For anyone who remembers the case of the American guest racially abused by a host in a ski resort

Sorry, too late, have done!

Almost I think London, Amsterdam and Paris are probably more so :slight_smile: …but I get your point.

In my experience New York, Boston etc might be diverse but certain communities tend to live in distinct areas.

Obviously you should not have to . However as the poster said unfortunately this is the world we live in . It would be better to show the racist host by being there and being a good guest that their prejudices are unwarranted . Might even make them rethink and thus make the world a better place . .

I am a little saddened at the unwarranted criticism leveled at you for no good reason whatsoever ( IMHO ) For me what you are simply suggesting and not telling people to do is reasonable . Little different to a lady hitch hiking with her boyfriend getting him to hide until a car stops . My now deceased wife was brought up by her father ( who was a prisoner of the Japanese during WW2) to hate them for what other members of that nationality did to him and others . This did not make her a bad person and as soon as she actually met some Japanese people her prejudices melted away .

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I’m sorry, Jon, dishonesty is never a solution short or long term to a problem

I am not suggesting or would countenance dishonesty . Why do you think I am doing so ?

fakery in hitchhikikng, or condoning hiding your fsmily until your booking goes thru…

I think you either are or are not racist, this type of comment hardly breeds it. If only we could sway people so easily about 10 other hotly debated topics…

Forget Torohost’s response, how is no one complaining that a fine has been imposed on this host? That is INSANE! Wait, I re-read article and it’s California. That explains a lot; but I would still fight any fee imposed for expressing free speech. I would be interested in the legality of such a fine and how it doesn’t violate the 1st amendment. Yes, FREE SPEECH. Free speech allows us to show the world what an idiot we are and we shouldn’t be fined for it. There are different forms of repercussions such as public shaming, loss of revenue, etc., but fines shouldn’t be one of them.

DO NOT, do not misunderstand me – this has nothing to do with her racist comment. She sounds like an idiot. She should have just denied the booking if she doesn’t like Asian people - it’s against Airbnb rules, but pretty hard to prove. The fact she waited until the last minute to cancel just proves she’s nasty on top of being racist. But the $5,000 fine? How about she’s banned from ever hosting again and call it a day? When we begin to legislate and deem what is appropriate language and what is not, we embark on a very slippery slope.

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What do you mean? Is Conrad your husband?

Yes, Conrad is my husband.

The fine was imposed by the California Fair Housing Board, not by Airbnb. Airbnb canceled the host’s listing immediately upon learning of the host’s racist behavior. I assume that the fine was legal under fair housing laws as the host didn’t permit the guests to stay. In other words, the host was punished for not permitting Asian guests as opposed to her speech.

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Ellen - sorry ignore my last remark - just worked it out :slight_smile:

Why does that make you mad if someone says “he doesn’t look black” about your husband? I mean, it’s an honest question and kind of interesting in a biology sense – how some genes take precedence over others. Perhaps a little impertinent but probably no ill intention. My kids’ friends often tease them for having the last name “Wong” and not looking Chinese!

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Oh, okay, that makes more sense. I did realize it wasn’t Airbnb imposing the fine. Again, an idiot woman who didn’t even realize she could get fined.

I’m pretty sure you’re “correcting” me as opposed to asking a question, but here goes. There is no way to “look” black. People of African descent come in as much of a variety of looks as anyone else. These are the insulting circumstances in which I’ve been told that Conrad “doesn’t look black”. I used to have a boss who found it offensive when I said that Conrad is part black. She forbade me to say so at work because in her view I was just saying it for shock value. I had another manager who whenever a discussion of white privilege came up and I would talk about when Conrad had been pulled over for driving while black would say, “But Conrad doesn’t look black.”. I also can’t tell you how many times I’ve had white people say astonishingly racist things about black people. When I point out that I’m married to one the answer is usually, “But Conrad doesn’t look black.”.

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“But you don’t look black/mixed/ethnic” (ie you’re/he’s acceptable because you/they don’t look black) “Your English is really good” “But you don’t act like them” “I don’t like foreigners - but I don’t mean you…you’re okay you’re one of us”…I could go on but like @EllenN I think you already know exactly what we are talking about.

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I do have a different point of view, but not really “correcting you” – people can get angry, annoyed, mad for whatever they find offensive, I honestly don’t control anyone’s emotions. I was generally interested in why that is offensive to you.

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haha, people find themselves in hypocritical situations and need to explain their way out… It’s human nature to rationalize one’s hypocrisy…

I don’t find it particularly amusing being on the end of it, but glad it’s brought a smile to your face.