Do you think this is racist?

[Helpmechooseausername]

I was on holiday and had developed quite a good tan (I'm white). I said to someone "if I stayed here for another few weeks I'd be the colour of chocolate" and they said I was being racist. They said that I was saying that someone who is black (I hope that is an acceptable term) is the colour of chocolate and that is offensive.

It's totally stumped me! I was referring to myself, not anyone else, regardless of their colour. I genuinely think I'm not offensive to anyone - I certainly don't try to be - but it makes me feel like this is a very narrow tightrope I'm on!

AIBU to think that what I said was ok, or do I need to rethink this?

Thanks!

I'm black, and don't find this racist one bit.

I am Caribbean and am pale (for a black person) in the summer and go ridiculously dark even with sun cream on the summer. My Nigerian friend joked I'd be able to pass as Nigerian if I tanned any more, to which our white friend who was sun burnt said she identified as ketchup. So clearly comparing to food things isn't too uncommon! I wouldn't worry about it.

So is the phrase 'if she/he was chocolate they'd eat themselves' racist? Or is it just a way of describing someone?

You're meant to question yourself, which is why you shouldn't give it a second thought. It's got to the point of ridiculous now, where you have to be careful what analogy you use, when talking about colours!

I honestly think the word racism has lost all meaning.

So do I. Yet, apparently gammon isn't racist. So if it's racist to say black skin equals chocolate, why isn't it racist to say white skin equals gammon. The goal posts move for those who look for racism when it's not present - this is a classic case.

No, this also gives me the ick 🤣

Fair enough - at least you're not trying to make it into something it's not.

I’m black (this term is ok!) and don’t find this racist. Trust me, I’ve heard worse.

This is just another one of those ‘is it racist’ threads that usually attracts racists/racist apologists. Always the same time of night, always similar sort of question.

Nope. Not racist.-Opinion.of a black.woman. World has gone mad

Oh god! Don’t listen to teenagers they are all permanently accusing everyone of everything. You’re fine op.

Race didn’t come into the discussion at all. You said your own skin would become the colour of an item which is the colour you were referring to (chocolate).

This is analogous to saying I hope I don’t burn and become the colour of a tomato or I was as white as a sheet before I landed in Portugal or whatever!

People making any reference to a change in skin colour into a race issue are the problem here, not you!

It was kind of a running joke on The Steve Harvey Show that his roommate, (Cyril the entertainer who is fairly dark skinned for an American black man) often described himself as one of the "deep chocolate brothers."

My dp also uses it to describe himself sometimes, but I have noticed it makes some mc white people quite uncomfortable, they don't know what to do with it.

Just call them a daft cunt and move on ☺️

Well no it hasn’t. There are lots of racist threads popping up all over the place at the moment. People have been emboldened to share their backward, ignorant, racist attitudes as a result of the likes of Nigel Farage stirring up hatred of the “other”. It’s disgusting and shameful.

But the point remains that the op’s comment wasn’t racist.

Your comparison to chocolate is a bit weird but I don't think that comment alone makes you racist. Then again I'm white, so my opinion might not be very valid. I think every generation, thinks that the previous generations ideas aren't acceptable though. I'm sure when my DD is older she'll pull me up on things that I say too.

No not racist. They sound like a tedious knob.

She’s associating tan people with black people and she needs to not do that

I suppose it depends if you were saying it with a positive or negative tone?

True; but milk chocolate is always seen as the default. Dark chocolate is universally referred to as dark chocolate; white chocolate is universally referred to as white chocolate; milk chocolate is universally referred to just as chocolate.

Same with coffee - which is also commonly used as a reference to some people's skin-colour: the default is white coffee/coffee with milk - people will either ask for coffee or for black coffee.

When I was in secondary school, someone told me I was too pale. I said "Yes, I am not exactly purple am I"... and I was told that was racist.
I still can't get my head around that one.

Seriously.

They're being ridiculous. Racism is real and it ruins people's lives. Kids going around shouting racism for no reason makes a mockery of actual discrimination.

Haha no, it’s not racist. It’s just an observation. I’m a person of colour (hate the phrase though) and I’d find it amusing if you’d said it to me 😁