Dallas County meeting turns racial

[My name is mud]

A special meeting about Dallas County traffic tickets turned tense and bizarre this afternoon.

County commissioners were discussing problems with the central collections office that is used to process traffic ticket payments and handle other paperwork normally done by the JP Courts.

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black, interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black, to demand an apology from Mayfield for his racially insensitive analogy.

Mayfield shot back that it was a figure of speech and a science term. A black hole, according to Webster's, is perhaps "the invisible remains of a collapsed star, with an intense gravitational field from which neither light nor matter can escape."

Other county officials quickly interceded to break it up and get the meeting back on track. TV news cameras were rolling, after all.
I find it hard to believe that anyone could be unfamiliar with the term “black hole.”

[Troubleshooter]

Just make sure you aren't acting niggardly...

[xoxoxoBruce]

This is the Al Sharpton effect.

[SamIam]

I thought the PC term is "African American," anyhow.

[Cicero]

Oh I thought the figure of expression was: Naacp hole. Lots of things get sucked into that, and disappear never to return again, like logic.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by My name is mud

Commissioner Kenneth Mayfield, who is white, said it seemed that central collections "has become a black hole" because paperwork reportedly has become lost in the office.

Commissioner John Wiley Price, who is black interrupted him with a loud "Excuse me!" He then corrected his colleague, saying the office has become a "white hole."...

That prompted Judge Thomas Jones, who is black to demand an apology...

I find it hard to believe that anyone could be unfamiliar with the term “black hole.”

To take that one step further - these are elected officials

[lumberjim]

[monster]

Originally Posted by SamIam

I thought the PC term is "African American," anyhow.

Only if they are actually American.... Black Brits and real Africans (for example) can get a bit pissed off about being labelled African American when they visit

[Clodfobble]

I mentioned this story to Mr. Clod, who grew up in the metroplex, and he said John Price (the idiot who thought "black hole" was a racist comment) has been making a living by screaming racism at all sorts of things for over twenty years. This guy was in the news for the same kind of crap all the way back when he was a kid.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by monster

Only if they are actually American.... Black Brits and real Africans (for example) can get a bit pissed off about being labelled African American when they visit

Even most of the white SA's I know say that. They are a hell of a lot more African American than any blacks I know.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

I mentioned this story to Mr. Clod, who grew up in the metroplex, and he said John Price (the idiot who thought "black hole" was a racist comment) has been making a living by screaming racism at all sorts of things for over twenty years. This guy was in the news for the same kind of crap all the way back when he was a kid.

The first time I read it I thought this is nothing more than PC gone wild. Your comments confirm it as being more than PC gone wild. It is John Price playing his "victimhood" card to make press for himself.

[Shawnee123]

This just in:

Crayola announced today that it is removing all "black" crayons from its 8, 16, 48, and 64 count boxes. This crayon will not be re-labeled or replaced, there will just remain an empty hole to remind us that the color formerly known as black does not exist in reality.

Al Sharpton responded "It's about time your crayon corporation stopped your oppression of African-Americans, an oppression that has been going on since 1885. We will not be cornered by your white pigment bigotry NO MORE."

[SamIam]

We live in difficult times. I actually had an African American friend get mad at me when I described someone as having a "black heart." (Yes, some of my best friends are African American). Perhaps "black" should just be deleted from the English language. On the other hand, it would seem to be OK to describe your finances as "in the black," except that native Americans would no doubt object to phrase "in the red."

[Shawnee123]

Damn, now I gotta write yet ANOTHER letter to the damn Crayola Corporation. Any more requests while I'm at it?

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by Shawnee123

This just in:

Crayola announced today that it is removing all "black" crayons from its 8, 16, 48, and 64 count boxes. This crayon will not be re-labeled or replaced, there will just remain an empty hole to remind us that the color formerly known as black does not exist in reality.

Al Sharpton responded "It's about time your crayon corporation stopped your oppression of African-Americans, an oppression that has been going on since 1885. We will not be cornered by your white pigment bigotry NO MORE."