View Full Version : woman loses Her job for asking for a White cab driver
This woman lost her job because she wanted her 14 yr old daughter collected from school by a White Male /Female taxi driver .Is the world gone so mad that she acctuly loses her job.
A BBC radio presenter was fired after making "completely unacceptable" comments about Asian taxi drivers, the broadcaster said today.
Sam Mason, 40, asked a Bristol cab firm not to send an Asian driver to pick up her daughter because "a guy with a turban on is going to freak her out."
The phone operator recorded the conversation and passed a copy of it to The Sun.
Mother-of-one Mason, an ex-TV glamour girl, called the cab firm off-air as she played a song on her BBC Radio Bristol afternoon show, the paper claimed.
Here is a transcript of the conversation, which can be listened to on The Sun website:
Mason: "I know this sounds really racist, but I'm not being - please, don't send anyone like, you know what I mean. An English person would be great, a female would be better."
Operator: "We would class that as being racist. We can't penalise the Asian drivers and just send an English one."
Mason: "You've managed it before."
Operator: "Right, OK. I don't agree with it personally."
Mason: "It's not your 14-year-old girl who's, you know, is it?" Operator: "Yes, but that's racist to say you don't want an Asian driver."
Mason: "If it were me I wouldn't care if it had two heads, but it's my little girl we are talking about."
After asking the woman on the phone to pass the call on to a supervisor, she finally adds: "I work at the BBC. I'm far from racist and that uneducated woman has no right to call me one.
"I don't want her to turn up with a guy with a turban on, it's going to freak her out. She's not used to Asians.
"She's not racist - her godparents are black."
Today, the BBC confirmed it had fired Mason, but would not say which taxi firm made the complaint.
A spokesman said: "Although Sam Mason's remarks were not made on-air, her comments were completely unacceptable and, for that reason, she has been informed that she will no longer be working for the BBC with immediate effect."
so
is this racist, or just a mother looking out for her daughter?
I'd say that was unacceptable.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 11:15 AM
is this racist, or just a mother looking out for her daughter?
doesn't sound like racism on the scale you see from neo-nazis and the like, but more like someone who lacks two brain cells to rub together - someone with a modicum of intelligence would have explained to their 14 year old daughter long ago that sikhs wear turbans to identify themselves as sikhs if it "freaked her out":confused:
I do not think she should have lost her job, I think she should wake up to the world and realise just because one foreign national may be a suicide bomber or whatever doesn't make every other one.
I don't have a problem with it.
Asian women always ask for non-white taxi drivers, so why the hell can't a white woman ask for a white driver or a female to drive her daughter around?
Just goes to prove what a 5hit country this is becoming where we are told what we can and cannot have a view/opinion on.
Dappa D
15-11-08, 11:39 AM
she should not have lost her job, whatever your thoughts on the racial issue, she was ILLEGALLY recorded by th taxi company, and then said taxi company went to the sun newspaper, will the taxi company be prosecuted??? hmmm me thinks not.
she also said a female would be preferable, but noone seems to have made a big deal out of that
missyburd
15-11-08, 11:40 AM
why can't she get a friend to pick her daughter up, or do it herself or get her daughter to get the school bus. I'm sorry but a taxi driver can be dodgy regardless of race, if her child is not familiar with Asians at 14 then she's had a very sheltered life.
Losing her job was a bit extreme though, she was only looking out for her child after all. I think the BBC are just uptight at the minute, they need to chillax :rolleyes:
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 11:41 AM
I think the woman should be able to ask for any driver she wants ... she is paying for the/a service ...
Like if she was paying for a male escort, she can specify who she wants (or who she doesn't want). So why not a cab driver? :scratch:
Why are we taking away peoples freedom of choice and always playing the race card??? :rolleyes:
At the end of the day this is a story in the Sun ... therefore it must be 100% true/accurate!! :lol:
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 11:45 AM
I think the woman should be able to ask for any driver she wants ... she is paying for the/a service ...
Like if she was paying for a male escort, she can specify who she wants. So why not a cab driver?
Taxi - You're paying for someone to drive you from A to B, their race, sex, religious view doesn't factor into the service they offer
Escort - You're paying for someone to pretend you're having a relationship with them, their looks are part of what you're paying for, and if you weren't able to choose which sex they were it could make for an awkward night out;)
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 11:48 AM
Taxi - You're paying for someone to drive you from A to B, their race, sex, religious view doesn't factor into the service they offer
Escort - You're paying for someone to pretend you're having a relationship with them, their looks are part of what you're paying for, and if you weren't able to choose which sex they were it could make for an awkward night out;)
She was not saying anyone cannot drive taxis ... just that she wanted a certain type of person to driver her (daughter) ... I still don't see why she shouldn't be able to specify that ...
