest acceptable term is "African-American." I've even seen some American newscasters refer to a black man from another country (Lewis Hamilton for example) as an African-American, which clearly, he is not.
I've always wondered if there are similar terms in other countries, such as "African-Norwegian" or "Afro-Franco."
*eats popcorn*
It has become far to PC for my liking but oh well. I'm all for equal opportunities.
It has become far to PC for my liking but oh well. I'm all for equal opportunities.
No, we say "African American" too, just to take the piss out of you lot.
Officials here used to like the phrase "Afro-Caribbean" as a catch-all for where the people of African origin in the UK might actually come from, but I think "African/Caribbean" is the one they prefer now.
The rest of us still just call black people black. Except the elderly and people who live up a stick on a farm and have only ever met their own immediate family (and shagged them) who worry that "black" might be racist, so they say "coloured" instead.
I agree.
That is true. However in this instance I believe the extra information to be relevant.
In an environment that carries a high level of risk, for example the operation of industrial machinery of which subsequently developed a fault shortly after its service raises the question of competence of the individual of who serviced the machine. Even more so seeing as the wire was apparently "knocked off".
What if this gentleman services other machinery and that develops a fault? In this case I do not see how a description can be construed as racist especially when that description is fact and is used merely to identify an individual who could be lacking training by the fact that he took longer to complete the work than what would be expected of competent person (based on <a> usual chap takes two hours, and <b> mechanic also laughed about duration of work).
There are no other colours, only black and white.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Img/225280/0065738.gif
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In UK law 'discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, nationality, religious beliefs or ethnicity' is an offence.
To describe someone as "a black person" is not discrimination and hence not racist. If it were then a high percentage of official application forms would also be considered racist.
Xenophobia is more common than racism. Racism is a word that gets wildly thrown about with little consideration of its meaning. A lot of people that are labeled as racists are actually xenophobes and not racist.
Remember though, bashing those people that hold these beliefs will do very little to change their views... it should be educated out of existence.
:twocents:
How do I?
Like a lot of others said, its not the "black" part, but what other words went with it.... He said that he takes four times longer than that "old dude".... I can very clearly see how some people might see that offensive...
I agree that it might have been taken too seriously, but we live in an age where nothing is right...
If Dan had implied that the slowness was something to do with the guys skin colour then I'd agree with you.
Nothing in the OP indicates that's the case.
Totally ridiculous (apparently im a racist)
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