This happened to me at the weekend and I feel ashamed I did nothing - Racism

[Changedusernameforthis2]

I was at a car boot sale at the weekend and there was a large stall there- that was a man and wife- selling 'fill a bag' type stuff - they were a house clearance company avoiding paying dumping fees I think

There was a lady there who was wearing a headcovering, she kept going behind the stall and they kept shooing her out
The man said in a sort of 'I'm muttering but loud enough for everyone to hear' way - he said "They're like rats, it might help if we stop giving them everything"
I was really shocked and just walked off but I feel really ashamed I didn't tackle it

What can I say if I find myself in this position again? I do not want to stand by and let it happen- I feel embarassed of being a coward

@familylawyer01392 Im not the only poster being insulted by you. It seems those who disagree are ignorant (lacking intellectual capacity or worse) or have a real lack of comprehension skills. Not very inclusive.

As for me being obtuse, well yes it"s deliberate.

Carry on being offended.

Two things I have realised in my life:

1. A LOT of people think racism is justified of somebody’s behaviour is annoying you.
2. A lot of people are fine BEING racist but become enraged if you call them that.

Some people just love to be offended don’t they

When have I insulted you? I have said you are being obtuse which you accept and say is deliberate!

It’s name calling to liken a pointless conversation to speaking to a toaster now 🤣🤣

are you going to respond to my question as to what your thoughts would have been had the person in question been Jewish @User46576 ?

By offensive things yes 😂

And I am telling her. Although I wouldn't have thought she'd need to be told really. If she's got the balls to say anything at all then it's not hard to know what to say, is it?

It's impossible to know for certain what he meant. It sounds more than feasible that his comment was indeed race related. It also seems feasible he was referring to the swarming behaviour of overly keen bargain hunters filling a bag for next to nothing. I have no idea what is in the mind of another when they chose their words. I have no idea if their words were calculated or merely spoken with haste, clumsily with little thought. I have no right to judge anyone based off one overheard comment witnessed and reported by a stranger.

Without knowing for certain whether it was meant the way you perceived it, I would not be willing to advise intervention in such a situation. For a start, if the woman did actually not understand English, how would she know you were backing her up and not making disparaging comments yourself. I understand your desire to say something because I've witnessed some blatant racist comments in the past and not spoken up out of the almost certain knowledge I'd get my head kicked in if I did. I wanted to but I fail to see how me getting beaten up will help. I deplore racism but I'm not ending up in hospital if I get it wrong. I'm being honest there. I'm not pretending I'm willing to risk something I'm not. I can't bring myself to lie to gain in order to look good to a bunch of strangers online because I despise lying also.

Luckily, this type of shite-where every negative comment directed toward a non-white person is racist-is starting to wear thin.

It's not the negative comment per se which makes it racist (or possibly Islamophobic) but the way the stallholder condemned an entire group on the basis of the behaviour of one individual.

If it were that to confront intolerance, it would never have got a foothold in the first place.

Exactly this.

Which is what makes me think the OP is just looking for sympathy for herself.

I make a valid point and you jump in to say I like being offended? I suppose it's probably because the other part of what the man said can't actually be explained as inoffensive.

Whats your fucking problem??

@MrsMappFlint @User46576

Your obsession with the man at the stall definitely not being racist is really telling. If the OP had told the exact same story but said the lady was clearly Jewish you would be utterly enraged. You would never ever say it wasn't "explicit racism" you'd be going on and on and on about how it was racist. And you would be right. You and other posters would have made loaded comments like "saddest thing I've heard all year" "we aren't safe anymore" but when blatant racism happens towards a Muslim or a black person you are SO quick to dismiss it. We shouldn't dismiss any racism - islamophobia IS real and explicit racism and antisemitism is not the only one we should condemn.

It doesn't help your plight at all, you will not be encouraging people to stand up for antisemitism if you can't bear it when people stick up for Muslims. You are indeed hypocrites and you aren't the only ones on MN.

God absolutely not. Sympathy would make no sense.

Of course it would.

"Oh don't feel bad OP, it's difficult to know what to say...yadda yadda".

You can't seriously be asking what you should say if you ever witness racist comments again?

I mean if "Don't be racist" doesn't spring to your mind, then nothing will 🤷‍♂️

Btw @Changedusernameforthis2 you sound lovely. The first step is recognising racism when you see/hear it and calling it what it is. We appreciate you. ❤

User46576 Only cares about racial issues that impact on the Jewish community.

Are you always this combatative at normal people chatting on the internet

Not when I feel someone is asking a genuine question, no.

However bad you think you feel, you can guarantee it won't be anything near as bad as the woman who had no-one on her side.

'Don't be racist' - 3 simple words.

As opposed to all the many, many, many people who only care about racism until it impacts on the Jewish community?

😂😂😂well this wasn’t.

woman should have respected boundaries, instead she pushed her way where she shouldn’t have been and made herself a nuisance. Makes me suspicious that she was creating a distraction

Which means she deserves racial abuse. I hope you're as accepting when others use your characteristics as an insult.

I’m accepting when people use my behaviour as an insult.

Fortunately though I don’t act rude or inconsiderately