Racial prejudice and hatred...

[samurainoir]

Ignorance is everywhere and affects everyone - sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. Today you were affected directly. The best thing you can do is take the high road. The next best thing you could do was immediately walk into the room and thank him for clarifying what a crappy bunch of people they are, and now you know you don't have to waste anymore of your time dealing with them. Since the comment wasn't meant for your ears, it probably would have at least made him feel like an idiot. If not, they weren't worth your time in anyway.

Well said MegoRonin. Sometimes I think this kind of situation is the easiest for me to deal with as an individual. You walk away and put it behind you, and you are completely justified in your anger and the way you react. What I find is a constant struggle and challenge in our multicultural society is the subtler forms that you can't just walk away from. The awkwardness and silence as someone says something incredibly stupid across any given cultural divide at any one of my family's multi-racial/cultural gatherings in all it's myriad combinations/permutations. Often born out of ignorance than malice, but it's a death by a thousand cuts over years and years of smoothing out ruffled feathers and trying to educate, open up communication and understanding, and build bridges through whichever means you have at your disposal, be it humour, anecdotal storytelling, show and tell. You never can tell when what you think are the smallest things are actually Big Deals, even down to the way one family dines vs another family.... often down to different understanding of cultural "manners"... the individual plate model vs communal dining seems to be at the crux of much of our earliest skirmishes before we had a better understanding of it. You just Work At It, and sometimes it doesn't seem that way, but there is definitely a difference over time... particularly when those "funny looking" grandkids show up. They are the ones that ultimately bridge the gaps better than anything you yourself can say or do.

Sorry this had to happen to you Sandy. Karma will catch up with that jerk if he's so overt about it.

[fallensaviour]

Razzismo,temo che non si possa aggiustare dentro il ignorante.

Perhaps you should ask him to go fishing,paisano...
I probably have enough concrete to make a pair of size 10 1/2's...LOL

[torgospizza]

The thing is, Sandy, when it comes to what you are, you're a sharp, talented guy that makes awesome films. That's what matters. Also--and this is my personal opinion--when it comes to business, the only color that matters is green. "Is this person going to help us make money?" Not that what I'm saying is fresh--everyone here knows how it should be; this one dude is just an ******, but people often rise to a level inversely proportional to their value. In coarser terms, 5#!+ floats.

[Cmonster]

Brother!!!!

Did you read my previous post...LOL
I'm also of a sicilian background...
I have olive/golden flesh...LOL classic

Our family name from sicily is Gilambardo.
Geez I knew I liked you for some reason.

Tutto bene, paisano... ; )

SC

[fallensaviour]

I figured this would come up, so I'll explain even though it really doesn't matter. My father is Sicilian and my mother was from Spain. I'm not really exactly sure what to "officially" classify myself as color-wise, but I've always thought of myself as someone who definitely isn't white. My skin is not white by any stretch of the imagination. It's more of an olive/golden brown color. The racial slurs that this person called me were Hispanic in nature... Again, not that it matters. Racism is racism.

SC

Brother!!!!

Did you read my previous post...LOL
I'm also of a sicilian background...
I have olive/golden flesh...LOL classic

Our family name from sicily is Gilambardo.
Geez I knew I liked you for some reason.

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

I also hate discrimination. In fact, I used to teach anti-discrimination in corporate environments. It is quite a challenge to get people to reach in and recognise and try to change what is often deeply ingrained in their belief system.

Anyway, it disgusts me and I am sorry that happened to you Sandy.

[UnderdogDJLSW]

Hard to fathom that with all of the 21st century changes in society and the fact that we can all communicate with each other whenever we want, that racism can continue to perpetuate.

[SUP-Ronin]

I've met people form all over the world and I have yet to encounter a race which doesn't have its lions share of idiots, morons, and ignorant buffoons.

[johnmiic]

I figured this would come up, so I'll explain even though it really doesn't matter. My father is Sicilian and my mother was from Spain...The racial slurs that this person called me were Hispanic in nature... Again, not that it matters. Racism is racism.

SC

True. Thank You for sharing that with us. From your pics you looked white to me and your last name sounded Italian. Thing is if you're American, you're American. I don't see the problem people would have. (And here I thought you were perhaps Atlantean due to your diving skills).

[Hector]

Sorry about that Sandy. Where was your baseball at the time?

Although I have also experienced similar stuff...I brush it off kinda effectively...because I myself have a superiority-complex...I see myself as a God...and most people as amoebas...lol.

Seriously though...we all crap the same crap...that's why the whole thing is so silly to me.

[kingdom warrior]

Sorry to hear this Sandy that's awful, but you know the Biz how some Awipes can be. Sadly racism has gone more underground where people do things behind your back not in your face.

Been down that road professionally as well I'm light skinned with thin fine hair.

so most people when they don't know me don't know where I'm from until they see my last name Rodriguez

then it's Oh I didn't know you were spanish? you don't sound spanish? Grrrrrr!

[callistofreak]

Folks,
we don't see it here because were all friends, and collectors.
But, I'm a truck driver.
And all you have to do is turn on the CB radio, and you will hear that racism is alive and well...
This is why I never turn it on.

[SUP-Ronin]

Ignorance is everywhere and affects everyone - sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. Today you were affected directly. The best thing you can do is take the high road. The next best thing you could do was immediately walk into the room and thank him for clarifying what a crappy bunch of people they are, and now you know you don't have to waste anymore of your time dealing with them. Since the comment wasn't meant for your ears, it probably would have at least made him feel like an idiot. If not, they weren't worth your time in anyway.

[jessica]

It's tough when you have to go through something like that. The best you can do is walk away. It's rougher and sadder if it's from your own family.

[babycyclops]

Wow. You know something, Kosta... For someone literally a half a world away from the problem, you seem to have hit the nail on the head pretty perfectly I would say.

SC

Unfortunately, I know the type, bro.
Suckers like that don't deserve to be associated with you.