Racist joke...Har har...I guess we fit the profile
By spalladino
@spalladino (17891)
United States
November 10, 2008 7:54pm CST
My husband and I ran up to Home Depot to pick up some paint this evening. While we were waiting for the guy behind the counter to mix the cans of paint, a complete stranger walked over to my husband and told him a very racist Barack Obama joke. He stood there proudly waiting for the laughter he anticipated.
My husband's hair is long, half way down his back and streaked with gray, worn in a pony tail. He was wearing a tee shirt from the Boot Hill Saloon in Daytona Beach. I guess he fit the profile of a racist...at least in this guy's opinion. The guy was older so I'm assuming he's a very unhappy long time Republican...kinda like us...but we obviously took a different route. My husband chose to walk away from this man.
I realize that a lot of folks in the state of Florida are upset that the Democrats took the state for the first time in I forget how many years but is this giant step backwards in behavior something we can anticipate for the next 4 to 8 years? I would imagine that, under normal circumstances, this man would never have told a racist joke to a stranger in a store. Has anyone else encountered this type of racism yet?
9 people like this
19 responses
@chameleonsdream (1230)
• United States
11 Nov 08
My brother is a small-town barber up here in good ol' liberal Massachusetts. (He's also working two full time jobs which almost covers the household expenses when his wife's full-time job is added in.) Last night, he sat here in my living room and read me text messages that had come in on his phone during his shift at work. Almost every one of them was a joke with racial overtones. Obviously, it's not the same as a stranger walking up to you in a store and doing the same, but my brother says that people have been very comfortable telling racial jokes while he cuts their hair. I give your husband a lot of credit for just walking away. I'm not sure I could have done it.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
My husband has PTSD and that encounter could have gone a number of ways, especially the night before Veteran's Day with Vietnam running through his mind. That's why he decided to keep himself busy today painting. Believe me, it was hard for him to walk away but he didn't want to upset me by punching the guy in the mouth. He's a good husband. 
1 person likes this
@newtondak (3946)
• United States
11 Nov 08
How inappropriate! I don't tell jokes to strangers and I am very selected which friends I tell which jokes when I do tell them.
4 people like this
@rsa101 (37948)
• Philippines
11 Nov 08
Well I think this guy has not been able to recover from his election fever. I really think that we have to think more in the coming days what to do and accepot how the election came about and if we lost in the battle then maybe wait for the next time election season comes around.
I am not from your country though but I think your election is one of the best election that can everyone else should follow. In my place it may become so chaotic and disorderly at times.
3 people like this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
I agree. Usually people who tell racist jokes are angry inside. Although this guy had a smile on his face he obviously had anger in his heart.
2 people like this
@creative_angel312 (390)
• United States
11 Nov 08
Well I guess that's why the saying goes: "When you assume, you make an a** out of u and me". Which he surely did for himself, and tried to do for your husband. No matter what anybody says about how many strides forward this country has taken, there is still racism. Racism is enbedded into the minds of many people from the generations before, and it is a hard behaviour to let go of whether we do it intentionally, or unintentionally. It goes both ways, whether we're black, white, yellow, or red, prejudice is a bad habit that seems to never go away... The election of Barack Obama has just brought it out into the light a little more.
3 people like this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
I agree, racism still lives and is still as ugly as I've always found it to be. Hopefully the election of Barack Obama will help to enlighten us all.
1 person likes this
@Barbietre (1438)
• United States
11 Nov 08
Living in NY we still hear thigs like that once in awhile, sadly. I walk away also, but sometimes I will say something to the effect, that it is offensive.2 people like this
@Childofares (28)
• United States
11 Nov 08
Oh yes indeed! I live in a red state (Kentucky) and some people just skip the jokes and go straight to just racism. Not a LOT of course, but too many in my opinion. This whole past election was awful to me. It was either racism towards President Elect Obama, or sexism towards Governor Palin, or ageism towards Senator McCain. It's getting worse and worse with every election I fear. Now it's not enough to just support or not support a candidate. Now it's encouraged to despise and ridicule the person you don't support. Poking fun is one thing but I think everyone here has read comments in response to the election that just baffle the mind at the hatefulness.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
I haven't seen the passion and fear mongering this election has provoked in a very long time. I still don't know whether it was good or bad but it did get people off their butts and into the voting booths.
1 person likes this
@flowerchilde (12529)
• United States
11 Nov 08
That's really weird!! I hate that sort of thing too.. As to the next 4 years, I'm supposing it can't be any worse than the Bush and Conservative bashing that went on for the last eight years, even by our own media! And universities.. The amount of hatred as been a terrible thing to witness. It's sad that too often vilifying another is seen as the best means to garner votes. Yes, I hope the Republican agenda will not be merely a focus upon garnering votes for the next big election like the media (and even some education?) has been single minded on for some time now..