She is an ignotant fool, is she really trying to say her 14 year old daughter has never seen a black or Asian person before. The fact she works at the bbc means she had to lose her job because of the publicity this gets, it would cause outrage to let her away with it.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 11:56 AM
I still don't see why she shouldn't be able to specify that ...
why should you be able to dictate the qualities of someone who's providing you a service when those qualities are irrelevant to the service they offer? just because you're the customer and they're the provider? tbh it's up to the company how they operate, so until "non-black cabs ltd" starts up you probably aren't going to find many companies willing to do so in the near future, if you don't like it you can walk, literally...
what good reason would you have to request a specific ethnicity of taxi driver?:confused:
missyburd
15-11-08, 12:03 PM
I still don't get how she thinks her daughter is not familiar with Asians, Sikhs etc. Assuming she lives in London where there is no shortage of different cultures and people, wtf is she going on about?
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 12:13 PM
I still don't get how she thinks her daughter is not familiar with Asians, Sikhs etc. Assuming she lives in London where there is no shortage of different cultures and people, wtf is she going on about?
That is the bit that amazes me and sheltering?? her daughter from other races in a modern world is a very short sighted thing to do. This sort of ignorance might well have negative consequences later in the girls life ... naivety at 14 is a dangerous thing.
But I still don't see why she or I can't be given the freedom of choice in this situation. Taking away someone freedom of choice is more morally wrong here I think. No harm was done to anyone with that decision.
I might try and specify a busty blond next time I phone for a cab ... I don't see why I can't do that ... if the taxi firm can't supply, then I can go elsewhere ... at no point is anyone saying non busty blonds can't drive taxis or that people should only hire taxis with busty blonds driving ...
Lets face it, very few of us care who drives the cab, it is not really that important, they are all qualified cabbies ... but I fight for the right for someone to be able to choose their driver!!
If I always request driver-x because I feel they are the best (most competent/friendly) driver there, then can I not do that either?
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 12:18 PM
If I always request driver-x because I feel they are the best (most competent/friendly) driver there, then can I not do that either?
choosing the driver you think is best (safest?) is relevant to the service though isn't it?
if you'd took a ride with john the driver last time and he'd driven like a nut or been rude to you you'd be completely valid in saying "don't send john, he scared me witless last time" - but to say "don't send john because he's black" is something completely different...
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 12:23 PM
choosing the driver you think is best (safest?) is relevant to the service though isn't it?
if you'd took a ride with john the driver last time and he'd driven like a nut or been rude to you you'd be completely valid in saying "don't send john, he scared me witless last time" - but to say "don't send john because he's black" is something completely different...
But what about me only wanting busty blonds driving me ... I haven't specified a specific person, just a busty blond ... should this not be allowed? To me it is part of the service, if I want a hot blond driving me every time ... why can't I specify that? I am paying for a service that includes a driver ...
missyburd
15-11-08, 12:24 PM
But what about me only wanting busty blonds driving me ... I haven't specified a specific person, just a busty blond ... should this not be allowed? To me it is part of the service, if I want a hot blond driving me every time ... why can't I specify that? I am paying for a service that includes a driver ...
Perhaps if you found out the name of the busty blond and therefore could request her by it then that would be different ;)
(http://thesucculentwife.typepad.com/succulentblog/2007/08/pink-ladies-t-2.html)
If she is classified as racist how does that effect her job? I reckon she'll be on the blower to max cliffiord and sueing the bbc for unfair dismissal and booking a slot with GMTV / This morning. Unless she was using the BBC "taxi service" for personal use. All seems a bit harsh. Saying you work for the BBC seems more a liability these days.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 12:35 PM
To me it is part of the service...
it isn't though, a taxi firm isn't under any obligation to provide you with the driver you find most aesthetically pleasing, if you don't like the way the company operates then you have to find one that does offer what you want
missyburd
15-11-08, 12:40 PM
Just thought, don't they have those pink taxis in London just for lasses?
aha! http://thesucculentwife.typepad.com/succulentblog/2007/08/pink-ladies-t-2.html
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 12:50 PM
it isn't though, a taxi firm isn't under any obligation to provide you with the driver you find most aesthetically pleasing, if you don't like the way the company operates then you have to find one that does offer what you want
:confused:
Never said they were obliged to provide her a specific driver ... and if they can't/won't supply, then she indeed needs to go elsewhere ... but I don't see why she (or I) cannot specify a specific type of driver if she wants/cares ...
shes from bristol
i cant see the problem, she was paying for a service, and she simply stated she wanted a white women driver.
i think losing her job over this is rediculas,
ethariel
15-11-08, 12:59 PM
Well all i can say on this one is .....
