Calling Someond A Racist

IME if you are a white middle class person there is an assumption by some white people, not everyone, that you will will agree with their racist comments. TBH I don't use the word "racist" as clearly most people have little idea of what it actually means but I do challenge them politely and ensure they understand that I don't agree with them. If you just let a comment pass by they think you agree with them. With regard to LF, he's a vile man and his comment demonstrates he's somewhat ignorant, pity he didn't just stick to acting.

For the millionth time, it was Fox who called the woman racist - for saying that he is a privileged white man.

People seem determined to cast him as the victim in this, and he's not. Someone in the audience said that Meghan Markle had been treated badly and there was a racist element to that treatment. Fox sneeringly said that this was rubbish, and that Britain was a wonderful place to live. The woman said that it may well be wonderful for a privileged white man, and Fox called her racist.

Anyone saying that the term is indiscriminately used should address their concerns to Fox, not blame the woman in the audience, who did not call him racist.

Hes a terrible actor in my opinion.
As I have just demonstrated I am afraid there is no law saying we cant say unpleasant things about people as long as it isnt slander.

I dont know Laurence Fox ,so any slur of racism is hearsay to me. I don’t react to hearsay or rumour! I know he’s a good actor …and will continue to watch anything he’s in. One person should never be allowed to say vile things about another person. It’s wrong on every level.

No matter if you agree or disagree with mr fox we live in a free speech society. And before lockdown we never heard the word racist as much has we do now. Race can come from all skin colours it’s not one sided. I used to work in a cash and carry the amount of abuse myself and work colleagues got just because we were women and our skin colour came into a lot of the abuse when bosses spoke to them they said that they were joking. I didn’t find it funny. Or stick at the job. I’m white not black

Being falsely accused of anything is horrible but when I was teaching it wasn't uncommon. I was once accused of being racist when I put a student's name on the board on a list with others who were in danger of being given a detention. The student was Asian, but the list included students of all colours. Most times it wasn't worth arguing with students about such things as you rarely win such an argument. However in one school I was falsely accused of something completely laughable, so my response was to call the student mendacious. When asked what that meant I told him to look it up. A few minutes later he said "Miss you just called me a liar!" I just said "Yes I did, didn't I." It proved to be more effective than simply denying the ridiculous accusation. But most times false accusations are best simply ignored. If I'd actually called him a liar there would have been a riot!

Thank you Doodledog and Oreo. I really appreciate your kind comments.
I wish more people online would think like you.

The trouble is that the label Racist is being thrown about willy nilly by anyone who does not get what they want.
I don’t agree with you, well if my skin colour is different from yours I must be racist. If i dont like you and your skin colour is different from mine it must be because I am racist.
Someone was called racist because they only dated men from their own ethnicity. It is becoming ridiculous.

'racist' is often weaponized and the quicker we realise that then the easier it is to discount and ignore.

If you did that round my way you’d get a punch in the chops.

I agree. Anyone taking it on themselves to 'see if I had the ability to self-reflect on my own behaviour' wouldn't be met with a very positive reaction . How condescending.

kazziecookie

My name (Karen) is often used these days to call someone (usually white middle aged woman) a racist. There are loads of examples of this happening online. Karens are known as someone who calls the police on a black person to get the arrested. Of course their name isn’t really Karen and I am often told not to take it personally as it is just a term, but I find it very upsetting as I really do not like racism.

Yeah, it’s not a great time to be called Karen, as it's used to mean white middle class entitled and middle aged woman.
Unfair and an insult to all named Karen, which is a nice name anyway.

The 'Karen' thing is horrible. It is a(nother) way of trying to silence women of a certain age, and goes hand in hand with 'be kind' and 'Boomer'. I don't think it is only used to suggest racism, but so that anything that middle aged women say can be belittled.

I feel for people who have it as a name, and wish you could all reclaim it as the perfectly respectable name it is.

