Everyday Racism Or Sensible Business Practices?

[sp1814]

I’m going for the former.

This is clearly prejudiced behaviour (in that the waiter was prejudging the customers based on their race alone).

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43954750

[ToraToraTora]

If it helps Eric the Eel won his heat in the 100 metres freestyle in sidney!

[steg]

I don’t think they have wild ones, but my niece who stays in Toronto has a pet one

[bhg481]

sp1814 - I'm not sure I agree with that. Runners (obviously) mainly use leg muscles; swimmers mainly arms, particularly for long distances when they seem to drag their legs. Perhaps jackdaw's tongue-in-cheek comment about lions has some basis of truth in it. Can you out-swim a crocodile?

[Mamyalynne]

Nice Steg.

[steg]

I just messaged her, it’s no escaped so every one should be ok

[bhg481]

spath - we're not saying it's the colour of their skin that defines a person's behaviour; the skin colour is just one of the features that enables us to identify a group of people and it's a very obvious feature that's not easily changed. You can dye ginger hair, straighten curly hair, change shape of noses etc but skin colour is very difficult to change. What we are saying is that we perceive that certain groups of people tend to have common behaviour patterns; what we must NOT do is to assume that ALL people in a group behave in the same way because that is racist.
Incidentally, something cannot be fairly unique or very unique; unique is binary, so something is either unique or it is not unique.

[bhg481]

spath -Yes, I think it is. They've assumed that a set of people, defined by their appearance, will behave in a way which they perceive to be inadvantageous to their business.
Mind you, the Liverpool supporters going to Rome today have been advised not to wear team colours (makes them identifiable as a group) and to travel to the ground in the provided shuttle-buses. What would you call that?

[andy-hughes]

I am amazed at the unsustainable side-tracking this thread has taken - started I believe by NewJudge's erroneous - in my view - comparison with insurance restrictions for young drivers and the drawing of an inaccurate comparison between that and the scenario outlined in the OP.

We do appear to have come back to the OP now - and the simple facts and unfortunate conclusions drawn by restaurant staff which are broadly concluded as racist, and again in my view, utterly without justification or defence.

[Spicerack]

ToraToraTora
'If it helps Eric the Eel won his heat in the 100 metres freestyle in sidney!'

Somewhat helped by the fact he was the only one in it. ;o

[anotheoldgit]

/// ...but not better
swimmers. ///

Not much water in Africa.