Gardai probe girl's taxi ordeal over 50 cent

inisboffin

gbee wrote: »

Well there are three types of fat driver, the jovial happy-go-lucky type, a fun drive usually and usually a bit off the fare.

The obese fellow with all the medical history ever inflicted on mankind and one is a qualified surgeon or consultant before the dive ends, he usually feels sorry for me too, and reduces the fare.

Then there is the fat sweating, BO emitting, bitter, nasty, lecherous looking guy that undresses you as you approach, the drive is slow and unnerving as personal questions seem to be more than small-talk. He charges the full fare and has to look up the book to see if he can charge more.

There are THREE types of overweight people? Jaysus sure that's mad altogether! Wasn't I sure there was only the wan - fat. Ha ha! But that's a good wan, next ye'll be tellin' me that the black fellas can come from a hundred different places, speakin' different languages, have different religions and all! Ha ha, sure aren't ye gas, don't they all spake the African?

celtictiger

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

I've had several bad experiences with taxi drivers. If I remember right, I'm pretty sure every one of them was overweight.

I'd probably expect someone to point out how illogical I was being if I went on an internet forum and proudly stated that I'd never get into another taxi with a fat driver, and just skip on past to someone thin, based on past experience.

But hey, it's your life, you only have to make yourself happy...

Don't forget the ugly and the bald Tell the girl who spent ten terrifying minutes being driven around against her will how illogical she is being next time she has to choose her taxi.
But hey, it's your life, if you want a foreign national take you home in a taxi you're free to do so - but don't expect others too just cause you call them a racist.

inisboffin

celtictiger wrote: »

Don't forget the ugly and the bald Tell the girl who spent ten terrifying minutes being driven around against her will how illogical she is being next time she has to choose her taxi.
But hey, it's your life, if you want a foreign national take you the long way home in a taxi you're free to do so - but don't expect others too just cause you call them a racist.

It is one thing to have a gut reaction to someone who reminds you of someone else, we have all done it, someone looking like an old boss etc. It is another thing to let this visual rule your logic and instinct, and in this case the visual is skin colour. And why say foreign nationals, when clearly you mean 'black'. Why can't you recognise the difference? On other threads people have narrowed their problems to being with Nigerian drivers. Flawed enough as targeting an entire nation is, people on here have outdone themselves and narrowed it down to skin colour, regardless of nationality, culture, language etc, because HOW can you know that by looking at someone???

dilallio

inisboffin wrote: »

There are THREE types of overweight people? Jaysus sure that's mad altogether! Wasn't I sure there was only the wan - fat. Ha ha!

I believe 'Horizontally-Challanged' is the word you are looking for here

celtictiger

inisboffin wrote: »

And why say foreign nationals, when clearly you mean 'black'.

Did I say foreign nationals? Sorry I meant to say foreign nationals.

MajorMax

Those damn rappers think their above the law

Hermy

PCPhoto wrote: »

first of all .... (I really REALLY don't want to defend taxi drivers)

Why not?

PopeBuckfastXVI

celtictiger wrote: »

Don't forget the ugly and the bald Tell the girl who spent ten terrifying minutes being driven around against her will how illogical she is being next time she has to choose her taxi.
But hey, it's your life, if you want a foreign national take you home in a taxi you're free to do so - but don't expect others too just cause you call them a racist.

First of all, there was nothing about the skin colour of any of the people involved in the article, you are inferring that based on your own racism.

Second of all, I'm not telling you you *have* to take anyone's taxi, I'm just informing you, because you don't seem to realise for some reason, that your reasoning, which is based solely on skin colour, is racist.

gbee

inisboffin wrote: »

, regardless of nationality, culture, language etc, because ?

Because that's actually racism as defined by the act. I did not write it.

inisboffin

gbee wrote: »

Because that's actually racism as defined by the act. I did not write it.

Sorry, don't follow you?

ScumLord

I've never had any problems with any taxi driver. Maybe you all don't know the secret password to a taxi drivers affections. Once you sit in the cab ask "busy"? Then use the Joe Duffy approach to sympathising repeat "sure" and "ah jaysus"every so often when they stop talking and you'll be friends with him before the end of your journey. That works on any breed of taxi man, even the exotics.

inisboffin

celtictiger wrote: »

Did I say foreign nationals? Sorry I meant to say foreign nationals.

So no English or American drivers for you then?

celtictiger

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

based on your own racism.

And there it is....the labeling of racism Tossed around so freely these days without thinking of the consequences. I was only making arguments....I never stated I would or would not take a taxi driven by a foreign national.

PopeBuckfastXVI

celtictiger wrote: »

And there it is....the labeling of racism Tossed around so freely these days without thinking of the consequences. I was only making arguments....I never stated I would or would not take a taxi driven by a foreign national.

