Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 15:02     Subject: Re:Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:It depends. I have one friend who uses one more descriptive adjective/adverb for every noun/verb than anyone else I know. For her, it is part of describing the scene.

Plus, context is everything. I use the George Carlin method- the words are not the problem- it is the way the person uses them. If they are used a descriptors, not so much- if they are used to consistently make one group look bad or good- then yes.


Yes, this.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:50     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


So, you personally don't see that a person is white, black, Hispanic, or whatever? I can't imagine not noticing something so obvious. I miss eye color a bit. But not hair or skin color.


Agree.



I have never ever heard anyone say, "So, I was standing in line and this brown haired lady..."

Random, irrelevant eye color, hair color observations are rare. However random, irrelevant skin color or race observations are quite common but only if the subject is non white.


Exactly.


Really? You have never heard anyone say - she is over by the lady with the blond hair?
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:48     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


So, you personally don't see that a person is white, black, Hispanic, or whatever? I can't imagine not noticing something so obvious. I miss eye color a bit. But not hair or skin color.


Agree.



I have never ever heard anyone say, "So, I was standing in line and this brown haired lady..."

Random, irrelevant eye color, hair color observations are rare. However random, irrelevant skin color or race observations are quite common but only if the subject is non white.


But you do hear people mention it if the lady is blonde. Just sayin.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:47     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:When there is absolutely no reason to do so?
I automatically label those people as racists.
Like why do I need to hear that a Chinese doctor was rude, or that a black woman returned a lot of clothes, or that a white child was the best behaved, or that a Hispanic man was the judge?
These are things that I have heard in the last few weeks and I want to call people on it, but not sure what to say.



No, but I will say that I find studied efforts to avoid identifying someone by race to be a little disingenuous. Like when you mean the only black kid in the class and you instead describe the child's clothing, whether or not she wears glasses, etc.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:22     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


So, you personally don't see that a person is white, black, Hispanic, or whatever? I can't imagine not noticing something so obvious. I miss eye color a bit. But not hair or skin color.


Agree.



I have never ever heard anyone say, "So, I was standing in line and this brown haired lady..."

Random, irrelevant eye color, hair color observations are rare. However random, irrelevant skin color or race observations are quite common but only if the subject is non white.


Exactly.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:17     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


No, they're telling you a story, and including some description. If they say a child, they may clarify that the child was 5 instead of 15 (since that will give you a different mental image).

You're referring to white privilege and the default assumption that everyone is white unless you specify otherwise. That's cultural, not racist. (In other parts of the world, they have other defaults, unsurprisingly.)


NP here. Except that whiteness rarely gets described in these situations (when the teller is white). It's someone who is black, or Asian, etc. Why is whiteness the default? This is something that has always bugged me. I remember reading the local paper in high school and wondering why it was pointed out if someone was black but not if they were white. If you find it important to describe someone's race when telling story, make it everyone's race.

Signed,

A white person



Wrong. I've heard two African Americans discuss a story and point out the race of the "white dude". Again stop projecting or thinking you know what all races are thinking.

1) no one ever said black people don't do this
2) the fact that black people do this does not invalidate what pp said
Or the most often in this society whiteness is seen as the default
3) get a grip


My favorite post of the day, especially point 3.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:15     Subject: Re:Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Yes, and I do assume the person is racially prejudiced. If it's relevant to the story, of course, include the detail. But otherwise, why mention it, unless you're also planning on giving lots of other descriptive details, like how long their hair was and what the weather was like.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 14:09     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
states their race- depends on the person and the context of their story.

describes their race- this is a tip off to a paranoid person trying not to come off racist... "um the person had darker skin.... um and curly- really curly hair..."
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 13:19     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


So, you personally don't see that a person is white, black, Hispanic, or whatever? I can't imagine not noticing something so obvious. I miss eye color a bit. But not hair or skin color.


Agree.



I have never ever heard anyone say, "So, I was standing in line and this brown haired lady..."

Random, irrelevant eye color, hair color observations are rare. However random, irrelevant skin color or race observations are quite common but only if the subject is non white.


Actually hair observations - particularly blond and red head are frequently noted. As is bald. You don't hear much about brown and black but the others - yep, lots of times used as descriptors.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 13:16     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


So, you personally don't see that a person is white, black, Hispanic, or whatever? I can't imagine not noticing something so obvious. I miss eye color a bit. But not hair or skin color.


