The idolisation of a different race or culture for no reason other than being that race or culture.
The effect on members of an indigenous population of overzealous attempts to prevent racism and be politically correct.
Pallando writes: Kitiara faced a very nasty and frightning incident today.
As you know, she works at Currys, and wears a shirt with a very visable Curry's logo. After work today she went shopping in Tesco's, getting some stuff for some friends we have visiting us from America tomorrow. It was 8:30pm, and she was just another customer pushing a trolley half full of food around the store.
When she was stopped in the aisle by another customer. The customer was medium height, late 20s, male and black. He mistook her for a Tesco's assistant and asked her for help finding some particular items he was looking for. Fair enough, could happen to anyone. Kitiara politely explained that she didn't work for Tesco's and was just another customer.
And here is where things got weird.
He wouldn't believe her. He wouldn't believe the Tesco's store manager. He followed her around the store, accusing her of racism for not serving him. And when she told him to get lost he said that people who talk that way to black men get a beating and said he'd catch her later.
Unsurprisingly, it has pretty much wrecked her evening. It has also left us with a couple of questions.
1. Should she go to the police? If so, what would be the offence she would be reporting?
I'd go to the police if I thought he meant it about catching her later. Otherwise, I'd probably not bother. --Edwin
Who knows if he meant it or not? He knows she works at Currys, so could easily hang around outside it, waiting for her, one dark evening. She made a note of the taxi he got into, but unless the police ask the taxi firm soon, I doubt they'll be able to trace him. --DR
Yes. I'm pretty sure police are interested in threatening behaviour, and can arrange injunctions etc. - if, that is, the man in question can be traced and the Tesco manager acts as witness. Google throws up anti-social behaviour, Crime and Disorder Act 1998 - which seems to cover relevant concepts. - MoonShadow
2. How common in this sort of attitude?
From your description, it sounds like he was mentally ill. Racism is one thing, but not believing the manager when told she wasn't his employee goes beyond that. -- Xarak
It wouldn't be unexpected for there to be mentally ill people who act in such fashions. But then again, there are some people who believe that nothing can be their fault and that they must be being discriminated against by every little slight in life. My mother once nearly got her department sued for discrimination for passing over an incompetent and poorly qualified disabled person in favour of hiring a competent and highly qualified able-bodied person. --Requiem
It's funny that such a phrase should come up today. I got half way through reading this article: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v21/n06/print/zize01_.html by Zizek, since he seems to be a scholar whom a large number of people I read seem to read. The third and fouth (and fifth?) paragraphs would seem pertinent to the whole concept of ReverseRacism, although I don't know whether he's getting at quite the same thing when he uses the term. --AR
He seems to be using the term to mean "the opposite of racism", i.e an unjustified positive/romanticized attitude to another ethnic group. Whereas Pallando meant "opposite-direction racism". Interesting article though... -- Xarak
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