Grab-bag on covert, subtle and overt racism today. [View all]

https://www.lipstickalley.com/threads/my-co-worker-said-that-white-people-are-intentionally-coughing-on-us.1009231/

My co-worker said that White people are intentionally coughing on us


Mar 23, 2016
#1
White people intentionally coughing on black people: paranoia or fact?

According to my co-worker, white people have plenty of inside jokes and one of them is to start coughing when black people walk by..I was confused and just said ok....and continued my work...
but I was just at the airport yesterday trying to fly home and as I was walking to my gate, there was a white couple towards me, as I got close to walk by them, the man immediately started coughing..


Today at work, i was walking to the elevator and there was this white lady walking by, she and as soon as I got close, she started coughing.

soooooo I'm not sure if, because my co-worker told me about this coughing thing, i'm seeing things that aren't really there or if he's correct, they are purposely coughing near/on us

Has anyone experienced this? will you pay attention for the rest of the week and see if anyone starts coughing when you get close ?



Mar 23, 2016
#18

This is real!
I was debating to make this thread myself, since that thread was made about non-blacks refusing to move over when walking down a narrow pathway.

I noticed the coughing thing more around the time Pres. O started. I've experienced it, my family has too, so it's a thing.

And they have the nerve to do it so close to you, so you know it's intentional. I tend to do it right back if I'm feeling petty, also if they don't cover their mouth, I'll tell them about themselves (that goes for anybody though). I can't stand that ish!


Nov 27, 2016
#21
I can't believe there are black people that do not know that whites have been coughing, clearing their throats, and sniffing when in the presence of blacks. How do you NOT know this? I don't waste my energy returning the gesture because I'm not on their level and they don't intimidate me. Wake up! If you're missing these signals and signs you are not aware of your surroundings. So, it took drumpf victory for you to realize that you are surrounded by people that have a problem with non white? BTW they pass this behavior to their kids, too.

Nov 28, 2016
#24
I noticed the throat-clearing, and it's always from a white person. I was at an Asian grocery store once, and there were maybe 3 of us who weren't Asian. Sure enough, when I walked past the only white person there, he had to clear his throat at me. Sounds like this is their 21st century way of saying, "N--ger."

Nov 28, 2016
#26
Is the coughing some signal to make you feel uncomfortable in your blackness? Like they start coughing as a way to distract from your presence and marginalized your existence? Just throwing ideas

I happen to think they do this immature behavior because they feel we're not important and don't respect our humanity. Just imagine if a coworker always did this to you, how would you even report something like that? You may feel embarrassed

Nov 28, 2016
#27
Oh this is definitely a thing. I've noticed it back in college and it carried on when I entered the workforce. For awhile I thought it was just in my head, but it happened too frequently to be a coincidence.

Whether in the mall, at work going up the stairs, in the hallway. You name it, it happens there. I'm sure there's some yt handbook somewhere on the web that instructs Republicans to do this. I haven't found it yet but I will.

It used to bother me immensely, but now I fight back by coughing right back on them. Say I'm passing a yt male as I go up the stairs and he's coming down. When he gets to within 1 step of me, he'll cough. And guess what? I cough right back within a millisecond. Bitches.

And if I catch a yt male walking closely behind me, stomping heavy and acting even a little impatient, guess what? I cough into the air so he has to walk through it. They usually ease up off my heel after that.

Nov 29, 2016
#31
People are going to laugh at this thread but this is a real thing. I noticed months ago that white men have a habit of coughing (not a real cough but like a clearing the throat) whenever they walk near me or vice-versa. I don't know about a "secret code" but, I think they do it as a demonstration of their discomfort with black people. It's obnoxious.

Dec 3, 2016
#32
Is this equivilant to white people that feel the need to lock their shitty car doors or clutch their purses when a black person walks by?

Dec 3, 2016
#33
They clear their throats whenever walking past a black person. I think thats their way of trying to show some superiority

Jan 14, 2017
#65
OP you are right.

They do cough when black people walk by and some of them will sniff.

When I noticed this, I just decided to put my hand over my nose like they smell.

Feb 13, 2019
#81
I noticed loud yawns.

Feb 13, 2019
#80
I am beginning to think it means n word.


----


Except from:

https://www.thoughtco.com/examples-of-subtle-racism-2834960

Subtle Racism and the Problems It Poses
by
Nadra Kareem Nittle
Updated January 11, 2019

...

How to Cope With Subtle Racism

If you have proof or a strong hunch that you're being treated differently, ignored or ridiculed based on race, make it an issue. According to Alvarez' study, which appears in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Counseling Psychology, men who reported incidents of subtle racism or confronted those responsible, lowered amounts of personal distress while boosting self-esteem. On the other hand, the study found that women who disregarded incidents of subtle racism developed increased levels of stress. In short, speak out about racism in all its forms for your mental health.

The Cost of Disregarding Everyday Racism
When we think of racism only in extremes, we allow subtle racism to continue wreaking havoc in people's lives. In an essay called "Everyday Racism, White Liberals and the Limits of Tolerance," anti-racist activist Tim Wise explains:

"Since hardly anyone will admit to racial prejudice of any type, focusing on bigotry, hatred, and acts of intolerance only solidifies the belief that racism is something 'out there,' a problem for others, 'but not me,' or anyone I know."

Wise argues that because everyday racism is much more prevalent than extreme racism, the former reaches more people's lives and does more lasting damage. That's why it's important to make an issue out of racial microaggressions.

More than racial extremists, "I'm more concerned about the 44 percent (of Americans) who still believe it's all right for white homeowners to discriminate against black renters or buyers, or the fact that less than half of all whites think the government should have any laws to ensure equal opportunity in employment, than I am about guys running around in the woods with guns, or lighting birthday cakes to Hitler every April 20th," Wise says.

While racial extremists are no doubt dangerous, they are largely isolated from most of society. Why not focus on tackling the pernicious forms of racism that affect Americans regularly? If awareness about subtle racism is raised, more people will recognize how they contribute to the problem and work to change.

The result? Race relations will improve for the better.

---