Culturally inappropriate things you might have said

[Chemical]

I like to consider myself diverse...
Then...


I was waiting in a subway and commented on a pair of shoes that were owned by a couple. One black converse the other white converse.

"Your shoes would make the hottest mix shoe babies."

Possibly... The most in appropriate thing ever.

So is this actually culturally rude? Or does an oversensitivity exist?
Have you ever said something that was culturally questionable?

[Bubba]

I personally don't think this offensive. If someone did I'd say they were being overly sensitive.

[sharkythesharkdogg]

Oh, I'm sure I have.

A lot of what is rude or offensive versus light-hearted and meant to make someone smile depends on the recipient.

Someone might hear what you said and think it's nice that you think people of mixed ethnicity are attractive instead of thinking they're some sort of unacceptable love child. Lots of people still think that way.

If it makes you feel better, here's my story I can think of. A co-worker said she thought I was handsome. We were friends, so I didn't think it was rude when I told them, "Oh, Sharon likes some cream with her coffee."

She laughed and said (paraphrasing), "I like it with some sugar, but that means you'd still work."

I know I didn't offend her, but if someone else overheard the conversation, who knows what they thought? I'm sure it's offensive to someone on several levels.

[Old Manus]

I'm sure it's offensive to someone on several levels.

I know, right. Sugar in coffee? Animals.

[Quindiana Jones]

I'm unconsciously competent to the extreme when it comes to cultural insensitivity. It is probably the only Olympic event I would dominate, if only the committee would get on and add my recommended games.

[Chemical]

I asked my Japanese friend if she wanted to get sushi...
She was like "really... Ashley?"
And I was like "Emi don't be racist. White people like sushi too."

[FFNut]

If I know someone is over sensitive on a subject I'll leave it alone, however I have put my foot in my mouth a lot in my life. In fact one time a girl I worked with said she was going on a date, I said who was the lucky guy when it dawned on me seconds latter that she was a lesbian. She just laughed, and she is now married to that girl and I went to the wedding but it was still a ahhh sorry moment.

[Mirage]

i don't see any offensive or insensitive stuff in this thread

[Calliope]

When people say something like, "you're just being oversensitive, I meant it as a joke/compliment", I find that they are simply trying to justify what they said, instead of thinking about how they act and speak impacts other people. If someone says that you have hurt or offended them, listen to them - you do not get to say how someone else feels. On that note, though, I don't really think that Person A can tell Person B their language is offensive to Person C - unless it is something that A & C have discussed before, and Person A is acting as an ally. Sometimes it's really hard to speak up in the moment when someone has just said something really insensitive!

[Vasher]

I'm in Southern California. Very diverse group of people over here, friends from nearly every background, and "mixes" as far fetched as the imagination can conceive. Around my peeps, anything flies, but amongst the worst "slips";

We'd just got back from Ventura Harbor (fish n' chips). A fishing boat had just rolled in with the day's catch, we bought fresh yellowtail (FOB). We were cleaning them in my brother's front yard. His neighbor, an elderly Chinese woman, had come by to see what we were doing. Just as she walked up, my wife popped out of the house and yells in her best "Asian woman" voice (mimicking what I do, very good at accents/voices), "What's up, motha b itches!". It was a little awkward.





Worse than the "slips" is people being confused by "mixed" families. My wife has fair skin, dark hair, looks very "Spanish". People are confused by our children, light hair, light/blue eyes. Just yesterday as we enters the gym (started 5 days ago, stoked), two elderly women commented "oh, hear comes a family" passing in the duel entrance. Then, after looking at us, my wife with our daughter, who's hair is slowly lightening (I hope it ends up as it is, dark hair, fair skin, beautiful, but beautiful regardless), and then me carrying our 2 year old, who has bleach blonde hair and light blue eyes. They instantly assumed we were separate and asked "same family?". All I said was "yes, but we're missing one, he's in school".

That's nothing. Two of my best friends are a "mixed" couple. He's about as white as it gets (like me), but she's half black. Her father is blacker than "black", makes Wesley Snipes look pale in comparison. Their daughter (same age as my eldest) is pale white, bleach blonde, and has light blue eyes. First thing people assume when we go out together is that she is my daughter (not just hair/skin, but the eyes).