I'll bet you the BBC did not follow thier own HR procedures 100% in this instance making it an illegal termination of employment, regardless of the reasons for it.
Thats another 500k of our licence money gone in an out of court settlement for unfair dismissal.
Also in this case, IMHO its a fine line between being racist and being a bigot rgarding what she percieves as an acceptable driver for her daughter.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 01:06 PM
but I don't see why she (or I) cannot specify a specific type of driver if she wants/cares ...there's nothing to stop you speaking the words down the telephone, don't expect many people to be receptive to your request if it's irrelevant, stupid or downright offensive though
that's exactly what's happened here, someone made a stupid request that any normal person would see as such and the company refused, the system works
there's nothing to stop you speaking the words down the telephone, don't expect many people to be receptive to your request if it's irrelevant, stupid or downright offensive though
that's exactly what's happened here, someone made a stupid request that any normal person would see as such and the company refused, the system works
I don't have a problem with it.
Asian women always ask for non-white taxi drivers, so why the hell can't a white woman ask for a white driver or a female to drive her daughter around?
my thoughts exactly............
Blue_SV650S
15-11-08, 01:10 PM
there's nothing to stop you speaking the words down the telephone, don't expect many people to be receptive to your request if it's irrelevant, stupid or downright offensive though
that's exactly what's happened here, someone made a stupid request that any normal person would see as such and the company refused, the system works
yep she got told where to go ... that is fine ... but do yo think the company should have gone running to the press (without her permission obviously) and she should have lost her job?
Her rationale seemed a bit odd and perhaps slightly worrying (that her daughter is being kept from interacting with other cultures) .. but I am not sure she did anything 'wrong'. :scratch:
Biker Biggles
15-11-08, 01:12 PM
Stupid request dully denied.Fair enough but lose your job for it?What has any of it got to do with your employer?This trend towards your boss not just employing you to do a job,but owning your persona as well is far more pernicious for the future health of our society I believe.
STRAMASHER
15-11-08, 01:13 PM
Poor kid having an ignorant parent like that. Racist bigot in the making.:rolleyes:
Flamin_Squirrel
15-11-08, 02:08 PM
Poor kid having an ignorant parent like that. Racist bigot in the making.:rolleyes:
Everyones a bigot though - anyone who claims otherwise is an idiot. The question isn't whether she's a bigot, because everyones guilty of that, but whether she acted unreasonably in the process. She wasn't rude, she politely made a request as was her prerogative, as was the cab firms to deny it. Hardly a big deal.
At this rate in a few years modeling agencies will be getting sued for being bigoted for not hiring ugly people.
Cab companies must get asked for female drivers all the time. I wander if the telephonist would have screamed sexism if this was the request. Unlikely.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 02:37 PM
yep she got told where to go ... that is fine ... but do yo think the company should have gone running to the press (without her permission obviously) and she should have lost her job?
Her rationale seemed a bit odd and perhaps slightly worrying (that her daughter is being kept from interacting with other cultures) .. but I am not sure she did anything 'wrong'. :scratch:
wrong isn't a simple is or isn't response, and without knowing her intentions it's difficult to pass judgement based solely on a third rate newspaper's story
i've no idea if the operator acted legally in selling the story to the sun, probably not, whether it was ethical or not depends on your ethics...;)
ThEGr33k
15-11-08, 02:37 PM
Its all stupid.
husky03
15-11-08, 03:11 PM
Its all stupid.
:winner:
to be fair maybe she just diddnt want her kid being picked up in a datsun cherry with tiger print seat covers and Bangala music blaring out??
TBH thats understandable.
An English/white cabbie would have better taste.
_drummer_
15-11-08, 04:13 PM
Stupid.
The taxi employee who illegally recorded the phonecall was also sacked
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/7725041.stm
An English/white cabbie would have better taste.
:laughat: kwak rider
lazymanc
15-11-08, 05:19 PM
Of course it's racist, she's implying that an asian taxi-driver is less safe for her daughter to travel with than a white one. Prepending it with "I know this sounds really racist, but I'm not being.." doesn't make it any less so - infact that kind of sentence can usually be swapped for "In my head I know this is racist but that's 'bad' so i'll try and paper over it"
Asking for a female driver is another matter, I can understand a young girl feeling more comfortable being driven around by a woman because lets face it, whether we like it or not there's a much smaller chance that a woman would ever pose any risk to her daughter.
It's the same if you go to the doctors - if you feel uncomfortable having someone of the opposite sex examining you, then I don't see a problem with asking for a same sex doctor. If you then say "make sure it's not one of them black/white/yellow/pink ones" then there's no basis for it and it's racist.