VioletSky

I wouldn't call someone a racist

I would explain what racism is and see if they have the ability to self reflect on their own behaviour.

If they can self reflect they will likely change their views quietly over time (I do believe many people are influenced by family or peer groups or media and have the capacity to unlearn such behaviour).

If they can't self reflect on their own behaviour, calling them racist would only make them angry enough to defend their stance more. Having no ability at all to understand the harm they cause others may make them more vocal in defending their beliefs.

The can't self reflect outcome may happen either way but I think we have more chance by offending and angering people as little as possible

If you did that round my way you’d get a punch in the chops.

I think it is better to say that an action or words are racist rather than a person is a racist or a person is not a racist. Because those if us who are white people are all capable of doing or saying things that are racist. How could we not be given our history and culture. But also we are capable of changing. I think attitudes in this country have changed a great deal over my lifetime. Racism doesn't help any of us, black or white, or any of the grandchildren whose future we care about. Most people are not bad people.

It's a term now used against any woman that people disagree with it, often nothing to do with racism. Its misogyny of the 'progressive' kind.

I disagree.

My name (Karen) is often used these days to call someone (usually white middle aged woman) a racist. There are loads of examples of this happening online. Karens are known as someone who calls the police on a black person to get the arrested. Of course their name isn’t really Karen and I am often told not to take it personally as it is just a term, but I find it very upsetting as I really do not like racism.

To just point out that the "legal route" to defending one's self against defamation is not quite as simple as that. Defamation law is about INTENT not about whether or not the statement is true. The statement has to be made with intent to defame. Its also a civil not a criminal matter and anyone who wants to bring such a case needs Elton John type deep pockets. I know this because somewone threatened DH and I with a court case for defamation and we took legal advice.

So Idi Amin was just prejudiced rather than racist by that reasoning?

Tbh, I think Idi Amin was insane, regardless of racism or anything else. But he did create a system by which people were persecuted because of their race, so he was racist as well as his other crimes.

Sorry, if people don't behave in a racist way no one will know

I wonder if people like LF should not voice racist views or do racist actions if they are worried about being called racists. If they were squeaky clean no one would be able to accuse them of being racists
People can hold abhorrent views but if they keep them private and behave in non racist ways then v

Some on here have said that the use of the racist tag is overused and I agree.

I was absolutely staggered and struck dumb when a Care Home owner (Indian) told me my 92 year old Mum was racist.

My Mum used to open our house to kids (most of them black) from inner cities who had never seen the sea or the countryside. Who used to give us money to take to school for the Sunny Smiles catalogues of mainly black kids. Who I never, ever heard anything racist from in her entire life. I never told her this of course, but it was running through my mind. Had the owner got my Mum muddled up with someone else?

I asked her why she thought that and she said my Mum had described one of the careworkers as “foreign”. That apparently made her a racist.

My Mum had not long been diagnosed with dementia, could not remember people’s names so used to do her best to describe them, ie “the red haired one”, “ the big one”, “the foreign one” (who happened to be Filipino).

I wouldn't call someone a racist

I would explain what racism is and see if they have the ability to self reflect on their own behaviour.

If they can self reflect they will likely change their views quietly over time (I do believe many people are influenced by family or peer groups or media and have the capacity to unlearn such behaviour).

If they can't self reflect on their own behaviour, calling them racist would only make them angry enough to defend their stance more. Having no ability at all to understand the harm they cause others may make them more vocal in defending their beliefs.

The can't self reflect outcome may happen either way but I think we have more chance by offending and angering people as little as possible

Galaxy

I have some time for Douglas Murray although dont agree with him on lots of things. I think there probably is a discussion to be had, although I think facist and nazi are thrown around with much more wild abandon than racist.
I also think there is no consistency, some famous people get away with incredible racism, homophobia, misogyny whatever and it seems to have no impact on their career.

Yeah, Donald Trump for one😲

Ignore it maddyone, such posts are par for the course from that poster.