My apologies, why then, did you assume the driver in the article was non-white, or had some other visible marker, to identify them with a particular avoidable group, which might incite cries of 'racism', were that group avoided?

celtictiger

inisboffin wrote: »

So no English or American drivers for you then?

Let go of the tree for a second....did I say I wouldn't take a non national taxi driver? I don't take taxis often as I am a taxi driver myself but I have on occassion taken taxis and yes some were driven by foreign nationals and I found no problem with them whatsoever. Very polite and professional. But I respect a persons right to choose and not get labelled because of that decision.

PopeBuckfastXVI

celtictiger wrote: »

Let go of the tree for a second....did I say I wouldn't take a non national taxi driver? I don't take taxis often as I am a taxi driver myself but I have on occassion taken taxis and yes some were driven by foreign nationals and I found no problem with them whatsoever. Very polite and professional. But I respect a persons right to choose and not get labelled because of that decision.

But if the label is correct, what's wrong with applying it!?

If I discriminated in provision, or selection, of services based on skin colour, I would be behaving in a racist fashion, no?

Let's just call a spade a spade and get on with it...

PopeBuckfastXVI

celtictiger wrote: »

Let go of the tree for a second....

This is with my 'mod' hat on.

Accusing someone who does not share your view of an issue of being a tree hugger / gun nut / nazi or any other ridiculous label does little to facilitate conversation, and will not be tolerated in the forum.

/moderation

celtictiger

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

My apologies, why then, did you assume the driver in the article was non-white, or had some other visible marker, to identify them with a particular avoidable group, which might incite cries of 'racism', were that group avoided?

I assumed nothing - as I stated I was just making arguments. Not sure if the apology is sincere or not, if it is, consider it accepted.

PopeBuckfastXVI

celtictiger wrote: »

I assumed nothing - as I stated I was just making arguments. Not sure if the apology is sincere or not, if it is, consider it accepted.

It very much is, I had confused you with some other poster, obviously, apologies again.

If dealing in hypothetical's, it may prove confusing to conflate them with the real world example in this case.

Itsdacraic

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

Let's just call a spade a spade and get on with it...

:eek:

celtictiger

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

But if the label is correct, what's wrong with applying it!?

Because as I argued the label is incorrect. You never answered my question - is the girl who went thru the ordeal now a racist if she never takes a taxi driven by a foreign national?

Ficheall

I walk everywhere, unless I'm late for something. It saves all this hassle.

If I do take a taxi, it doesn't much bother me what the driver looks like, and if the fare comes to 8 or 9 euro, I generally just leave them with the tenner. I've often had taxi drivers (can't remember what skin-colour) knock off the 20cent-50cent over or whatever. People get too het up about trivial amounts these days.

That said - as when purchasing any good or service, I make sure to bring enough money with me, and don't just hazard a guess at what I think it might be...

inisboffin

Itsdacraic wrote: »

:eek:

I believe the etymology of that one is still in dispute, but quote itself and eeks are scarily appropriate!

PopeBuckfastXVI

celtictiger wrote: »

Because as I argued the label is incorrect. You never answered my question - is the girl who went thru the ordeal now a racist if she never takes a taxi driven by a foreign national?

I thought I was quite clear, if she discriminates based on race, then her behaviour is racist.

If there's nothing wrong with racist behaviour, why is the word so abhorrent?

PopeBuckfastXVI

inisboffin wrote: »

I believe the etymology of that one is still in dispute, but quote itself and eeks are scarily appropriate!

It's not in dispute at all

inisboffin

celtictiger wrote: »

Because as I argued the label is incorrect. You never answered my question - is the girl who went thru the ordeal now a racist if she never takes a taxi driven by a foreign national?

And you never addresed my question as to whether or not you mean 'black' when you say 'foreign national'?

How could she spot a foreign national?

inisboffin

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

It's not in dispute at all

I had an English friend who is an academic 'educate' me on some sayings (admittedly there was wine involved!). One was the spade one, and he had another slant (actually a bit anti-Irish) about poorly paid labourers. The second version was a poker analogy in the Wild West. The third, obviously we know. The argument is that the derrogatory race term comes from the card/poker term. Did I mention there was drink taken?

celtictiger

inisboffin wrote: »

And you never addresed my question as to whether or not you mean 'black' when you say 'foreign national'?

Maybe you didn't grasp from my earlier answer that I meant to say foreign national.

PopeBuckfastXVI

Wikipedia is great - we're straying horrendously off topic now though!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_call_a_spade_a_spade

inisboffin

celtictiger wrote: »

Maybe you didn't grasp from my earlier answer that I meant to say foreign national.

You've lost me..

So tell me how this girl can identify a foreign national in order to not get in the car. Were you ever passing the queue at Liosbán for immigration. Foreign nationals come in all shades. So do Europeans, Americans, Canadians, English, Irish..etc