Detroit firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station

[Dashinka 23,366]

1 minute ago, jg121783 said:

I fail to see how snopes has any credibility or is an authority on anything. Snopes consists of a weird cat lady in an apartment. Someone please explain to me how snopes has become a "fact checker" for the left.

I usually steer clear of Snopes whenever it rates something mostly true or mostly false since it seems to be vascillating or mincing items.  Regardless, this has been posted in several local news sources, so I think their “completely true”rating here is probably pretty safe.

[-Trinity- 513]

4 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

well, this is an article that breitbart ran and they love anything that sows racial tension..i bring watermelon to work and so does my husband. he grows watermelon. not a big deal and i'm sure there is more to this story (or maybe less, and this is a distraction from all the current real stories). if you search watermelon and racial insensitive right now, all that comes up is this story. that tells me we should all be very upset about it.

Honestly, I really don't know who Breitbart is. I read the article and I was kind of baffled, 80% of my family is black, my kids are biracial but I've never heard or experienced that they see watermelon or bananas as an insult. As a matter of fact my ex family in law loves watermelon in the summer during barbecues. So either this article is incomplete, complete BS or people are looking for reasons to feel upset about non issues.

 

However, I've experienced a professor who believed that Taco Bell's concept is racist, that kinda of made me look different at articles. Before I would laugh about it and take it with a grain of salt, but I know now that there are really people who believe all kind of nonsense.

 

Edited October 10, 2017 by Beachlover

[smilesammich 10,727]

Just now, Beachlover said:

Honestly, I really don't know who Breitbart is. I read the article and I was kind of baffled, 80% of my family is black, my kids are biracial but I've never heard or experienced that they see watermelon or bananas as an insult. As a matter of fact my ex family in law love watermelon in the summer during barbecues. So either this article is incomplete, complete BS or people are looking for reasons to feel upset about non issues.

 

i'm not really sure what you're trying to convince me of. are you and your family in the us? because i'm white as a lily and i knew about that watermelon riff back in elementary school. of course, it's unique to american culture.

i too, know lots of people that enjoy watermelon, that isn't the point. it's not racially insensitive because the stereotype is that black people hate watermelon. anyway, the story  is a non issue - click bait. let the guy take it up with the employment commission - odd he couldn't be reached for comment.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

17 minutes ago, Beachlover said:

 I personally believe that this is oversensitivity. It's a fruit and a lot of people ( me not so) love it regardless of their color or race...

Those songs might be racist, but offering co workers or friends or family watermelon is not. Unless it's done with the intention to insult. That's not what I read in the article, just a person who wants to be nice. I would probably have done the same, not watermelon because I don't like it, but something else.

 

Apparently I have to look up lists of food that might be insulting......

 

 

just not a good choice on the first day of work if your workplace is predominately Black...at the very least Tone Deaf

[jg121783 3,908]

11 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

I usually steer clear of Snopes whenever it rates something mostly true or mostly false since it seems to be vascillating or mincing items.  Regardless, this has been posted in several local news sources, so I think their “completely true”rating here is probably pretty safe.

A broken clock is right twice a day. I was not addressing your post but another post about the right complaining about snopes.

[-Trinity- 513]

2 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

i'm not really sure what you're trying to convince me of. are you and your family in the us? because i'm white as a lily and i knew about that watermelon riff back in elementary school. of course, it's unique to american culture.

i too, know lots of people that enjoy watermelon, that isn't the point. it's not racially insensitive because the stereotype is that black people hate watermelon. anyway, the story  is a non issue - click bait. let the guy take it up with the employment commission - odd he couldn't be reached for comment.

Hmm..that's interesting...I'm a trying to convince you? I wasn't aware of that but thanks for informing me about my own intentions anyway...

 

And that's where my lack of understanding comes from: I'm not familiar with the "watermelon riffle" because I'm not American.