Asian women always ask for non-white taxi drivers, so why the hell can't a white woman ask for a white driver or a female to drive her daughter around?
Just because Asian women can be racist too doesn't make it right. And if you're going to make statements like that then I hope you've worked in despatch for a cab firm and are speaking from experience, otherwise it's just another made up "fact".
However, I don't think she should have lost her job over it, it wasn't an on-air comment and despite her personal bigotry it did not affect the BBC directly.
shonadoll
15-11-08, 05:24 PM
I don't have a problem with it.
Asian women always ask for non-white taxi drivers, so why the hell can't a white woman ask for a white driver or a female to drive her daughter around?
Damn right, I agree.
CoolGirl
15-11-08, 05:52 PM
Asian women always ask for non-white taxi drivers, so why the hell can't a white woman ask for a white driver or a female to drive her daughter around?
Do I?
ThEGr33k
15-11-08, 05:53 PM
Do I?
You mean you didnt notice :p.
Do I?
I was never sent to pick you up when I drove private hire cars for a living. On numerous occasions I was turned away when the Asian women I was sent to pick up saw I was white. This was a complete waste of my time and the firm's and it got to a point where I refused to take jobs in a certain part of town, which had a high percentage of Asian families living there, if I knew I was going to collect an Asian woman.
I am far from racist, as my Indian bosses and mates who are Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian will tell you, but if anyone is going to play the race card, lets have a level playing field here.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 06:02 PM
You mean you didnt notice :p.
probably couldn't hear what she said because she was wearing a turban and listening to the call to prayer...
</irony>
ThEGr33k
15-11-08, 06:24 PM
probably couldn't hear what she said because she was wearing a turban and listening to the call to prayer...
</irony>
I hope cool girl doesnt take offence easily! :-?
shonadoll
15-11-08, 06:31 PM
I still don't get how she thinks her daughter is not familiar with Asians, Sikhs etc. Assuming she lives in London where there is no shortage of different cultures and people, wtf is she going on about?
That may not be the reason though- what if her daughter had been frightened or molested by someone wearing a turban?
CoolGirl
15-11-08, 06:47 PM
That may not be the reason though- what if her daughter had been frightened or molested by someone wearing a turban?
I was never sent to pick you up when I drove private hire cars for a living. On numerous occasions I was turned away when the Asian women I was sent to pick up saw I was white. This was a complete waste of my time and the firm's and it got to a point where I refused to take jobs in a certain part of town, which had a high percentage of Asian families living there, if I knew I was going to collect an Asian woman.
In eastern cultures men are more respectful of women. And if an asian woman has been insulted, abused or discriminated against, which group of people do you think is most likely to have done it?
if anyone is going to play the race card, lets have a level playing field here.
Is that level enough for you?
BTW, the reason you never picked me up is because I don't live anywhere near you. And I took a taxi the other evening. The driver, iirc, was white. Sorry, I'll remember to conform to racial stereotype next time.
Oh, and I think the radio presenter was racist.
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 06:52 PM
I hope cool girl doesnt take offence easily! :-?
as long as she knows how irony works;)
CoolGirl
15-11-08, 06:54 PM
as long as she knows how irony works;)
no - I have a lady that comes in to do that once week ;)
the_lone_wolf
15-11-08, 06:55 PM
no - I have a lady that comes in to do that once week ;)
SEXIST!!!
:p
ThEGr33k
15-11-08, 06:56 PM
no - I have a lady that comes in to do that once week ;)
SEXIST!!!
:p
LMAO... that does just go to show how silly all this can get!!!! Im not bad at ironing tbh... Though I have to be with my job :(
shonadoll
15-11-08, 06:58 PM
In eastern cultures men are more respectful of women. And if an asian woman has been insulted, abused or discriminated against, which group of people do you think is most likely to have done it?
Is that level enough for you?
BTW, the reason you never picked me up is because I don't live anywhere near you. And I took a taxi the other evening. The driver, iirc, was white. Sorry, I'll remember to conform to racial stereotype next time.
Oh, and I think the radio presenter was racist.
Are you serious? Men are more respectful of women? Arranged marriages, no further education?! My friend Shaz was sent to Pakistan by her father to *meet the family*- she was nearly married off to a 44 year old relative when she was 16, yeah real respect there.:rolleyes:
CoolGirl
15-11-08, 06:59 PM
SEXIST!!!
