Are descriptors always bigoted?

[SoutherDem]

Here in the south people will add a descriptor to almost everything, even if it isn't needed. This is true from people to objects. However, when they are added to people they can come arose as bigoted.
Example;

The ______ man crossed the street. The blank may be old, gay, black, jewish, cute ect. Sometimes when I hear this I think to myself "why do I need to know that, what difference does it make", yet at others I don't know if the person can help themselves or even realizes they know they are doing it. They are simply adding details, they will continue to add descriptors to almost every thing.
Is it possible for a person to identify people with descriptors and it not be bigoted?

The reason I asked is I heard a caller on a local call in radio show get cut off in mid sentence when they did just that. The descriptor used is a common term used by persons in that group, not generally thought of a offensive, it is heard in the news, and media everyday without concern. The subject of the show was how people come to strangers help in times of trouble. So, I have my doubt the caller was meaning any ill feelings. Was it right for the host to cut the caller off?

[1StrongBlackMan]

1. I guess you could provide the term ...

and provide the context, before asking the question.

[SoutherDem]

2. I will, but it could be any

Context;
Local radio talk show discussing the anniversary of the April 27th tornadoes. Subject was how people reached out and helped out one another, even if they didn't' know one another.

The conversation went something like this, or as best as I remember;

Host: Hi, welcome to XXXX your on the air.
Caller: I just wanted to tell of something that happen after that horrible day.
Host: Go ahead.
Caller: Well, there was this black lady wh (sudden cut off)
Host: There is no reason for that, lets go to our next caller. Hey, Welcome to XXXX your on the air.

I have no clue who the caller was so of course I have no way of knowing what she was going to say. I will speculate, and it is just speculation based on the previous callers I would have expected a story of how someone of one race who helped someone of the other, but I will say once again that is just speculation on my part. Also, if this was a story of bettering race relations we will never know because the host assumed it was going to be a bigoted comment and stopped it.

[Bully Taw]

8. Unfortunately...

all too often we are expecting to be offended and don't listen to what people actually say. Descriptors aren't racist by themselves. they need to be used to make a statement that may very well be racist.

Words aren't racist. The people that use them in a certain way can be.

[GiovanniTheGreat]

10. Heres something

Caller: Well, there was this black lady wh (sudden cut off)

This reminds me of something.. I had a black teacher when I was in HS.. there was a black kid in my class.. one time he said to the teacher how he was upset at something that another female staff member said to him. The teacher asked who it was.. he then goes "That black lady whoever she is".. The teacher axs the black student to leave the room for
"degrading his race". I found that so hilarious. We probably have a lot more blacks these days with Uncle Tom tendencies than ever before.

[LASlibinSC]

3. I don't think so

To me in this context, it's descriptive. Unnecessary? Yes. Racist? No.

[SoutherDem]

4. Thanks for the reply

That is what I thought but wanted some other opinions.

[1StrongBlackMan]

5. I agree ...

but my life experience has it that when a white person uses race as a descriptor there is a reason, whether conscious or unconscious. It's to highlight conduct that in their mind is either typical, or atypical, of Black people ... which IS an examplar of institutional racism.

Maybe, I'm conditioned not to hear it, but I rarely, if ever, hear a Black person insert the race of an actor unless it is pertinent to the story.

[LASlibinSC]

6. It comes down, in my mind,

to intent. I agree with the OP that Southerners try to paint pictures with words. That is usually the tell tell sign of southern writers. I'm NOT saying we don't have a gracious plenty of barrel chested, knuckle dragging redneck white folks in the South. But, if it is meant to hurt or belittle someone you can usually take out the descriptive word and still hear the racism. Just sayin...

[SoutherDem]

7. Good point

Your right if you remove the descriptor the bigotry still comes out if the intent was there to begin with.

[lalmia]

9. Spam deleted by Behind the Aegis (MIR Team)