Part of the beauty of the internet is that it gives rise to concepts and communities that probably wouldn’t exist if the internet wasn’t a thing. And it can get so niche that it would make you wonder very hard as to how it got there in the first place.
One of the more interesting communities online is the r/AccidentalRacism subreddit—a portion of Reddit dedicated to pointing out times when innocent things appear to be racist, though it's totally unintentional and, while some some of it may seem offensive, the community makes it clear that racism is not cool.
We’ve collected some of the most upvoted posts from the subreddit that today has a bit over 450,000 members. Scroll down to check it all out, and why not leave a comment and an upvote on the ones you found most “oof” worthy.
More Info: r/AccidentalRacism
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A Perspective They Didn't Imagine Would Happen
Does This Count?
Some Muslins Are Good IMO
If its a black bear, make yourself seem big and make a lot of noise to scare it away. If it's a brown bear (grizzly), lay down and play dead. It may investigate you, but will probably lose interest. If it's a polar bear, you're going to die.
Stereotypes, Amiright?
Are we just making up definitions for racists now, that’s not racist 😂 he even thought it was funny.
Rosa Barks
He Learned A Language, But Alas, The Wrong One...
That seems like the kind of thing to check before you learn a new language lol
It Looks Like Your Mouth Is Open
These Plates Are Color Coded
Apple Strikes Again
This is a massive issue with technology that has been developed by white people for white people. When I want to take a picture of my family, my phone generally can't even recognize that there are faces on the screen (they are black). Never mind being able to differentiate between non-white people. There is a lot of work needing to be done by technologists of all nations to get this problem fixed.
The Sight Right As You Enter My Local Grocery Store
Officials Are Führious
ok but to be fair who was playing pokemon go in the holocaust museum
The '90s Were Wild
Segregation At Its Finest
Ouch...
I THINK I remembr this one to be staged for the lols back in the days...
I Love Shoe Boxes
Hmmm
People need to calm down. People in the comments saying how wrong this is. It's a kid getting a cute picture taken with Disney characters. That's all. Does anyone seriously think this was intentionally done in bad taste? I'm sure, that like the rest of these posts, it was afterward that they were like, 'oh, wait, that looks bad, doesn't it?" Sheesh. Chill out.
That kid is so cute, any picture would be cute.
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I would wanna know the context etc, maybe the kid really wanted to be abu and it’s his fave character, kids can be weird sometimes in their perceived unconventional choices too
The little kid looks adorable (not anything to do with what's going on in the photo)
He's super-cute! And thankfully too young to understand. I hope he didn't remember this photo when he got older.
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If I remember correctly these people got some unfair backlash, so I feel bad for them. People should be able to have their accidental insensitivity pointed out then everyone laughs and moves on instead of pitchforks being brought out.
Ok, wow. I didn't even understand what was racist about this until I read the comments. The only thing I could think was that the woman playing Jasmine looked more Spanish than middle eastern and it was some overblown cultural appropriation situation. I get that this is a whole post about "accidental racism" and while I'm wondering about the person who even noticed this in the first place, I'm almost more put off by all the secondary outrage like these people went out looking for a kid who would fit their 1940's cartoon stereotype. Everyone in this photo is happy and having a good time and the only terrible thing is people who weren't a part of it trying to turn it into a terrible thing after the fact.
This happened in Brazil, it was 2016 Carnival. The child is their adopted son and the guy was heavily criticized. For those who can read Portuguese (or wanna use Google Translator): https://g1.globo.com/minas-gerais/carnaval/2016/noticia/2016/02/fantasia-de-pai-como-alladin-e-filho-como-macaco-gera-polemica-em-bh.html
OK. I'ts a toddler in a monkey costume. Seriously, why is this wrong? He/She has a happy face and looks great with the little hat. This is not racism at all... maybe our brains are sometimes too inquisitive.
the concept of "black kid = monkey" has a problematic history. without the history it would be incredibly cute, but ignoring history hasn't been a good idea. ever.
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Wow! They did not think about this for even a split second. At least i hope not
This makes me so mad. I mean, yay, kids playing with Disney, but REALLY?!
I don't get it. Some guy is carrying his son, nephew, little cousin, or little neighbor or something who has a tiny version of the same hat. What is the deal here?
ok so basically the little child is black and in history people would be racist and consider black kids as monkeys which is completely racist
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not seeing the problem? maybe the kid is their son? I mean family halloween costumes sometimes have to compromise based on who's in the family
There is no monkey in the original story. Most people don't even know Aladdin is Chinese. The original story takes place in China. This whole thing is wrong if you take the Disney movie seriously...
Why everyone saying it’s problematic, that little boy looks like he’s loving it. ❤️
let's be honest guys while you comment on this pic your going and looking at the bottom of this pic
Oh hell no, this is just wrong and problematic on a whole other level...
What a handsome young boy,but he looks to young to have made this decision himself. Its uncomfortable to look at
I doubt the pic is at a Disney theme park as they don't allow cast members to have visible tats... which "Aladdin" does. This is most likely a family... which makes this "perceived" racism. It's not actual or accidental racism.... it's not racism at all.