:p
find me a fit bloke that'll come and do it in his undies to the same quality and for the same money and I'm there.:p
CoolGirl
15-11-08, 07:01 PM
Are you serious? Men are more respectful of women? Arranged marriages, no further education?! My friend Shaz was sent to Pakistan by her father to *meet the family*- she was nearly married off to a 44 year old relative when she was 16, yeah real respect there.:rolleyes:
Try reading it again - I said cultures, not religions. and it sounds like you are talking about an extreme case. no-one ever tried that with me. and I'm at university, and.... and... and. See what I mean about stereotypes?
shonadoll
15-11-08, 07:02 PM
Oh, and I've also been chased by a group of asian guys shouting white ***** at me because I was walking home at night.
You are stereotyping just as much if you say Eastern men are more respectful of women - there's plenty who are, but equally there's plenty who aren't, just like white guys.
shonadoll
15-11-08, 07:04 PM
*In eastern cultures men are more respectful of women*
Stereoyping. See what I mean?
ThEGr33k
15-11-08, 07:05 PM
find me a fit bloke that'll come and do it in his undies to the same quality and for the same money and I'm there.:p
Ill do it :p As to being fit... Suppose thats in the eye of the beholder. :rolleyes:
In eastern cultures men are more respectful of women. And if an asian woman has been insulted, abused or discriminated against, which group of people do you think is most likely to have done it?
I don't for one minute believe that all Eastern cultures are more respectful of women - there's good and bad whites, blacks, asians and whatever other races or cultures you care to mention. I'm sorry, but that argument doesn't wash with me, especially when I see hundreds of Muslim women walking a few paces behind their husbands every day when I drive through Luton.
And in the spirit of keeping the playing field level, it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that the young girl who needed a taxi might have been abused or discriminated against by an Asian male, in which case, going by your own views on this matter, even you'd have to agree that her mother's request for a white or female driver was fair and reasonable.
There is no 'one rule for one, another rule for the others' in my head - we're all human, we all breathe the same air, drink the same water and send stuff down the same sewers, we all have to get along. However, if someone is going to start playing games I like a level playing field where I can call the race card as well, if and when needed.
Oh, and I've also been chased by a group of asian guys shouting white ***** at me because I was walking home at night.
That's nothing compared to the horrific racist and derogatory abuse I've witnessed Jenny from Coburn and Hughes Motorcycles in Luton getting from middle aged Asian guys as she's been shutting the shop up at night. If I were her I'd have felt incredibly intimidated - good job she's got a strong character.
CoolGirl
15-11-08, 07:47 PM
good grief. why do people have to take things to extremes? I was trying to balance the debate and deliberately temper my posts by using the words 'some' or 'might' or 'mostly'.
Anyone else got a better explanation for the radio presenter's request than 'someone mighthave done something bad to the girl' (if that was the case, would you put her in any cab with any stranger?), or Lozzo's cab dilemma? Or for why both Shona and I have been the victims of abuse from people of other races? It's all bout persepctive and balance. I refer back to this:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/race-for-whitehouse/my-vision-for-america-speeches-by--barack-obama-1001275.html
(and offers to do the ironing by PM please;))
As far as i can see she's looking out for her daughter, get the **** over it.
Too many racecards being played in this day n age.
yorkie_chris
15-11-08, 09:01 PM
She was not saying anyone cannot drive taxis ...
I'm saying asians can't drive taxis. So far I've been knocked off my bike by one, and nearly killed by one falling asleep at the wheel. That counts as not being able to drive in my book. :-P
Oh yeah and the one who was whinging (they even went on strike about it) about having to MOT car every 3 months, when the car he was driving had obviously warped brake discs!! Fair play if you're DR'ing or something, kill yourself fine, but passengers aren't really as disposable as parcels.
Though round here it's very rare to see a sikh, it's all 'stanis, so no idea what she was on about turbans.
Attitude to women, and attitude in general of the ethnics round here seems to be more "polarised" than that of the locals, either nice as pie, or complete w4nkers. I wouldn't say either way whether on balance they are better or worse than the white population at large as I don't know. If a black walks past you in the street and gives you a funny look then you're more likely to remember, than if it was a white chav.
As to the OP rather than just generally slagging off taxi drivers for trying to kill me, I reckon she should be able to ask for whatever sort of driver she wants, though probably best to ask for a female driver rather than a white. As that's perfectly politically acceptable, and more sensible for a 14yo girl.
As far as i can see she's looking out for her daughter, get the **** over it.
Too many racecards being played in this day n age.
+1
Yep, i bet she dont like curry either, f**k me she is a racist!!
and so Fuc*ing what if she is as well , thats her choice and her right to have those views!
get over it people. Not everyone has to get on with every one else.
yorkie_chris
15-11-08, 09:12 PM
Not everyone has to get on with every one else.
Hey but you have to be "politically reliable" to work for BBC, comrade.
Have a hat.
https://secure.randlltd.com/images/black_hat2b.jpg
and so Fuc*ing what if she is as well , thats her choice and her right to have those views!
