Dog Food Prank Racism

[Beta]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/11/09/firef ... index.html

Im actually appaled that the fire"man" resorted to claim a prank was racist. It's a sad day when you have to be careful about who you play jokes on for fear of being called racist.

[sohotrightnow]

How is it not?

[Beta]

How is it racist? Back in HS we did something similar to a white guy on our hockey team, was that racist?

[ZagGrad]

Yeah, I'm not getting the whole racism side of it...

On a separate note, did anyone see, at the bottom of the article, that Ed Bradley died? Wow.

[sohotrightnow]

Depends...If white firefighters singled out the one black firefighter in their battalion (don't know if this is the case in this incident), how could that not be racist?

Edit: Just checked. He is the only black firefighter there. Verdict is in...it was racist.

[Sonny]

Racism apparently works in only direction.

[Beta]

So without knowing how often pranks are pulled at this place isnt it kind of ignorant to assume something? That's what racism is in the first place...ignorance and assumption. Would it have been racist of them NOT to pull a prank on that guy because he's the only black person there? I mean they'd be leaving him out because he's black...that's racist.

[Sonny]

So without knowing how often pranks are pulled at this place isnt it kind of ignorant to assume something? That's what racism is in the first place...ignorance and assumption.

IMHO, racism is neither and is often mistaken for prejudice. It is the belief that one race is inherently superior to another.

[StrykerFSU]

Sounded more like hazing to me, though the man was 49 when it happened so I doubt he was a newbie. I would have thought you had to prove the prank racially motivated to call it racist. I also didn't get the whole connection between dog food and slavery, seemed a stretch. Who knows, couldn't they have done it because he smelled bad or was a sloppy eater?

Unfortunately in this politcally correct climate it doesn't matter what the true motivations, white person doing anything to a black person equals racism while black person doing something to a white person equals comedy. I'm sure anyone else on this board who played high school basketball will agree with me on that one.

[Jester]

The article that describes the situation gives far, far too little background to do anything other than speculate about the motivations. Whatever the lawyer and client meant about the historical connotations of it, serving someone dog food is humiliating. When it is the ONE black guy out of a whole battalion of firefighters being humiliated, it looks really bad.

However, I'm big into the whole benefit of the doubt thing, and it isn't cut and dried.

I do have two questions, though. First, Sonny, am I misreading your intent when you seem to say that believing one race is inherently superior to another isn't actually actually an ignorant assumption? The assumption part could even be defended, though it would be a stretch. However, while you can have ignorance without racism, I cannot fathom how you can have racism without ignorance.

Second, I know it was sarcasm, but I can't just pass it by - Racism, at least according to the above perfectly accurate definition, doesn't just go one direction. When black people do things to white people, it isn't just comedy. Just because something is socially acceptable (if it really is) has no relationship with its being right. Anyone who is familiar with the concept of segregation will agree with me on that one.

[sohotrightnow]

You have to be kidding me! If 10 black guys chose the 1 white guy it would be racism too! You don't find it more than a coincidence that they chose the 1 black guy? It would be fine if the prank was the only thing they did, but they chided him and verbally assaulted him. What am I missing here?

http://www.firerescue1.com/news/17919/

[Beta]

Since "racism" is based upon the individual's personal mindset...you cant accurately say either way whether or not it's racism unless you stereotype or assume based upon some of the past events. While it says there was alledged racist behavior in the past..it also states that there was hazing going on too.

If someone says "yes, I am racist" or "yes I did racist things" then yeah...ok...they're racist. But it's not fair to assume something just because of the view of the outside situation. I remember hazing one of my black team mates a long time ago with throwing vegetable oil on him. He was the only black player in the league at the time actually. Was that racist?

[sohotrightnow]

Dunno, did you throw vegetable oil on your white teammates too, or was that an isolated incident? If it was an isolated incident, people might view it as racist. Can you see why? I am not saying that you are a racist, but perception can be a powerful force.

You have to look at it from this firefighter's perspective. For all we know, the guy who pulled this prank may have a history of doing this to only female or black firefighters. Conversely, this may be his first time pulling such a prank, but coincidentally, he chose a black firefighter. Either way, his act could be construed as racist. When you are the only minority on a particular shift and the prank just happens to be pulled on you, I think you have a legitimate case.

[BigheadTodd]

I read a followup story in the SacBee today. Evidently, the victim had long referred to himself as "The Big Dog" and wanted everyone else to call him that as well. I think the prank was ill advised, but not racist.

[Gvlax]

Racism is such a politcally correct term these days... i hate talking about it because someone is going to be offended.