Am I a racist for thinking all people are white?

[PM5K]

Seriously, it just occurred to me that when talking to people on Cragslist I always assume they are white or Hispanic, and am usually surprised when I find out they are black, which doesn't happen too often.

Do African American people assume everyone they talk to are also AA?

I do the same thing with men/women, I always assume they are men because I mostly sell electronics, does that make me a sexist too (they usually are men)?

[JoeChalupa]

I don't really much pay attention to that but I talk to clients all day long and when I finally meet them I am almost always surprised since I have a preconception of what they may look like. Especially when they have an accent of some kind. Today I spoke with "Olivier" and he had a very strong accent and I just pictured him in a sharp shirt and tie sipping tea with his little finger out. Does that make me racist?

[Wild Cobra]

I don't really much pay attention to that but I talk to clients all day long and when I finally meet them I am almost always surprised since I have a preconception of what they may look like. Especially when they have an accent of some kind. Today I spoke with "Olivier" and he had a very strong accent and I just pictured him in a sharp shirt and tie sipping tea with his little finger out. Does that make me racist?
How did you make that mistake?

Did he have an English accent, but turn out to be Australian?

[hater]

you're not a racist. Just a moron

[Wild Cobra]

you're not a racist. Just a moron
LOL...

Sorry PM5K, but I have to agree.

[JoeChalupa]

How did you make that mistake?

Did he have an English accent, but turn out to be Australian?

Never actually met the guy. Just the perception I got when I heard his voice. He didn't sound like the Geico Gekko.

[redzero]

Black. Black, not African American.

[LoneStarState'sPride]

What's really funny is when it goes both ways. I was buying electronics off craigslist a couple months back, and I automatically assumed the seller was male (nothing sexist, just some of the lingo used in the post). The funny part, though, was after I called the seller and arranged a meet, and she was quite obviously surprised when a black man showed up. Apparently I sound super "white" over the phone lol.

[IronMexican]

What's really funny is when it goes both ways. I was buying electronics off craigslist a couple months back, and I automatically assumed the seller was male (nothing sexist, just some of the lingo used in the post). The funny part, though, was after I called the seller and arranged a meet, and she was quite obviously surprised when a black man showed up. Apparently I sound super "white" over the phone lol.

Did she tell you that?



And I always assume people are black when selling stuff on craigslist.