Load More Replies... The intention is everything here. If it was a white kid then nobody would care. What if it was the kids' parents instigating the photo? If the intention was racist then it's racist but if it wasn't then it wasn't. I'm taking it like the rest of the post i.e. it was done innocently and then they realised later that it could be seen as racist - if the person that posted this doesn't know that for sure then they're the one being racist.
the ones who say this is wrong are the racist because they are looking at it that way. What is wrong with a boy wearing a hat???
this is both cute and racist. it's a complicated concept. things can be adorable and at the same time highly problematic.
Suspicious Salt Shaker...
This Bot Refusing This Guy’s Actual Name
Did Someone Blink?
I Has A Black Baby
Spice Level: White
So That's What Clean Hands Look Like Huh
After a long day of gardening, Joe was happy to wash off the dirt covering his whole arms
A Very Interesting Adjective For Describing The Colour Of A Car
Just A Tad Worse Than “Redskins”
It had to be inside joke of the players themselves like "shiz There is like 90% Black in our team, lets make a joke out of it!"
I Never Knew This Product Existed!
Sign Me Up!
Bad Name Placement
Open Yer Damn Eyes
The most frustrating thing with IA is you can't yell at them to explain they are wrong.
Thank You Bing! Perfect Translation
I’m Sure Adolf Would’ve Agreed
Knew It
Co-Worker Asked For A Snickers. She's Jewish
My Friend Thought The Picture Was Going To Have Both Of Us Chilling On The Couch
Which One Is The Correct Side?
Lost In Translation
This Chair With “Sailboats”
Smash Immigrants... Welcome Racism
Hol Up
This AI With A Little Bit Of Bias
the AI is correct, the skin tone is the same, on this photo (I checked with Paint)
It Meant To Say “Glitter”
When You Like The Food But Not The People
I See Where This Is Going...
Damnit, The Title Was Actually “How To Create Your Own Jewelry Line”
Clutching At Straws A Bit Here But I Still Had A Good Chuckle
This Is Getting Really Annoying
Damn
The gate is open. The black llama is a free llama! If it wants to hang out on the other side of the pasture, it is its sacred right!
Oh [Crud]
![Oh [Crud]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/accidental-innocent-racism-subreddit-51-6206731d788a6__700.jpg "Oh [Crud]")
Most of them are pretty far-fetched, if you want my opinion. Funny, but very far-fetched
Yeah, some of these have to be taken out of context to be racist. Some were just funny, like the lowest spice level being "white".
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Most of these are very silly and funny. I'm hyper sensitive to racism, but I don't necessarily think everything is racist!
But you can take almost anything and make it racist if you try hard enough.
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My friends mom was a dog breeder. The dogs she bred came in red, black, tri I think. One day in the restaurant after the show she exclaims loudly how the black b***h isn't performing right and how she can't be working with her anymore. Place went silent. Omg bet she never made that mistake again.
the oversensitivity in some of the comments can be funnier than the actual post sometimes.
oh my, most of these were very funny. my black co worker and i make fun of me being white and him being black all the time. i asked him if i could ride with him and he said he didn't want to get pulled over and shot. it's a sad truth but joking about it is a way to discuss it without getting into a big depression.
My mum had a "I want to die" moment similar to those. She is a heavy smoker and she prefers the type of tobacco that in spain is called black (idk about how it would be called in english). Once a black man approached her on the street and asked her if she had more tobacco. She answered "Yes, black". The guy of course did not get mad but she felt horrible xD
I came from a country that had almost exclusively white people so racism against black people wasn't really a thing, therefore it's not that ingrained in our brains. When I lived in the UK I got a care package from my parents and I took multiple food items to work to share with customers. I already poured a pack of candy into a bowl when I looked at it with "English" eyes and suddenly felt like not sharing... It's a candy that's been around for decades and it's black so its name is the Latin word for black. You do not want to whip that out in an English speaking country... As a child I never thought twice about it because to me it really just meant "black". We did share it eventually with a few friends, explaining at length before actually showing them the "racist candy".
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It's no wonder the younger generation is confused about what racism actually is. The majority of these are not racism, just a bunch a cry babies looking for confrontation.
There are differences between black people and white people. Noticing the differences is not necessarily racist. A group of black people complained to the media a few years back because they were offended when the picture of suspected felons was broadcast. They said this was racist. No, it was not. The pictures of suspected felons of the all different races were put up, not just black people. The justification is that when a criminal is on the loose, the community needs to be warned and be on the lookout for dangerous, well-armed, violent felons who are on the run from the law. You don't want this person showing up on your front door and asking if they can come inside and use your phone. This bogus complaint was not respected by the media for reasons of community safety. Who keeps making this sort of bogus complaint?
Whether something is racist or not depends on the intent, which means there is no such thing as "accidental racism".
So how would you title a post about things that look racist out of context?