+2 She can get to the back of the line. If she is buying a service why cant she specify race, sex, age or religion to suit her own needs/views. They dont need to provide the service to her if they so choose - but loosing her job.... :rolleyes:
Gene genie
15-11-08, 09:18 PM
i dont normaly take part in race threads because theres never any real outcome, people still feel the same way about it all.
however for a woman to lose her job because she wanted a white brit to ferry her daughter is insane. so what, she wanted a white brit, you choose in life what your comfortable with. is it racist for an asian to choose to live in an area thats prodominently asian????
Hey but you have to be "politically reliable" to work for BBC, comrade.
Have a hat.
https://secure.randlltd.com/images/black_hat2b.jpg
Thanks but i prefer one with a skull and x bones on and ss flashes on the collar.
madness
15-11-08, 09:47 PM
I haven't read all this thread, but if the taxi driver picks you up when you want and drops you off safely at the other end and is polite then you shouldn't give a f**k about what colour/religion/sex they are. I don't think she should have been sacked but I think the world needs to know that she is a complete kn*b
Tiger 55
15-11-08, 09:53 PM
she wanted a white brit to ferry her daughter
Actually she didn't want a Brit, she wanted somebody English.
Now I feel discriminated against too :(
Flamin_Squirrel
15-11-08, 10:00 PM
I haven't read all this thread, but if the taxi driver picks you up when you want and drops you off safely at the other end and is polite then you shouldn't give a f**k about what colour/religion/sex they are. I don't think she should have been sacked but I think the world needs to know that she is a complete kn*b
Nah. There is a difference between racism/sexism etc and bigotry. Racism/sexism is deliberately setting about to make someones life difficult because of their colour/gender.
Expressing a preference about who you wish to interact with is something that everyone does. How many threads do we have on here about 'chav scum'? Why is that any different to a thread 'Asian taxi driver gits'? Are the thought police going to take me away for going into the Indian restaurant rather than the Italian next door next time I go out for a meal?
Seems like many people are quick to judge others without looking at themselves first - as usual. :rolleyes:
madness
15-11-08, 10:03 PM
I never mentioned the word racist. I just think she's a complete Kn*b!
Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of them about these days.
hhhmmm racism, what is the actual definition of racism?
1 the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others
2 abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief
according to Collins English dictionary...
bit if asked, would a black person say he is proud to be black, or an asian proud to be an asian, or a white proud to be white etc. etc. the answer would be yes .. so why is it racest to make remarks of the colour of ones skin if the said person is proud to be of a said colour... same goes for places of origin... its all a load of ******** if you ask me..
before you call me a racist... i'm not i have lots of friends from all walks of life...
rant over...
ooohh and one other thing Lozzo is right about the taxi driver thing.
muffles
15-11-08, 11:33 PM
The fact her daughter, or her, is uncomfortable with drivers of certain ethnicities seems separate to the issue of what she should & shouldn't be "allowed" to request.
The service in this case is fairly clearly defined, and that is to transport someone from place A to place B. There's no requirement on car type, driver type, fuel type, etc and any requests on these aspects should be handled with the operator saying "we can't guarantee anything as that aspect is not part of the service" and leaving it at that.
Although I personally believe she shouldn't need to make that request (as above, the issue of being worried about certain ethnicities is orthogonal to this discussion), I am in two minds about whether she should or shouldn't be allowed to make that choice without any punishment...
On the one hand, freedom of expression - as long as she is not actively harming or affecting the person she is discriminating against, it is ok.
On the other hand, if everyone did this, it's not a good situation. Imagine if all white employers refused to employ black people. Initially you might think, as per the sentence above, it's ok as it's freedom of expression. However I think, if someone is able to do a job as defined (or a service as defined, e.g. a taxi driver...) should they be refused on an aspect that is not defined as part of the service?
I think this is a difficult one to call as it's discrimination by inaction, I don't know if it should be allowed or not.
In the attempt to stick to the topic at hand...
1) She asked for a non-Asian* driver. Prejudicial, yes. Racist? Perhaps. At that point, the taxi firm had two options. Either do as the lady requested, or don't.
2) The taxi firm recorded the conversation, and sent it to the newspaper. If they didn't at least inform the woman on the phone that they were recording, this is an offence they are liable for prosecution of.
3) The woman, for some unknown reason, stated she worked for the BBC. Big mistake. However, the BBC probably don't have the right to sack someone for something they did outside of work. Even if the contract of employment states that they do, I'd contest that. I'd be pushing for unfair dismissal.
Personally, I'd like to think that any firm I'm paying for a service, will be able to offer that service to my preference, not "this is what you get, tough." Naturally if you're paying on the cheaper end of the scale, you get less choice though.
