Was this a racist comment?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail....-black-scientist.html

Was Evans being racist or just stating a fact, due to the poor lighting in the studio?

Would one also be called racist if one couldn't understand what a black person from Nigeria was saying, due to that persons accent?

[Barmaid]

I suspect that only Chris Evans can answer the first question.

The second question is a definite "no". If I can't understand someone from Newcastle or Norfolk (whatever their skin colour) because of their accent it doesn't make me racist, it makes me unable to understand. It's the way one deals with it is where the racist element arises.

[Zeuhl]

Not racist if it's a factual statement.

Thing is; they are clearly sitting in a reasonably well lit TV studio.

Just a silly remark made under the duress of live TV - it affects even seasoned performers.

I think remarking about anyone's accent (such as Cheryl Cole's for example) needs to be done only if absolutely necessary and always in a kindly manner; otherwise it's simply rude!
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[pa___ul3]

agree with Barmaid, only he would know, I can understand why it could have been construed that way but it's live TV and anyone can say something completely innocent that can be misconstrued to be offensive. I'm sure most rational people would give him the benefit of the doubt as he's never shown any hint of previous.
Accents are accents, the colour of your skin's got nothing to do with it.

[emmie]

doesn't seem so, but people can take offence at the slightest thing. Was she offended, or just brushed it aside.

[Zeuhl]

Anyway, the lady was perfectly visible when she smiled.

[jackthehat]

Would it suit you if it was a racist remark?......or better if we all agreed how silly it all is?

Accents are knotty things but to say that one presents problems is not inherently racist.

[dave50]

There are obviously people who spend all their time trawling through websites and news items looking for anything that could in the slightest way be percieved as racist no matter how obscure it may seem to any normal person. They are paranoid. Have they got nothing better to do?

[trt]

'' Anyway, the lady was perfectly visible when she smiled ''.

Zeuhl, I like your sense of humor,

[bazwillrun]

Its absolutely pathetic, of course he didnt.
I find it hard to see blacks crossing the road at night , its not racist its a simple fact but these days all the hand wringers love to use the "R" word, they havent got anything better to do.
if this person was offended then tough, she needs to big up a bit and get on with things.

[anotheoldgit]

trt

/// Zeuhl, I like your sense of humor, ///

If I had said that it wouldn't have been considered as humorous, in fact I would have been accused of making a racist remark.

I would have also been pulled up on the spelling of humour.

Strange that is.

[Zeuhl]

You seem perplexed Old Git.

Perhaps it's because trt and I don't have 'previous' for making racist remarks.

[pa___ul3]

aaaah poor AOG, it must be so hard with the whole world against you, you'd have thought having such broad shoulders would stop you whining so much!

[jno]

she wasn't offended, so she will not need to take baz's advice to 'big up a bit', though I'm not sure how that would help him see her better at night.

If the photo on the Mail's site is how the studio really looked, then I can only say that I have no trouble seeing her. Perhaps Evans should drop in to Specsavers.

[emmie]

zeuhl your comment made me smile, but you would find me in the dark, i'm the one that glows...

[jno]

ah yes, horses sweat, men perspire, ladies glow.

[anotheoldgit]

pixi-

/// i cant see in the report anything about accents so you've confused me with that ///

Blimey you are such hard work, of course you can't see anything in the report about accents.

It was my analogy, to compare a person's skin colour to a person's speech.

Can't you see the association between the two?

He has been called a racist because he could hardly see a black person in a darkened studio, ever heard the word camouflage, doesn't a white person black-up if they don't wish to be seen?

So if one is called racist because of the first example, then it would follow that one would be equally racist to say that one couldn't understand what an African said, not this time because of their skin colour but because of their accent.


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[jackthehat]

Only in AOG-land...........which is one of the less appealling of the 'theme-parks'......having just the one Theme!

[anotheoldgit]

pa___ul3

You are just a very rude person, and will always be so.

End of.