Agree.



I have never ever heard anyone say, "So, I was standing in line and this brown haired lady..."

Random, irrelevant eye color, hair color observations are rare. However random, irrelevant skin color or race observations are quite common but only if the subject is non white.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 11:57     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
So you can only mention race if it's going against a common stereotype? Where do we get the list of common stereotypes so I can make sure not to do that?

It's odd pretending that you don't notice race. Like when a black dad asks you "Which kid is yours?" at your kids' sporting event, and then you have to ask the same thing even if there's only one black kid out there, and then he laughs and says "The black kid!"


Lol relax I wasn't suggesting that there are times when people can/can't use race in describing someone, I was just adding my 2 cents as to why we do it. In some instances race is used to paint a picture for the listener and better characterize the person/situation being described. In other instances race is used to legitimize a certain impression gathered by the storyteller or to justify a certain sentiment expressed by the storyteller. Everyone does it and not expecting everyone to suddenly stop for fear of the "PC Police" coming to get them. It's natural.

Let's use this example...
I was getting out of my car and this strange lady just walks up and starts talking to me.
Doesn't do much does it. Bland...empty...gives no insight into either the narrator or the person the narrator is describing save for them being strange - but what is strange exactly? Now if we add a racial description and say
I was getting out of my car and this strange Hispanic lady just walks up and starts talking to me.
That one adjective strange as it may sound adds a lot to the story. 1. It suggests the storyteller isn't Hispanic, otherwise why would they stress that? 2. By suggesting there is a cultural difference that reinforces the rationale that the storyteller found the interaction strange...was she speaking in Spanish for example? 3. Adding race to the description allows the reader to hone in on their own preconceived notions about Hispanics and can subsequently use stereotypes to surmise what may have made the woman seem strange...i.e. its strange that Hispanics do "such and such"...and therefore better relate to the story.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 11:23     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:Consciously, it's an effective mechanism in general story-telling to add detail and paint a picture for the listener...subconsciously its a very useful way to perpetuate stereotypes and offer validation for the racial undertones of the storyline.

i.e. - So I was at CVS and walked up to the self-checkout when this black woman walks up and gets angry saying she was in line...
(reinforces the stereotype about angry black women hence adding to the story's validity)

i.e. - So I was exiting the Metro station on my way to work and there was this huge crowd of Chinese tourists just standing around totally clogging up the sidewalk...
(reinforces the stereotype that groups of Asians are primarily tourists and socially awkward hence adding to the story's validity)


So you can only mention race if it's going against a common stereotype? Where do we get the list of common stereotypes so I can make sure not to do that?

It's odd pretending that you don't notice race. Like when a black dad asks you "Which kid is yours?" at your kids' sporting event, and then you have to ask the same thing even if there's only one black kid out there, and then he laughs and says "The black kid!"
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 11:15     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Yes. The people who start a story with "this black guy comes up to me and says...." Those people are racist. They may not specifically hate black people, but they are racist.


So, you personally don't see that a person is white, black, Hispanic, or whatever? I can't imagine not noticing something so obvious. I miss eye color a bit. But not hair or skin color.


Agree.
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 11:15     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
I agree it adds to the description. Gender, age, race, clothing, hair styles - all physical descriptors that paint a picture.

Pretty boring to just refer to everyone as anonymous generic blobs.

I think you only have an issue with a physical description if you are uncomfortable with it. Otherwise it is just a physical description that has no further meaning beyond that. I might say, there is an old white guy that lives on my street or there is a little black girl that lives on my street. Paints a very different picture, than saying, there is a human who lives on my street...
Anonymous
Post 07/29/2014 11:03     Subject: Does it make you uncomfortable when someone describes a persons race when telling a story?
Consciously, it's an effective mechanism in general story-telling to add detail and paint a picture for the listener...subconsciously its a very useful way to perpetuate stereotypes and offer validation for the racial undertones of the storyline.

i.e. - So I was at CVS and walked up to the self-checkout when this black woman walks up and gets angry saying she was in line...
(reinforces the stereotype about angry black women hence adding to the story's validity)

i.e. - So I was exiting the Metro station on my way to work and there was this huge crowd of Chinese tourists just standing around totally clogging up the sidewalk...
(reinforces the stereotype that groups of Asians are primarily tourists and socially awkward hence adding to the story's validity)