It's for that reason, a while back, I ordered a limo to take us to Manchester Airport, and we stayed at The Hilton. Both services clearly showed why you pay more, and it was worth every single penny IMO.
* She may of been happy with an African driver. Colour of skin isn't the issue here.
"I work at the BBC. I'm far from racist and that uneducated woman has no right to call me one.
She is a bigoted racist snob who thinks everyone beneath her level is scum, so deserves everthing she gets. How dare she call the operator uneducated just because she does not like her insulting request . Its comments like that that show peoples true colours.
lazymanc
16-11-08, 12:38 AM
Actually she didn't want a Brit, she wanted somebody English.
Now I feel discriminated against too :(
Somebody can be English and Asian at the same time, and it was pretty obvious from the transcript that she was after someone non-asian.
All she had to do was call K-K-Kabs and there would never have been a story in the first place :rolleyes:
Its comments like that that show peoples true colours.
+1. However, with comments such as those made by other people, not only in this thread, are they not tarring themselves with the same brush?
Blue_SV650S
16-11-08, 01:27 AM
In eastern cultures men are more respectful of women. And if an asian woman has been insulted, abused or discriminated against, which group of people do you think is most likely to have done it?
woooowooooo woooooooooowwww ... lets back up here a bit .... :shock:
As a person that has spent a lot of time in Asia (Sat in a hotel in far eastern Asia at the moment writing this as it happens* ;) ) ... I can categorically say that is total sash!!! :rolleyes:
In my experience (in Asia itself and talking/working closely with 1st generation British bread female Indian (in particular) parented colleges), by culture, the women are repressed and considered second class to the males ...
*its morning time here, already 32-34 deg outside ... about to go out and get a tan walking down the beach, then go for a dip in the pool!! ... what is it like in the UK?!? Cold and night-time!?!? :D
muffles
16-11-08, 09:11 AM
in Asia itself and talking/working closely with 1st generation British bread female Indian
Hovis? Some kind of double entendre? :p
*its morning time here, already 32-34 deg outside ... about to go out and get a tan walking down the beach, then go for a dip in the pool!! ... what is it like in the UK?!? Cold and night-time!?!? :D
Damn I didn't realise Portsmouth was *that* far south! :lol:
the_lone_wolf
16-11-08, 09:43 AM
Hovis? Some kind of double entendre? :p
i tend to steer clear of bread women, you might catch a yeast infection;)
"I work at the BBC. I'm far from racist and that uneducated woman has no right to call me one.
She is a bigoted racist snob who thinks everyone beneath her level is scum, so deserves everthing she gets. How dare she call the operator uneducated just because she does not like her insulting request . Its comments like that that show peoples true colours.
Why, please do enlighten me as to why that comment makes her racist bigoted snob??? Or why purely asking for a Cab driver that would not scare her daughter because of his turban makes her racist. She did not say i dont want any coloured person just not an asian wearing a turban!
This is one of the things that f*cks me off about this country and some of the people on here.. If you so much as say you dont like someone or something about them then you must be a Racist/Bigot/ sexist/ homophobe.. the list is endles. why??? realy please explain why?
I dont much care for the Islam faith nor a lot of Muslim beliefs, nor do i think being Homosexual is particualry normal.
Hey they are my views, i AM entilted to have them and if that makes me Racist so be it!! People who know me for real (incuding many of my Asian friends) know i am not racist. And to be honest if people on here think i am so what i will go check my give a Fook meter. oh no its still not moved.
Why do people on here and in real life think we have to live in some sort of utopia wher everyone gets along and likes eveyone else?
Sid Squid
16-11-08, 10:10 AM
Bizzarrely, despite her own thoughts on the subject, her words were not racist*, thinking otherwise demonstrates a lack of understanding of both circumstance and language.
Losing her job over it is simply ludicrous, she wasn't representing the BBC she was making a private phone call, for her to lose her job is a disgusting attempt to employ thought and attitude control - as I understand it** we still are allowed the luxury of composing our own thoughts, however daft they may be and however much you or I may disagree with the thoughts of others.
A customer expressed a preference - how sad and arrogant that many people will try to extrapolate from that so much that they simply cannot know, about someone they've never met, in order to foist a particular, and unpleasant, ideaology on others. Don't be swept along by fashion in thought and politics - we should all think for ourselves.
Everybody is bigoted, you, me and everyone else too - don't argue, yes you are.
*She, however, might be - but I'm not so arrogant as to decide, as I can see that I know so little about her.
