>>But it does seem a shame that "Would you see this black man to his table," would be "racist". Would it be racist only if the black man heard it, or no matter what? What if the manager said to the hostess "Make sure that black man gets our best available table". Would that be racist?... even if the customer (the black man) didn't hear it?
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>>Would the original statement still be "racist" if it was uttered by a black man or woman?
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>No matter who says it or in whose hearing, it certainly implies the speaker has feelings about the person's color. So even if nothing discriminatory happens, the speaker has identified himself as having at least some leaning toward racism.

I know that's how society is working these days, but it is wrong to be so so sensitive. It is clearly wrong to infer that such words betray some "racist" tendency in the speaker. There are any number of situations where "...the black guy..." or "... the black girl..." would make perfect sense and would should not connote racism.

A black can use the N-word in all kinds of contexts yet other races cannot. I know the "rules" about that, and it is too "strong" a word for me to ever use. But that is my upbringing and the time I was raised in. Seems to me that as blacks continue to use that word it will ultimately become 'legal' for all races to use it.



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>Tamar