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SurpriseScissors · 2025-03-30T05:36:15+00:00

I think it's ok to mention race if you are trying to describe someone specifically so another person can identify them, but in this case, race (and any other descriptor) is completely irrelevant. It was not necessary for context or identification or anything else. They could have been a green Martian and it would not have mattered at all in your anecdote. Your argument that it was so they could imagine the person correctly is quite weak and dubious. You didn't refer to the person's age or hair color or height or whatever so people could picture them better, just race. Considering a description was unnecessary to begin with and your explanation was unsupported by your actual comments, it absolutely sounds racist.

Wife-and-Mother · 2025-03-30T05:43:15+00:00

I read your post, and in that context, it was a bad idea to mention race. As well as in your mormon post title.

Weeding out the pertinent information from what is not important to the audience is needed when we are dealing with people and telling a story.

In this case, mentioning race, gender or any personal qualifiers outside of "staff worker" is unnecessary information.

If you mention a trait that is unnecessary during a criticism (such as race, a bad haircut, or a missing limb), people will think you are bullying them physically in addition to your criticism on their behavior.

It works the other way, too. If you say, "I met a very attractive black man (or amputee, or blonde) who had the best smile" people will then believe you have a mild fetish or a "type" due to you qualifying that trait unnecessarily.

bodhiseppuku · 2025-03-30T05:18:15+00:00

Not as long as you don't make too many assumptions.

Saying someone is Black, or Latin, or Asian, or White shouldn't be an issue.

But be careful with assuming country of ancestry. Saying a person looks Chinese can be offensive to other Asians not from China for example.

I don't see color... Seemed to be popular a few years ago, but I think this is a mistaken sentiment. I see color, I can use skin color to describe someone, but I treat everybody the same no matter your color, sex, religion.

AstarothSquirrel · 2025-03-30T08:56:05+00:00

So, from a very quick peruse of your posts, you put race into a conversation where it doesn't belong. Look at these two examples: "Why did that lady put mayonnaise in her sandwich?" compared to "Why did that Hispanic lady put mayonnaise in her sandwich?"

The addition of race or ethnicity to the sentence doesn't add to it and so it appears out of place and induces the thought "Why is that there?" It's like Chekhov's gun.

If during your story-telling, you have a host of characters that you would need to differentiate (such as being witness at a bank robbery) it is perfectly acceptable to use the addition of race or ethnicity to tell them apart to another "Then the Asian lady grabbed the gun, but the white Robber ran over and snatched it off her."

As a rule of thumb, you can leave out any characteristics that are not required.

Sturzkampfflugzeug1 · 2025-03-30T05:53:05+00:00

I'll be frank with you, it did seem a little odd that you mentioned he was black. You might not mean anything by it, but it can impersonate a different meaning to those reading, given the limited context

It's just randomly specific which makes it stand out

QuestioningYoungling · 2025-03-30T06:03:50+00:00

I've never even considered that mentioning race could be wrong. In fact, I routinely make fun of the people who don't mention a characteristic atypical to the majority about someone for fear of being seen as racist/homophobic/ableist/etc. It is not like a black guy doesn't know he's black, or a short guy doesn't know he is short.

Diamond_Meness · 2025-03-30T20:02:21+00:00

I agree with the rest. Mention of race was not necessary because it doesn't add or take away from your point. But just out of curiosity, why did you find it necessary to mention the race?

HarryBalsag · 2025-03-30T20:22:12+00:00

If you are trying to describe someone physically, race should be mentioned later than height,build or other desciptives. If they are still drawing a blank, I'll use race as a descriptor because its a bad look to use race as the first words to describe a person.

Pretend_Athletic · 2025-03-31T00:26:12+00:00

It sounds like you were using “black” simply as a descriptor, intending for it to be neutral. Unfortunately in society, using race as a descriptor is going to raise red flags, because of history and presence of racial tension and systemic racism in society. When you brought up his race, people immediately started to wonder why you would do that, and whether you have racial prejudice.

Anyway, yes there is a taboo about mentioning people’s race (as well as visible disabilities, religion etc) unless it’s relevant to the topic at hand. In your case it wasn’t relevant to what he was doing or saying.

RhinoRhys · 2025-03-30T07:03:33+00:00

It's superfluous information. Describing the person who your quoting adds nothing to the narrative so mentioning it implies that you thought it was pertinent, probably for negative reasons, because you neglected to mention his height or weight or what he was wearing.

It's fine to use descriptions when describing someone: "go speak to Tom, the black guy over there", but otherwise just avoid them unless that fact is relevant.

Juls1016 · 2025-03-30T15:40:14+00:00

Because of that dumb ideas that exist now about the “politically correct” things to say or not. I’m Mexican and if want to describe the whole anatomy of someone I will. If the person is a chubby person of a certain race I will say it since it’s the truth so I’m not gonna be condescending with anyone just because someone else thinks it’s an insult to describe someone as it is.

BIG YES BOMB!!!!!

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Is it really some kind of taboo faux pas to mention race while describing who somebody is?

Is it really some kind of taboo faux pas to mention race while describing who somebody is?

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