Man Charged For Racial Slur
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
October 25, 2007 10:21pm CST
A man was charged with "ethnic intimidation" a few days ago for calling a convenience store clerk an ethnic name when the clerk refused to break a $50 bill for a pack of cigarettes. It is against company policy to accept any bills of $50 or higher after dusk. When the clerk refused to make an exception the customer told him he was "nothing but a n___" The man left and then soon returned with a smaller bill and got the cigarettes, then repeated the slur. The clerk followed him to the parking lot and told the person driving the car he had arrived in to take the man away from there and not to bring him back. The woman driver asked why and the clerk told her, to which she replied "That's what you are."
So, do you agree with this charge? Personally, I do, because it was "an ethnic slur with malicious intent" and I don't feel was a violation of the customer's right to free speech. The clerk was doing his job and following his employer's policy and there was no reason for him to be harrassed in any way and that kind of language is uncalled for under any circumstances. Agree or disagree?
Annie
1 person likes this
6 responses
@suspenseful (40193)
• Canada
27 Oct 07
I do not believe people should call anybody insulting racial names, whether it is the Ni -- word for Blacks, the W*P word for Italians, the Ch*nk word for Chinese, or the H*nky word for White people. All these are intimidation and meant to belittle the person.
What I want to say is if a white man can be charged with ethnic intimidation for telling a black man is "nothing but a n-" then a black man who calls a white store clear, "a no good trailer trash h*nky" to get him to break the store policy, the same penalty should occur for each. I do believe a fine should be in order and that the man was using this ethnic slur to intimidate the store clerk from breaking store policy. The man was also lazy, he could have gone to an ATM but I guess there is no fine for laziness.
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@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
27 Oct 07
Yes exactly suspensful, there should be a penalty for all racial slurs.
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@anniepa (27955)
• United States
1 Nov 07
I agree also that the same penalty should be imposed no matter what race or color the offender was if it was a case of ethnic intimidation which the examples you used certainly would be as far as I'm concerned. In my area as well as many other places I've visited this is a normal policy for convenience stores because the're robbed much too often. They usually have a sign on the door that says "Clerk has less than $50 in register at all times" or something like that. The clerks make a "drop" whenever they get more than that amount in the register, which is a hole in the floor with just a small slot in it and the clerk isn't able to open the safe.
Sometimes I wish there wee a fine for laziness...lol!
Annie
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
26 Oct 07
More and more in our society, anniepa, some people think that the rules should be bent for them because they want to be special. This sounds like a case of egotism to me. The man was definitely wrong to stoop to using a racial slur. I find that people who use words like that usually have an inadequate vocabulary, and cannot express themselves in any other way. He was rude and childish. Adults do not stoop to that level of ignorance. There are many other choices he could have made. If he went home to get a smaller bill, he could just as easily have gone to another store.
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@anniepa (27955)
• United States
26 Oct 07
I've always absolutely hated those kinds of slurs. I'm glad it's now possible for someone to be prosecuted for talking that way because it's absolutely never appropriate. I've known for years our local convenience stores have had that policy and it's posted on all their doors "Cashier has less than $50 in the cash register", and I think it's a policy that makes sense. I'm pleased the clerk reported him!
Annie
@Rozie37 (15499)
• Turkmenistan
27 Oct 07
I think that this man who used the ethnic slur should at least be fined. It is not fare to expect a clerk to disobey a policy just for him. And for him to leave and come back to the same store could have scared the clerk and made him think that this guy had a gone.
I believe that this kind of aggressiveness is frightening, rude and uncalled for. When you work in places like this, it is very dangerous. I think that the public needs to be discouraged from having this kind of attitude toward people.
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@artemis432 (7474)
• Abernathy, Texas
27 Oct 07
I agree wholeheartedly - its a slur and people shouldn't abuse our freedom of speech act to abuse others. Don't most stores have the right to refuse anyone? I would've turned him away. Jews have been called dogs and demons. My husband is Asian and 6'4 and is often glared at. (course, when I witness it - it looks more like fear - and he is a bear but more a teddy although he wouldn't hesitate to use what he learned in the Air Force to protect his family) This is just wrong.
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@Sunring (6)
• United States
27 Oct 07
Derrogatory remarks that are delibrately used with the intent to hurt someone in the end only displays ones ignorance. The clerk's obedience to his job should not have resulted in a personnel attack. The hateful word slinger recieved the apropriate punishment for viscious diplay of biggotry.
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