Is it wrong to state a cyclists ethnicity

DonDaddyD

Imagine, you are waiting outside the Morpeth pub or at the start of a bike ride. You and a few people are waiting for me (because I'm usually late for these things). You're looking out for me, a friend asks

"What does he look like?"

Would it be wrong to describe me a a black man on a black Kuota road bike?

Is it still wrong to state my and other peoples ethnicity if you are not doing to stereotype or speak of their ethnicity/race negatively?

tailwindhome

Meh

BR 1979

Would you rather they suggested looking out for someone with very curly hair and a flat nose? FFS!

jonginge

I did not see this thread coming!

WesternWay

DonDaddyD wrote:

Imagine, you are waiting outside the Morpeth pub or at the start of a bike ride. You and a few people are waiting for me (because I'm usually late for these things). You're looking out for me, a friend asks

"What does he look like?"

Would it be wrong to describe me a a black man on a black Kuota road bike?

Is it still wrong to state my and other peoples ethnicity if you are not doing to stereotype or speak of their ethnicity/race negatively?

I don't think that that would be wrong (assuming you are not a white woman on a Brompton). Surely anyone's skin colour is a way of picking them out from a crowd?

Would you be offended to be described to a stranger as black man on a black kuota road bike?

paulbox

I think it is fine to use someones colour/ethnicity to describe what they look like, especially if the other person is trying to help find them...

It might be different I suppose if you were talking about a list of candidates for a job.

richred_uk

DonDaddyD wrote:

Imagine, you are waiting outside the Morpeth pub or at the start of a bike ride. You and a few people are waiting for me (because I'm usually late for these things). You're looking out for me, a friend asks

"What does he look like?"

Would it be wrong to describe me a a black man on a black Kuota road bike?

Is it still wrong to state my and other peoples ethnicity if you are not doing to stereotype or speak of their ethnicity/race negatively?

Not if it's for a reasonable ID sort of thing - in this case it helps identify you.

If the statement was "The race was won by DonDaddyD - a black cyclist", then the ethnicity of the cyclist is irrelevant and probably shouldn't be brought up.

IMnsHO

DonDaddyD

BR 1979 wrote:

Would you rather they suggested looking out for someone with very curly hair and a flat nose? FFS!

I'd probably describe the person by their most identifiable features. Given I'd be wearing a helmet and coming at such a speed, you wouldn't be able to see my features. The streak of black lighting (ala flash) as I pass would be the most the human eye could detail (feck me Portugal scored five!).

So if the person was female I'd describe them as female first, then ethnicity, unless they had massive boobs. That would come first.

paulbox

davis

TailWindHome wrote:

Meh

Meh^∞.

Bassjunkieuk

Isn't it only the same as describing me the short, ginger one?

As you state DDD, as long as your not using it in a negative or derogatory way I don't have any issue with it.

DonDaddyD

richred_uk wrote:

"The race was won by DonDaddyD - a black cyclist"

You know there are so few and I'm proud of my ethnicity, I actually would want them to identify me as a black male cyclist.

Would you be offended to be described to a stranger as black man on a black kuota road bike?

How else are you going to describe me?

spasypaddy

no.

move on.

WesternWay

DonDaddyD wrote:

Would you be offended to be described to a stranger as black man on a black kuota road bike?

How else are you going to describe me?

I have no idea, I have never met you.

If you had one leg, probably that.

kelsen

Depends what you're trying to clarify. It's not wrong but not entirely necessary in a statement like "A black man on a black Kuota nearly had an off coming down Ditchling Beacon"

EKE_38BPM

I would say that if it is relevant its perfect fine to mention their ethnicity. Using your outside the Morpeth example, if you are looking for someone, there is nothing wrong with saying I'm looking for a tall japanese guy riding a Brompton. If, though, you were scalped by a Brompton, I don't see the point of telling the forum that the rider was japanese.

Thats my opinion and opinions are like arseholes. Everybody has one.

rjsterry

<trying desperately to think of something sensible to say>

If you are giving a description of someone, you need to list the distinguishing features, i.e. what makes their appearance different from the general population likely to be seen nearby. It's true that if someone is white, that part of the description is often left out - but that's just a reflection of tit not being a distinguishing feature. On the other hand, if you were looking for someone on, say, Tooting High Road, then mentioning that they were white might be more useful as a distinguishing factor.