Sometimes it's good to have the Outlook of an outsider ;-)

[-Trinity- 513]

8 minutes ago, Il Mango Dulce said:

just not a good choice on the first day of work if your workplace is predominately Black...at the very least Tone Deaf

Yeah don't agree with that. It would something I could have done myself. Why? Because I don't see why fruit would be an insult.

 

I love cream crackers, is it an insult if I offer my white co workers crackers? I don't think so.

 

 

Edited October 10, 2017 by Beachlover

[smilesammich 10,727]

2 minutes ago, Beachlover said:

Hmm..that's interesting...I'm a trying to convince you? I wasn't aware of that but thanks for informing me about my own intentions anyway...

 

And that's where my lack of understanding comes from: I'm not familiar with the "watermelon riffle" because I'm not American.

Sometimes it's good to have the Outlook of an outsider ;-)

well there you go. my husband has frequently said racially insensitive stuff because he's not american and hasn't dealt with race in america his entire life. if he were american, lots of stuff he's said could be construed as racist and he's not at all. it does help to have someone willing to explain these things before getting in an awkward situation - that's for sure.

[-Trinity- 513]

1 minute ago, smilesammich said:

well there you go. my husband has frequently said racially insensitive stuff because he's not american and hasn't dealt with race in america his entire life. if he were american, lots of stuff he's said could be construed as racist and he's not at all. it does help to have someone willing to explain these things before getting in an awkward situation - that's for sure.

Or people should use common sense, not everything done or said is racist. Sometimes it's done with good intentions, and other actions of the person should tell you more about those intentions.

 

In my opinion, people are quick to consider certain things racist in America. Takes away from the real problems.

[smilesammich 10,727]

1 minute ago, Beachlover said:

Or people should use common sense, not everything done or said is racist. Sometimes it's done with good intentions, and other actions of the person should tell you more about those intentions.

 

In my opinion, people are quick to consider certain things racist in America. Takes away from the real problems.

yeah, i'm not sure where you're getting 'everything done or said is racist' from this story.

there are quite a few racists in america, have been for many years, and many of them are in varying positions of power. it is a real problem. 

[-Trinity- 513]

Just now, smilesammich said:

yeah, i'm not sure where you're getting 'everything done or said is racist' from this story.

there are quite a few racists in america, have been for many years, and many of them are in varying positions of power. it is a real problem. 

Are you referring to the firefighter story? If so I said: 

 

29 minutes ago, Beachlover said:

So either this article is incomplete, complete BS or people are looking for reasons to feel upset about non issues

There are racists everywhere, not only in America. And they come in all kinds of forms and shapes and colors. As a individual you can either be defeated by it or you can make choices to improve your life. I rather choose the last option.

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

36 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

well, this is an article that breitbart ran and they love anything that sows racial tension..i bring watermelon to work and so does my husband. he grows watermelon. not a big deal and i'm sure there is more to this story (or maybe less, and this is a distraction from all the current real stories). if you search watermelon and racial insensitive right now, all that comes up is this story. that tells me we should all be very upset about it.

Same thing happened to me. I bought a watermelon this summer. Like I always do I share and invite people to eat when I have food. I went and  invited a couple of the younger black guys to eat, as I did everyone here. I was told that was racist. Absurdity 

[-Trinity- 513]

Just now, Nature Boy Flair said:

Same thing happened to me. I bought a watermelon this summer. Like I always do I share and invite people to eat when I have food. I went and  invited a couple of the younger black guys to eat, as I did everyone here. I was told that was racist. Absurdity 

That's really sad. 

[smilesammich 10,727]

1 minute ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

Same thing happened to me. I bought a watermelon this summer. Like I always do I share and invite people to eat when I have food. I went and  invited a couple of the younger black guys to eat, as I did everyone here. I was told that was racist. Absurdity 

and you were fired?

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

2 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

and you were fired?

No I was shocked and disappointed that a nice guy like me, who just likes seeing everyone around me happy, would be accused of something like that because , some young people have head their head filled full of garbage.