15 times casual racism made us LOL

I am guilty of using the term #whitegirlwasted – a slightly cheeky offensive remark but totally a thing! And those of us of the ‘darker persuasion’ have had to deal with certain comments relating to our skin colour and culture since… well, since we can remember!

I mean, we all watched Dumbo as kids right?! Those jive-talking crows though, I mean: ‘I’d be done see’n about everythang, when I see a elephant flyyy.’ CRINGE.

I have never been one to get offended or riled up by the odd remark though, on the contrary I have found them to be rather hilarious! You really can’t sweat the small stuff and like I said, we are ALL guilty of it. There have been some classics thrown my way though which have made me blink a few times or gasp at incredulous shock (‘You didn’t just say that…did you?’)

The best was when I was about 14 and I was a somewhat model pupil at my rather distinguished all-girls boarding school in Buckinghamshire, England. As an exquisite example to my peers (I had the whole school fooled) I was occasionally tasked to take parents and potential new girls around the grounds and buildings on open days.

On one such day, I was doing my usual rounds of dorms, dining rooms, music school etc when I took my tour towards our chapel. Back then we used to wear badges of the activities and teams we were on so I had on my school uniform a ‘Choir’ badge among others (I won’t show off but several sporty and music ones because I was just such an amazing and #blessed child).

So, there I am talking about chapel and choir and morning service … yadda yadda … when one rather brave (and foolish) father of one of the girls peers at my ‘Choir’ badge on my chest and then exclaims:

Moments of awkward silence. I death stare man. Man turns bright red. Daughter of man death stares her father. Man looks like he’s about to pass out. Man moves quietly to back of the group. Man does not speak the rest of the tour.

Bible, that totally happened and it is still the greatest moment of casual racism in my LIFE.

So here are 15 examples of casual racism that made us LOL, SMH and mutter WTF…

(Meeting a client face to face for the first time) 'Oh you don't sound like you look...'

Black. Apparently I don’t sound ‘black’.

'Oh, you speak so eloquently!'

For a wannabe rapper.

'Gosh aren't you exotic!'

Am I pineapple?

'I am not usually into black chicks BUT...'

LUCKY ME. I must be special.

'Your hair is weird'

Oh darling, so is yours.

'But you aren't really from Africa though'

Logistically, where else could I really be from???

'Why are your lot always so loud?'

Why are your lot always so tedious?

'I just lurrrrve Africaaa'

Yeah it’s a great country.

'You and *insert another random black woman's name here* look so much alike!'

Twinsies!! NOT

10.

'You're the whitest black person I know'

I am hardly Carlton from the Fresh Prince but okay?

11.

'You guys can do so much with your hair, it is so unfair'

So can you, we both know you are not a natural blonde.

12.

'I love 50 cent! I just love black music!'

It believe it is called ‘hip hop’.

13.

'We went to Kenya once and met the Mbungakochis - Do you know them?'

I went to Sweden once and met the Bergerstedts – do you know them???

14.

(at a restaurant) 'You're obviously having the chicken right?'

I mean yes I was probably swaying towards it but now you have incensed me with that remark and made me hangrier (hungry +angry) than I was. So now I am going to have the seabass.

15.

'I'm really into girls with tans'

This ain’t a tan fam.

15 times casual racism made us LOL

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