Is their any need to mention race of suspicious person? Facebook..

[tiredandfrumpy]

I'm on our local community facebook group and some lady has mentioned that some black man was trying to offer her daughter sweets and was offering her back to his house.

I could understand if she had a real description but you can't just warn people of a black man? People are going to be terrified if they see a black man now.

AIBU or is that an ok way of describing someone to watch out for?

Not trying to cause a war here just curious on what people think.

@Toddlerteaplease

I once reported a really noisy party to the police. (It was ridiculously loud). The police asked for a description and the only thing I could think of was that they were all black. I felt really bad about it!

Why was their race relevant in that instance? They were people making noise and it’s the noise the police should be looking for. If there were white people in the mix, what would you have said? Would you have just said a bunch of people, maybe young people? What would you have said. Were there mixed race people or did all you see is black people?

Honestly puzzled by the relevance of their race and how you determined that there were no mixed race or other ethnicities there.

@Porcupineintherough yes, still haven't read it have you

@Heiferr None. Because as you've pointed out, we're talking about a young child. Would I then as an adult with an ounce of sense go posting that limited description all over Facebook? No, there would be no need because an adult with even the most basic understanding of how the world works would be aware what the consequences of that would be. Not that you'd know it from the racism deniers on this thread.

You have a very valid point and I do understand OP's point also which is the same and as I have said a few times now to people who obviously have not taken the time to read the full thread and want to stir division from a personal point of view.

It does depend on the situation and the population of where you live. 87% of British people are white. 4% are black, that is enough to narrow the field for a perpetrator. If it was a white man, the child being 4/5 isn't really going to add much either to pin it down, beard/hair/clothes.. all changeable within an hour, skin colour is a valuable descriptor?

But I understand it goes to racial profiling, I do get that, I don't really know what the answer is. I am in an area where it is white only and not in the uk and there is a similar circumstance with kids not being particularly safe. The perpetrators are all white, and so the descriptors to narrow it down are age and height which really does not help at all.

Tiredandfrumpy

I’m curious to know if you are black?

Comments from black posters are telling everyone that to describe them as black is not racist or in any way offensive.
Perhaps people should listen to them.

Yes, depends on common sense and context.

If you are trying to find a lost child in the village and it is the only black child who lives there I bet most of us would want the colour mentioned.

Apparently yesterday the only newspaper not to mention that the MP's alleged killer is a black Somali "terrorist" ( who appears to have planned the attack in advance) was the Financial Times which does not surprise me (I subscribe to the FT and its editorial line on these issues is utterly non-diverse and very woke). Today they have now added the description of the suspect.

@MrsSkylerWhite

Tiredandfrumpy

I’m curious to know if you are black?

Comments from black posters are telling everyone that to describe them as black is not racist or in any way offensive.
Perhaps people should listen to them.

Are they????

Black as part of a description? Fine.
Black as the only "description"? Not ok. Definitely offensive because our skin colour is not the only thing that defines us. Racist? Potentially but not necessarily, depending on context. More of a microagression.

That is the general consensus.

the Financial Times

Off topic, but what's happened to the finance industry that has gone so terribly and unexpectedly woke? The Financial Times used to be quite an informative newspaper, not any more it seems

More of a microagression

What exactly is a microagression? The term itself is an oxymoron - micro is something really minuscule, but still worthy of getting worked up about?

@mustlovegin that's right. The idea being that the gradual drip, drip, drip of, say, anti semitism or misogyny, add up and create a hostile and oppressive climate for victims which can be as damaging over time as outright acts of aggression or discrimination.