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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

if I reported this as a racistremark?

55 replies

LowFatMilkshake · 10/02/2007 14:44

I was in my local Somerfield this morning - it's a tiny place with 3 very narrow aisles that employs a number of local fish wives (as well as some nice people too) and some nasty little man in some sort of managerial position.

I have never been impresed with the level of proffesionality by some people in there - talking about dates and nights out etc, and the manager bloke is quite rude to customers too - not verbally but in behaviour, like tutting if you and your pram can't get passed his trolley of stock.

But this morning as I was squeezing passed him and two other members of staff all stacking the same shelf with two pile of crates . I heard him say quite loudly during a conversation:
"Have you seen our new cleaner?" "Did you understand him?" "I'm not being racist or anything but there's a bit of a language barrier"

I was really shocked that he was saying this so loudly in a shop that had quite a lot of customers in - especially given the recent headlines following Celebrity Big Brother. I dont know where the cleaner had gone, I had seen him earlier on sweeping up outside where the trollies are kept, but as far as the manager knew he could have been in the next aisle, along with anyone else who could have taken offence.

Do you think it is unreasonable to take this further?

OP posts:
CountTo10 · 10/02/2007 23:04

I've had that with my bank and have asked to speak to someone who can speak fluent english as the conversation was painful!! I have no idea what nationality they were but it was something important so felt I had the right to speak to someone who could understand me and me them. Nothing racist in it just commone sense!!!

nearlythree · 10/02/2007 23:04

Lowfatmilkshake, it sounds to m ethat you just don't like the manager, which makes sense, and so read more into what he has said.

madamez · 10/02/2007 23:06

There's also a bit of a difference between expressing an opinion (however unpleasant that opinion) in conversation and shouting abuse at a person's face, or throwing bricks through their windows, or passing them over for promotion repeatedly for no other reason than skin colour...in all the ridiculous palaver about Celebrity Big Brother, it's worth remembering that while the bullies did make comments that were racially derogatory, there's no evidence that any of them are card-carrying BNP members, or that they spend their spare time beating up people with different skin colours to theirs: making ignorant and unpleasant remarks is not something to be encouraged but it's not quite on a level with mass genocide, happy slapping or even parking on double yellow lines.

HeartOnMyGreensleeve · 10/02/2007 23:12

rofl at spidermama

Whizbang · 21/05/2017 11:27

YABU, and your OP sounds a bit spiteful tbh. No racism there, but plenty of judgement about the 'fishwives'

LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 21/05/2017 11:28

TEN YEAR OLD ZOMBIE THREAD

Nobody cares....

FanjoForTheMammaries · 21/05/2017 11:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Whizbang · 21/05/2017 11:30

Aargh, so sorry, didn't notice I was reviving a zombie!! I'll get back in me box.....

stitchglitched · 21/05/2017 11:31

Was just reading this thinking Somerfield doesn't even exist anymore! Why would you bump a 10 year old thread??

stitchglitched · 21/05/2017 11:32

Xpost! How did you even come across it?

PringlesInTheFlySpace · 21/05/2017 11:33

How didn't you notice in the first line! It says fucking somerfield! Grin

nina2b · 21/05/2017 11:33

The comment about "nice people too"was a bit off

nina2b · 21/05/2017 11:34

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzxxxxxxxxx

BIWI · 21/05/2017 11:35

ZOMBIE THREAD!

hobnobsaremyfavourite · 21/05/2017 11:35

Oh ffs why would someone revive a crap tread from a decade ago

HildaOg · 21/05/2017 11:36

People tend to put "I'm not racist" behind statement of facts because people like yourself are always hysterically screaming racism at statements of facts. Of course there's a language barrier if the new cleaner can't speak English, it's not racist to point that out. Language has nothing to do with race.

DingDong01 · 21/05/2017 11:37

Perhaps you should shop in Waitrose if you want the standard of gossip to be higher?

Highalert · 21/05/2017 11:38

I wish a zombie reviver would tell us how they came across the thread.

kali110 · 21/05/2017 11:42

How did you not notice??? How are posters doing this?

Laiste · 21/05/2017 11:44

See - there's nothing anywhere to warn me this is 10 years old! PLEASE PUT A ZOMBIE WARNING AT THE TOP OF OLD THREADS MN HQ

reported own post

happyhebe · 21/05/2017 11:47

The cleaner is of Asian appearance, and was very polite to me when I entered the store - so no problems with communication there.

So if they are polite then it means there are no problems with communication there then? What if they have impeccable manners which are delivered in a strong Glaswegian/Birmingham/Geordie accent which renders it unintelligible?

FloofyCat · 21/05/2017 11:51

I know the whole point of zombies is that they re-animate but this is really fucking me off at the moment!

How and why do people do it?!!Angry

hmcAsWas · 21/05/2017 11:54

10 Year old Zombie thread? Is that a record?

Whizbang · 21/05/2017 11:58

Aargh, stop, this is a zombie thread and I revived it. I'm sorry, please stop posting!!

To those who ask how I managed it, well messing up is one of my special talents. Also I'm using a new view of site on my phone and have been playing on functions, and I wandered off down old aibu threads. Yes I should have spotted Somerfield reference...no wonder they were taken over if they were so rubbish Grin

So again, this is a zombie thread, please don't reply and sorry for the annoyance Flowers

I'll stop replying now....making it worse...and put my dunces cap on Blush

KC225 · 21/05/2017 12:44

I am British living in a European country and say that sentence about 10 times a day, always about me. It's a statement your calling workers 'fish wife type's and the manager a nasty little man is worse.