1 person likes this
@CinderInMySoul (4717)
• United States
11 Nov 08
wow, completely out of the blue! well i guess he was very disgruntled..still horrid behavior from someone who SHOULD be an adult (im assuming at least lol!). i certainly HOPE that more petty and vindictive racist acts, be they racist jokes or burning of a cross on someones front lawn, is NOT what we should continue to expect!! man i hope not.
i guess he chose your husband because he figured there was less of a chance he'd get his a$$ kicked. LOL!
something tells me its gonna get worse before it gets better though.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
I guess he thought my husband was just as racist as he was. He thought wrong. 
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
16 Nov 08
When my husband arrived at work the day after the election his boss, who is also a lifelong family friend, said "Well, we've got a (N-word) for President." My husband said, "Good, he got my vote. What ignorant name do you have for the dumb-a$$ white guy that's been there for eight years?" His boss didn't say another word about it. I think it's disgusting there are people like that but what gives me hope is that there are people like both of our husbands who don't go along with their crap. They say misery loves company and I sure believe racists are very miserable people in many ways so if they don't get the reactions they want maybe they'll go away.
Annie
1 person likes this
@samijo719 (1052)
• United States
11 Nov 08
I can not believe someone had the nerve to walk up to a complete stranger and say a racist joke. For one, what if this caused a huge fight saying it to the wrong person who would not have reacted as mature as your husband. The man could have been seriously hurt, he was stupid to do this. I think it was smart for your husband to just walk away. I have gotten email forwards and such that are of the racist nature. I just delete them and move on with my mail. It's not worth my time.
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
11 Nov 08
I personally haven't but, I'm in a big city and we have a large black population. There are areas of the city that do have the neo-nazis but they tend to keep to themselves unless the national members come here to protest.
While I was working on the campaign there was a black woman that knocked on a door to be told that the "they would never vote for a n*gger". They had to vote for McCain. I would have lost it but she was like ok well don't forget to get out and vote lol
1 person likes this
@syankee525 (6261)
• United States
11 Nov 08
yeah i've been hearing alot of them, what funnier my black friend will send me stuff about him. one thing he sent me said "all white people report to the cotton feild by 7 am"
to me it was funny since my friend is black.
1 person likes this
@grandpa_lash (5225)
• Australia
16 Nov 08
I have occasionally had people tell me racist jokes, perhaps not total strangers out of the blue, but people in bars or at parties. My response to a black, arab or jewish joke is to look at the idiot stoney-faced for as long as it takes to sink in that I am not going to laugh, then say, coldly, "I happen to be (aboriginal, arab, jewish)." (One out of 3 ain't bad lol.) Then I puff myself up - don't know how else to put it, but people rarely try to pick fights with me when I do it and larger aggressive men have walked away nervously when I do it - and make a move toward them. It probably doesn't stop them telling racist jokes to other people, and certainly won't do anything about their racism, but it sure as hell makes me feel good.
Lash
1 person likes this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
1 Dec 08
The fear of the unknown makes us racist. It is a pity that guys turn to such sour tactics. All of us should be respected no matter what our skin colour is.
© ronaldinu 2008
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
11 Nov 08
I think joking about a very dangerous man is very dangerous. And it does not matter what the person he tells it to wears or looks like, if an Obamamite had heard it, that man would have been in trouble, not because of the racism but because he insulted the great demigod Obama.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
16 Nov 08
Suspenseful, you've got to be kidding me! Racism is ugly and despicable no matter who is guilty of it or who is the target and to use this discussion to get an unnecessary dig in at Obama and his supporters is uncalled for. If he's dangerous, what would you call the man who got us into an unnecessary war and has made the rest of the world hate our guts?
Annie
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
Suspenseful, we voted for Obama so does that make us Obamamites? Maybe you should keep a list of who the Obamamites on Mylo are so you don't get your responses confused. 
1 person likes this
@twoey68 (13627)
• United States
3 Apr 10
There are jokes going around still about 0bama just like there was with every other president that we've ever had. Some ppl don't think twice about sharing them, no matter how bad or wrong they may be. Other ppl only share them with friends and families. I guess this guy needed to keep his opinions more with his own friends and family instead of cornering strangers.
[b]**AT PEACE WITHIN** 
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~[/b]
@mercuryman3a (2477)
• India
12 Nov 08
Whether you like it or not, you have to live with Obam as president. Making racist jokes is not going to change the situation. Such folks are making a fool of themselves by resorting to such silly ways of expressing their resentment. They might as well learn to accept that the skin colour has nothing to do with your capabilities.
@cbreeze (1205)
• United States
11 Nov 08
I hope your comment is a joke. I voted for Obama, but I think your remarks about McCain are way out of line. I don't think his age made him any less qualified to be president. I think Obama just did a better job of selling his platform to the electorate. Villifying the other candidate isn't necessary.
1 person likes this
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
12 Nov 08
Although we did not vote for John McCain, my husband and I have the utmost respect for him and for his many years of service to this country. Had he run a better campaign we may have stuck with him so please don't assume that our personal opinions of him are negative.
1 person likes this