Oh, and I think it's seven now :shock:

EDIT: I've been thinking about starting a thread on the theme of 'do people end up looking like their bikes?' (or vice versa). It seems we have a couple of examples to start us off with you and I, DDD.

Agent57

DonDaddyD wrote:

Would it be wrong to describe me a a black man on a black Kuota road bike?

It'd be wrong if you're a honky on a pink Pinarello, to be sure. I don't think it's wrong. Whites are still the majority, so describing someone as black or Asian is useful information. It's probably not worth saying "he's a white guy" only because most guys are likely white (obviously, that depends on the location). In some areas, where most people are black it wouldn't be worth citing colour, since it doesn't add any useful information; but it might be useful to say "he's a white guy on a red Specialized".

BR 1979

DonDaddyD wrote:

Given I'd be wearing a helmet and coming at such a speed, you wouldn't be able to see my features. The streak of black lighting (ala flash) as I pass would be the most the human eye could detail.

"He was riding it like he stole it!"

dhope

Absolutely fine. If you're describing how someone looks then describe how they look.

ketsbaia

It'd be weird to ignore it, wouldn't it?

CiB

Course it's wrong.

For the record I'm black too, and so is my wife Brian.



Nothing wrong whatsoever really. It's a salient fact, not pejorative in its use on that thread, and offered in good part. It really shouldn't be a subject for discussion. Mind I got slated by a couple of 'Desperate to be offended' types on here for lazy use of slang term describing a plastic pot. You have to watch your step sometimes.

DDD - I hope all your babies are as black as you are, when you have them.

glauciaregina9

DonDaddyD wrote:

Is it still wrong to state my and other peoples ethnicity if you are not doing to stereotype or speak of their ethnicity/race negatively?

Still wrong? Never was wrong, if not being used to derogatively or to stereotype/offend...

If I was the only white man in a crowd of black people, and somebody was trying to describe how to identify me, I would hope any sensible person would just say "he's the white man" ...

The PC brigade have got a lot to answer for if people are too paranoid to use 'black' as a perfectly legitimate visual description.

Kieran_Burns

On seeing this thread title my immediate reaction was "Oh for f**ks sake"

How would I describe you on seeing you outside the pub? IC3 male on an IC3 bike?

MonkeyMonster

big belly, thighs like a ballerina's ankle and ugly as LiT is lovely

Oh and ankles that smell of deep heat....

Afternoon DDD

Chrissz

Since it is probably your most distinguishing feature I see nothing wrong with it at all.

I often describe myself over the phone as "You know, the big black bloke" to which people instantly respond "Oh yeah!"

If I had a different distinguishing feature I would use that as a way of remembering myself to people

lost_in_thought

It'd be like my saying 'it's wrong to describe me as blonde'.

Which would be completely ridiculous.

lost_in_thought

MonkeyMonster wrote:

big belly, thighs like a ballerina's ankle and ugly as LiT is lovely

Oh and ankles that smell of deep heat....

Afternoon DDD

Ahhhhhhh fanks MM.

Coriander

DonDaddyD wrote:

Imagine, you are waiting outside the Morpeth pub or at the start of a bike ride. You and a few people are waiting for me (because I'm usually late for these things). You're looking out for me, a friend asks

"What does he look like?"

Would it be wrong to describe me a a black man on a black Kuota road bike?

Is it still wrong to state my and other peoples ethnicity if you are not doing to stereotype or speak of their ethnicity/race negatively?

Just one problem - your scenario above is utterly different from the one that prompted this thread.

In this scenario no, it makes sense to highlight distinguishing features. In your tale on the L2B thread there was absolutely no need to cite the woman's skin colour.

always_tyred

DonDaddyD wrote:

BR 1979 wrote:

Would you rather they suggested looking out for someone with very curly hair and a flat nose? FFS!

I'd probably describe the person by their most identifiable features. Given I'd be wearing a helmet and coming at such a speed, you wouldn't be able to see my features. The streak of black lighting (ala flash) as I pass would be the most the human eye could detail (feck me Portugal scored five!).

So if the person was female I'd describe them as female first, then ethnicity, unless they had massive boobs. That would come first.

When I was last in Guyana, I remember my bro mentioning something along the lines that he was always referred to as a white guy, in situations like this.

My own experience was being referred to as simply, "Georgebush", which I found offensive only because he is a feckless moron.

Finbar Saunders

"Until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes......" Or hair, or bike, or car. It's all about context.