Is this racist and what to do?

[fedup33]

I was in a group today and at coffee time, somebody mentioned 3 or 4 times that the term " black coffee" is unacceptable. Apparently on arrival in the US a relative had told them this, virtually as soon as they landed.

This sounds like the sort of guff surrounding " Ba ba black sheep". Its nonsense and it's racist. Sneeky racist bit still racist.

🤪🤪🤪

At a stretch maybe she was meaning black tea as in opposed to green tea (like earl grey as opposed to oolong?) But that seems a little unlikely as surely all restaurants serve black tea?

That’s just silly.

there are a very small number of words where I can just about see the rationale for this - e.g. blacklisted/whitelisted where the 'black' version is bad and the 'white' is good.

But surely it should be obvious to anyone with half a braincell that this wouldn't apply to coffee, because whether you like it with milk or not is just a preference not a pejorative?

Besides which, as pp's have pointed out, racial issues and context are very different in the UK & US. It reminds me of this muppet who moaned that a photo of coal miners on a restaurant wall was racist and a threat to him because they were "using blackface" https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/letter-american-writer-who-thinks-15980804
the irony of someone who describes themselves as a 'street poet' not understanding the concept of manual labour...

Well there is this ...

Oh WOW! Just had to google that - so it was really a thing??

BINGO! That's it. I couldn't for the life of me sort it out, Thanks

Was it the first instruction you received on arrival? i don't think so

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I'm going to Costa to get this on Saturday and I'm not even using the drive thru. This one must be done face-to-face.

Absolute buffoonery 😆😆

another1bitestheduck · Today 12:55

Besides which, as pp's have pointed out, racial issues and context are very different in the UK & US. It reminds me of this muppet who moaned that a photo of coal miners on a restaurant wall was racist and a threat to him because they were "using blackface"

Dear me, what a numb-nuts!

surely just 'without milk' or 'no milk, please,' or even 'as it comes' would have been fine? I don't think 'black coffee' is offensive but it's also very easy to not say if you don't want to, there are lots of other alternatives that sound perfectly normal that you don't have to go to any 'lengths' to think of.

Well how are you meant to describe it?!

Ask ChatGPT ?

Yes, but I assume these people all wanted to say ‘black coffee’ , had for some reason got the idea they couldn’t say this to a Nigerian (!), and kept having to catch themselves back from what they would normally have said, hence her amusement, because they were visibly trying not to say ‘black’. Like one of those games where you can’t say yes or no.

I remember a situation years ago where I had to try to find out from someone over the phone which receptionist she’d spoken to, as the person didn’t remember the name, so I asked what she’d looked like, as it was a job share, shift-based situation, so it could have been any of about five people, all female, only one black. Looong silence on the other end. ‘Oh, think she had a stripy cardigan on.’ Anything else? Hair colour? Approx age? Even longer pause. Then my black colleague walked past in her stripy cardigan. This woman on the phone simply couldn’t say ‘I spoke to a black woman in a stripy cardigan.’

No wonder the world is falling apart if we get so easily offended.
Supposed this means I can't wear my little black dress to the office Christmas party.
Sorry, the holiday party. And I can't dream of a white Christmas any more?
So now I'm dreaming of a snow filled holiday.

But actually now I think about it, coffee isn't really black or white? It's more a brown, or coffee or beige colour depending on your preference. ?
Maybe we need a shade guide like they have at the dentist to choose colours for crowns and dentures?
Fifty shades of beige?

It's not racist, it's lunacy

Saying black handbag, black belt, black paint isn't offensive.

Going on and on about how " we're not allowed" to say it is unpleasant.

Well according to Ricky Martin skin can be the 'colour of mocha'.

In Brazil there are loads of definitions that are not strictly linked to skin colour: Brancos, Pardos, Pretos, Caboclos, Amarelos and Indig­enous. They include colour but also class and where you live.

I think a lot of white people tie themselves in knots trying to not be perceived as racist. It's like the Harry Enfield character of the dad who is OK with his son being gay.

One of my friends, who is black (this is relevant) says one thing in life she was not prepared for was to give birth to a white child.

That child is now grown up with children and one grandchild of her own. And when my friend has called me to say she is a gran again or a great gran we do a verbal dance of me not asking her what colour the child is and her deliberately not telling me.

As "AI" pointed out.

Looks like we don't need humans anymore ....