• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Welcoming or Racist gesture?

Chillfolks

Chillfolks

Banned
DP Veteran
Joined
May 6, 2016
Messages
20,692
Reaction score
11,234
Location
VA
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Progressive
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
 
I like watermelon. I would be happy to be given one.

But then, I am not African American and the sub-text is not there for me as it might be them.

btw- if you want a good meal - eat at a fire station in Detroit. When I was chief of staff for a member of the Michigan legislature, we ate at Detroit fire stations by invitation from time to time and they were always terrific.
 
haymarket said:
I like watermelon. I would be happy to be given one.

But then, I am not African American and the sub-text is not there for me as it might be them.

btw- if you want a good meal - eat at a fire station in Detroit. When I was chief of staff for a member of the Michigan legislature, we ate at Detroit fire stations by invitation from time to time and they were always terrific.
Click to expand...

I don't like water melon, but I'm not offended by it.
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...




Good grief.


I wish someone would bring me a watermelon. I don't know many people, black or white, who don't love watermelon. How the... herm... can giving someone a fruit be racist in and of itself.
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

Ridiculous. I foresee a lawsuit in his former department's future.
 
Ridiculous...

I was watching Top Chef this morning and they are in the South... Charlottesville.

One chef makes fried chicken with watermelon shavings and a couple chefs are like... i wouldnt do that it could be seen as racist dow here.... turns out the judges loved it. Both the black judges lauded the chef over how great it was... but the fear of some of the chefs... ridiculous we are in this spot.
 
Some firemen here where I live have a BBQ chicken dinner to raise money, guess those days are gone .
Restaurants will have to stop serving
Fried chicken
Orange drinks
Waffles
We don’t want to be racist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
who the **** just brings a ****in watermelon to work.
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

Totally racist. It starts with watermelon and next thing you know it escalates to bananas and then fried chicken. You have to nip this stuff in the bud or it gets out of hand.
 
Deuce said:
who the **** just brings a ****in watermelon to work.
Click to expand...


In my shop we bring in watermelon all the time especially in the summer, it's a good way to stay hydrated and much healthier than a bag of chips or box of doughnuts. In another article it says doughnuts are typical but others have brought in fruits or vegetables before.


I've yet to see any reports that this kid has said or done anything previously to imply he intended this produce to be offensive
 
Deuce said:
who the **** just brings a ****in watermelon to work.
Click to expand...

Perhaps you are reading to much into this?
What would happen if he brought in fried chicken?
 
MrShangles said:
Some firemen here where I live have a BBQ chicken dinner to raise money, guess those days are gone .
Restaurants will have to stop serving
Fried chicken
Orange drinks
Waffles
We don’t want to be racist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Has to be more to this. But Kerist, fired for bringing in a watermelon.
 
#Watermelon lives matter
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

Who knows, they guy might be a racists, and brave. I mean, a new guy who has to rely on his coworkers to have his back in some potentially life threatening situations dares to bring a watermelon to imply what exactly.
Could also be that the black firefighters were hoping for another black dude to get the job.
Wanna spin it some more?
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

LOL!!!!! The left is just going loony bananas anymore. It's just one hilarious story after another. However, this guy should have been more sensitive and brought a different welcome gift, like some fried chicken. I'm assuming there were also white firefighters there as well.
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

Yeah it is getting pretty ****ty out there in regard to everything is racist. It's sickening when most folks don't even identify by color but rather the heart of the person.

You bring a watermelon to any of my Summer gatherings and it would be welcomed. We hold a seed spitting contest. The person who can spit the seed the furthest is the winner winner chicken dinner. Oh my, someone might think I a racist because I brought up chicken!!!!!!

This is much like the recent Michigan case on campus where someone claimed they found a noose claiming it to be a racist act. It turned out to be a new shoestring someone dropped and then someone hung it on a doorknob in case someone was looking for it.
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

They also often complain that when it rains they get wet because they are black. You just can’t get offended by a melon that is not speaking to you. There has to be more to the story, or this guy is going sue the crap out of the city.
 
Chillfolks said:
A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift.
Click to expand...

This is the key thing here.

If this is actually a station tradition, with clear examples, then it should really only be a matter of a few other vet firefighters telling the guy who received it that it's just that...a station tradition; not some kind of racist attack.
 
Zyphlin said:
This is the key thing here.

If this is actually a station tradition, with clear examples, then it should really only be a matter of a few other vet firefighters telling the guy who received it that it's just that...a station tradition; not some kind of racist attack.
Click to expand...

How in Sam Hill can a watermelon be depicted as racist unless those who are depicting it have lost their friggen minds!
 
Chillfolks said:
New firefighter fired for bringing watermelon to station as welcoming gift | WAVY-TV


A Detroit fireman, following station tradition, brings a watermelon as a welcoming gift. Some of his co-workers took it as a racist gesture and resulted in the guy loosing his job. He claims it wasn't anything subversive or shady just some fruit.


Have we become a society that someone bringing fruit as a welcoming gift is racist? Did the guy intened it to be racist and is now backing off? Should the firefighter be rehired or is his fireing the correct action?

Thoughts Concerns
Click to expand...

Article says African Americans complained. Did he present it to them specifically?
 
Racist or not it was a seedy thing to do.

:)
 
WTH LMAO

There has to be more to this story . . . at least I would HOPE theres more to this story or the guy gets his job back.

Yes it easily could have been racist act but with the info provide here theres nothing that hints that it factually is.

I find it odd there were multiple complaints, that seems to suggest there was more to it also but again theres nothing that shows that in the OP.

It says welcoming gifts are a tradition there :shrug: This currently makes no sense, i hope more info comes out.
 
vesper said:
How in Sam Hill can a watermelon be depicted as racist unless those who are depicting it have lost their friggen minds!
Click to expand...

The fact is, it's been used in racist attacks and jokes in the past for as long as I can remember. I have a hard time believing you and others in this thread are completely unaware of that. Giving a gift of watermelon in itself is not racist, but the intent of the guy giving it could be racist. His gesture could have been completely kind hearted, and if so, it's very unfortunate he lost his job. If he was doing it as a racist insult and trying to make his black coworkers question his intent, then playing coy and stupid about it, I don't feel sorry for him. I really can't say, but the larger point I am trying to make is that I think it's common knowledge that watermelon has been used in racist insults for a very long time.

obamafriedchicken.jpg
 
AGENT J said:
WTH LMAO

There has to be more to this story . . . at least I would HOPE theres more to this story or the guy gets his job back.

Yes it easily could have been racist act but with the info provide here theres nothing that hints that it factually is.

I find it odd there were multiple complaints, that seems to suggest there was more to it also but again theres nothing that shows that in the OP.

It says welcoming gifts are a tradition there :shrug: This currently makes no sense, i hope more info comes out.
Click to expand...

I agree.
 
SheWolf said:
Article says African Americans complained. Did he present it to them specifically?
Click to expand...

I didn't see anything in the article to even hint such a thing.
Watermelon is eaten by all races. It has very healthful benefits.
Heck I craved watermelon with my first pregnancy. Hubby in the middle of Winter was out there trying to find me watermelon G-d love him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom