I, personally, use race as the last descriptor
I've been told "Oh, I don't even
notice
people's race."
Well, that's very nice. I do, though. And I don't attach a value judgment to noticing or not--it's what happens next that counts.
It's like saying I didn't notice if they were male or female. Or some other clear physical distinction. I'm all "Well, she's kinda light skinned..."
As for black women checking black women--I have been on the receiving end of some very cold stares from women with short natural hair--at least while mine was blonde. Cold enough that my sister asked if I had any previous history with the complete stranger we were just passing.
Airports are different because so many people have luggage and/or kids -- airport escalators are almost never wide enough to pass someone with luggage, IME.
In most other places, the guy who pushes ahead gets served, while the other people stew and glare.
My favorite line-cutter was at Hartsfield airport. This guy tried to cut ahead of a bunch of us on the security checkpoint line. It was 5 am, hardly any screeners were working yet and the line just wasn't moving. So he tried to do that slow inching up, clearly hoping that no one would notice.
The kicker was that the guy was about 6'7". I pointed out to him that men who are 6'7" really don't blend into the crowd well enough to be successful line cutters.
You are all making me paranoid that the next time I go anywhere with anyone of you, someone will shove me out of the way because I'm not moving fast enough.
Here in the South, it's generally too hot to get worked up about these things.
airport escalators are almost never wide enough to pass someone with luggage, IME.
Oh I mean on moving sidewalks. Those are wide enough generally. (unless you've got the little kids and everybody's luggage!)
I've been told "Oh, I don't even notice people's race."
I have a weird paranoia about appearing to be racist, but dude, that takes the cake.
I tend to also yell at people who try to get in front of me in line, or ask loudly if they have a reason for stepping in front of people, OR tell the serving/counter people the situation.
I've been told "Oh, I don't even notice people's race."
White people do that, in an attempt to make extra-paranoid-sure that we* don't get labelled racist for noticing a visual descriptor such as dark or light skin. Like, we're so NOT racist that we don't even notice skin color! On anyone! Am *I* white?!? Why, so I am!!!
*(And by "we," I don't mean "all white people;" I just mean "some white people, in a general sense.")
I've been told "Oh, I don't even notice people's race."
By people other than Stephen Colbert??
Oh I mean on moving sidewalks. Those are wide enough generally. (unless you've got the little kids and everybody's luggage!)
Oh yeah, those are. Even with the kids, etc., you can spread out the other way....
