Inappropriate? Racist?

[Dizzyhelterskelter]

I was in Iceland earlier buying one of those disposable foil turkey trays. The oldish man on the till, who is always very friendly & jovial, said "hey, these are good" and put it on his head pretending it was a hat. Then he said "I'm a Chinaman" and did a "slitty eyes" gesture with his hands. I was a bit taken aback, firstly as he had his bald head on something I was going to put food on and also thought his Chinese impression was rather racist. I didn't say anything and neither did any of the other customers. Instead I just gave a weak smile but was left thinking maybe I should've ticked him off or am I just overreacting??

Is this a reverse? Only there's a thread where someone's accused of racism by a black woman, and just as I was thinking "bet there'll now be a thread accusing a black person of being racist"...here we are

I can set my clock by MN on Racist Thread Day

Im more peeved at the OP for broadcasting it on here for thousands more people to see it and to potentially be hurt & offended by it

MistressDeeCee I can’t see where the OP told of the oldish gentleman’s race.

Racist and unhygienic. I'd be tempted to ask for a tray that had not been in contact with his head. (Plus I thought you meant Iceland he country!)

I would have said that I didn't want to put food into anything that had been on his head and refused to buy it for that reason alone - as for the behaviour, I would have told him that it was illegal and anachronistic as fuck. (Pretty sure he wouldn't know what it meant, but I wouldn't care)

That's pretty bad. It's not even the right shape either. Did he seen the full shilling?

He sounds very much like that other old racist fool, Prince Philip. Age is no excuse.

Yes, racist.
And ew at the tray being on his head.
And what was he doing messing about while supposed to be working, with a queue of customers.
I'd wonder if he was developing dementia tbh. He's either too old to be working or a twat, or of course both. I'd be making a complaint.

He sounds quite mad, how bizarre.

Sounds like he had learning difficulties op.

'Racial stereotypes often cause offence, so I think I'll just use this for cooking.'

There's no point in the hygiene concerns though. It's in a supermarket; it's already teeming with germs, and so is the turkey. Wash it and put it in the oven and that should do.

Massively racist and inappropriate. Those who are saying it's "harmless" racism just think that racism directed towards Chinese people is less bad than racism directed towards black people. Because Chinese people were historically perceived as figures of fun rather than a threat by white English people. Which is, in itself, racist.
And putting your cooking equipment on his sweaty head- gross.

Don’t know why people are banging on about the tray. Please tell me you’d be washing it before use, regardless.

He may have had issues. Many supermarkets provide employment opportunities for individuals who perhaps might otherwise find it hard to get a job. My local big Tesco appears to do this. Only my perception of course.

Actually, he might have learning difficulties. The whole thing seems a little 'unusual'.

Sometimes people repeat jokes they have heard, thinking it's funny, without understanding what they are saying. I would still report it though as it's unacceptable and he needs to be told.

I have a friend who has a borderline learning disability and I've heard him refer to something daft as being "a bit X".

I challenged him on it and he just thought I didn't understand. He said "no, it's just a way of saying something is a bit daft". I told him that i knew exactly what the meaning was, that it was racist and explained why. I didn't want him to say it any more. He had no idea and hasn't said it since.