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Original poster

Is this racist or am I being sensitive,

293 replies

NotGaming · 04/01/2023 18:46

Just saw on my local reisdents Facebook page, Chinese restaurant has posted to say that they’re shutting for a month to allow family to travel home for Chinese new year. Most responses are people saying to enjoy their well earned time off. Then someone has posted ‘make sure you don’t bring anything home with you 😷 🤢’

i think this is really inappropriate, but loads of people have posted laughing emojis and liked the post.

I’ve reported to page admins who have said it doesn’t breach their rules and left the comment up.

OP posts:
pleasehelpwi3 · 04/01/2023 19:32

It's a racist thought and idea hidden behind a 'joke'- dog whistle at its finest.

MichaelFartblender · 04/01/2023 19:32

pleasehelpwi3 · 04/01/2023 19:32

It's a racist thought and idea hidden behind a 'joke'- dog whistle at its finest.

Agreed

Wibbly1008 · 04/01/2023 19:33

It’s insensitive but I don’t think it’s racist

Doris86 · 04/01/2023 19:33

Racist? Seriously? Of course it’s not! It’s a fact that they are travelling to a place where there has been a massive explosion cases recently. Someone is just having a little joke, albeit in poor taste.

UnfinishedUserna · 04/01/2023 19:33

Mark19735 · 04/01/2023 19:25

I am assuming the person who made the comment was not Chinese, which is what alerted you to the potential for racism?

Here's my test:

  1. If the person making the comment was Chinese, would the comment still make sense?
  2. If the person at whom the comment was directed was not Chinese, would the comment make sense?
  3. If neither person was Chinese, would the comment make sense?
  4. If both persons were Chinese, would the comment make sense?

The test is 'make sense'. Not whether it's funny, or in poor taste. But whether it has a syntax that makes sense. I think the answer to all four variants is yes. Someone travelling to China (where there are current high Covid infection rates) is asked not to bring it back with them. Seems a perfectly plausible, logical sentence regardless of the ethnicity of the originator or the recipient.

Therefore - not racist.

I like this. Makes a lot of sense.

amiold · 04/01/2023 19:34

I don't think it's racist. Maybe bad taste.

Lots of people are upset that the borders aren't closer to China but that's because people are still obsessed with the 2020 flu. Sorry I mean covid.

Jada1234 · 04/01/2023 19:34

I think that’s a racist remark

tirednewmumm · 04/01/2023 19:34

NotAHouse · 04/01/2023 18:54

It's a gross joke about the origins of Covid, but exactly the sort of thing you'd find on a local residents Facebook page.

I'm not sure it is it's just a timely joke because it's really rife over there right now. It might be but without knowing the poster I wouldn't be so sure

Emmamoo89 · 04/01/2023 19:34

It's not racist

IneedanewTV · 04/01/2023 19:35

If Covid was rife in France and restrictions were being imposed are you saying it’s racist to the French to joke about not bringing Covid back? Is it racist to say that rabies is Rife in Singapore so don’t go stroking dogs and bringing rabies back?

it’s a joke. No different to the bloody Essex girl jokes I’ve had to put up with for 40 years.

Aprilx · 04/01/2023 19:36

It isn’t remotely racist. It was reported recently that 50% of passengers arriving from China into Italy had covid. I expect it is more to do with that and the enormous surge in cases in China since they lifted restrictions.

Pothoswithasparkle · 04/01/2023 19:37

I had this from friends when I recently travelled to busy place abroad via busy airports.
I am not chinese.

Had it been said few months ago before changes in China, I would agree.

WandaWonder · 04/01/2023 19:37

People want it to be racist because the word China is in there but then people would find a way to make a paper bag be racist

I would take it to be about covid so it's not

Youwhatnowbiggles · 04/01/2023 19:38

Yep - in very bad taste, and quite rude….but not racist.

Pothoswithasparkle · 04/01/2023 19:38

Plus the "home with you" suggest more friendly tone than "back to uk".
From my immigrant experience

Luredbyapomegranate · 04/01/2023 19:38

Iamnotausername · 04/01/2023 19:27

@formulatingAresponse why is it racist? Not being goady, honest. I just don't understand how making a comment about an illness that is rife in a country is racist. It wasn't a funny comment but I don't see how it is racist.

Because racism is behaviour that is directly prejudiced to a particular race or ethnic group, or behaviour that is likely to incite discrimination or hatred towards them.

So you if you haven’t really thought about it, you can say - oh but I’m just making that joke because Covid rates are high in China, and you might well be, but you are also doing something that may increase prejudice against the Chinese community in the UK.

And that prejudice can then feed into systematic racism - the systems, policies and attitudes that creates inequality in society - eg some idiotic employers not wanting to employ Chinese people because they are ‘more likely to have Covid’ (unbelievable though it might be I have heard this..)

isadoradancing123 · 04/01/2023 19:39

Its not racist

Harperweek · 04/01/2023 19:40

Insensitive but not racist.

Newmum0322 · 04/01/2023 19:40

It’s offensive and in poor taste, their case numbers are very high and to joke about that is not very kind… but I don’t see the racist element?

YoSofi · 04/01/2023 19:40

Luredbyapomegranate · 04/01/2023 19:38

Because racism is behaviour that is directly prejudiced to a particular race or ethnic group, or behaviour that is likely to incite discrimination or hatred towards them.

So you if you haven’t really thought about it, you can say - oh but I’m just making that joke because Covid rates are high in China, and you might well be, but you are also doing something that may increase prejudice against the Chinese community in the UK.

And that prejudice can then feed into systematic racism - the systems, policies and attitudes that creates inequality in society - eg some idiotic employers not wanting to employ Chinese people because they are ‘more likely to have Covid’ (unbelievable though it might be I have heard this..)

Show quote history

Thank you for explaining, I originally thought not racist but see it differently now.

toocold54 · 04/01/2023 19:40

Yes I think it’s disgusting.

So many Chinese (or who people thought were Chinese) were verbally and sometimes physically assaulted because people blamed them for covid.

I hate this sort of ‘banter’ which is actually usually extremely offensive language said as a ‘joke’ and anyone who disagrees is told to calm down or that they’re over reacting.

MichaelFartblender · 04/01/2023 19:40

Luredbyapomegranate · 04/01/2023 19:38

Because racism is behaviour that is directly prejudiced to a particular race or ethnic group, or behaviour that is likely to incite discrimination or hatred towards them.

So you if you haven’t really thought about it, you can say - oh but I’m just making that joke because Covid rates are high in China, and you might well be, but you are also doing something that may increase prejudice against the Chinese community in the UK.

And that prejudice can then feed into systematic racism - the systems, policies and attitudes that creates inequality in society - eg some idiotic employers not wanting to employ Chinese people because they are ‘more likely to have Covid’ (unbelievable though it might be I have heard this..)

Show quote history

Very true. We’re in a climate of hate and violence directed to Chinese people. Dog whistle comments like these add to the racism against Chinese people.

lunar1 · 04/01/2023 19:41

Is always amazes me just how pissed off a large portion of MN can get over the tiniest little thing.

MIL came to my house without checking first-Mumsnet, set your boundaries, tell DH to sort her out, cut her off etc.

Yet I've never seen a thread about racism, no matter how blatant, without some fucking twat (or 10) excusing it in some bizarre way.

Ludo19 · 04/01/2023 19:42

Not racist but in incredibly poor taste.

toocold54 · 04/01/2023 19:42

I wonder if the poster would have said the same if they were travelling to a country with high numbers of covid that wasn’t China - I highly doubt it.