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This is getting ridiculous. People trying to start trouble finding racism in everything. I'm so over it.
the latest nonsense along this line by shouting "Racist! Racist!" is for some people to declare math studies in schools as racist because white people generally learn math better than blacks. They say this means math is racist. No, it is not. What a ridiculous accusation and complaint. There are fewer black engineers proportionally than white engineers because engineers have to be really good at math. This is not racist. The smart black college kids who apply themselves and have the "math gene" do as well as any white students. What the real world is has a lot to do with smart black people who are wise to how completely most engineers are exploited and mistreated (black or white). Upwardly motivated young black people can make a lot more money as successful businessmen, doctors, or lawyers. For 90% of the engineers out there, engineering is a horrible job with an extra 20-30 hours a week of free overtime followed by a layoff at project's end. You can't easily start your own engineering firm and go into business for yourself. (They never tell you this in engineering school). You can start your own business more easily a business professional, doctor, or lawyer. Young black people have been wise to this for a long time, and wisely find something else to do on the path to success rather than specialize in math studies or engineering. This is not racist, folks. Stop complaining with this bogus complaint. This is just good business sense on the young peoples' part. Good for them.
I'm playing a microscopic Stradivarius for each one of these incidents.
I remember when I was looking in Philippines for a body cream and all I could find were: white cream, extra white, shiny white, ivory white, white no tan, very white cream... Everything to make you more white 🤔
Most of them are pretty far-fetched, if you want my opinion. Funny, but very far-fetched
Yeah, some of these have to be taken out of context to be racist. Some were just funny, like the lowest spice level being "white".
Load More Replies... Most of these are very silly and funny. I'm hyper sensitive to racism, but I don't necessarily think everything is racist!
But you can take almost anything and make it racist if you try hard enough.
Load More Replies... My friends mom was a dog breeder. The dogs she bred came in red, black, tri I think. One day in the restaurant after the show she exclaims loudly how the black b***h isn't performing right and how she can't be working with her anymore. Place went silent. Omg bet she never made that mistake again.
the oversensitivity in some of the comments can be funnier than the actual post sometimes.
oh my, most of these were very funny. my black co worker and i make fun of me being white and him being black all the time. i asked him if i could ride with him and he said he didn't want to get pulled over and shot. it's a sad truth but joking about it is a way to discuss it without getting into a big depression.
My mum had a "I want to die" moment similar to those. She is a heavy smoker and she prefers the type of tobacco that in spain is called black (idk about how it would be called in english). Once a black man approached her on the street and asked her if she had more tobacco. She answered "Yes, black". The guy of course did not get mad but she felt horrible xD
I came from a country that had almost exclusively white people so racism against black people wasn't really a thing, therefore it's not that ingrained in our brains. When I lived in the UK I got a care package from my parents and I took multiple food items to work to share with customers. I already poured a pack of candy into a bowl when I looked at it with "English" eyes and suddenly felt like not sharing... It's a candy that's been around for decades and it's black so its name is the Latin word for black. You do not want to whip that out in an English speaking country... As a child I never thought twice about it because to me it really just meant "black". We did share it eventually with a few friends, explaining at length before actually showing them the "racist candy".
Load More Replies... It's no wonder the younger generation is confused about what racism actually is. The majority of these are not racism, just a bunch a cry babies looking for confrontation.
There are differences between black people and white people. Noticing the differences is not necessarily racist. A group of black people complained to the media a few years back because they were offended when the picture of suspected felons was broadcast. They said this was racist. No, it was not. The pictures of suspected felons of the all different races were put up, not just black people. The justification is that when a criminal is on the loose, the community needs to be warned and be on the lookout for dangerous, well-armed, violent felons who are on the run from the law. You don't want this person showing up on your front door and asking if they can come inside and use your phone. This bogus complaint was not respected by the media for reasons of community safety. Who keeps making this sort of bogus complaint?
Whether something is racist or not depends on the intent, which means there is no such thing as "accidental racism".
So how would you title a post about things that look racist out of context?
Load More Replies... This is getting ridiculous. People trying to start trouble finding racism in everything. I'm so over it.
the latest nonsense along this line by shouting "Racist! Racist!" is for some people to declare math studies in schools as racist because white people generally learn math better than blacks. They say this means math is racist. No, it is not. What a ridiculous accusation and complaint. There are fewer black engineers proportionally than white engineers because engineers have to be really good at math. This is not racist. The smart black college kids who apply themselves and have the "math gene" do as well as any white students. What the real world is has a lot to do with smart black people who are wise to how completely most engineers are exploited and mistreated (black or white). Upwardly motivated young black people can make a lot more money as successful businessmen, doctors, or lawyers. For 90% of the engineers out there, engineering is a horrible job with an extra 20-30 hours a week of free overtime followed by a layoff at project's end. You can't easily start your own engineering firm and go into business for yourself. (They never tell you this in engineering school). You can start your own business more easily a business professional, doctor, or lawyer. Young black people have been wise to this for a long time, and wisely find something else to do on the path to success rather than specialize in math studies or engineering. This is not racist, folks. Stop complaining with this bogus complaint. This is just good business sense on the young peoples' part. Good for them.
I'm playing a microscopic Stradivarius for each one of these incidents.
I remember when I was looking in Philippines for a body cream and all I could find were: white cream, extra white, shiny white, ivory white, white no tan, very white cream... Everything to make you more white 🤔