** As we've had shown to us in recent times, this may change depending on the control freakery evident in our 'leaders'.
grh1904
16-11-08, 12:38 PM
why can't she get a friend to pick her daughter up, or do it herself or get her daughter to get the school bus. I'm sorry but a taxi driver can be dodgy regardless of race, if her child is not familiar with Asians at 14 then she's had a very sheltered life.
Losing her job was a bit extreme though, she was only looking out for her child after all. I think the BBC are just uptight at the minute, they need to chillax :rolleyes:
EXACTLY................
Now picture this....................
What if this lady had got her way and a white heterosexual male born and raised in England had picked up her daughter.
Now what if this male made comments that made the daughter feel really uncomfortable, "you're very pretty", "you look a lot older than 14", "are all your friends as pretty as you", "where d'yall hang out" etc etc.
Daughter tells mummy, mummy phones Police and an officer is sent round to speak to daughter. This would happen, we never ever want another Soham on our hands, anywhere in the country.
Door bell rings, mummy and/or daughter opens door and a voice says "I'm PC Singh" and they look up and see a turban....................
Just how freaked out is daughter going to be now??????????????
lazymanc
16-11-08, 01:12 PM
Why, please do enlighten me as to why that comment makes her racist bigoted snob??? Or why purely asking for a Cab driver that would not scare her daughter because of his turban makes her racist. She did not say i dont want any coloured person just not an asian wearing a turban!
How is a man wearing a turban going to scare her daughter unless she's been brought up to have prejudiced views about such people in the first place? How is saying "I don't want an asian wearing a turban" any different from saying "I don't want a black man"?
This is one of the things that f*cks me off about this country and some of the people on here.. If you so much as say you dont like someone or something about them then you must be a Racist/Bigot/ sexist/ homophobe.. the list is endles. why??? realy please explain why?
You're free to have whatever thoughts you like, it's when you start discriminating against people for no reason other than their particular ethnicity or sexuality that it becomes a problem.
Requiring a driver to be of a particular race when it has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the job in hand, is a clear act of discrimination based purely on this womans personal bigotry.
There's a difference between saying "I don't watch Graham Norton cause he's an unfunny talentless camp tw*t" and "I don't watch Graham Norton cause he's a f*cking q*eer"
I dont much care for the Islam faith nor a lot of Muslim beliefs, nor do i think being Homosexual is particualry normal.
Hey they are my views, i AM entilted to have them and if that makes me Racist so be it!! People who know me for real (incuding many of my Asian friends) know i am not racist. And to be honest if people on here think i am so what i will go check my give a Fook meter. oh no its still not moved.
I'm an atheist, I don't much care for any faith, but I don't ask "can you send me a non-faith driver or at last someone who's not sure either way about the god thing" when I ring for a taxi.
Why do people on here and in real life think we have to live in some sort of utopia wher everyone gets along and likes eveyone else?
No one is saying you should like and get along with everyone, it'd just be nice if people based their judgement on each person individually rather than making pre-assumptions based on race, faith, sexuality or any other meaningless difference.
muffles
16-11-08, 01:12 PM
This is one of the things that f*cks me off about this country and some of the people on here.. If you so much as say you dont like someone or something about them then you must be a Racist/Bigot/ sexist/ homophobe.. the list is endles. why??? realy please explain why?
I am not sure if it answers your question - but if you for example request a female cab driver, rather than a male one, that is sexist - that's the very definition of sexism! If what you meant to say was "why is it bad in some cases to be sexist?" that's probably more accurate than saying "why does that make me sexist?".
Why do people on here and in real life think we have to live in some sort of utopia wher everyone gets along and likes eveyone else?
This is an interesting one - why would you NOT want to live in a utopia? Should that not be the aim, an objective? If you are saying it's unrealistic that's fine, but it wasn't the question you posed ;)
wheelnut
16-11-08, 01:19 PM
She lives in Bristol. Im sure there are one or two Asians there, what would she do about her school teachers, refuse to let her be taught cos they wore a turban, yashmac, or a burkha. Being brought up in Yorkshire my teachers wore a flat cap and it never affected me tha knows.
missyburd
16-11-08, 02:03 PM
That may not be the reason though- what if her daughter had been frightened or molested by someone wearing a turban?
As far as I'm concerned if the girl has actually formed an opionion about people in turbans etc then that opinion has only come about because of heavy influence from her mother. She has probably told her daughter to be watchful of them, don't trust them etc, no doubt herself being heavily influenced by stories in the press. The girl is old enough to form an opinion and I expect she doesn't really mind whatever taxi she gets in.
It was very wrong of the taxi firm to record the call and go running to the BBC with it, it was utterly daft of the woman to disclose information about where she works :rolleyes:
I hope she follows this up as its grossly unfair of her to lose her job. This will have impacts on her daughter who will no doubt think its all her fault, more repercussions that way too.
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